Summer will be here before we know it! It is important to test your air conditioning system before it gets too hot. A key point to remember is that the government considers heat a priority, but not air conditioning, so your air conditioning contractor will schedule repair calls on a first-come, first-served basis. Some companies will consider households with elderly or infants a priority, but testing your system ahead of time should alleviate those emergency calls in the beginning of the season.
So here are a few helpful hints that are your responsibility: (1) check the system to ensure there is cold conditioned air coming out of your registers, (2) ensure your condensation line is clean and free of debris and (3) adjust your dampers to the summer time setting.
Taking just a few minutes at the beginning of the season to check your system will allow you to stay cool and enjoy the spring and summer months!
Our charming, garden-style flats at King’s Pointe offer open, airy floor plans with a fresh and modern appeal.
Nestled behind a 14-acre forested preservation area, King’s Pointe is just minutes from I-664 and the Peninsula and all the shopping, dining, entertainment and attractions of Western Branch, one of the most vibrant and livable sections of Chesapeake.
Currently starting in the mid-$100′s, The Hanover floor plan offers single level living with two bedrooms and two baths, a spacious laundry room and an open floor plan, perfect for entertaining. Visit www.dragas.com to get more information and to see how you can change your status from renter to homeowner at King’s Pointe!
John Brown reported in The Virginian Pilot that both home sales and price rose last month in South Hampton Roads:
Home sales rose in South Hampton Roads last month and prices ticked up, according to a report released Monday.
The Real Estate Information Network, a Virginia Beach-based multiple-listing service, reported that 1,037 existing homes sold last month, up 8.9 percent from March and up 13.6 percent from April 2011.
Meanwhile, the median price was $189,900 in April, up 5.5 percent from March and 2.6 percent higher than a year earlier, the listing service reported.
The report was more good news for a local housing market struggling to gain solid footing. April marked the second consecutive month of year-over-year increases in median existing home prices. The median is the point at which half of all sales were for higher prices and half lower. Until March, year-over-year median prices had not risen in South Hampton Roads since November 2010.
For the complete article, click here.
Recent reports show that the local housing market in Hampton Roads is stabilizing. There isn’t time to wait any longer to change your status from renter to homeowner. Dragas Communities throughout Chesapeake, Virginia offer well built new condominiums at an affordable price, probably less than you are paying in rent! Visit dragas.com to see how close your dream of homeownership can be.
Posted in Kings Pointe at Western Branch, Oakbrooke Crossing, The Grove
|
Tagged Chesapeake, Dragas Communities, Hampton Roads, josh brown, New Condominium Communities, Real Estate Information Network, South Hampton Roads, The Virginian Pilot, Virginia
|
Want to finally ditch your landlord and buy your own home but don’t want the hassle and expense of moving? For a limited time, The Dragas Companies will move you for free to any one of our new Dragas Communities. That’s right, buy a new condominium at any of our communities now and we will pay for your move through Hampton Roads Moving and Storage. Locally owned and operated since 1991, Hampton Roads Moving and Storage has partnered with The Dragas Companies to provide a full service moving package for our qualified buyers which includes packing, moving and unpacking. The best part? We’ll pick up the tab!
For complete details on our moving promotion as well as out other incredible incentives visit any of our sales offices, or complete an on-line interest form for more information.
Can where you live influence how you live?
Absolutely. For those who work on this side of the water, King’s Pointe can mean the difference between spending time in traffic or spending it relaxing in your own new home in a beautiful new Chesapeake condominium community filled with trees, ponds and an upscale pool and clubhouse.
Looking for luxury? Our bright, spacious two-story quads give you the style you want and the room you need—and all for an affordable price. Interested in something a bit smaller? Our charming, garden-style flats offer open, airy floor plans with a fresh and modern appeal.
Nestled behind a 14-acre forested preservation area, King’s Pointe is just minutes from I-664 and the Peninsula and all the shopping, dining, entertainment and attractions of Western Branch, one of the most vibrant and livable sections of Chesapeake.
Catch your breath—and a really great deal—with a beautifully situated new two-story condo in Chesapeake. Located in Greenbrier just across the street from the new OakBrooke Business & Technology Center campus, our secluded 120-home community of brick condominiums gives you the peace and privacy you want with the close-to-it-all convenience you need. Highlights include:
• Open, airy floor plans of over 1,300 square feet; one with office
• Two master suites with walk-in closets
• Spacious kitchen with pantry
• Private neighborhood pool & cabana
• Just across from the OakBrooke Business & Technology Center
Visit us on-line at dragas.com or at our Oakbrooke Crossing sales office, open 11am-6pm daily and Sunday noon-6pm. With new condominiums built by The Dragas Companies starting in the $180′s, this is the time to change your status from renter to homeowner!
An article on The Wall Street Journal’s smartmoney.com makes the case for by-passing the dorm room and buying a condo for your college-bound son or daughter:
Prices in many real-estate markets may be close to bottoming out. We hope. So the old adage about buying low may be something to consider if you have a kid who will soon be heading off to college. The idea is to buy a condo for the kid to live in while attending school. That way, you’ll avoid paying through the nose for a dorm room or apartment with no hope of any profit. And if you buy a condo that has some extra space, you can rent it out to your kid’s friends and offset some of the ownership cost.
For the complete article, click here. Bill Bischoff of Smart Money breaks down some of the financial advantages of buying a condo instead of going the dorm route, including deducting college condo ownership expenses, passive loss rules may postpone tax losses and favorable tax rules when you sell.
Hampton Roads has several competitive colleges and universities right in our own back yard. The Dragas Companies can offer you an affordable option for your college-bound offspring in any of our condominium communities throughout Chesapeake. Visit dragas.com to learn more.
The Dragas Companies recently promoted Nick Baum to Director of Planning and Business Development. Mr. Baum has worked extensively in his 5 year career with The Dragas Companies on land acquisition, planning and rezoning of commercial and residential properties in South Hampton Roads. Mr. Baum was formerly employed by Chesapeake Public Schools as a Planner and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
The annoucement of Nick’s promotion will appear in this weekend’s Virginian Pilot Home section on Saturday as well as Sunday’s Business section. Virginia Business Magazine has already posted it on their website.
Congrats, Nick!
The City of Chesapeake is hosting its first Restaurant Week through May 11th. Over 30 restaurants throughout the city are participating by donating a portion of their proceeds this week to Chesapeake Public Schools Education Foundation. Why not skip cooking one night this week and support our public schools? For a list of all of the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, click here.
FICO Labs, the creator of the FICO Credit Score used by most landing institutions as a risk assessment for extending credit, has released a report that shows more consumers are nearing a perfect credit score. In fact, the number of consumers in the top FICO Score range of 800-850 is at the highest level since 2008 with 18.3 percent of consumers now in this range:
”There has been a clear shift,” said Rachel Bell of FICO Labs. “Many consumers have moved into the top tier of the FICO® Score range by redoubling their efforts to maintain an excellent credit profile. Other people have fallen into lower tiers, most likely due to the financial stress that many households have been feeling. Despite this shift, we continue to observe more than half of FICO® Scores in the U.S. are between 700-850, which means Americans have managed their credit well despite the economic downturn.”
Managing your credit is an important factor in qualifying for a home loan, and knowing your credit score is a good first step in that process. To start the pre-qualification for a home loan, including obtaining your credit score, visit dragasmortgage.com. The staff at Dragas Mortgage Company can work with you to assess your home buying potential and counsel you on how to increase your credit score.
Congratulations to Rosely Stevens and Maureen Kolstee, Sales Managers at The Grove at The Arboretum, the newest condominium community built by The Dragas Companies! Rosely and Maureen sold 12 homes at The Grove in April! Wow! These two and three bedroom condominiums are located off of Green Tree Road in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake and start at under $200,000.00!
Come out to The Grove to tour our three decorated models. Our sales office is open daily from 11am-6pm and Sundays from noon-6pm.
May is the Ideal month for planting almost any flower: Plant your warm-season annuals in May, including begonia, chrysanthemum, geranium, marigold, petunia and verbena. While annuals come and go, perennials will bring enjoyment for years to come. Perennials to plant now include African daisy, delphinium, fuchsia and lavender.
According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, all signs point to this being a great time to buy new construction.
NAHB chief economist David Crowe expects the pace will pick up quickly this year. He predicts single-family starts will jump 17% and multifamily 22%. The jump will be partly in response to a gap of at least a million units between the current level of production and looming demand, particularly from Millennials who are just entering the job market and are yearning for their own place. “You can’t live in mom’s basement forever,” he said.
Buyers are starting to see the bottom of the market and realizing that now is the time to jump into homeownership. New construction homes offer a great value when you consider their energy efficient features and warranties. Visit dragas.com to see our beautiful new communities throughout Chesapeake, Virginia. Now is the time to change your status from renter to homeowner!
This event will really quack you up! The 2012 Chesapeake Rubber Duck Race is today from 11am-3pm at the Intracoastal Waterway in Great Bridge. The City of Chesapeake’s website lists the following event information:
JUMP IN! The rubber duckies are ready to swim again in Chesapeake! On Saturday, April 28, 2012 CHIP will present The 2012 Chesapeake Rubber Duck Race, to take place at the Intracoastal Waterway at Great Bridge from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thousands of rubber duckies will hit the waterway at approximately 2:15 p.m. to win their adopted parent a grand prize! Ducks are available for adoption at official duck adoption locations throughout Chesapeake, by phone at 757-543-9100, and on-site at the race location starting at 10:00 a.m. This free event is sure to entertain the entire family with music, food from local vendors, balloon animals, face painting, children’s games, a bounce house, prizes and more!
This annual event benefits CHIP, Children’s Health Investment Program. To learn more about CHIP, click here.
The National Association of Realtors reported a 4.1% increase in the pending home sales index for March, signalling continued improvement in the housing industry.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said 2012 is expected to be a year of recovery for housing. “First quarter sales closings were the highest first quarter sales in five years. The latest contract signing activity suggests the second quarter will be equally good,” he said.
“The housing market has clearly turned the corner. Rising sales are bringing down inventory and creating much more balanced conditions around the county, which means home prices will be rising in more areas as the year progresses,” Yun said.
For the complete article, click here. If you are still renting, what are you waiting for? With interest rates still at historic lows, you can purchase a brand-new condominium from The Dragas Companies with monthly payments that are less than you are probably paying in rent! Visit dragas.com to see our well-planned communities available throughout Chesapeake, Virginia. This is the time to change your status from renter to homeowner!
This beautiful egret was seen at Oakbrooke Crossing on Tuesday afternoon hanging out at our lake. This circular lake greets our Oakbrooke homeowners at the community entrance every time they come home to their Dragas condominium. Located in Greenbrier just across the street from the new OakBrooke Business & Technology Center campus, our secluded 120-home community of brick condominiums gives you the peace and privacy you want with the close-to-it-all convenience you need.
Absolutely. For those who work on this side of the water, King’s Pointe can mean the difference between spending time in traffic or spending it relaxing in your own new home in a beautiful new Chesapeake condominium community filled with trees, ponds and an upscale pool and clubhouse.
Looking for luxury? Our bright, spacious two-story quads give you the style you want and the room you need—and all for an affordable price. Interested in something a bit smaller? Our charming, garden-style flats offer open, airy floor plans with a fresh and modern appeal.
Nestled behind a 14-acre forested preservation area, King’s Pointe is just minutes from I-664 and the Peninsula and all the shopping, dining, entertainment and attractions of Western Branch, one of the most vibrant and livable sections of Chesapeake.
I couldn’t resist taking a few shots on King’s Pointe on Saturday night after having dinner at nearby Harbour View. The night sky set against the lighted monument sign made for a striking entrance to our Western Branch community.
Look no further! Oakbrooke Crossing is located in Greenbrier just across the street from the new OakBrooke Business & Technology Center campus, our secluded 120-home community of brick condominiums gives you the peace and privacy you want with the close-to-it-all convenience you need. Perfect.
Did you know this? Each person throws away approximately 4-5 pounds of garbage every day. The garbage in a landfill can take up to 30 years or more to decompose! Over 80% of household waste can be recycled, but only a fraction actually is. All of our newest Dragas Communities have dedicated recycling dumpsters to help encourage recycling by our homeowners.
Well, not really, but this cute little family of ducks was worth posting! Mama, Daddy and their 11 chicks were swimming happily in our lake at King’s Pointe at Western Branch this week.
Check out our latest TV commercials that have been running this month on Cox Cable channels! You can view them here on the Dragas You Tube page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9BJ3eqK_6U&feature=youtu.be
Are you tired of renting and are ready to become a homeowner? With record low interest rates, and our affordable new condominium communities, you can’t afford to rent any longer! Visit www.dragas.com to see why.
