If your Arlington VA HVAC system is failing, you may need a new air filter.

Air filters are typically under $20 and are available at your local Walmart or grocery store.

You need to replace your air filter every three months to assure proper system functionality. Too often, families move in to a new home and forget to protect one of the home’s most valuable components.

In addition to protecting your Arlington VA air conditioning system, air filters improve your air quality, reduce your energy bill, keep your ducts cleaner and help reduce your family’s impact on our environment.

Keeping your air filter clean and up to date is an all around win-situation. It’s very cheap to keep it updated… and you will really regret not updating it if faced with an unnecessary $2,000 HVAC bill.

There are tons of different air filters out there. Make sure you measure your filter space before hitting the store–you will need to measure its length, width and height. Air filters also have different ratings and numbers, and range in efficiency. You can always expect to pay more for a more efficient filter.

This Arlington VA real estate tip courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

Yes, we do have a lot of trees in Northern Virginia.

Most of them are in the right spot, but some of them have to go.

If you have an unwanted tree, give Tyson’s Tree Service a call. No longer does that towering oak, misfit pine or unwanted dogwood have to mar your landscaping ideas.

And no longer do you, or your spouse, have to climb up a towering ladder with the saw you bought from your local hardware store.

Tyson’s has been serving residential, commercial and government clients for nearly 20 years. Its services include tree removal, tree care and 24-hour emergency storm removal.

If a storm rips through your neck of the woods and leaves your yard looking like a wood pile, look to Tyson’s Tree Service for help. The company has the high-tech, industrial equipment needed for an efficient clean-up.

Tyson’s Tree Service is licensed, insured and its technicians have decades of experience. For a free estimate of your tree job, big, small or storm created, contact 703-849-9188.

This Arlington VA Tree Removal Service information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

Established in 1939, Arlington Forest is home to more than 800 households in Arlington VA.

The neighborhood is located near the crossroads of George Mason Drive and Arlington Boulevard in central Arlington. Schools serving the neighborhood include Barrett Elementary School, Kenmore Middle School and Washington-Lee High School.

Arlington Forest certainly lives up to its name–it’s full of lush trees and is within walking distance to a number of picturesque parks and attractions. The neighborhood posts an assortment of single family homes, many that have been standing strong for decades. Arlington Forest has a plethora of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes within its confines.

Nearby attractions include Ballston Mall, Ballston Metro Station, Washington & Old Dominion trail and Glencarlyn Park. Arlington Forest is also close to Route 50, Columbia Pike, Wilson Boulevard and Glebe Road.

By calling Arlington Forest home, you’re giving yourself a number of options for your D.C. commute!

For a current list of homes available in Arlington Forest, please contact Aaron Seekford.

This Arlington VA neighborhood information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

Making additional principal contributions on your Arlington VA mortgage will save interest, retire debt and build equity. An extra $100 a month in the example shown will save thousands in interest and short the term of the mortgage as well.

If you invest in a savings account, you’ll make less than 1% and will have to pay income tax on the earnings. On the other hand, contribute something extra to your Arlington VA house payment on a regular basis and you’ll essentially, earn at the mortgage interest rate which is certain to be more than you’re earning in the bank.

Reducing your cost of housing is another way to improve the investment in your home. Becoming debt-free is a worthy goal that is achieved with discipline and good decisions. Suggestions like this are part of my commitment to help people be better homeowners when they buy, sell and all the years in between.

This Arlington VA real estate information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA Realtor.

1852 Brenthill Way, Vienna, VA 22182 | $3,300/month rental | FX7773755

3,000+ square foot 3 bedroom Vienna VA townhouse with 2 car garage.

Gleaming hardwood floors, high ceilings, sunken family room, security system and more! Light and airy throughout!

Eat-in gourmet kitchen with 42″ cabinets, island bar, cook-top & pantry! Washer and dryer included!

Upper level master suite with his and her sinks and whirlpool tub.

Lower level with full bath, gas fireplace and wall of windows leading to private patio.

Blocks to Tysons, 66 and 495!

This listing courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent. For more information and photos please contact Aaron Seekford.

A lot can go wrong with your appliances, plumbing and electrical system when you buy a new home.

Just because you’ve done the walk through and every thing is in working order, doesn’t mean your A/C unit, dishwasher or garage door aren’t going to croak in a month or two.

Whenever you buy a new or resale home, it’s great to have a home warranty. A home warranty is usually built in to your sales contract, and covers appliance, plumbing and electrical issues with your home for a year.

After the year is up, you have the option of renewing your home warranty.

The greatest thing a home warranty provides is peace of mind. If you’re A/C were to die, it can easily cost upwards of $1,000 to 2,000. With a home warranty, you pay a flat, low fee–the fee depends on your plan–for a local professional to come out and fix it.

From broken garage openers, to leaking toilets, to disfunctional ovens, pretty much anything is covered under a home warranty.

When my clients sign on the dotted line, we typically like to go with a plan from Home Warranty of America. I’ve utilized their services over and over again throughout my career and see no reason to stop doing so.

They are prompt, fair and I’ve always heard good things from my clients.

So, the next time you sign on the dotted line, give yourself a break and go with a home warranty. Your stress level will thank you.

This community information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

Palisades Park is a modern townhouse community, originally built in 1995.

Its friendly confines are located near Rosslyn. Its closest cross streets are North Oak Street and 22nd Street North. Some of the townhouses in the Palisades Park community enjoy picturesque views of Georgetown, Washington DC and the Potomac River.

If you’re looking for genuine, lush landscaping, Palisades Park is a great option. The neighborhood boasts a number of decades-old trees that tower along the banks of the Potomac.

Most of the townhouses in Palisades Park have two-car garages and all units include a deck.

Palisades Park is a short commute from Georgetown, Washington, DC and several Arlington urban centers including Clarendon, Courthouse and Rosslyn. The Rosslyn Metro is a five to ten minute walk away from most Palisades Park townhouses.

Nearby shopping options include Ballston Mall, the diverse outdoor shops of Georgetown and independent Rosslyn businesses. Schools serving the Palisade Park neighborhood include Taylor Elementary School, Williamsburg Middle School and Yorktown High School.

If you would like a current list of rental and sale listings in Palisades Park, please contact Aaron Seekford. The neighborhood may have just what you’re looking for!

This Arlington VA neighborhood information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

7112 George town Pike features 300 feet of frontage and 152 feet of depth.

The lot is 1.06 acres total, is flat and ready to build your dream home on!

Public water and sewer are both available on site, as is natural gas. All utilities were capped in 2005 and will be available for your new home on the McLean VA lot.

A full price offer also includes plans for a beautiful, 10,000 square foot home!

Local schools include Churchill Road Elementary School, Cooper Middle School and Langley High School. Nearby attractions include Tysons Corner Center, Tysons Galleria and a number of prominent Northern Virginia business. The lot also has easy access to major local roads and is within commutable distance to Washington, DC.

All of the elements are in place. The only thing from this one acre McLean VA lot missing is you!

Yours for $800,000.

For more information, contact Aaron Seekford today!

This McLean Lot for sale information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

You’ve moved all of the major furniture in to your new home and you’re ready to start decorating.

Before you start hammering away, you need to take a few precautions. Behind each wall are studs, vertical, hard pieces of wood, that you may or may not want to nail through.

If you’re trying to put up a shelf, or something of heavy weight, you are definitely going to want to hammer in to the studs and use them as your base. If you’re installing something light, like a towel rack, you don’t necessarily need to drill in to the studs. Light weight items are best installed using anchors, which can be picked up at your local hardware store for a couple of bucks.

The best way to locate a stud is to tap all around the wall and listen to the vibrations. If a stud is present, you will likely hear a deep thud or short vibrations. If a stud is not present, you will hear a hollow thud and long vibrations.

If you’re still having trouble identifying studs, there are handheld, electronic stud finders available at hardware stores.

Studs are an important element in the decorating process. If you don’t locate them or don’t determine if or if not you need to use them, you may end up with a ton of holes in your wall.

This Arlington Virginia real estate information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.

Regardless of what a lender quotes on Arlington VA mortgage rates, the actual rate paid by a borrower is based on a number of variables. Lenders determine whether to loan money and at what rate based on the risk involved with the transaction.

Factors that increase the risk that the loan will be repaid will proportionately increase the interest rate charged to the borrower. If the risk becomes too high, the Arlington VA loan will not be approved.

• Loan amounts – Conventional loans for more than the conforming limits set by Fannie Mae are considered jumbo loans and generally have a higher interest rate.
• FICO score – The lowest Arlington VA interest rate is reserved for the highest credit scores; the lower the score, the higher the rate borrower will pay.
• Occupancy – Borrowers occupying a home as their principal residence are considered a better loan risk than second homes and investment properties.
• Loan purpose – Purchase transactions generally have the lowest interest rate while refinancing a home is generally higher.
• Debt-to-Income ratio – A borrower’s monthly liabilities divided by their gross monthly income develops a ratio that helps lenders to assess the borrower’s ability to repay the mortgage.
• Loan-to-Value ratio – The lower the percentage of the loan to the appraised value of the property will generally lower the interest rate.

Any combination of these factors could limit a borrower’s ability to secure a mortgage at the rate initially quoted. Being pre-approved by a trusted mortgage professional is the best way to know what rate you can expect to pay. Please call Aaron Seekford today for a recommendation at 703-447-4663.

This information courtesy of Aaron Seekford, your Arlington VA real estate agent.