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Whether you're a first time home buyer or you've been down that road time and again, you won't find a more reliable guide to navigate the Hampton Roads real estate market than a seasoned professional at The Real Estate Group.
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You're probably still trying to dig yourself out from all the snow that dumped on Hampton Roads last week in the Blizzard of 2018, the first snowstorm of the year.

Unfortunately nearly 90,000 customers were impacted across the Dominion Electric VA system according to several news outlets. Without power and heat you are more susceptible to freezing pipes. Locally more than 50 residents of the Heron’s Landing apartments off of Military Highway in Chesapeake have been displaced due to a sprinkler pipe burst this past Sunday night. All these men and women have been homeless in the past and now have to stay in two Chesapeake hotels before they can return home due to flooding of their units.
Frozen pipes are one of the most common plumbing problems within the home and water pipes burst because the water inside them expands as it gets close to freezing as this causes an increase in pressure inside the pipe. It doesn’t matter how new your house is, everyone is at risk. Frozen water pipes are a problem affecting a quarter-million families each winter, and it can happen in homes with PVC, brass iron or copper pipes.

The potential water loss from burst pipes in your house can be as much as 400 litres, that’s 2 full baths an hour. This means if you were away for a full day you could have up to 9,600 litres of water or 48 full baths of water in your house from burst pipes. A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can gush up to 250 gallons of water a day, causing flooding, serious structural...
Does your Home or Business Air Conditioning system use R-22 Refrigerant?

Why is this important and what you need to know. 
Whether you are planning to stay in your home/business, sell the one you are in, or buy a new one, you should be aware of the type of system and refrigerant your system is using.
Most air conditioning systems primarily use one of two types of refrigerant, the older R-22 or the newer R410A. Many home inspectors only pay attention to how old a system is and in the past, this detail was typically overlooked because it didn’t make much difference, until now.
The EPA has recently classified HCFC-22 or R-22 Refrigerant as a class II ozone depleting substance and is now highly regulated which means any new production, import and use is being phased out by 2020. This is causing the price of the R-22 refrigerant to skyrocket and prices will continue to go up daily. This will not change. Many manufacturers are now regulating the amount of R-22 being sold to contractors.
What this means to you is that if your system uses R-22 and you have a leak or repair needing to be done, the cost to repair the leak or fix the unit could potentially be far more expensive...
Today marks the start of the 41st Annual Norfolk Harborfest. This is one of my favorite weekends of the summer for many reasons, but the first being that it features two of my loves...boats and water! It's the largest, longest-running, free maritime festival in the nation and will be taking place in Town Point Park on the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront. You can also pop over to the brand new Waterside District (which sits right beside the park) and check out what all the talk has been about.
This year’s Harborfest will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk. Homecoming at Harborfest will honor all active duty service members and veterans who serve or served at Naval Air Station Norfolk. Between aircraft flyovers, the U.S. Navy Fleet Band and a patriotic fireworks display... the Navy's increased participation this year will add a new level of excitement!

For three fun filled days, this historic waterfront festival offers a weekend packed full of thrilling activities on both land and sea. It kicks off with the Parade of Sail (with the world's largest ships coming in to Norfolk on the Elizabeth River) at noon Friday, June 9, 2017.
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Is Your AC running properly?
When the outdoor temperature reaches 95 degrees, a perfectly functioning air conditioner should be able to keep the temperature at the thermostat about 72 degrees indoors. However, as the temperature goes above 95 degrees outdoors, the temperature at home should increase about 1.5 degrees for every degree the outdoor temperature goes above 95.
So when the outdoor temperature reaches 100 degrees, the air conditioner should run non-stop and maintain an indoor temperature at or below 80 degrees. If the house stays at 72 degrees indoors, when it is 100 degrees outdoors, the air conditioner is most likely oversized. This is great for when it is 100 degrees, but creates high indoor humidity conditions throughout the remainder of the year. The one exception is for households with two-stage air conditioners. A properly sized air conditioner should run constantly when it is at or above 95 degrees outdoors.
One of the simplest ways to save money on your electric bill is to remember that if your air conditioner is on, make sure all your home's windows and outside doors are closed. For room air conditioners, isolate the room or a group of connected rooms as much as possible from the rest of your home.
Here are a few other quick things to do to make sure your unit is up to speed and running accurately:
Inspect your unit’s filters.
Check the air filter once per month and replace it as needed. Replacing filters is one of the easiest and most effective methods of conserving energy and saving money on your HVAC usage. Very similar to changing the oil in your car, this is a critical step in keeping your ac system working. This is especially important right now...
Chesapeake Beach was developed in the early 1900's (somewhere around World War 1) as a beachfront residential community. Current maps have it being bordered on the south by Shore Drive (Shore Drive is one of the corridors leading to the tourist destination of the Virginia Beach oceanfront) and Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base caps the west side of this community. This two mile stretch of beach merges longer stretches of undeveloped, protected beaches which harbor dolphin and other marine life.
Older maps, dating back to the 18th century, identify the area as “Pleasure House”, likely named for The Pleasure House, a tavern that catered to Confederate soldiers. Currently this little stretch is where the longest bay-bridge connects to the Eastern Shore, across the Chesapeake Bay (The Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel).

It’s an established residential neighborhood consisting of beach cottages, condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, apartments, as well as single-family homes. Residents of this eclectic beach community enjoy less public traffic due to restricted parking and it’s relatively less renowned than other area beaches; such as the North End and Sandbridge. Being that four different lakes wind through the area...jet skiing, kayaking and paddleboarding are perfect hobbies for this waterfront village. You’ll also find lots of jogging and biking trails . But probably the most popular neighborhood activities are walking along the beach or sailing the bay. There are also a couple different boat ramps for all you boaters and fisherman.
Nicknamed both Chic's Beach and Chick's Beach there’s an decades-old debate about how Chesapeake Beach got it’s name. The shortened...