Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

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.

On the real estate front, what are we in for in the months ahead?

Well, like many industries in our area and beyond, so much is contingent on a number of factors, including a trusted COVID-19 treatment, vaccine, existing and forthcoming regulations (spanning local, state and federal) and so much more.

Based on just how booming our local market was prior to COVID-19 — fueled in large part by incredibly low unemployment rates, the pending arrival of Amazon’s HQ2 and more — there is surely to be a comparative lull of some sorts in the times ahead. And, we’re starting to see a bit of that now, in the form of a rising influx of Just Reduced homes.

Regardless of where you may find yourself in today’s turbulent times, it has never been more important to have a trusted expert advocating on your behalf. Just as before the pandemic struck, every single buyer/seller/renter/landlord’s scenario is different, and your unique scenario must be carefully examined.

When you’re ready to embark on your real estate journey, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. has your back. Until then, here are this week’s figures.

As of May 4, there are 146 detached homes, 29 townhouses and 102 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 12 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: April Real Estate Market Review

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: How did the April real estate market compare to what you would have expected if we weren’t going through the COVID-19 pandemic?

Answer:

Expectations vs Reality

The 2018 Amazon HQ2 announcement sent demand up and supply down, creating a frenetic real estate market across Arlington and Northern Virginia in 2019 (2019 Review One and Two). The party continued into 2020, with rapid price growth and intense competition amongst buyers, setting the stage for the market to establish new highs.

It also seemed that the volume of new listings would finally go up, after YoY increases in December and January, the first YoY gains since October 2018.

All of those expectations were put on hold when the Coronavirus outbreak shut down the economy two months ago. For the first 4-5 weeks, the market froze up, with buyers and sellers unsure if we were on the verge of a market collapse and how to safely navigate critical real estate activities. Over the last few weeks, demand seems to be coming back and there are signs that sellers are more confident in listing their homes, which should lead to more supply.

April 2020 Market Report

April was our first full month living with Stay-At-Home orders, so let’s take a look at how last month compared to April 2018/2019 and February 2020 (last full month of normalcy).

Extremely Low Supply

Low supply was part of every Arlington real estate conversation in 2018. Then Amazon came and supply got so bad that the County Board launched Housing Arlington, but 2019 felt like the trough. Then COVID-19 hit and April 2020 produced 18% fewer homes for sale than April 2019.

The condo market has been hit the hardest by low supply with an unfathomable 55% decline in condo listings in April 2020 compared to April 2018.

For additional context, new listings in April are usually 25-40% higher than in February, but this year they were only 10% higher and actually lower in the condo market.

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Securing Your Remote Work

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Businesses are adapting to a new world, where working remotely is a necessity for safety and continuing to stay productive.

Remote work has major implications for security, both because home networks and systems tend to be less secure, and because the threats targeting remote workers are significantly on the rise. In the last couple of months, since the coronavirus pandemic began to hit, we’ve observed, and other researchers have documented, a 667% increase in attacks. These attacks include phishing, malware, remote hacking efforts and related threats.

Phishing attacks are targeting email, instant and text messaging to exfiltrate data, take over accounts, inject malware and induce fund transfers. Many are COVID-19 themed, or may appear to come from a colleague, client, vendor or other entity where a relationship exists.

Malware threats are largely focused on ransomware right now, which can both hold your information hostage with the goal of extorting funds for its return as well as exfiltration of the same data to unknown malicious parties. Paying the ransom is rarely a good idea and often you won’t get data back.

Social engineering is another problem on the rise. Malicious parties can potentially spoof a caller ID, making it look like they’re calling from your bank, or your office or another trusted party in an attempt to gain access to information that is privileged or otherwise manipulate you in to doing something harmful to your company.

Malicious hackers are also directing automated attacks against Internet-connected devices more and more. These attacks largely target vulnerable systems, where there is a weak password in place, an unpatched problem, or other exposure that allows them to gain access and exfiltrate data or setup a staging area to launch other similar attacks.

As a result, more robust security measures are warranted to increase resilience against malicious attacks. We recommend that all security initiatives begin with improvements to company policy. Many companies either do not have cybersecurity policies or they are out of date.

Having an up-to-date and robust cybersecurity policy that meets or exceeds any industry regulatory requirements, defines how security is handled, how potential incidents are responded to and what expectations there are of employees, vendors, contractors and the like when it comes to handling data.

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Legal Insider: Filing a Sexual Harassment Claim in Virginia

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.

Employees in the Commonwealth of Virginia have a number of forums for potentially filing a sexual harassment complaint.

First, employees must determine whether the facts in their case constitute sexual harassment. The general definition of sexual harassment, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), is that it includes “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”

The harassment victim can be either a woman or a man. Additionally, the harassment victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. That being said, sexual harassment does not always have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s gender/sex. Harassing an individual by making offensive comments about his or her gender can constitute sexual harassment.

Additionally, when more minor comments or teasing are made on a continuing basis, a hostile work environment based on sexual harassment can arise. Additional EEOC regulations and guidance on sexual harassment can be viewed here.

Harassment Complaints for Federal Employees in Virginia

For federal employees in Virginia, the usual method of filing an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint alleging sexual harassment is to go through their federal agency’s EEO office within 45 days of the date of the harassment. This very short deadline can usually be satisfied by initiating contact directly with a federal EEO counselor. Federal agencies will provide contact information for federal EEO complaint counselors to federal employees.

The formal complaint process involving the claims of sexual harassment will follow thereafter if the matter is not resolved. There are also other less common routes for filing a federal employee sexual harassment complaint, such as filing a grievance (where permitted, but not usually recommended) and/or a complaint though the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), but these are usually not effective when compared to a federal employee’s options for filing an EEO complaint.

Harassment Complaints for Private Sector Employees in Virginia

For employees who are employed by private companies in Virginia, there are a number of potential options for filing a sexual harassment complaint depending on where they live and the size of their employer. A private sector employee employed by a company with 15 employees or more may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is the most common route for those employed by private companies.

The deadline for doing so in Virginia is generally 180 days, which can be extended to 300 days due to a work-sharing agreement between Virginia and the EEOC.

A private sector employee can also usually file a sexual harassment complaint with the Virginia Division of Human Rights (DHR) if their employer has 6 to 14 employees, but less than 15. Additionally, if the matter involves a government contractor, a private sector employee can also file a harassment complaint with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), but this complaint process is rarely used.

Lastly, some counties and municipalities in Virginia have enacted harassment ordinances, such as Fairfax County and Arlington County, which also have procedures for filing complaints against employers. The deadlines for county filings can vary between 180 and 365 days depending on the county. In sum, it is important to figure out the correct forum and to file a claim well in advance of any deadlines.

Harassment Complaints for State Employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia

State employees who are employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia have somewhat different sexual harassment complaint options.

These include the possibility of filing a complaint with the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Services (OEES) or the EEOC. The current Executive Order governing state employees was issued in 2014.  State employees should consult with an attorney before deciding which forum is best for their sexual harassment complaint.

Harassment Complaints for County and Local Employees in Virginia

Finally, employees of Virginia’s various counties and municipalities also have options for filing a sexual harassment complaint. They may typically file harassment complaints with the EEOC, or if covered by their county or municipality, a local claim. By far, the majority of county employees take their cases to the EEOC and then to the court, if their matter is not resolved.

Talk to an Attorney to Determine the Best Forum

It is very important to speak with an attorney before choosing a forum in which to file a sexual harassment complaint since the correct forum for filing complaints can vary based on the facts of the claim, location and size of the employer, and nature of the employer.

If you need assistance with filing a sexual harassment complaint, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook.

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:

2330 N. Vermont Street
6 BD/6 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Compass
Listed: $2,100,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3425 N. Randolph Street
5 BD/5 BA single-family home
Agent: Avery-Hess Realtors
Listed: $1,485,000
Open: Virtual Tour

 

5638 19th Street N.
4 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $924,900
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3704 Arlington Boulevard
3 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent: McEnearney Associates, Inc
Listed: $744,000
Open: Virtual Tour

 

3409 Wilson Boulevard #206
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Realty One Group Capital Properties
Listed: $650,000
Open: Virtual Tour

 

1001 N. Vermont Street #307
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Maram Realty, Llc
Listed: $575,000
Open: Virtual Tour

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.

Sellers — It’s time to list your home! Seriously, the buyers are still out there and continue to clamor for inventory.

The hottest price sector is still those below $1 million, but there is still excellent movement up to $1.5M. Condos continue to sell at the most aggressive pace due to their relative affordability when compared with single family properties.

Mortgage interest rates have dropped again and are now lower than the all-time lows of February and March. 30-year fixed is a flat 3% and we’re seeing some buyers lock in rates that begin with a 2…

We should talk about virtual showings for a moment. The vast majority of buyers will not buy a home they have not actually stepped foot in. Despite great technology making it easier to visualize the property without being there, most simply will not spend near $1M without visiting in person. I am seeing the properties offering only virtual showings sit on the market despite being priced properly. If you’re getting ready to sell, expect the buyers will want to come tour in person.

You’re probably inundated with national news, mostly mentioning how COVID-19 is negatively affecting markets, consumer spending is down, and home builders aren’t starting new projects. I’ve said it before, but I’ve got to say it again — that just isn’t our reality in Arlington! Lines at the coffee shop, Amazon delivery drivers on every block all day long, and showings piling up at fresh new inventory for Arlington listings is our continued normal.

PICK OF THE WEEK — The Andors Real Estate Group is proud to have JUST LISTED 923 N. Barton Street, Arlington, VA 22201 — $1,100,000! This awesome Lyon Park home sits on a 7,200 sq. ft. lot, backs to an alley with a detached 2-car garage and has space to grow! 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and 2,800 sq. ft. of finished space just blocks to Clarendon. Built 28 years ago, it has the generous proportions of a newer vintage home without the absurd price tag. Give me a call to arrange a private tour — (703) 203-1117.

There are currently 242 homes for sale in Arlington. 125 are detached homes, 26 are townhouses/semi-detached, and 91 are condos. Average days on market (DOM) is 56 and median DOM is 35. Median is creeping up a few days per week, while average is holding quite steady.

Sellers listed some 54 properties for sale this week, down from 60 last week. Buyers ratified 47 contracts, 26 of which were homes that had been on the market one week or less.

The median list price of available properties is $981,950, while the average is $1,126,855. Last year for the same week, sellers listed 67 homes and buyers ratified 65 contracts.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. 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: The 60-Day Immigration Ban and What It May Bring

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.

You may have read that the President of the United States has banned all green card issuance for sixty days. Fake news.

On April 21, President Trump promulgated an Executive Order which banned the issuance of immigrant visas at U.S. Embassies abroad, with broad exceptions for spouses and children of U.S. Citizens.

Who was covered by the Order? Well, again, spouses and children of US citizens — who make up the bulk of immigrant visa applicants — were exempt. Parents of U.S. citizens, spouses and children of U.S. permanent residents, and siblings of U.S. citizens are subject to the order. Employer-sponsored green cards are also subject to the order. Folks in those categories are stuck, and will be stuck for at least the two months covered by the Order.

That sounds like a big deal, and, for the people affected by the Order, it is a serious hardship. But, as supporters and detractors of legal migration quickly noted, the Order is more bark than bite. Due to COVID-19, U.S. Embassies and consulates abroad were already closed for visa issuance, so the order changed nothing in the short run. And, perhaps more importantly, the Order changed nothing for the following categories of people:

  1. People inside the United States applying for green cards. Most green cards are awarded to people already inside the United States.
  2. Temporary workers, like H-1B tech workers and H-2A agricultural workers. Hundreds of thousands of such workers come to the United States legally each year.
  3. Asylees and refugees, who are specifically exempt from the Order.

So, when the text of the order was released, immigration restrictionists yawned with disappointment and immigration boosters cheered. Our view is that both sides should wait and see. The Order contains a little-discussed provision which instructs the relevant federal departments to prepare recommendations to further implement the goals of the Order.

Stephen Miller, whose role in the Trump Administration’s immigration apparatus has been a matter of widespread public discussion, has been quite open about the benefits of this “further recommendations” clause. His view, reportedly, is that the Order is a first step towards a broader reform of the U.S. immigration system: turning off the taps of what restrictionists call “chain migration.”

Mark Krikorian, the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, advocates using the Order as a stepping stone toward ending the H-1B program altogether, and restricting other types of guest worker program as well.

Whether these proposals are implemented by the Administration will determine whether the Executive Order is a meaningless footnote or a bellwether. Our bet is that the Executive Order will be a footnote, but that’s a political prediction, not a legal judgment.

For now, the important legal facts are these: if you are inside the United States, and you want to apply for a green card, you still can; if you are outside the United States, and you want to apply for a green card, you still can’t. If you already have a green card and want to apply for U.S. citizenship, the Order changes nothing for you: you should apply to become a citizen if you qualify.

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

Small Biz Focus: Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/4

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

Recently, the Arlington County Board approved the creation of the special Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT Program.

In Arlington Economic Development, we’ve been reaching out to the business community since this pandemic began, and what we heard was needed most was access to capital. We wanted to do something to help. And now, with additional contributions from the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) as well as the Rosslyn and Crystal City BIDs, the fund is at more than $1 million.

It’s a countywide effort for a good cause — supporting the small businesses that make up the character of Arlington County.

The Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT (Giving Resiliency Assets Near Term) Program will offer competitive grants of up to $10K to Arlington companies that have been directly affected by COVID-19. To be eligible, businesses must have an Arlington County business license, be in good standing on Arlington County taxes and have fewer than 50 employees.

To apply, businesses also need to demonstrate that they’ve experienced at least 35% of revenue decline because of the pandemic and provide details on how grant funds will be used to support employee salary and benefits and other business capital and operating expenses directly related to the immediate impacts of COVID-19. A diverse panel will review the grant proposals and consider a variety of criteria, including need, business sustainability, and level of business disruption from the pandemic to ensure we can assist as many businesses as possible.

Applications will open in early May, and the application process will be open for two weeks. In the meantime, individuals can sign up to be notified as soon as the application goes live online.

Arlington Economic Development’s outreach has shown that more than 90% of Arlington’s small businesses have reported that the closures and modifications associated with the pandemic have been significantly disruptive to their businesses, and the GRANT program is just one way Arlington Economic Development and its BizLaunch team are working to help Arlington’s business community weather this crisis.

In the coming week, additional Information will be available regarding the GRANT in English, Spanish and Amharic with the application itself also available in multiple languages. We have counselors available for one-on-one virtual sessions.

More information is available on the COVID-19 Support section of the AED website, or those with questions can call us at 703-228-0808.

We’ve all learned a lot in the last few weeks, but what this pandemic has shown us more than ever is that Arlington’s business community is innovative, resilient and above all, ready to do whatever it takes to remain strong. We’re going to be here to do all we can to help make that happen.

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 love a quirky holiday around these parts. And, mark your calendars, because Monday, May 4 is Greenery Day.

Officially established in Japan as Greenery Day in 1989, the annual observance encourages folks to be one with nature and to be thankful for their blessings. As we find ourselves in the heart of a global pandemic, it can be hard to find the time and energy to be thankful, particularly as life throws many of us unexpected curveballs.

But, amid the madness, we really do have so much to be thankful for here in Arlington County. On the greenery front, our parks, trails, bike paths and so much more are among the top in the state, if not the nation. And soon, hopefully we can return to enjoying them all at full speed.

Until then, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is wishing you health and happiness.

And now on to this week’s Just Reduced report.

As of April 27, there are 136 detached homes, 32 townhouses and 96 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 14 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.

Pentagon Mixed Martial Arts Makes a Seamless Transition to Live Virtual Classes

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Pentagon MMA in Arlington has been closed for in-person classes due to COVID-19, but that’s not stopping them from taking care of their students, families, and community.

They have pivoted to a robust virtual schedule of high-energy Mixed Martial Arts classes for both children and adults, along with an extensive on-demand video library. With creative strategies and a no-quit approach, they have been able to keep their students engaged, healthy and active, while providing a sense of normalcy and human connection during isolating times.

The kids’ virtual MMA program offers live, interactive classes five days a week for different age groups starting at age 4. The classes incorporate a life skills curriculum with chore assignments and mat chats. In addition to MMA classes, the kids’ virtual program includes complimentary virtual events such as weekly Kids’ Night In, Story Time, Discovery Zone and 31-day challenges with prizes such as obstacle courses, medals and swag bags.

Adults can take live virtual classes in Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu and Women’s Fitness Kickboxing five days a week, in addition to special virtual events such as classes in Pilates, stretching, and Yoga, live interviews with coaches, and virtual Happy Hours.

Ask Eli: Technology and Innovation in Real Estate

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: How well prepared is the real estate industry to use technology and innovation to adapt to social distancing?

Answer: With around $2.3T in new and existing home sales in the U.S. in 2019, you would think that the real estate industry would be a catalyst for technology development and innovation to support the purchase and sale of the most valuable asset most people will ever transact.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case and the real estate industry often lags well behind other industries in technology adoption, innovation and consumer experience. Why is that?

Role of Tech/Innovation in Real Estate

The conversation starts with one critical question — what is the role of technology and innovation in residential real estate? I’ve noticed two schools of thought amongst start-ups and innovators. One is that technology should reduce or eliminate the role of professionals (broker/agent, title attorney, lender) in the transaction and the other is that technology should improve the quality of service and efficiency of those professionals.

I’ll save a lengthy discussion on the value of (professional) real estate agents for another day, but history and many failed start-ups have shown that most consumers want professionals advising them during a home sale or purchase, despite numerous DIY options. I’ll also save commentary on people hiring non-professionals for 6 or 7-figure transactions.

It’s my opinion that the prevailing goal of technology and disruption in residential real estate is to help professionals deliver higher quality service more efficiently, which will in turn improve the experience and reduce cost (commissions/fees) for the consumer. I think it’s important to also improve technology that allows buyers and sellers who prefer a DIY approach, but that isn’t where the lion’s share of investment should be.

#1 Challenge: Fragmented Buying Power

The biggest challenge start-ups face in residential real estate is the fragmentation of the industry’s buying power, which makes widespread adoption difficult and expensive. Most real estate agents are independent contractors who make their own decisions about what systems and technology to pay for so a start-up/entrepreneur with a great idea has to convert tens of thousands (or more) of individuals instead of just a handful of decision-makers with large spending power.

Most agents are loosely organized into offices, brokerages and brokerage franchises that theoretically have stronger buying power to support start-ups, but it can be difficult to find technology that will be useful for, or adopted by, enough agents and their clients to justify the cost of organization-wide implementation because of so many niche practices and the independent nature of agents.

As they say: technology made for everybody, is good for nobody.

Some brokerages implement top-down in-house technology development and have produced great platforms/systems as a result, but even those technologies lack the disruptive innovation industries need from start-ups because they can’t risk their core business on failed technology development.

Many of the large brokerages that practice top-down technology development suffer from common ailments like expensive systems becoming legacy systems before they generate enough value to justify the cost. The cost of in-house development is too high in many cases, which is why many of the technology/disruptor-branded companies announced the first and largest furloughs/layoffs in the industry just a few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is a massive opportunity for disruptive technology in residential real estate, but the fragmented nature of the industry makes it difficult for great start-ups to get off the ground and reach profitability fast enough to survive.

This is one reason why VC money has poured into the PropTech (Property Technology, which also includes commercial real estate) industry over the last few years, with investments increasing from $491M in 2013 to $12.9B in the first half of 2019.

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