Oakton

Oakton, VA | My Buyer Agent tip of the week… oil tanks

I was showing some homes today in Oakton, Virginia that were built in the mid 1970’s and commented to my client, as I always do, that a home had been converted to natural gas heat. In the 1970’s there was a moratorium regarding laying new natural gas pipelines in Fairfax County, VA and I always share that story. The point of this post isn’t if this is a true story or not, because I have heard it for years so I will refer to it when discussing heating systems in the area using natural gas, electricity, geothermal or heating oil.

Oakton is one of those sections of Fairfax County where suburban sprawl comes to an abrupt halt and the woods return. The fact that most of Oakton does not have a public sewer system, but individual septic systems, quickly limits what could and can be built. And that is a key part of Oakton’s appeal: a wooded countryside yet minutes to Tyson’s Corner, Reston, Dulles or the Vienna Metro Rail to D.C. My clients who live there were drawn by the “country-feel” of the place.

Many of the homes built in Oakton, VA in the 1970’s were heated using heating oil. Tanker trucks still come through the neighborhoods filling up tanks located either in basements or buried underground in the yard.

Here is the important issue: what condition is that underground oil tank in?

Tanks in a home’s basement can be easily inspected for leaks or sludge, and cut up and removed from the property if necessary in a short time.

But the underground oil tank really requires some investigation by an environmental engineering firm. Having the proper paperwork from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is essential because when you buy the house then you become a responsible party if there is a future leak contaminating the soil. John Pollard of Pollard Environmental, LLC uses a “Geoprobe” to test the ground for contamination by taking soil samples around the underground tank and testing for oil residue.

Having an environmental testing contingency is not a part of the Regional Sales Contract, but most builders who buy older homes as tear-downs always include a “feasibility study” period where they can do environmental testing so they don’t get stuck buying a potential Superfund site. I always ask, “if there is any paperwork available?” It is not rude and is actually quite a reasonable request. If nothing is on hand, then adding a short testing period contingency can go into paragraph 34 of the Regional Sales Contract.

I always look at home inspections as money well spent since buyers typically learn a ton about the house and can plan for future replacements. And having an inspection by an EPA certified environmental engineer when there is an existing or abandon fuel oil tank is money well spent too because if there needs to be a renegotiation then it should happen now, and not in court years from now. And that is another example why working with an experienced buyer agent (like me) is critical when buying the right house.

For more of my Buyer Agent thoughts, use the buyer agent tab below.

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Oakton

Tell me about the crime rate in Fairfax County?

Last weekend I met with an interested buyer to discuss a listing of mine, and he looked me in the eye and asked me, “how is the crime rate in the neighborhood?”

I can understand his reason for asking the question because I certainly would not want to move my wife and children into a crime plagued neighborhood either. But asking a salesman who is trying to “make-the-sale” such a question is crazy, risky, and the last thing he should have been doing. Yes, I consider myself trust-worthy but I don’t live in the neighborhood and really have no idea if someone had broken into a car over the weekend.

Get it?

Asking real estate agents for local crime info just isn’t a good idea.

So I always suggest people look up the data on the excellent police web sites, and here are a few from my market area in Northern Virginia or the Washington D.C. suburbs.

• The Fairfax County Police Department
• The Arlington County Police Department
• The City of Alexandria Police Department
• The City of Falls Church Police Department
• The City of Fairfax Police Department
• Town of Herndon Police Department
• Town of Vienna Police Department
• Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
• The Prince William County Police Department

If there is another police department that I have left out then I will be happy to add them too!

Oakton

3126 Windwood Farms Ct, Oakton VA The Video Tour

OFF THE MARKET A new video tour of this home in Oakton that is now ready for you. Okay, maybe too many suggestions and comments about the wallpaper, but this home has great potential. And like they always say in real estate, location, location, location… it’s 1.5 miles to the Vienna Metro. Yes, it’s from YouTube!

Oakton

If you rebuild the I66 and Route 123 overpass, then you will get elected in Virginia

This 1/2 mile stretch of Interstate 66 needs rebuilding right now . There must be existing VDOT designs to make this a “shovel-ready” project qualifying for immediate federal funding.

The problem is I66 tapers down in both directions to get under the existing 1960′s era overpasses, and when rush hour hits or there is one lane blocked, it causes a classic sphincter effect that can last hours.

Here is the area thanks to The Google:

View Larger Map

Here is the #1 best projects that VDOT could do:

• Replace the Jermantown Road overpass

• Replace the Route 123 overpass, and re-engineer the 123/66 clover leaf

The annual number of delays caused by this 1960′s design is incredible. Anyone who is even thinking of living west of the Vienna Metro Station dreads the thought of driving on this part of I66 at any time of day, seven days a week. Solving this problem would virtually guarantee election to office.

What do you think, gov?

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