John VanderSyde's (jvandersyde) Blog

At the declaration of World War II in 1941, the nation was put on alert for foreign invasion. Over the entire country, on the East and West Coasts, groups were formed for the safety and protection of people in all communities. Men and women were selected from each neighborhood to form a Civil De...

ON THE LAKE - Under construction to be completed in the spring of 2011 - Bradford Grand II with a stately Georgian "A" elevation. Over 4700 sq ft NOT including attic or 2354 sq ft unfinished basement with full bath rough-in. A few of the upgrades worth mentioning are the grand morning room additi...

  Unless someone is an automobile enthusiast the garage in residential construction doesn't get the attention it deserves. By today's automobile standards the car barn is too small; the inside space, the doors as well as the area required to access it are just a few of the considerations that are...

"Somebody Just back of you while you are fishing is as bad as someone looking over your shoulder while you write a letter to your girl."   Ernest Heminngway This just struck a chord with me today which compelled me to share it. Have a great day!

These days with the unique nature of our housing market it sometimes feels presumptuous to proclaim to be an expert in anything related to real estate. Our business of buying and selling homes is so kinetic, with a fluidity that is constantly changing and evolving, that it requires vigilant, almo...

      "Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership." - WSJ 9/16/2010 WOW! If that quote was attributed to the National Association of Realtors or the National Association of Home Builders, it would have been quickly dismissed. However, it was the Wall Street Journal that was calling for th...

  Mark your Calendars! According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, autumn begins on September 22 at 11:09 PM EDT;   it's just about official, summer 2010 is over. The Autumnal equinox is coming, and you can feel it in the onset of that brisk autumn air, as well as with the number of home sales hitti...

Ann and I just went over to the Libbie Market to grab a quick bite to take back to the office. The wonderful thing about Richmond is the fact that almost anywhere you go you are all but certain to run into someone you know. Well today is no exception. We ran into a friend of mine from college. Sh...

  As a follow up to my blog post yesterday 9/8/2010 regarding "What is the wait in Richmond Real Estate" - regarding "low interest rates", the Long & Foster Marketing Minute provides the following example:  "Let's talk about the "missed opportunity" on the tax incentives. Let's say first-time hom...

The Richmond, Virginia metropolitan region of Long & Foster Real Estate met today for a Town-hall gathering. Several hundred local real estate agents, brokers and sponsors attended this special event which spent much of the morning commenting on the state of the company and the realities of real ...