Haymarket Homeowner HaymarketHomeowner.com
March | April 2014
UPSCALE LIVING IN BEAUTIFUL HAYMARKET, GAINESVILLE AND BRISTOW, VIRGINIA
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Winter chilled January/ February housing market Market watch: Dominion Valley Top 10 things to do the Haymarket area Curb appeal: advice from the experts 4 helpful tips to clean out and organize your garage The best house hunting tool in Northern Virginia February 2014 real estate summary
Life is good in Prince William County
A
report issued earlier this year revealed that the population in Virginia grew less than 1 percent between 2012 and 2013. However, between the April 2010 census and the reported July 2013 estimate, Prince William County grew by more than 7 percent! This puts Prince William County second to Loudoun County, who experienced an 11 percent growth during the same period. Prince William County, with a population of 431,000, is the third largest county in the state. In a September 2013 Forbes.com article: “America’s Fastest-Growing Counties: The ‘Burbs Are Back’” Prince William County was named the “8th Fastest Growing County in America”. According to the article, the death of the suburbs has been a prophecy backed by urban real estate interest claiming that the suburbs are on the “verge of extinction” as people flock back to dense cities. Yet, recent analysis proves this untrue as counties with populations over 100,000 have gained the most new residents since 2010. Population isn’t the only thing that has captured national attention. Prince William County was placed in the Forbes.com's “Top 10 Richest Counties in America” (April 2013) noting a median household income of $93,101. CNNMoney.com ranks the 25 best places in America for job growth in “Where the jobs are” (August 2013). Prince William County
TIPS & ADVICE
COMMUNITY
ranked Number 8 on this list too, with 11.4 percent job growth between 2010 and 2012. What does this all mean for us? Well, we know the real estate market has improved. The past couple of years have shown consistent increases in both homes sales and prices. All of us have experienced the traffic. If you’ve lived here for a few years, you know improvements have already been made with the widening of I-66, Route 15 and Linton Hall Road, the Heathcote extension and the ongoing VDOT Gainesville Improvement Project. These have, and are still bringing tremendous relief. Still underway is the Rollins Ford extension and the proposed Bi-County Parkway. To learn more about the these projects visit www. VDOT.org Our school system is also expanding. In the Haymarket area alone six new schools, with one on the way, have been built and filled over the past five years. Growth has also brought commercial development with major chains like Walmart, BJs and Wegmans. The recent opening of the Promenade at Virginia Gateway is bringing upscale shopping, trendy restaurants and a cinema complex creating an "urban" experience right here in the suburbs. So, I would say we’re dealing with population growth in steady and positive strides. Meanwhile, life is pretty good here!
MARKET WATCH
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