Quantico Live!

Saint George Estates, North Stafford. Brick fireplace/chimney w/ wood-burning insert to reduce heating bills. Formal LR & DR. Large eat-in kitchen w/ 42″ cabinets, tile back-splash & large island; energy efficient dishwasher & fridge. French doors lead to enormous deck, great for entertaining. Vinyl fence surrounds flat back yard. Master bath with soaking tub, oversized shower & double sinks. Hardwood open 2-story foyer. Upstairs laundry. Large 5th bedroom or den in finished part of basement (basement mostly finished). Great schools & location.

 For more information about this home go to MBO147589 on Militarybyowner.com, your resource for homes near Quantico MCB. 

You’ll love coming home to this gorgeous home with a water view.  Enjoy boating, golfing, the stables, parks and other amenities in Aquia Harbour, or just relax and enjoy the wildlife from your private deck overlooking Aquia Creek.  Home is updated with new siding, windows, tile, hardwood floors, light fixtures, fans, corian /solid surface countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. Garage with work bench and storage. Outside you’ll love the pool with a beautiful new liner (deep end is over 8 feet), fully fenced pool and yard, gorgeous landscaping.

To see photos of this home please view MBO145439 on Militarybyowner. com, your resource for homes for sale by owner near Quantico.

Beautiful brick front, corner unit, town house featuring 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and a finished basement with full bath. Tile foyer and crown and chair molding throughout. Open floor plan includes a family room off the kitchen and a spacious living room and dining room. Huge 3 tier deck off the family room. Washer and Dryer on third floor with bedrooms. The master bedroom is very large to include two walk-n closets and a master bath that has a soaking tub, shower, and a double vanity. Large single car garage, driveway, and one assigned parking space. Community amenities include large swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, multiple playgrounds, and a community center. This house is located 5 miles north of MCB Quantico, which means you are traveling against traffic. Normally takes approximately 10 minutes to get to work. This house is less than 2 miles from Interstate 95. Must see on Militarybyowner.com ad MBO141284.

Quantico Live is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc. your resource for rental homes near Quantico.

Beautiful home in Cannon Ridge subdivision! Top rated schools in Stafford County School Distict.  3.7 miles to VRE! Home is 3 finished levels on a corner lot of a cul-de-sac.

For more information on this home, please view MBO139684 on Militarybyowner.

Quantico Live is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc. your source for Homes for Rent near Quantico. 

How about commuting to Quantico south on 95?  There are plenty of beautiful homes north of the base that would make your commute smooth against the mad traffic heading in to the city.  Check out this great house in Dumfries!

You can view this ad, MBO137141, and more homes on Militarybyowner.com, your source for houses near Quantico.

Looking for the perfect home and want to deal with the homeowners? This beautiful and updated home in Hampton Oaks is one of great properties out there prime for the early real estate season !

 Check out this great property, MBO135160, on Militarybyowner.com your Quantico Homes Resource.

The US Department of Defense has released the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for 2010. The BAH rates for permanent-duty troops increases an average of 2.5% on January 1, 2010. The BAH is alotted to servicemembers for whom govenrment-provided quarters are unavailable. Check BAH rates in your area here.

Around one million full-time servicemembers take advantage of the BAH program, whose benefits vary based on duty location, pay grade, and number of dependents. Checking the rates against ZIP codes where I’ve lived, it looks like, if you don’t have any dependents, you could get an average one-bedroom apartment. However, personal experience tells me that rent tends to increase more than 2.5% each year.

 In the DC area, housing rates, increased across the board. Locations increased by just a few dollars up to a couple of hundred dollars.  How will these rates and changes effect housing prices and rental rates in the Northern Virginia area?  Home owners and landlords are hopeful that the housing market in Virginia will continue its steady recovery…. opinions??

 Congress created the HAP program in 1966 (see Section 3374, Title 42 United States Code) to financially compensate eligible military and civilian Federal employee homeowners when the real estate market was adversely affected directly related to the closure or reduction-in-scope of operations due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).  More recently the HAP program was reviatlized as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to assist military members that are forced to PCS from a declining housing market.   

Most analysts expressed concern that the actual program requirements and the tax implications were not clear enough to have anyone in the military program actually benefit.  Was this another federally ordered stimulus package that would never trickle down to benefit the intended.  I tried, for grins,to call about the emergency refinancing plans that were announced last year. You could not benefit if you were not yet behind on your mortgage but if you credit was bad, you were almost ousted from the phone tree…… so where oh where is the place between “behind on mortgage” and “still good credit”… hmmmm?

Almost against odds, the HAP program is starting to chug along like the Little Engine that could.  Payments are actually being processed.  People are actually benefitting.  Most importantly the tax questions were clear up when Presdient Obama signed the HR3548, making payments made to military members under the HAP exempt from taxation. 

Please review all the information about the HAP program carefully before filing.   HAP Program FAQ’s and HAP Program Overview

Does anyone out there have personal experience with HAP so far??? Is there really a pulse?

Do you think that Miley Cyrus wrote “The Climb” with the NYSE in mind. 

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody’s gonna have to lose

Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb, yeah!  (traders on the floor break into spontaneous dance led by pop princess in wall street garb)

The stock market briefly and wonderfully eclipsed the 10,000 mark yesterday, revisiting an apex that we first accomplished ten years ago.  WE are all sooooo excited, to be back in the stock gain levels of ten years ago? ..?

 Honestly, those of us who are homeowners here in Virginia and DC are hopeful that the resurgence of the market could indicate a resurgence in the market. 

Fellow Zillow watchers.. what do you think?  We have watched our homes peak at irrationally high heights just 5 years ago to only go on a sickeningly steep Busch Gardens like drop.  Indicators are that there is a leveling off and that this summer we may have even seen a slight bounce back to values of a reasonble time.  Which begs an important question for DC newbies…. RENT… or … BUY?  Many a Virginia resident has made a killing on selling a home they owned for three years before moving back to an obscure base in Texas.  Conversely, some have been strapped into mortgages that do not hold up to the housing crash and are forced to rent their homes for a percentage of their value when the FBI, DOD or GS job ships them off to Asia.

Schools of thought vary about where the market hit bottom this year, or if it did hit bottom.  Interest rates have been remaining steady at the lowest rates ever seen.  There will be a magical moment when interest rates and housing prices begin to rise again.  How to catch that perfect moment just before “The Climb.” ? What would you tell a new Virginia resident.. RENT or BUY?  Have we recovered?