Welcome to beautiful Northern Virginia, with its rolling hills, deep dark woods and sunny, colorful vistas. Just a few miles from our nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C., we spend our work days living and commuting in a fast paced metropolis, which makes our leisure time all the more precious. There is never a boring moment here…there’s just too much to see and do!
To start with, Northern Virginia is steeped in history. George and Martha Washington lived here and you can visit their impressive colonial home, Mount Vernon, which overlooks the Potomac River. Old Town Alexandria, where Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin once walked, is a favorite day trip as well as night time destination for visiting friends and relatives. The Manassas Battlefield is the preferred haunt of Civil War buffs and on many weekends in the summer if you follow the paths you will find a Union or Confederate soldier re-enactor who will be happy to share with you his wartime experiences. And Arlington Cemetery, the former home of Robert E. Lee, sits majestically above the city with a breathtaking view of Washington, D.C. and the monuments that can be found there.
Speaking of monuments, Washington, D.C. has plenty, including the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, which features an elevator that goes straight to the top and offers one of the best views of the city. There is also the Jefferson Memorial, WWII, Korean and Vietnam Memorials, the Capitol and don’t forget, the White House. There are endless museums including the Air & Space Museum, the National Art Gallery, the Smithsonian and for those who like a little mystery, the very popular Spy Museum.
Northern Virginia enjoys a distinctive change of seasons. The summers here are hot but there are plenty of ways to cool down with boating, swimming and water skiing on the many lakes and rivers nearby including the Potomac River, Burke Lake, Bull Run Marina and Lake Anna to name a few. There are also craft shows, wine festivals and outdoor concerts featuring top name entertainment at Wolf Trap and the Nissan Pavilion, and free concerts on the green in the heart of Herndon or at the Reston Town Center. The fall brings a shower of colorful leaves as the weather cools down and we head for the cold winter months. We experience some snow here… just enough to slow traffic and every once in a while let the kids take a snow day and stay home from school. But perhaps the best season of all in Northern Virginia is the spring, with all of our flowering trees creating a breathtaking explosion of color. The Bradford Pear, Cherry, Tulip Poplar and Dogwood, all take turns showing off their finery.
The dining in Northern Virginia is superb and the choices abundant, as featured a few times a year in our very own Washingtonian Magazine. Check our links page for more information on the 100 Best Restaurants in the Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. areas. If shopping is a beloved past time, we have malls and boutique stores galore, including the very famous Tysons I & II, Landmark Mall, Fair Oaks Mall, Pentagon Center and Potomac Mills Shopping Centers. If you like to stroll and shop try Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Potomac Yards Shopping Center in Alexandria, the Reston Town Center, Fairfax Corner and Fair Lakes Shopping Centers.
Sports Fans will enjoy the year round sporting events with the Wizards basketball team, The Nationals, our very own baseball team and, of course, our favorites, the Washington Redskins. We also have some of the best golf courses around including Chantilly National, Lowes Island and Burke Lake Golf Courses.
Because we are near the seat of government, and all roads lead to Washington, D.C., there are many different options to choose from when it comes to transportation. I-495, better known as the Beltway, circles the District of Columbia on both the Virginia and Maryland sides. I-66 brings folks in and out of the western counties, as does I-95 to the south. The Fairfax County Parkway starts in Springfield to the northeast, winds down through Fairfax Station, Fairfax, Herndon and Reston and ends up in Loudoun County connecting the popular neighborhoods of Cascades and Potomac Falls in Sterling. Besides driving you can catch the Metro, our famous subway system; the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) which links the western and southern counties to Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria before heading up to D.C., or the unique-to-this-area and ever popular slug lines, which are legendary.
Now, for the reason you came to this site: the housing. Northern Virginia has all kinds of housing, all the way from the smallest condominiums in areas like Fairfax, Springfield and Alexandria, to the grandest estates on several acres in Great Falls, Clifton and Fairfax Station. We offer single family detached homes with one, two and three car garages; townhomes with or without a garage; three level garden apartments or mid and high rise apartment and condominium buildings. Many of our neighborhoods have amenities; lots have community pools and some have tennis courts. Northern Virginia also boasts wonderful schools, both public and private, libraries, recreational centers and some of the most gorgeous parks in the nation. We also help clients looking to purchase investment properties, vacation homes and land, here and in outer lying counties. If there is something you are thinking of in particular, just ask us and we will help you find the right house in a neighborhood you will love!
As always, Denise Lee Associates is here to provide you with the right information to make intelligent choices and good decisions regarding your home buying and selling needs. Contact us today and let’s get started finding you that dream home!