Fredericksburg Area Homes Undervalued Based Upon Income Levels

Please see this article by Bill Freehling which provides his analysis of Fredericksburg area home prices and median household incomes.

According to his data, home values especially in Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Caroline Counties are undervalued compared to historic averages. This may mean that Fredericksburg area home prices escalate in the near future!

You may read the article here.

For more information about building your new home in the Fredericksburg region, visit Atlantic Builders online or check out our Facebook page!

The Role of MCBQ in the Regional Economy

Most of Atlantic Builders' customers now are moving to the Fredericksburg region because of BRAC. To get more understanding of all the upcoming changes particularly at MCBQ, I am attending an event called "The Role of Marine Corps Base Quantico in the Regional Economy". I have learned that new contracts awarded in the past quarter are down due to the federal government budget impasse. Chatter at my table shows that government workers are concerned about their financial futures and retirement benefits. I have faith that by Aug 2 a good compromise will be reached and normality and stability will continue.

Marine Corps Systems Command alone contracts over $500,000,000 annually. MCSC expects to hire 1,100 new positions between FY 2012 and 2015 around Quantico. Four new hotels off Route 1 in North Stafford are being planned to handle the over 260 people on average being trained daily at MCBQ.

Median sales prices in Stafford County have increased from about $215,000 to $250,000 per home in the past 6 months. There is only a 2.5 months supply of homes listed in MRIS in Stafford County. A balanced market is considered about a 5 month supply. So Stafford County in particular is now a home seller's market.

Visit this link to view power points of the various presentations today.

-Adam Fried

Welcome, Julie Brennan, to Atlantic Builders!

We welcome Julie Brennan, our newest team member, as a Sales Associate. You will find Julie working alongside Community Sales Manager Charlie Baity in our Richland Forest model home which is now open 7 days a week.

“Julie is very personable, enthusiastic, and fun. She strengthens our team. I am impressed with how eager she is to grow and learn as she clicks with our team”, observes Dawn Settle, Vice President Operations at Atlantic Builders.

One of Julie’s favorite quotes from Tom Hopkins is as follows:

“No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more. That means you’ll work harder for a while; it means you’ll work longer for a while. But you’ll be paid for your extra effort with enhanced earnings down the road.”

Julie grew up in Portsmouth, VA in a military family. Her first job as a teen was in a retail clothing store. She notes that “I think it is a great learning experience for anyone doing sales. You learn to accept each person as an individual and help them with their needs.” Most recently Julie has worked in property management of apartment buildings.

Julie lives in Spotsylvania County with her husband James and teenage son Austin. She likes to read especially Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas series and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Julie has many goals on her life list which include skydiving, learning to play the piano, and learning at least 2 new languages. Julie’s dad was in both the army and navy and someday she dreams of owning and running a halfway house for Veterans on fixed incomes.

“I like our focus on customer service and employee satisfaction”, says Julie. She was happy that Atlantic Builders had a fun evening for employees and their families at the local Splittsville Bowling Center in the first month of her tenure here. Julie observes, “Sometimes at a corporate environment that gets lost.”

When she gets a break in the sales center at Richland Forest, Julie let’s on that, “I like to dance in the model—my Ipod goes from Christian to Eminem.” You may not catch her dancing, but Julie Brennan will always welcome anyone who walks in her door with a smile.

To learn more about Atlantic Builders, visit here!

The Future of Water Through the Building Industry's Eyes

Please read the article below that leads to Kathleen Parker’s column in the Washington Post about Charles Fishman’s new book, “The Big Thirst:  The secret life and turbulent future of water.”
 
The building industry can and will do more to use water more efficiently as the “green” desires of our customers help move us in that direction.
 
Over 12 billion gallons of clean drinking water are flushed through toilets and drips through municipal leaks daily in the United States.  The Fredericksburg region does in fact have adequate resources, one being the completion of the Rocky Pen Reservoir in Stafford County in May 2013. This will add 5.52 billion gallons in storage at the new lake. 

It is no news, however, to anyone who has viewed the Rappahannock River in late summer, that our biggest source of water can quickly flow to a trickle.

To view Kathleen Parker's article, please click here.

A BIG Thank You!!

Atlantic Builders would like to offer our sincere appreciation to everyone that is donating labor and materials to help with building Sgt. Kenny Lyon's home:
 
Stafford County Building Department
Sullivan, Donahoe  & Ingalls
IDS
Dynasty Cleaning
Anderson Propane
Virginia Dominion Power
Gotta Go
Big Al’s Landscapng
Mitchell’s Septic System
Luckstone
VAMAC
Hanover Precast
John Danielson, Jr. – Well
Virginia Water Conditioning
Mid Atlantic Laboratories
Noah Turner Turn Farms
Engleside Plantation Nursery
Donnelly Concrete
Virginia Contractor Supply –
Luckstone
Walker Sand & Stone
D & S Excavating
Gold Star Pest control
Wood Dale Masonry
C. C. Carpentry
Paslode
Grabber/Carlos
Builders First Source
DOW
Structural Technologies
Rent-A-Crane
Schiller Enterprises
Cary Quality
Energy Services Group
Darvish Roofing
Tamko Building Products
PlyGem
J. H. Kim & Associates
Automatic Overhead Door Company
Schlage
Adaptive Solutions
Chatham Construction
T. A. C. Ceramic tile
Carpet House
Armstrong (Bruce)
Stauf Adhesive
General Electric
Mid South Building Supply
United Granite
Southern Spotsylvania Plumbing
Ferguson Enterprises
First Choice Heating and Cooling
Virginia Air
East Coast Distributors
K. L. Rowlands Electric
Rexel
Home Depot – Stafford
Patriot Sound and Security
Halsey Home Construction
Group Two
YouTwitFace
FABA
The Free Lance Star
M & M Soil Consultants
Dominion Inspections
Residential Design Group
Nova Blue
DSS
The Fried Companies
Blackwood Real Estate
EcoSeptix
Noah Turner Landscaping
 
Restaurant & Business Volunteers
Bob Evans, Route 3
Bowie Produce
Central VA Vending and Coffee Guys
Chick-Fil-A, Garrisonville Road & Rt. 17
County Fare Restaurant, Stafford
Cracker Barrel
Culligan
Dixie Bones Post 401
Golden Corral
Jimmy the Greek’s
McDonald’s of England Run
N. Stafford High – Nutrition and Wellness Class
Pancho villa
Panera Brad
Perkins, Fredericksburg
Pizza Hut, Rt. 17
Reddy Ice, Richmond
Sqwincher
Subway, South Stafford
The Farmer’s Wife, Remington
TJ’s Catering and Celebrations
US Food Services
UTZ
Virginia Barbecue
US Food Services
84 Lumber
Aireco, inc.
Arcet
Bassett Furniture
Benjamen Moore
Best Buy, N. Stafford
Blue and Gray Brewery
Bottom dollar
Costco, Fredericksburg
Duquettes Art Frame Studio
Giant, Fredericksburg
Guardian Coating
Hancock & Moore Furniture
Good to Go Contracting
Harbor Freight, Rt. 3
Hertz Equipment – Manassas
Hilldrup Moving and Storage
Karney & Company
McCormick Pant
Medias Painting
Miller Welding
Party HQ, N. Stafford
Meadows Farms, N. Stafford
Rappahannock Mattress Company
Richmond Camera Store
Simmons Manufacturing
Simply Beautiful Spaces, LLC
Target – N. & S. Stafford, Rt. 3
Vanguard Furniture
Wal-mart

Organizations and Community Volunteers
Aquia Harbor Host Lions club
Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.
Blue Star Dads, Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg Army National Guard
Girl Scouts of America
Hartwood Fire Dept
Janese Simunek – Artist
Legion Riders
Semper Fi Fund
Some Gave All Foundation
Women Marines Association, Quantico Chapter
Wounded Warrior Regiment, Quantico
Lisa, Jeff, Michael and Samuel Grooms, Neighbor
Aimee Sword, Neighbor
Marcus and Gina Narvaez – Key Volunteers
Steve & Michele Norris – Key Volunteers
Mac and Brenda McQueen
Mary Kulesa
Jim Barter, US Food Services
Tim’s Rivershore I and II
Anthony Campbell – National Anthem
John and Jo Moberg
Hilda and Wes Eubanks
Jean Carder
Cheryl Maxwell –Lefcowits
Navy Personnel – Torpedo Training Center – Yorktown, VA

Government Volunteers
John Schaeffer – Inspector
Stafford County Sherriff’s Office

School Volunteers
AFROTC Stafford High School
Hartwood Elementary School

University of Richmond – Journalism Department
 

Details on the Build Brigade for Sgt. Kenny Lyon!!

Homes for Our Troops & Atlantic Builders invite you to celebrate the Kick- Off of the 100th specially adapted home in Fredericksburg, VA for severely injured Marine Sgt. Kenny Lyon.

Join us as we celebrate this remarkable milestone in the history of the Homes for Our Troops organization!  Starting April 1, 2011 at 8:30 am, an army of volunteers will work tirelessly to give back freedom and independence to Sgt. Kenny Lyon through the gift of a specially adapted home built in just 7 days!



Join us for one or both of the build events!

The Build Brigade Kick-off Ceremony - Friday, April 1, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. running all week long and witness the power of community!

The Key Ceremony - Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 11 am as we officially donate the home to Sgt Lyon.

Build Location - 10 Crowncrest Rd., Fredericksburg, VA 22406



Friday, April 1st - Escort and Opening Ceremony - 8:30am

The escort will begin at the Wal-Mart and bring Sgt Kenny Lyon and his family to the build site.  From there we will have an opening ceremony and raise the first wall!

We will be working onsite around the clock.

Saturday, April 2nd - We will be working onsite around the clock

Sunday, April 3rd - We will be working onsite around the clock
 

Please join us each day for our Lunchtime Auction & chance to win our 50/50 Raffle! Buy your tickets for the 50/50 raffles at the Build site!



Needs - Some items we could always use are; papertowels, hand sanitizers, trash bags and snacks etc... 

Parking - Because of  limited parking on Crowncrest Rd for Sgt Lyon's Build Brigade and the many volunteers that will arrive for his ceremony. We will utilize the next street over (Boxwood Dr) for parking, there is a path that connects the two roads. Parking volunteers will be in place to show you the way.

Registration - Whether you have been in touch with HFOT and have been assigned a task or just showing up that day, you are required to sign a waiver at the Registration Table.  There you will receive a HFOT Build Brigade T shirt that you MUST wear on site. If you are scheduled to work at the Registration Table, you may be helping with... Parking, Volunteer Check in, Build Brigade T shirts, Hard Hats or HFOT Gear table.

Volunteering - We welcome ALL volunteers to the Build Brigade. If you have signed up to volunteer and have not heard back from a HFOT rep, please come out and join us! Pitch in where you can on the build site!

Children - Children under 16 are NOT allowed on site without an adult.  If you are volunteering and bringing younger children, please do NOT allow them near the actual home building.  There will be a food tent area that is safe from construction activities.

 

Can't donate your time or materials but want to donate funds to support this build?
Mail it to:
Homes for Our Troops
C/O lyon Project
6 Main Street
Taunton, MA 02780

 
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Doreen Lewis at dlewis@homesforourtroops.org 

Tommy Seal Returns to Atlantic Builders

“You always know when Tommy’s here,” says Dawn Settle about Atlantic Builders’ latest “boomerang” team member, Tommy Seal. Tommy, whose warmth and humor are always in abundance, rejoins us as a project manager building in all our Spotsylvania County communities.

Tommy has worked for over 26 years in the construction industry. Earlier in his career, he was a lead trim carpenter, and installed intricate, detailed exterior and interior trim in the UVA Law School and in a County Courthouse in Virginia. He reminisced that behind the beautiful judge’s bench that he created, he had to install bulletproof glass. Earlier Tommy served in the Army for three years as an E4 Specialist and Cavalry Scout. Before that, he grew up in Hawaii and enthuses that “I love to surf”.

Tommy is known for his customer service as well as the quality of the homes that he has supervised. Working with a recent homebuyer who was “stone-faced”, Tommy told her laughingly that he would get her to smile before the walk-through was completed. “And she did”, he was pleased to report.

“It is great to have Tommy back. His booming, infectious voice resonates throughout a home under construction or our office, making everyone feel good,” notes Gene Brown, Atlantic Builders’ Vice President of Productions and Quality Assurance.

Tommy puts that voice to good use in his free time, when he is the lead singer and rhythm guitar player of his band “Full Throttle”, a country and Southern rock group. Tommy has written 50 songs and enjoys “the notoriety, acclaim, and popularity you get on stage being the center of attention.” Go to Facebook and listen to the song “In my dreams” that Tommy wrote and performed with his last band.

Adam M. Fried

Welcoming Back Jim Harrover!

We welcome Jim Harrover back to Atlantic Builders as a full time team member. Jim has been with Atlantic for 9 years and has recently been working with us on a contract basis. With the rebound in the economy and home sales in the Fredericksburg area, it is great to have Jim back full time.

Jim acts as warranty manager. He helps with quality inspections, pre-settlement demonstrations, and punch out of new homes and for occupied homes. His personable nature makes everyone, especially homeowners, like him. "I meet homeowners with a smile, treat them honestly, and let them know I am here to help them anyway I can," notes Jim.

Here’s what some of our homeowners have said about Jim:

"I just want to let you know how pleased I have been with the services provided by Jim Harrover... Jim has been very responsive and has gone beyond what I could have ever expected. As a result I have put in a good word to a friend at Mary Washington Hospital."
-- Frank Gibbs

"Mr. Jim Harrover (has) worked on numerous warranty issues (and his) work has been nothing short of phenomenal. In addition to (his) world-class performance (his) motivation and professionalism... has been second to none...period."
-- Mohammed A. Khan, Jr., Colonel, USAF

Jim has spent 22 years in the construction industry after spending over 20 years in the general aviation field. Jim Harrover was awarded the Purple Heart as a helicopter crew chief. He served as an E4 for two years, and in one tour in Vietnam where his helicopter was shot down three times. Jim grew up in Lorton, VA.

Jim can fix anything and has a garage stocked with every tool imaginable. His garage – and home – are in Fairview Beach where he lives with his wife Janet. Jim enjoys boating on the Potomac River, and bait and bottom fishing by the channel markers. He likes socializing in the friendly atmosphere of Fairview Beach, and he and his wife enjoy wine tastings at Ingleside Winery in nearby Westmoreland County.


Adam M. Fried

Why Are Chinese Mothers Superior?

If you want to be challenged about your parenting style and how you raise your children, then check out an article in the Jan. 8/9 Wall Street Journal: “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”. The article was written by Yale University law school professor Amy Chua and is her take on why so many Chinese and other immigrant parents seem able to raise academically advanced children.

Some things she never allowed her daughters to do:
- Attend a sleepover or playdate
- Watch TV or play computer games
- Get any grade less than an A
- Play any instrument other than the piano or violin
- Not play the piano or violin

Chua notes, “What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist”.

While Chua’s admitted behavior toward her daughters is a little scary (Chua threatened to take her 7 year old daughter’s doll house to the Salvation Army and to withhold food for the rest of the day for refusing to continue practicing the piano), but she claims her girls have good self-images because once they master things, they become happy.

The WSJ essay is excerpted from her book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and was published 1/11/11. Chua answered questions Thursday 1/13/11 on the WSJ blog: blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market.

Taking Inspiration from The Special Olympics

My brother Jon Fried was born mentally handicapped. When he was a baby, the doctors advised my parents that he would never walk or talk. They were wrong. Now he is almost 50 and continues to win the Gold Medal in Tennis in the International Special Olympics. He plays at a very high level.

Please click on the link (http://www2.dailyprogress.com/sports/2011/jan/13/fried-set-special-olympics-tennis-tourney-ar-771174/) to see an article about him and the Special Olympics tennis tournament he will help host this weekend. I hope you are inspired to help out Special Olympics.

- Adam Fried