Tag Archives: Haymarket VA

Why Gainesville, Haymarket and Bristow Virginia Schools Are the Best

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Why Gainesville, Haymarket and Bristow Virginia Schools Are the Best

Kids are the future

Kids are the future, so we want to make sure they shine by providing the best possible education. Many families relocate to Gainesville, Haymarket or Bristow for the top-notch education the area provides. With all of the acclaim area schools have received lately, it’s no mystery why parents would be flocking to these school districts. Add winning sports records, high test scores and great facilities and you have a formula for a well-rounded education. Check out why so many parents are interested in moving to the area.

· Highly ranked schools – U.S. News and World Report ranks some of the area schools very high on national, state and local levels. Battlefield High in Haymarket ranked first out of 11 Prince William County schools and 23rd in the entire state. Prince William County had 34 schools receive the School of Excellence Distinction Award for the 2014-2015 school year.

· High test scores – Test scores aren’t everything, but they can be a good indicator of the quality of education children are receiving. Prince William County Schools scored higher than most schools in the state on reading and writing SOLs. They had a 90 percent pass rate on high school reading SOLS. They outperformed other schools in the state on eight different tests in this subject matter.

· Winning sports and extracurricular teams – Education is important, but to be well-balanced, kids need great after-school activities too. If they’re into clubs, sports, music or art, they can find the club or team to suit their taste and maybe even bring home an award or two. Battlefield High School had a great year in sports in the 2014-2015 school year. Their girls’ soccer team brought home a state title, and the wrestling team brought home a regional title. Brentsville District boys cross country team won a state title as well. The robotics team from Battlefield High also won 1st place at the Battle of Baltimore Competition, while the Marching Bobats won Class AAAA Champions and Highest Scores in Visual and General Effect at the Stafford Marching Invitational.

· Top elementary education – Of the top 10 elementary schools (as ranked byCruvita), six are located in either Haymarket or Bristow. You can rest easy knowing your kids are getting the best education as soon as they enter Kindergarten in these amazing schools.

· State of the art facilities and equipment – From planetariums to iPad and laptop access for most classrooms, Prince William County has fantastic facilities and technology to help your child learn how to navigate the technological world. Children learn how to type, use different types of software and the Internet at an early age. They play learning games that make homework fun at school or on websites where they can log in from home.

· Easy access – Like the rest of these bustling communities, the schools are conveniently located, especially for working parents who need to drop kids off on their way to the morning commute to DC. These communities all give easy access to I-66 and I-95.

Jacobson Realty and Home Staging prides itself on knowing this community inside and out. We interact with residents all the time. We live here. And we love where we live. This is our community of choice. If you would like to know more about this place we call home, contact us today.

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Your 2016 Home Selling Checklist

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Your 2016 Home Selling Checklist

sell their homes

In the Gainesville, Bristow and Haymarket Virginia area, many people wait to sell their homes in the spring or summer. But that doesn’t mean you should wait on preparing. To obtain the best price for your home, you need two main components: a realtor who will go the distance to get you the best deal and a home that is well-prepped. Get ready to list your home by checking off the items below.

· Get a home inspection prior to listing your home. Show buyers that you’re proactive about getting repairs done and giving them the best possible value when they purchase your home. Once the home inspection is done, you’ll know which repairs are important for you to tackle right away.

· Get rid of clutter. When people view your home, they want to see the potential for their family in the house, not your collection of National Geographic Magazine from 1987 to the present. Pre-pack or throw away items you don’t regularly use. Organize the items that are left and clean your house from top to bottom. Buyers want storage room, so show them how much room you have by keeping your storage spaces uncluttered.

· Make sure your flooring is up-to-date. Buyers don’t want to tackle replacing all the flooring after they move in. If your current flooring is dirty, worn or dated, you may want to consider updating it prior to putting your home on the market.

· Create curb appeal. Your home’s curb appeal gives buyers their first impression. You want this to be a positive experience so they remember your home and want to buy it. Keep your yard weed-free. Add greenery as the season permits.

· Create a neutral color palate inside. Buyers don’t want a long list of improvements to make after they move in. Help attract buyers with a fresh coat of paint or two. Neutral colors and clean walls with no holes will attract buyers.

· Depersonalize your home. Even though you may love your hometown football team, you never know what will be a turn-off for potential buyers. Try to take as many personal decorative items out of your home while its on the market to avoid alienating any customers. Allow them to see themselves living in your home by removing family photos and memorabilia.

· Anticipate your buyers’ needs. Your buyers already have a list of what they want. Racking up items, no matter how small, on their future to-do list is a quick way to lose a buyer. Help them check off items on their wish list instead of creating their to-do list.

· Make your home move-in ready. Once you’ve had your inspection and prioritized your to-do list, create a budget and a timeline to make your home move-in ready. Maybe you need to replace a few windows, apply a few coats of fresh paint or spackle all the places where your photos hung. Set yourself up for success by getting your home move-in ready before it even hits the market.

· Stage to sell. A well-staged home can make the buyer feel at home. Make sure you have good lighting and properly placed furniture for showings.

If you are looking for a professional opinion on your home as you prepare it for selling, Jacobson Realty and Home Staging is there to help. We can walk you through every step of the process to make sure your home is ready to sell at the time you want to sell it. Contact us today!

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Belinda’s Picks: 12 Best Restaurants in Gainesville, Haymarket and Bristow Virginia

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Belinda’s Picks: 12 Best Restaurants in Gainesville, Haymarket and Bristow Virginia

One of which is the plethora of amazing restaurants!

Living in the Gainesville, Virginia area has many perks, one of which is the plethora of amazing restaurants! Purely in the interest of research (haha!) we’ve checked out dozens of Western Prince William County restaurants. While we have not found a bad one yet, here are some eateries that definitely stand out.

Gainesville

· Best Mexican food – El Tio’s(7527 Linton Hall Rd., Gainesville, VA 20155) Enjoy fresh, authentic, tableside-prepared guacamole inside their dining room or outside on the patio.

· Best new wine and coffee bar – Trummer’s Coffee and Wine Bar (14013 Promenade Commons, Gainesville, VA 20155) This is yet another family-owned business with a friendly attitude from the Trummer family (they also own Trummer’s On Main in Clifton). They offer outstanding coffee — the Italian latte is my favorite! Splurge on homemade pastries and paninis — you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy a glass of wine or homemade sangria after work at the bar.

· Best happy hour hors d’oeuvres – Firebirds (14020 Promenade Commons Street, Virginia Gateway, Gainesville, VA 20155) Wind down after work with some top-quality appetizers, offered in the lounge area and bar until 7 p.m. My top picks are mini maui-maui tacos, Cajun shrimp, grilled chicken strips with signature dipping sauce and ahi tuna (just to name a few delicious options).

· Best crowd-pleasing bar – Bar Louie (14081 Promenade Commons St., Gainesville, VA 20155) is loud and lively with great drink selections. See your friends and enjoy the scene.

· Best Sunday (and all-day) breakfast – Eggspectation (8058 Crescent Park Dr., Gainesville, VA 20155) has a large menu with eggs anyway you like them. They also have the best variety of homemade bloody Marys I’ve ever seen, with and without alcohol!

· Best quality, affordable, quick food – Afghan Famous Kabob (14702 Lee Hwy., Gainesville, VA 20155) has ethnic cuisine at its best, with may appetizers to choose from. My favorite to-go selections are chicken kebobs, homemade bread and hummus.

· Best new affordable, family-style dining – Nando’s Peri-Peri (1400 Promenade Commons St., Gainesville, VA 20155) is a Portuguese restaurant where you can get flamed grilled chicken in flavorful Peri-Peri sauce. You place your order, decide the level of spice or heat, and enjoy a glass of wine or beer if the mood is right. I recommend the fresh spinach and sweet potato salad with grilled Peri – Peri chicken on top – big and delicious! Upbeat, fun décor helps make for a kid-friendly experience without breaking the budget!

Haymarket

· Best pizza – It’s a tie for this title, and both restaurants are in the same town.Tony’s New York Pizza (5361 Merchants View Square, Haymarket, VA 20169) andGiuseppe’s (15120 Washington St., Haymarket, VA 20169) both have amazing pizza selections! Watch Tony’s Pizza hand-craft your pizza while you wait. With outstanding crust and flavor, there are no disappointments at Tony’s. Giuseppe’s is a family-owned business that offers large bread-crusted pizza in the dining room, bar area or back porch, with free entertainment on most weekends. They can also accommodate larger parties upstairs.

· Best crowd-pleasing bar – It was a toss-up for my favorite, and I just couldn’t exclude Lion and Bull, a great bar with live entertainment most weekends.

Bristow

· Best new bagel shop – Tom and Suzie’s (9110 Devlin Rd., Bristow, VA 20136) Savor the taste of Long Island bagels — large, light and packed with flavor. Grab one of their outstanding bagel sandwiches in this family-owned and operated shop. The secret to their bagels is dough fresh from Long Island. The owner, Suzie, says their bagels are so tasty because, “It’s all about the water!”

· Best Asian food – Asian Garden (12857 Braemar Village Plaza, Bristow, VA 20136) has a big selection of food including Chinese, Thai and Japanese sushi. It’s always clean and inviting with a friendly staff to complete your dining experience.

We think one of the most important things a realtor should have is first-hand knowledge about the areas they serve. We are more than just realtors. We’re residents. If you would like to know more about our communities and what they have to offer, contact me, Belinda Jacobson-Loehle. We’d love to show you around!

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