Paul Messplay

April 23rd marks the beginning of Richmond, VA's Spring Restaurant Week. The cost is $25.12 at each restaurant and the proceeds go to help support the Central Virginia Food Bank and Meals on Wheels. A list of all of the participating restaurants can be found on Richmond Restaurant Week's website and, if you are so inclined, you can hop on over to the Open Table app to reserve tables at your favorite spots! Reservations are not required, however. You are more than welcome to waltz in to your restaurant(s) of choice at your leisure! 

The menus are all price fixed and include three courses. I'm going to head over to Amici Ristorante for a chilled melon bisque, angel hair pasta with Amici's tomato sauce, and some sorbetto for dessert. What are you going to eat?

Paul Messplay

What this means for buyers is that the market and the banks are in a position to allow you to get more house for your money! What this means for sellers is that the increase in potential buyers allows for more people to view your property, which will translate to the quicker sale of your home!

Contact us today to help you buy or sell a home

Paul Messplay

Paul Messplay

Paul Messplay

Happy Friday everyone!

Paul Messplay

4709 Radford Avenue comes complete with a totally renovated kitchen and a dual-zoned HVAC unit (which means great savings on utility bills!), and it is in close proximity to the shops at Willow Lawn and the shops at Grove and Libbie! 

This property also has a spacious yard, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and beautifully refinished hardwood floors. Send us an email or give us a call if you're interested in taking a look at 4709 Radford Avenue!

info@hallmark-realty-group.com

804-545-6601

Take care,

Paul Messplay and the Hallmark Realty Group

This is a great start to a great week!

Don't let the utility companies run away with your pot of gold! A leaky faucet is a leaky wallet. Follow these 8 simple steps to fix your leaky faucet:

1.  Turn off the water. Look below the sink and you'll probably see two handles attached to a valve with small pipes or hoses leading to each faucet. Turn the handles clockwise to shut off the water to the fixture. Sometimes there aren't shut-off valves under the sink. In that case, shut off the water to the house. In many areas, the main shut-off valve is below a hose bib where the water line enters the house. Again, turn the valve clockwise to shut off the water.

2. Turn the handles of the sink to the full on position to make sure the water is off. When you're sure the water is off, turn the handle clockwise halfway toward the closed position.

3. Remove the handle. Handles are mounted to the stem with a screw. Often screws are hidden under a plastic or metal cover. If so, gently pry off the cover with a thin blade (a utility knife works good), remove the screw and lift off the handle.

4. The faucet stem is secured to the basin with a locknut and perhaps a washer. Replace the handle on the stem and hold it steady while turning the nut counterclockwise to unscrew the locknut from the stem. Remove the handle and the locknut.

5. Replace the handle but not the screw. Remove the stem from the faucet body by turning the handle counterclockwise. Keep turning until the stem can be lifted out of the faucet body. Remove the stem. If the stem threads are bound up, a squirt or two of WD-40 or Liquid Wrench will loosen them.

6. At the bottom of the stem is a hard rubber washer attached by a small screw. It may be flat or it may be cone-shaped. Unscrew the washer. Use a small towel or stopper to cover up the drain. We've skipped this step and have wasted a half hour fishing the screw out of the P-trap. It's likely that the stem has another rubber O-ring to prevent water from oozing up and out of the stem. Rubber washers come in many sizes, so it's best to take the washers to your local hardware store and make sure you get the right matches.

7. With the correct washers in hand, replace the worn-out ones and reassemble the unit. Replace the rubber O-ring, screw in the new faucet washer, screw the stem into the body, install the locknut and reinstall the escutcheon and handle.

8. Finally, turn the water back on and test the faucets. Be gentle; when the water first comes back on, it will spit and gurgle. Nothing is wrong, but if the faucet is full-on open you'll get a spray.

(source: Lowe's)

Paul Messplay

Perhaps the most astounding aspect of 2425 Two Turtles is how ridiculously energy efficient it is! Its spacious 3597 square feet runs an average utility bill of - insert drum roll - $200​!! That's including the 3+ car garage with its second story 700+ square foot entertainment room, the Koi pond, and all of the property's other features! You can thank this property's dual zoned HVAC system for that. 

I'm also a super huge fan of the kitchen - with its custom cabinetry, granite countertops, dual prep/wash areas, Jenn-Air stove, island, and double oven, how could anyone not fall in love?

The final thing that really, really draws me in to this property is how bright and open the house is! Yes, yes, its 8+ private acres, 30' great room ceiling, arched brick breezeway, cobblestone driveway, palatial bedroom suites, Andersen windows, and ​built in fire sprinkler system​ are all great on their own, but the tranquility that is felt in the bright rooms is unparalleled. 

Head over to the 2425 Two Turtles Rd. website to check out its virtual and all of the other amenities that this property has to offer!

Paul Messplay

Have you seen this gorgeous Glen Allen property in the famed Wyndham community? I have spent way too much of my free time dreaming about hosting parties in its gourmet kitchen - the granite countertops, the stainless steel appliances, the breakfast nook, the cabinet space that should be measured in acres instead of square feet - it's all just phenomenal!

And for gorgeous days like today, who wouldn't want to take the party out back to this property's spacious back yard? Hmm...why am I still in the office? Time for me to go relax at 5917 Morgans Glen Dr.!

Head over to the property's website for more information and to check out a virtual tour with hi-res photos and 360 degree room views: http://5917morgansglendr.com/

Cheers!
Paul Messplay

Paul Messplay

It absolutely pains us to be in doors right now writing this post when Richmond is 79 degrees! Who would have thought that Spring would come so soon this year? All of that aside, this weekend will still be nice, and Richmond will have some awesome events going on that members of the HRG Team will be attending. 

For those of you in a charity mood, the Virginia Commonwealth University CBF Campus Network will be hosting a Belle Isle Cleanup on Sunday from 1:00pm until 3:00pm. We'll be meeting at 1:00pm at the Belle Isle Parking lot off of Tredegar Street. After gathering for a moment, we will check out the island and find some good places to pick up trash.

And hey, afterward, why not celebrate your giving spirit with some relaxation at the Virginia Wine Expo? Now in its fifth year, the Virginia Wine Expo has become Virginia’s premier wine event, exclusively featuring Virginia wine. The Walk-Around Grand Tasting will be held from 12:00pm to 5:00pm at the Greater Richmond Convention Center for only $35!

Some of us at Hallmark Realty Group will be capping the evening with Sticky Rice's trivia night! It's always a blast and it's a great way to end a wonderful weekend. Bucket-o-Tots, lettuce wraps, and phenomenal sushi? Count us in!!

Cheers!

Paul Messplay

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give us a call if we can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.

Paul Messplay