NEWSFLASH:  Buying a Home May Be One of the Best Ways to Achieve Happiness!

The pursuit of happiness... It's what we all seek isn't it?  After all this ideal finds prominence in the founding document of our country thanks to Thomas Jefferson who borrowed from John Locke and changed property to "pursuit of happiness."

People try many things to try to find happiness.  And there are many paths to achieving happiness.  You may find it at church, at synagogue, on the sports field, or the dance floor.  Some find it through charitable endeavours and others pathways include Zen meditation.  Helping others, finding new and exciting challenges, life-long learning... any of these things can lead to a happy life.

It's been said that "Money Can't Buy Happiness!"

Well, last week I read an article called "8 Ways that Money Can Buy Happiness" and I concluded that buying a home for the reasons I'll cite below may just be a great way to help achieve happiness!

Why Buying a Home Can Make You Happy:

"Buy more experiences and fewer material goods." -- the article states that:

Asked which of the two purchases made them happier, fully 57% of respondents reported that they had derived greater happiness from their experiential purchase, while only 34% reported greater happiness from their material purchase.

What?  You might say that a home is a material good!  Whatch'a talking about Brian?  And yes, technically a home is a material good -- it's made up of bricks and siding, a roof, plumbing, electrical systems, appliances, etc.  However a home is much more than that.  Homes are much more than the sum of their material parts.  You make memories in your homes.  You raise your families in your homes.  You have good times (and bad) in your homes.  You entertain, you wine, you dine.

Before you buy it, it's a house -- you have an inspection, you make sure everything's working, you negotiate a price.  Once you've been living there, it becomes a home -- or the sum of all the experiences you have there.  No wonder selling it can be such an emotional experience.

Ready for some happiness?

Search for Homes in Northern Virginia

Just released is the Northern Virginia Real Estate MarketWatch Video for December 2011.  This brief overview video discusses the real estate market in Northern Virginia including 2011 data, 2012 real estate market trends, market patterns, average prices, pending sales, housing demand, inventory, median sales prices, foreclosures and the political atmosphere.  Whew!  That's a lot of ground to cover in just 3 minutes!

I think you'll find the information in this video easy to digest.  If you have any questions about the current state of the real estate market in Northern Virginia, just let me know.  I'm only a phone call or an e-mail away.

Location. Location. Location. 

You've heard it before.  It's probably been beaten into your head right now, especially if you're considering buying or selling real estate in Northern Virginia or elsewhere.

Real estate is very local -- hyper-local.  Thus, it's important to keep up to date on information about the particular area that interests you.

Here's some samples of a report called "Local Market Insight" that I've prepared for Alexandria and Arlington, VA. 

If you would like similar information about another area in Northern Virginia or Washington D.C., just shoot me an e-mail with the zip code or area of interest and I'll prepare a report for you.

First a few statistics about 2011 upper bracket home sales in Northern Virginia:

851 homes sold for $1 million or more.  

The average list price for these homes was $1,523,590.  The average home sold in this price category had 5 bedrooms, and 4.5 bathrooms.

Of those:

776 sold between $1 million and $2 million

52 sold between $2 million and $3 million

14 sold between $3 million and $4 million

9 sold for over $4 million

183 of the million-dollar-plus sales were in McLean, VA.  181 were in Arlington, VA.  97 were in Great Falls, VA.

Top 12 Most Expensive Homes Sales in Northern Virginia in 2011

9500 Ferry Landing Court, Alexandria, VA 22309: 
Sold for $8,260,000 on August 4, 2011
11.75 acre estate built in 1939 on the Potomac River.  The home includes a poolhouse, pool, carriage house, green house, stables and pier.  Sold for $1.25M under the asking price.

903 Turkey Run Road, McLean, VA 22101: 
Sold for $7,501,310 on October 27, 2011
Newly constructed custom built home with 6 bedrooms and 7 full baths, 5 fireplaces on one acre in McLean.  The home has 9,309 square feet of living space.

11201 Gunston Road, Mason Neck, VA 22079: 
Sold for $6,100,000 on September 1, 2011
This waterfront luxury home is situated on 5 acres in a gated community.  There are wet and dry steam rooms, an exercise room, home theater, recreation room and game room.  There's also an infinity style pool and built-in hot-tub and 8,509 square feet of living space plus a guest house.

1012 Founders Ridge Lane, McLean, VA 22102: 
Sold for $5,975,000 on June 6, 2011
Located in The Reserve in McLean, this home was built in 2006 with walnut floors, Lutron lighting system, an elevator, custom theater, and much more.

7712 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22102:
Sold for $5,004,000 on June 1, 2011
Built in 2005, this custom stone manor is sited on 2.6 private wooded acres with 5 bedrooms, a billiards and exercise room and home theater, full bar and wine cellar.  There's also a detached carriage house with second level studio apartment.  Wait... there's more.  Tennis court, pool and spa!

1043 Founders Ridge Lane, McLean, VA 22102:
Sold for $4,950,000 on June 23, 2011
This Tuscan Villa on 1.08 acres features an 11,300 square foot interior with soaring ceilings, 6 bedrooms including a luxurious master suite.  There's a climate controlled wine cellar, home theater and outdoor cabana.

7853 Langley Ridge Road, McLean, VA 22102: 
Sold for $4,250,000 on April 28, 2011
A 16,000+ square foot residence on 5.2 acres!  There's an elevator, wine cellar and almost 3,000 square feet of outdoor entertaining space.

7826 Swinks Mill Court, McLean, VA 22102:
Sold for $4,000,000 on December 7, 2011
Sold for almost $1 million under the asking price, this estate on 1.13 acres features 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a 5 car garage.  There's a courtyard with fountain, patios and a salt water pool.

7017 Benjamin Street, McLean, VA 22101: 
Sold for $3,518,814 on January 12, 2011
In Langley Forest, this new home features about 8,000 finished square feet on 1.26 acres.

9600 Ferry Harbour Court, Alexandria, VA 22309: 
Sold for $3,500,000 on October 28, 2011
This Georgian Colonial on 5 acres features expansive views of the Potomac River, a 340 foot navigable waterfront dock, gated entry, 5 bedrooms, and elevator, high ceilings, a pool with cabana, and much more.  It was built in 1942 and sold for just $99K under the asking price.

311 S. Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, VA 22314:
Sold for $3,500,000 on July 29, 2011
Built in 1970, this detached home in Old Town Alexandria has 12 foot ceilings, 8 fireplaces, 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 4,801 square feet of living space, off-street parking for two cars, and a swimming pool.

6807 Wemberly Way, McLean, VA 22101: 
Sold for $3,453,795 on September 22, 2011
New home with 4 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths, includes wetbar, media room, formal and casual living area, office, 10 foot ceilings, library, great room, and a 3 car garage.

START SEARCHING FOR YOUR DREAM HOME TODAY!