THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 18, 1994 TAG: 9406170449
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK DUROSE, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
DATELINE: 940618 LENGTH: Long
The Virginia Beach community is bordered by Great Neck and Laskin roads, along with a wooded, marshy area that includes a small pond. Residents praise Point O' Woods for its friendly neighbors, active civic league and abundant nature.
{REST} With its main entrances off Great Neck Road, the U-shaped neighborhood contains several winding lanes and cul-de-sacs lined with stands of majestic trees. A grassy park, with playground equipment and picnic tables, covers more than an acre in the heart of the neighborhood.
Most of the homes were built in the 1960s, when the site of a former plantation was subdivided. Houses are primarily ranch and two-story styles, with brick or vinyl siding and roughly quarter-acre lots.
Near Laskin Road, newer, custom houses bring the number of homes to about 280.
Even though Caroline Farrar and her husband, Ray Forlines, arrived just four years ago, they have already made a mark on the community.
Farrar is president and founder of the Point O' Woods garden club. She also revived the civic league and is a former president of the group. Her husband is now the league's vice president.
League members meet monthly and yearly dues are $10. As a real estate agent, Farrar understands the importance of community involvement, she says.
``I believe civic leagues are very important to keep property values up and promote camaraderie among the neighbors,'' she says.
``I think it's especially important for the children, so that people know who they are, and who their parents are. It's a safety factor.''
Farrar and Forlines have helped neighbors come up with contests for Christmas lights, May baskets and Yard of the Month. The league also oversees a weekly newsletter, a community yard sale, yuletide open-house tours and several parties throughout the year.
``I've tried to create interesting, fun, creative events that get people involved in the community,'' Farrar says.
As for their home, the couple paid $102,000 for a two-story dwelling with four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a large addition off the kitchen. Since moving in, they have made several renovations, they say, bringing the home's value to $115,000.
These include changing the landscape, adding a backyard toolshed, redoing the hardwood floors and putting a slate floor in the foyer. They also expanded the pantry into the space underneath the stairs.
Why all the work? ``To me,'' Farrar says, ``this is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Virginia Beach. It's conveniently located, it's affordable, the houses have good floor plans, it's got a good school district and the people here are a real friendly group.''
Among the last homes to go up in Point O' Woods was Earl and Smiley Thompson's 9-year-old two-story with two bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. It looks as though it might be more at home in Colonial Williamsburg - and that's the idea.
The Thompsons designed the home to resemble the houses in that historic town. Its exterior consists of bricks gathered from a Williamsburg brickyard, and the gravel in the walkway and driveway meets the historic district's specifications.
Though it has a small-cottage quality, Earl Thompson says, looks can be deceiving.
``People think it's a small house, but it's quite large inside. With a full-size basement - the only one around here I've seen - and attic, I actually have four floors.''
Thompson's yard borders a ravine, which he spanned with a wooden footbridge. At the edge of his property, he also included a garden, a field of ivy and a white picket fence.
``My wife wouldn't sell this house for any price,'' he says. ``This is the best house we've ever had, and the best location and the best neighborhood.''
In Point O' Woods, some of the homes still contain their original owners. Ann Seredynski is one of them.
She moved to the neighborhood in 1965 with her husband, John, who served three terms as civic league president before his death in 1982.
Seredynski paid about $35,000 for her three-bedroom, two-bath ranch. Over the years, she has made ``a lot of refinements,'' she says, adding extra windows and skylights, a breakfast room, central air conditioning and a new roof.
Today, Seredynski says, the home is assessed at $108,000. But more important, she says, the residents of Point O' View keep her happy with the community.
``They're always there if you need them,'' she says. ``People are busier today, but it's still a good neighborhood.
``We've got a lot of young people now, more than old-timers, which is great,'' she says, ``and people are out, taking care of the yard and filling up the park. It's alive.''
by CNB