Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

Ask Eli: Starting Your 2021 Home Search

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: We are looking forward to buying our first home in 2021. Do you have any recommendations on how we should start the home buying process?

Answer: Google “home buyer tips” or “what to know before buying a home” and you’ll find plenty of advice on the topic, so I’ll include some suggestions I don’t see on most of those lists and also put my own spin on others that you have heard before.

Weighted Criteria

It’s easy to come up with 3-5 things that are most important to you, but challenge yourself early to come up with 12-15 things that are important to you. Then give yourself 100 points and allocate points to each based on how important they are to you and you’ll end up with a weighted criteria list to help you focus your search and objectively compare properties.

If you want to take it to the next level, bring your weighted criteria list with you on showings and score each house out of the total points allocated to it.

Length of Ownership

This is one of the most important conversations to have with yourself/your partner. You should focus on the following:

  1. Likely length of ownership
  2. Difference in criteria for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house
  3. Difference in budget requirements for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house

Appreciation is not guaranteed and difficult to predict, but the value of longer ownership periods is undisputed. One way longer ownership adds value is the potential for eliminating one or more real estate transactions, and the associated costs (fees, taxes, moving expenses, new furniture, etc) and stress that comes with moving, over the course of your lifetime.

If you have an opportunity to significantly increase your length of ownership by stretching your budget, it’s often justifiable. On the other hand, if your budget or future plans restrict you to housing that’s likely to be suitable for just 3-4 years (and buying now still makes sense), it’s generally better to stay under budget.

Influencers (not the Instagram ones)

Family, friends, colleagues… they’re all happy to offer opinions and contribute to your home buying process, but the input can be overwhelming and unproductive if you don’t set boundaries. Try to determine up-front who you want involved in the process and how you’d like them to be involved.

Think about how you’ve made other major decisions in life — what college to attend, what kind of car to buy, where to get married, whether to change jobs — and if you’re the type of person who likes input from your friends and family, you’ll likely do the same when buying a house. Plan ahead with those influencers so their input is productive.

Does Your House Exist?

Before jumping too far into the search process, spend a little bit of time searching For Sale and Sold homes on your favorite real estate search website/app to see if the homes selling in the area you want and within 10% of your upper budget are at least close to what you’re looking for. If not, spend some time adjusting price, location and non-critical criteria to figure out what high-level compromises you’ll need to make and then compare those compromises to your current living situation and/or continuing to rent.

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Legal Insider: Are You in the Wrong Federal Retirement System?

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By John V. Berry, Esq

The Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage Corrections Act (FERCCA) was enacted in September, 2000 and designed to provide relief to federal civilian employees who were placed in the wrong federal retirement system for at least three years of service after December 31, 1986.

Typically, FERCCA errors arise when a federal employee experiences a break in service, especially during the mid-1980s when the Federal Employees Retirement Systems (FERS) plan was created. In some cases, FERCCA has provided federal employees and annuitants placed in the wrong federal retirement system with the opportunity to choose between FERS and the offset provisions contained within the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).

In order to determine if you are in the correct federal retirement plan, you need to know the type of appointment you have and your work history. Federal retirement rules governing retirement plan placement are complex and contain many exceptions that are hard to follow. If you find that you fit in any of the situations described below, you could be in the wrong federal retirement system. However, keep in mind that there are exceptions to the general rules.

If you currently have CSRS coverage, then you may be in the wrong plan if:

  • You worked for the federal government before 1984, but not on a permanent basis
  • You left federal employment for more than a year at any time after 1983
  • You have a temporary appointment limited to a year or less, a term appointment, or an emergency indefinite appointment
  • You have no federal civilian employment before 1984
  • You do not have a career or career conditional appointment and you work on an intermittent basis (see the work schedule block on your SF-50)

If you currently have CSRS Offset coverage, then you may be in the wrong plan if:

  • You have a temporary appointment limited to a year or less, a term appointment, or an emergency indefinite appointment
  • You have no federal civilian employment before 1984
  • You do not have a career or career conditional appointment and you work on an intermittent basis (see the work schedule block on your SF-50)
  • You did not work for the federal government for a total of five years before 1987 (not including your military service). Exception: If you worked under CSRS, left the federal government, and your agency placed you in CSRS Offset upon your return, your CSRS Offset coverage is probably correct if you had five years of federal government service when you left.

If you currently have FERS coverage, then you may be in the wrong plan if:

  • You have a temporary appointment limited to a year or less
  • You do not have a career or career conditional appointment and you work on an intermittent basis
  • You have worked for the federal government for at least five years before 1987 (not including military service) unless you elected to transfer to FERS during a FERS Open Season or after a break in service

FERCCA can also provide 1) reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses paid as a result of a coverage error (e.g., attorney’s fees, costs, etc.); 2) an ability to benefit from certain changes in the rules about how some federal service is credited toward retirement; and 3) make-up contributions to the federal employee’s Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and receipt of lost earnings on those contributions, among other provisions.

If you think that you have a FERCCA error, you should notify your agency’s Human Resources department. Pursuant to FERCCA regulations, the federal government — upon its receipt of notice that a potential FERCCA error exists — should review your work history to confirm whether a FERCCA error actually exists and supply you with correspondence confirming the FERCCA error and other pertinent information, including benefit estimates for individuals entitled to an election option.

You should also receive a federal election form and information regarding how to receive reimbursement for your actual out-of-pocket expenses related to your FERCCA error, including attorneys’ fees. For more information, visit the Office of Personnel Management’s web site for frequently asked questions concerning FERCCA.

Contact Us

If you are in need of employment law legal representation or advice, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook or Twitter.

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.

Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:

1835 N. Kirkwood Place
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $1,995,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1881 N. Nash Street
2 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: Washington Fine Properties, Llc.
Listed: $1,675,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3311 20th Street N.
4 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent: Compass
Listed: $1,129,000
Open: Saturday 2-4 p.m.

 

1418 Rhodes Street N. #115
2 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: Compass
Listed: $980,000
Open: Saturday 3-6 p.m.

 

2126 N. Tazewell Court
3 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Cathedral Realty, Llc.
Listed: $795,000
Open: Sunday 12:30-3:30 p.m.

 

820 N. Pollard Street #603
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Century 21 Redwood Realty
Listed: $669,500
Open: Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Andors Real Estate Group.

I’m just going to go ahead and predict it… 2021 is going to be another crazy year for Arlington real estate! Strong demand heading into the fall is unlikely to falter, and the past 10 years seem to be indicative of what is to come.

I know, that’s not much of a prediction… It’s just more of the same. But hey, our real estate market is very strong and that is not a bad thing.

Have you noticed it can be hard to make money in the current environment of available investments?

The stock market has been swinging wildly recently. The potential for inflation is hurting the bond market. Savings accounts aren’t even paying one percent in interest…

Looking for a proven long-term investment?

Buy real estate! While real estate is not considered a very liquid investment, it does perform very well. It performs especially well in our area, and especially over time. If you’re wondering where to park a bunch of cash right now, you should seriously consider buying Arlington real estate. Additionally, Arlington real estate is some of the most liquid in the nation, with the ability to list, go under contract and get to settlement in about a month. The same low interest rates we keep hearing about for 30-year mortgages, these days starting with a 2, are a great way to leverage a difficult playing field when it comes to other investments.

Oh, and by the way, mortgage interest rates just hit their tenth all time low this year… 2.81% for a 30-year fixed rate.

This past week in Arlington, sellers listed some 88 properties for sale while buyers ratified 71 contracts. 34 of the ratified contracts were on homes listed just within the past week.

There are currently 542 homes for sale in Arlington, 13 more than last week. 140 are detached homes, 52 are townhouses/semi-detached and 350 are condos.

Average days on market (DOM) for currently available homes is 48 and median DOM is 29. The median list price of currently available properties is $592,500, while the average is $782,110.

Last year for the same week, sellers listed 62 homes and buyers ratified 45 contracts.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate — if you see a home you’re interested in purchasing, we’d love to help!

Call the Andors Real Estate Group today at (703) 203-1117 to talk more about buying or selling Arlington real estate. Below are eight homes that are new this week that I think you might like to check out.

Statutes of Liberty: H-1B Hail Mary — Trump Administration Rushing Through Changes Before January

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is by James Montana, Esq. and Doran Shemin, Esq., practicing attorneys at Steelyard LLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Arlington, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact James for an appointment.

Most inspiring comment last week: “This column is nerdy and niche AF.”

Our goal, this week, is to live up to those expectations. Fortunately for us, last week the Trump Administration issued a pair of regulations promulgated by the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security concerning the H-1B visa program — two scoops of nerdy niche ice cream topped with litigation sprinkles. Let’s dive in!

TL/DR: The Trump administration is moving, in the last months of its term, to try to tighten the requirements for H-1B visas. We’ll tell you how the new requirements (might) work, and offer our prediction on whether the new requirements will ever take effect. Our prediction is that the new changes won’t stick.

First, a little lawsplainer. The H-1B visa is a temporary work visa available to foreign nationals who want to work in a “specialty occupation” job for which at least a bachelor’s degree is typically required. The U.S. corporation which hires the foreign worker must promise to pay (and actually pay) the worker a competitive wage, as determined by the Department of Labor or by a private wage survey.

About 85,000 H-1B visas are awarded each year, typically through the H-1B lottery each April. (For more info on that, see our prior column on the nuts and bolts of H-1Bs.) Many H-1B visaholders renew their visas and stay in H-1B status for up to six years; some of them then go on to apply for U.S. lawful permanent residency.

How might the new regulations change the landscape? In three ways:

  1. Increase the required wage rate. By making technical changes to the method by which prevailing wages are calculated, the Interim Final Rule increases the required wage rates for all H-1B visaholders. (Unlike the other changes described below, these increases are effective immediately.) The technical changes are complex, but the upshot is that required wages go up across the board — but most especially for entry-level employees.
  2. Tighten the definition of “specialty occupation”. The new regulation insists that a worker who wants a job in a specialty occupation must have a bachelor’s degree or higher which is directly related to the occupation in question. (We doubt that this will be a problem for the vast majority of H-1B beneficiaries, who tend to be computer scientists who majored in computer science.)
  3. Increase inspections. The new regulation clarifies that USCIS has the authority to conduct site visits before, during and after the approval of an H-1B petition, as well as expanding USCIS’s ability to conduct site visits at outside job placement locations.

Will these regulations take effect? We expect that they won’t survive judicial review, for nerdy and niche reasons. The Trump Administration chose to promulgate these changes as a final rule and as an interim final rule, respectively, rather than via a notice of proposed rulemaking.

In plain English, this is a regulatory rush job, designed to go into effect before January. The federal courts generally dislike this sort of move. Remember DHS v. Regents of University of California, in which Justice Roberts overturned the rescission of DACA because DHS didn’t do the regulatory work properly? We do. DHS does. Our prediction is that the federal judiciary will too, and both of these regulations will be quickly enjoined.

As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments and will do our best to respond.

Listing of the Day: 1315 S. Walter Reed Drive #103

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/10

Address: 1315 S. Walter Reed Drive, #103
Neighborhood: Commons of Arlington
Listed: $299,000
Open: Sunday, October 18, 2-4 p.m.

Sunny 1 BR/1 BA condo makes you feel right at home! Foyer entry offers hardwood flooring, spacious coat closet and built-ins.

Gorgeous remodeled kitchen with top of the line appliances — Bosch dishwasher, GE Cafe Convection Range and French Door fridge, plus quartz counters, 42-inch cabinets and great sunlight. The living and dining rooms are open and also flooded in natural light. Living room walks out to a brand new balcony with composite deck. Bathroom is bright and remodeled, the hall has multiple closets, and the bedroom does, too.

Condo has great storage and a huge 6×9 storage unit in the basement. Don’t let the Walter Reed address fool you — the building is tucked away in a private courtyard — great space for pup walking and chatting with neighbors. Laundry is right downstairs in a room that also stores bikes. Arlington Commons is a lush, green community with a pool and gym.

Quick hop to Columbia Pike restaurants and bars, next door to Walter Reed Community Center and Basketball court, easy access to Pentagon and D.C., too. Condo fee ($353/mo) pays for water/sewer/trash; owner pays electric and internet only. Unreserved parking lots include 2 on 13th Road; plus lots of street parking in front.

Listed by:
Coral Gundlach
Compass-Arlington
703-200-3631
[email protected]
Sellwithcoral.com

Virtually Tour Loudoun County Farms From the Comfort of Home

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

For the first time in its 25 year history, the Loudoun Fall Farm Tour will be held virtually, letting you see, hear and shop from your favorite farmers in a socially distant way.

Launching on Saturday, October 17, the online tour will feature more than two dozen stops at launch and is scheduled to go live at 10 a.m.

For the best touring experience, please access it on a desktop device at LoudounFarms.org/FarmTour. Consumers are encouraged to sign up in advance for a notification email and shop the Loudoun Made Loudoun Grown Marketplace.

This initiative follows a successful virtual Spring Farm Tour, which connected thousands of people from 16 countries with 14 Loudoun farms, during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown. This time around, many of the 25 farms are open to the public, but the virtual format allows everyone to get involved.

Each of the featured farms submitted photos, videos, brief descriptions and an educational activity in order to be included in this season’s tour. All vignettes also link to the farm websites and online stores. Additional entries will be added throughout the harvest season on a rolling basis.

Here are the 25 farms that are featured on Loudoun’s Virtual Farm Tour at launch:

  1. American Academy of Equestrian Sciences
  2. Blooming Hill Lavender Farm and Gift Shop
  3. Checkmate Farm
  4. Double 8 Alpaca Ranch
  5. Endless Summer Harvest
  6. Equine Rescue League Foundation
  7. Equus CAN Educate
  8. Georges Mill Farm Artisan Cheese
  9. Green Hills Garden & Nursery
  10. Hogback Mountain Pony Rides, LLC
  11. Homestead 1870
  12. Hope Flower Farm
  13. Long Stone Farm, LLC
  14. Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum
  15. Old Apple Valley Farms, LLC
  16. Paige’s Pit Stop
  17. Project Horse Empowerment Center
  18. Shepherds Corner Farm
  19. The Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows
  20. The Farm at Walnut Creek
  21. The New Ag School
  22. Bleu Frog Vineyards
  23. Cannabreeze Organic Hemp Farm
  24. Casanel Vineyards & Winery
  25. Fort Bacon Farm

These two dozen farms represent a cross-section of Loudoun’s diverse farming industries, including traditional agriculture, equine, craft beverage and cheese makers, hemp producers, bed and breakfasts, plant nurseries, farm schools and museums, and much more.

Virtual farm tourists are also encouraged to shop the Loudoun Made Loudoun Grown Marketplace, with convenient pickup locations throughout Loudoun County.

The virtual farm tour will go live at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at LoudounFarms.org/FarmTour.

Arts Focus: Workshops By Artists, For Artists in Social Media, Development and Crisis Management

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

Amid the many challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses for the arts and culture community, artists are taking the opportunity to strengthen capacity.

Toward that end, Arlington Arts is launching a new series of skill-building sessions: the Arts Enterprise Institute Fall Classes through our Arts Enterprise Institute, from October 27 through November 17 (all classes are virtual).

Dovetailing with our earlier partnership with the Washington Area Lawyers of the Arts (with workshops continuing through October 11), Arlington Arts now offers yet another opportunity for artists to learn and grow. Our Arts Enterprise Institute program exists to provide resources for artists and deepen their skill set to withstand the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workshops, training, seminars and events integrate strong business skills, knowledge, life-long learning, and artistic development with peer-to-peer learning and engagement with the community. A cornerstone of these programs is artists teaching artists.

Mary Briggs is the instructor for: Crisis Management for Artists and Arts Organizations During COVID-19, Where to Find Funding for Individual Artists During COVID-19, and Where to Find Funding for Arts Organizations During COVID-19.

The co-founder and director of the You Are Here community arts non-profit in Jeanette, Pennsylvania and an adjunct lecturer at Goucher College, Towson, MD in the Masters in Cultural Sustainability program, Mary Briggs is also deeply knowledgeable about our community. From 1989 until 2011, Ms. Briggs served in a variety of positions on the staff of Arlington Cultural Affairs Division, ranging from Grants Manager to working with an array of Multi-Cultural organizations. She has been a presenter at numerous national and regional conferences and meetings including Americans for the Arts, Grantmakers in the Arts and American Folklore Society. Ms. Briggs also was an Arlington resident for several decades.

Caroline Weinroth is the instructor for: Tips Tricks and Hacks for Creating Better Virtual Experiences, and Social Media Strategies 1 and 2.

Caroline Weinroth is a musician, writer and artist. At George Mason University, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with a concentration in Poetry, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater & Audio Engineering. She is the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Cinema Hearts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has performed livestream concerts for Center for the Arts GMU, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Alexandria Office of the Arts and others.

These virtual classes are offered at a special rate: $30 for the first class and up to all-five additional classes in the series for free! See below for details on each class and information on how to register!

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!

Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes.

We’ve seen the heroes emerge time and time again through the pandemic.

Our doctors on the medical frontlines. Our grocery store folks being there to help provide us with nourishment. Our postal delivery folks, helping keep us connected to the things and people we need most. The list goes on and on.

And, among the vital folks that have been lifesavers — literally — are our emergency nurses. This is their week — it’s Emergency Nurses Week and today, October 14, is Emergency Nurses Day. Our team can only image what they see on a daily basis, let alone in the heart of a global pandemic. So, to those nurses out there, we thank you.

Through normal or wacky times and when you’re ready to embark on your real estate journey, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is here for you, too.

Now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures.

As of October 12, there are 178 detached homes, 55 townhouses and 368 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 61 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week:

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Arlington Realty, Inc.

Ask Eli: Housing Market Update, Condo Slide Continues

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: Last month you wrote about troubling signs in the condo market. Do you see things leveling off or getting worse?

Answer: The trends I wrote about last month — shifting demand in single-family housing out west and troubling signs in the Arlington/D.C. condo market — continued through September with the developing changes in the condo market being the most noticeable. Let’s take a look at what we’re seeing in the housing market through September…

Arlington/D.C. Condo Inventory Piling Up

The number of condos listed for sale in Arlington during September (261) ranks as the 2nd most in any month over the last 10+ years, trailing a record-setting April 2016 volume (268) by just seven. The last time we had this much active condo inventory on the market in Arlington was September 2017 and you have to go back to September 2016 for a month with higher Months of Supply (measure of supply and demand).

Our neighbors in D.C. blew past all-time highs over the last 10+ years with 969 condos listed for sale, well above the record set this past July (863). Three of the four months with 750+ condo listings in D.C. have taken place in the last three months. You have to go back to June 2011 for a month with more active condo inventory in D.C. and July 2012 for a month with higher Months of Supply.

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Cents of Community: Building Your Credit Score

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This monthly column comes from the Arlington Community Federal Credit Union as part of their mission to financially empower the community. Credit unions are not-for-profit member-owned cooperatives and anyone who lives, works, worships, volunteers, goes to school, or does business in Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, or Fairfax County is eligible to join ACFCU.*

Credit scores are a three-digit scoring system that financial institutions and other lenders use to determine whether you qualify for loans and what your interest rate will be.

Building up your credit score is critical for saving money long term with lower interest rates and insurance premiums. It also helps to ensure that you will be able to access credit when you need it. Most lenders use a FICO score, which ranges from 300-850, and is based on your reported payment history from all your creditors.

Here are some of the key components that make up your credit score and things you can do to bring your score up:

  • Payment history: A history of paying bills on time is the biggest component and accounts for 35% of your score. Set up autopay to ensure your bills are always paid on time.
  • Utilization: 30% of your credit score is determined by how much of your available credit you are using. Pay down credit card and line of credit balances until you are using 30% or less of your available credit (for example 30% of your total credit card balance) to help build a healthy score.
  • Length of credit history: Starting a credit history early is a great way to get a head start on building your credit score for the future. Your total length of history counts for 15% of your score. One way to start building credit is with a secured credit card. Secured credit cards require a deposit and your credit limit is based on the amount that you are willing to deposit. Make sure to use your credit card responsibly!
  • Credit Mix: Credit scores consider the mix of types of credit on your credit report (e.g. mortgage, car loan, credit card). This makes up 10% of your score. Having a few different types diversifies your credit, but secured credit is generally a stronger indicator for your score. Secured credit means that there is collateral associated with your loan. Secured loans include mortgages and auto loans.
  • New Credit: Opening several accounts in a short period of time (e.g. multiple credit card applications within six months) may reduce your credit score, especially if you have a short credit history. New credit accounts for 10% of your score. However, the score will recognize if you are shopping for rates (e.g. applying for a car loan with multiple lenders) within a limited period of time. Applying for credit or opening a new account can have a negative impact on your credit score but this drop is typically small and doesn’t last very long.

If you’re applying for a loan or credit card, consider having a conversation with your lender about your credit history and score. If your score isn’t where you want it to be, they may be able to offer suggestions to help you raise your score.

* Membership eligibility requirements apply. Federally insured by NCUA.

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