Blog

Welcome to Shirlington! A quaint little area of Arlington, Virginia. Shirlington is located just off of the 395 Beltway. Shirlington is 5 miles from The Pentagon! This makes it an ideal commute to working at The Pentagon, Crystal City, Fort Meyer, or Washington DC. (see map below) The Village at Shirlington is a place you can eat indoors or dine outdoors, walk the lovely little streets, shop at a boutique, and have a cup of coffee. You can catch a movie at the movie theater that shows second run films. Shop at the grocery store, fill a prescription at the drug store, or borrow a book from the... read more

Things to know before moving to Ft. Meade, Annapolis, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Ft Derrick or surrounding bases: You need a realtor to help look for houses to rent or buy. The property market moves fast here. Make sure your realtor has licenses for Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Find a recommendedREALTOR from other military families. Find out if the house has public utilities or septic tank and well water. This can make a big difference when power goes out with a hurricane or Nor’easter storms. In Maryland, HOAs are the norm for the state. Some areas may not have any fees and others can have yea... read more

One of the greatest things about living on-base is having a sense of community, knowing your neighbors, and having social events. When PCSing to the DC area, living on-base isn’t an option for the majority of military families. Finding where to live can be the hardest part of getting orders to DC. If you are looking for a sense of community, ability to get to know your neighbors, and looking for a place with planned social events then the planned community of Kingstowne is just the place for you. Kingstowne in Alexandria, VA Kingstowne is located in the “Lower” part of Alexandria in zip codes... read more

The city of Norfolk is made up of a diverse population. There are pockets of really nice neighborhoods, along with pockets of not so safe areas. Norfolk is known for its old historic colonial style homes. Norfolk definitely has a different look than Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and other areas. It has a lot of charm. Norfolk also has a bustling downtown area with skyscrapers, McAurthur shopping mall, and lots of restaurants. Granby Street is the main street in downtown Norfolk that has shops, restaurants, and bars. During the day, it’s a great place to shop at MacArthur Mall then grab a bite to... read more

Options for Military Families when Buying a Military Home Every 1 to 3 years is the average that a military family moves. 6-9 times is how many times the average child in a military family will move during a school career. Whether you have school aged children or not, school ratings can affect your decision when looking for military homes for sale or rent. There can often be a waiting list for military housing, so a military family facing a move ought to look into off-base housing. When buying a military home, read reviews to find out what's surrounding the military home. Is the neighborhood ... read more