Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

The end of April, early May means that strawberries are ready for picking.

The weather this week looks amazing and I’ll take any excuse to get outside and enjoy it before we get the heat and humidity coming. This is my annual PSA that there are so many great places to go berry picking around Northern Virginia.

Don’t forget: they’ll shut down for a day or two if they get over picked so make sure you’re checking their websites/social media for current updates.

• Messick’s Farm in Bealton, Virginia: Check their Facebook page for updates on the availability of U-pick. While Messick’s has their own custard and availability of treats and food, we drove about three miles down the road to the famous Moo Thru — an ice cream drive-thru, which was so good. (Coffee ice cream was delicious!) Their Strawberry Festival starts on Saturday, April 20th and includes Barrel Train Rides, hayrides, bounce pillow, zipline, goats, candy cannon and kids tattoos. Weekends from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Other dates include April 21, 27, 28 and May 4, 5, 11 and 12th.
• Wegmeyer Farms has three locations in Hamilton, Aldie and Leesburg, Virginia. Make sure you follow them on Facebook for the most up-to-date information (as of this writing on April 15th, the berries are almost ready). Don’t miss their donuts!
• Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland: Strawberries should be ready for picking in May.
• Shlagel Farms in Waldorf, Maryland: Shlagel Farms will be open in May. They update availability on their Facebook page.
• Swann Farms in Owings, Maryland: Check their website for updates, as they too should be ready for picking in May, with blueberries and blackberries.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

The Vienna Jammers is a percussion ensemble with more than 135 children ranging from age 8 to 18 based in Vienna. Their ensemble members are devoted to sharing their passion for music with the community. The Jammers were created and are run by a beloved Vienna Elementary School teacher, Dave Reynolds.

The Big Jam is their biggest event of the year! Each of their ensembles will be performing a variety of originals, cover songs, and traditional pieces from around the world, with music guaranteed to entertain audience members of all ages.

The kids perform at Capital One Hall on Saturday, April 13th at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm). This year the special guest is Yasmin Williams, a local musician and guitarist.

You may have seen the Jammers in the Vienna Halloween Parade on their float or when they play on the Town Green at ViVa Vienna every Memorial Day. It’s a great way to expose kids to some music options if they’re at all interested in getting involved. It’s also a fun show to watch.

Tickets start at $15.

I’m not only a sponsor of the event, but I’m also the mom of two Jammers. It’s a great organization and it’s one of my favorite days of the year.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

Last week you may have read some headlines about how the “6% real estate commission” as we know it is dead. There was a class action lawsuit that the National Association of Realtors ® agreed to settle last week for $418M. Here’s what you need to know about how that impacts you:

What the lawsuit was about

There was an argument that real estate commissions were fixed and it wasn’t clear that the seller was also paying the buyer’s commission. Worth noting: the original lawsuit was filed in Missouri where real estate practice may differ from the way we do things in the D.C. Metro area. We have ALWAYS had forms that the seller signs and that the buyer is required to sign to create representation agreements that clearly spelled out how, and how much, agents were getting paid. And buyers and sellers have always had options of how much service they want and what they were willing to pay for it — always.

What this means moving forward

Part of the lawsuit settlement, if approved, includes the following changes to how real estate is done — the MLS will no longer have a buyer agent commission (also known as selling agent) listed as part of the advertisement. In fact, the MLS will be prohibited from publicly offering one starting mid July of 2024.

There are lots of details to be worked out, including a court approving this settlement, but here’s what you really need to know about buying and selling real estate in the coming months:

1. Until July, you might see subtle changes but the big changes won’t take effect until then.
2. Sellers CAN still choose to offer compensation to the buyer’s agent, but how that’s advertised will be different — still TBD.
3. Buyers who want their own representation will now have to pay for their own agent. You will have to discuss this with your real estate agent and have a signed agreement prior to seeing any houses. 
4. Buyers can ask for closing cost credit from the sellers as part of their offer to cover the commission of their agent, if they don’t want to or can’t come out of pocket to pay the agent directly as part of their closing costs. Sellers can agree or disagree.

There are parts that bother me that I think got severely overlooked:

1. Buyers who plan to use a VA Loan (used by our Veterans and/or active duty military) are NOT allowed to pay any fees related to a real estate agent as part of their loan. They don’t even have the option. So unless the VA figures out how to handle this new policy, there’s a lot of uncertainty related to using a VA loan and representation.
2. First time buyers and FHA buyers — usually believed to be smaller down payments (FHA is a 3.5% minimum and a conventional loan can be as little as 3%), will now also have to come up with more money to pay at closing to hire an agent unless they can get a seller credit to off-set the cost.

I believe the intent of this was to make the process clearer — and that’s a good thing — but the experts think this will bring down home prices because prices were inflated to account for commission. However, I think they’re actually making the entry into owning homes harder. Buyers don’t know what they don’t know and not having an experienced professional to guide them through the process and protect their interests will end up hurting them in this major life purchase. 

More to come on this as things get cleaned up and new policies get put in place, but change is coming.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

Decided to stay in the area for spring break and didn’t sign you kids up for any camps? Don’t worry as I have you covered for some exciting events taking place in the area.

Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 31 at 1 p.m. –– Washington Spirit

Fresh off the USWNT Gold Cup Championship, head to D.C. to watch the Spirit, including Trinity Rodman, either in a night game or Sunday matinee. If you are headed there for either game, there are great dinner and brunch options in the area, including Osteria Morini.

Tuesday, March 26 — Nationals Futures Game at 12:05 p.m.

The Washington Nationals are putting their best prospects in D.C. for a special showcase game and will include some current major leaguers. Pro tip: Check Seat Geek and Stubhub for possibly better ticket prices.

The National Air and Space Museum in D.C. has 8 new galleries open as they continue their years-long renovation. Reserve your free timed entry pass.

Jurassic Park fans can head to EagleBank Arena in Fairfax to check out the live tour of Jurassic World in an “action packed, live arena show.” Each ticket includes a pre-show experience of photos with some of everyone’s favorite dinos and vehicles. There are shows starting Saturday, March 23 and run throughout the week including noon showings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Of course there are our families two favorite local places: Topgolf (Loudoun and National Harbor) and Dave and Buster’s. Don’t forget Topgolf on Tuesdays is half price and games at Dave and Buster’s on Wednesdays cost half the tickets. If you go to Topgolf in Loudoun take the kids for crazy shakes after just across the street in One Loudoun to The Yard.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

Despite headlines all over the world about interest rates bouncing up and down around 7% and buyer affordability at an all time high, homes in our area are still selling quickly, with multiple offers and sometimes above list.

I publish my list of “buyer needs” on my social media monthly, but this time, I’d like to extend an offer to the community.

If you have been thinking of selling but perhaps you’re overwhelmed with the idea of prepping, or you don’t want to deal with the masses trekking through your home, or you just want an easy private sale, I’m throwing out my list of buyer needs in case you want to explore selling privately:

Vienna

• $1.8-$2.1M, newer construction, 5,000 sq. ft. or more prefer SE/SW side of Town Of Vienna
• Up to $1.8M, in TOV any side, prefer a 1 mile radius to Church Street
• $1.2M-$1.45M, prefer to feed to Madison HS, 4+ bedrooms
• Up to $1.6M, prefer TOV with flat yard and must have a 2 car garage
• Up to $1.5M, prefer Vienna ES, must have 4 bedrooms on upper level and garage
• Up to $1.3M detached home, 4+ bedrooms
• Up to $1M, detached, prefer split level to live in, not tear down
• Up to $950k detached, feeds to Marshall HS (will also consider Vienna*) 4+ Bedrooms
• Vienna Condo up to $500K, 2 bed/2 bath (prefer Marquis/Acadia)

McLean

• Up to $1.5M detached, tend to lean toward colonial but open to any model

Falls Church

• Detached home up to $1M, feeds to Marshall HS (will also consider Vienna*) 4+ Bedrooms

Fairfax

• $725k Townhouse with garage, feeding to Mosaic ES/Oakton

Reston

• Up to $500k, 2 bed/2 bath condo in an elevator building (prefer close to Reston Town Center)

Arlington

• Up to $2.3M detached home feeding to Science Focus ES, 4+ bedrooms
• Condo up to $400k, prefer 2 bedrooms or 900 sq. ft. or larger (not facing 395!)
• Condo up to $700k, prefer 2 bedrooms around the Courthouse metro

Centreville/Chantilly

• Detached up home to $850k, 2 car garage, some yard for a dog, prefer not backing to or on a major road

If you know of anything that might be a good fit, please reach out!

Any and all opportunities are welcome!

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

Whether you’re a 49ers fan, a Chiefs fan, or a Taylor’s boyfriend fan, I think a lot of people look forward to the commercials and the food we justify eating during the Super Bowl most. So let’s get into your favorites!

As is common in my posts, I’m going to throw out some takeout ideas to save you from cooking:

• Mama Tigre: Queso, chips, guacamole, spicy masala queso, chicken wings, flautas and more
• Bear Branch: Wings! Both fried and grilled are available.
• Foster’s Grille: Wings, burgers, fries, onion rings… Order early — they often sell out!
• Caboose Commons or Tavern: Fried pickle chips (so good!), wings and burgers
• Maple Ave: Crème fraîche wings
• Red Apron: One of my favorite local burgers — they have so many great options for watching football
• Taco Bamba: Their wings! And nachos! They have a Super Bowl Meal Deal for BBQ or Brisket.
• Fermented Pig: Ribs, chicken, sides… all the barbecue your heart could want. They have a Super Bowl Meal Deal for BBQ or Brisket.

Don’t forget desserts and beer/wine. Norms has some great options, including gluten and sulfite free beverages.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

There are some fun events that are held annually that are put on by the Town of Vienna.

If you live in the town, you can register starting next Monday morning, February 5. If tickets are still available after the first week, non-residents can register starting February 12.

These are popular events and I suggest you register early!

Flashlight Egg Hunt —March 29 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Glyndon Park

$5 per family  member, max 6 participants per household. Bring a basket for all the eggs your collect.

Fishing Rodeo — Wildwood Park, April 6

Bring your own fishing pole! They stock the creek with trout. Anyone 16 years and over is required to have a fishing license.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

I’m not sure how many people research the history of where they live. I know I didn’t. So one day, I decided to search Vienna’s history to see what interesting things I could find about the town.

Here are my most interesting facts, in no particular order:

1. Founded in 1903, The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department is the oldest in Fairfax County.
2. In 1881, Howard Money founded a funeral home. Today, Money and King Funeral Home remains Vienna’s oldest continuous business.
3. In 1890, the 300 person Village became an incorporated Town, which we now refer to as the Town of Vienna. The Town of Vienna’s current population is almost 17,000 people.
4. Robert Hanssen, a Vienna resident and FBI spy, used Vienna as “dead drop” sites to provide intel to his Russian Handlers. He was arrested in 2001 at Foxstone Park.
5. Vienna is also home to more positive famous people including New York Times best selling author David Baldacci. Vienna is also the former home of ESPN sportscenter anchor Randy Scott, who loves to give shoutouts to the Vienna Inn.

And a recent, bonus fun fact:

• The Vienna Inn was featured on a hat worn in Equalizer 3 thanks to former CIA operative and Vienna resident Marc Polymeropoulus who was a technical advisor on the film.

 If you have more fun historical facts to share, please drop them in the comments!

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

Waking up to a winter wonderland is something we haven’t had in a long time.

I know my kids were thrilled to go outside yesterday when we just had barely a dusting, so today’s white everything is the perfect chance for snow balls and sledding.

Here are my favorite places to go sledding in Vienna:

1. Thoreau Middle School: there’s a hill in the back 
2. Marshall Road Elementary: there’s a small hill in the back
3. Wolftrap (the theater): The “Bowl” and the “Big Hill” by the main parking lot
4. Cunningham Park Elementary: there’s a big hill in the back
5. Meadow Lane Park by the softball field: perfect small hill for little kids

Another trick my kids loved when they were little — get a squirt bottle and fill it with water and food coloring. I called it snow paint and it would occupy them for a while.

Enjoy your snow day!

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA and D.C. with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.

When I moved to Vienna from Arlington, there were admittedly a lot of things I didn’t know about living here.

I knew basic concepts but there are lots of nuances that you get to know by being here for years. I meet people at open houses that have no idea what the “Town of Vienna” means or why it matters, or that there’s an extra real estate tax that you pay for living within the town lines.

Most people focus on proximity to things that are important to them, or school ratings, or commute time. But how does one learn everything else?

I try to share as much information as possible with you, and in an effort to extend my knowledge to a wider audience I’ve put together a New Vienna Resident Guide for your convenience!

Please feel free to share this with anyone thinking of moving to the area. I hope you find it helpful!