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.

Tomorrow is a very important day.

To honor this big day, you are more than likely to see oodles upon oodles of adorable pet photos floating around your social feeds, websites and more.

Yes, Thursday, February 20 is Love Your Pet Day. And, like so many in our area and beyond, the squad at Arlington Realty, Inc. loves its pets.

In addition to our furry friends periodically popping by the office for a treat, we know the importance a pet can make in a real estate search. In fact, in many cases, a pet policy can totally make or break a deal.

So, if you have Fido, Mittens or whatever your best friend may be named along for the journey, we want to ensure your entire family settles into an optimal scenario.

From an expansive yard for Spot to run to a cat-friendly condo to call your own, when you’re ready to embark on your pet-friendly search, we’re ready to help.

As of February 17, there are 112 detached homes, 13 townhouses and 63 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 7 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: Early Real Estate Market Conditions Are…

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 is the market shaping up for 2020? Have things cooled down or picked up where they left off last year?

Answer: The early Arlington/Northern Virginia market conditions are… crazy. After a fast and furious 2019 for condos and detached/townhouse properties in Arlington, it looks like we’re in for another year of fast-paced sales and strong appreciation.

In some of the most in-demand markets (e.g. R-B Corridor condos and $800k-$1.2M detached) pre-inspections (buyers do an inspection before making an offer), zero contingencies and escalations 3-10% over the asking price no longer guarantee an accepted offer because there are multiple buyers offering those terms.

From the activity I’ve seen on both the buyer and seller side of this market, it seems like sellers can safely increase their asking price by 3-5% over what 2019 sales support and soon enough appraisers will have the necessary data points to support these increases, thereby eliminating much of the current appraisal risk for financed purchases.

Activity Over The Last 30 Days

The market fired up within the first couple weeks of January, but you know I never like to make statements about the market without also backing it up with data. So here are some highlights on the type of activity we’ve had over the last ~30 days (excluding relisted homes, Coops, and age-restricted housing). The data is of 7 a.m. Tuesday, February 18:

  • 223 homes listed for sale
  • Of those 223 homes, 150 (67.3%) are sold or under contract
  • Of the 150 homes sold or under contract, only 16 (10.7%) were on the market for 10+ days and 97 (64.7%) were on the market for 6 days or less (indicative of multiple offers)
  • Of the 73 homes still for sale, 37 (50.7%) are still within their first week on the market (high probability of going under contract soon) and 16 (21.9%) are $1.7M+
  • Of the 25 that sold, only one sold for below the original asking price and it was in a condo building with a major pending lawsuit that makes it nearly impossible for a buyer to get a loan. 7 have sold for over ask.

New Supply Increasing, Total Supply Decreasing Less

There is a glimmer of hope for buyers amongst all the competition and price appreciation. Arlington had a YoY increase in new listings for December ’19 and January ’20 for the first time since October ’18 (Amazon HQ2 announced in November ’18). While demand is still outpacing new supply, resulting in 45(!) consecutive months of YoY decreases in housing supply, the drop in YoY supply was below 20% for the first time since October ’18 (-8.8% drop). So what does that mean in plain English? It’s getting less bad.

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Our Favorite Ballston Restaurants

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This content was written and sponsored by The Keri Shull Team, Arlington’s top producing residential real estate team.

Join the members of The Keri Shull Team as we take you on a tour of our 3 favorite restaurants in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington.

This area has a ton of different options for delicious food, and we want to show you some of the best dishes you can eat when you’re visiting or living in Arlington.

Are you already familiar with the food in Ballston? Did we miss your favorite spot? Let us know where you like to eat in the comments below — we’d love to check it out!

Make sure to check out the rest of our Neighborhood Spotlights to find out some of our favorite places to eat, drink and have fun in the DMV. Leave a comment to let us know if you have any suggestions for where we should spotlight next!

Are you interested in moving to Ballston, one of the other Arlington neighborhoods, or anywhere else in the D.C. area? Well, The Keri Shull Team can help — we are the top-producing team in Northern Virginia and the DMV!

If you want to learn about how we can help you find your dream home and win it for a price that you’ll love, contact The Keri Shull Team today!

Listing of the Day: 2206 N. Nelson Street

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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Address: 2206 N. Nelson Street
Neighborhood: Maywood
Listed: $1,086,000
Open: Saturday, February 15 & Sunday, February 16 from 1-3 p.m.

This lovely rambler with a large, private backyard in sought-after historic Maywood has been updated throughout with new paint, flooring, lighting, renovated baths, brand-new stainless kitchen appliances and quartz counters, new high-efficiency washer and dryer, and so much more.

This home is move-in ready and located on a rare 1/3-acre lot offering plenty of space to expand in the future.

The main level features the updated kitchen, large living room with gas fireplace, separate dining room, master bedroom with en-suite bath, two additional bedrooms, a second bath, and hardwood floors. A comfortably finished lower level offers a rec room with a second gas fireplace, wet-bar and new carpet. Three additional rooms (to use as bedrooms, office, workout or craft rooms), a huge storage room and a full bath complete the picture.

Just a short two-block walk to Cherrydale shopping and dining, a 5-minute walk to ART and Metro Bus stops, and a 6-minute drive to Clarendon Metro and nightlife, this is the perfect home in a spectacular location!

For more photos, details and an interactive floor plan visit 2206NelsonSt.com.

Listed by:
Meg Ross
Keller Williams Realty
703-447-0970
[email protected]
MegRoss.com

Your Beermonger: Loving Beer on Valentine’s Day

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway). Sign up for Nick’s email newsletter and also receive exclusive discounts and offers.

Valentine’s Day is often associated with indulgences in food, wine and chocolates or other desserts.

If you’re looking to change things up a little this year, there are some beer options that can make your evening just a little more special. If I may humbly offer a few suggestions:

Before Or With Dinner

If you’re starting with finger foods or a cheese/charcuterie plate (wherever might you acquire one of those, I wonder?), a clean, snappy Pils or other lighter Lager can simultaneously accentuate flavors while staying out of their way. My old standby Veltins Pilsener does this well, as do Hardywood’s Pils, Port City’s Downright Pilsner and the new Bruery Ruekeller: Helles.

Helles is a great way to go for something with a tick more flavor that you can also take to the table. Consider The Bruery’s version along with Rocket Frog’s Hellenor.

With Dinner

English-style Ales offer a great mix of sweet notes from both their malts and yeasts, along with easy-going lower ABVs and balanced mouth feels thanks to judicious hop usage that rarely crossed over into bitter or overpowering. We’re lucky to have a couple good local options available in the Denizens Lowest Lord ESB and the recently arrived Fast Mail from Danville’s Ballad Brewing, a lovely interpretation of an English Mild clocking in at 4.2% ABV.

For the more adventurous, a nice Belgian or Belgian-style beer always works. Denizens comes through again here with Third Party Tripel, but it’s hard to stay away from Trappist classics like Westmalle Tripel, Rochefort 8 and Orval. It’s a bit esoteric, but De Proef’s Saison Imperiale is a unique, maltier take on the style that is complex and gorgeous on its own but would play well with earthier entrees.

After Dinner

Staying with the Belgians, Rodenbach’s Felmish Sours play beautifully off of chocolates and fruits. The Rodenbach Classic runs more tart than sour, with hints of cherry, while Alexander actually sees the addition of sour cherry juice. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with Rodenbach.

If you’re veering toward a truly indulgent end to the meal, consider a lush Imperial Stout: Toasted Almond from Back Bay’s Farmhouse Brewing Company in Virginia Beach is a cocktail-inspired, Bourbon barrel-aged monster made with lactose (pair with/on ice cream?), whole coffee beans and yes, toasted almonds.

It’s not cheap and hard to find — apparently only two cases came up to NoVA; guess who got one? — but if you’re going all-out, go all out, right? Also consider: Sierra Nevada’s Barrel-Aged Narwhal (recently released in 16oz cans and apparently as a year-round beer), Port City Porter, or Hardywood’s seasonal Baltic Sunrise, a lovely Baltic Porter on coffee.

As always, follow us on Untappd or check our site for real-time updates on what’s on the Draft Station. Until next time!

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:

3939 N. Wakefield Street
5 BD/4 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: McEnearney Associates, Inc
Listed: $1,829,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

315 N. Garfield Street
5 BD/3 BA, 2 half bath single-family home
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $1,495,000
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m.

 

5214 26th Road N.
3 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Penfed Realty
Listed: $1,000,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

6721 Little Falls Road
4 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $885,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

2037 N. Cameron Street
3 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Keller Williams Realty/Lee Beaver & Associates
Listed: $790,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

1804 S. Nelson Street
2 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Century 21 Redwood Realty
Listed: $680,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1045 N. Utah Street #2-109
1 BD/1 BA condo
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $435,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 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.

In case you were wondering, Arlington’s market is not really seasonal.

The conventional wisdom that “spring is the best time to sell” doesn’t take into account the whole picture. The “spring market” here started in January — January 3 to be exact, but any day is a good day to sell in Arlington.

Waiting until the snow melts (Snow? What snow?!), flowers bloom and the temperature stays above freezing to list your home is a thing of the past. In Arlington, buyers are looking every day of the year just hoping to find somewhere to call home.

While it’s true that more buyers and sellers transact real estate in the warmer months, that’s because there is more inventory then. For sellers, that means you have more competition for your buyer.

You can’t time most markets and the housing market is no exception. What you can do is always properly prepare your house, and price your home to sell, not sit. Days on market are your friend when the count is low, specifically three weeks or less. Once it creeps past a few weeks, buyers begin to see your home as stale inventory and think they can get a discount. This happens — even here in Arlington!

Our market still operates with an overlay of general caution and a fear of overpaying; caution is not totally thrown to the wind. Buyers know what a home is worth; while they may be willing to overpay slightly, even that has its limits.

The best thing you can do is follow the guidance of a trusted, proven Arlington real estate agent to prepare your property before going live on the multiple listing service. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so address the easy stuff like peeling/old paint, too-worn hardwood floors and have the garden spruced up as well. Yes — power wash that walkway, pare down the extra contents inside and ensure your property is as clean as can be.

Mitigate signs of past issues like an old leak so that buyers don’t assume the worst, and if something is broken, have it fixed or replaced. Pretend you are a picky buyer, and address the things that you know would bug them, even if you’ve been willing to live with those. It all but ensures a buyer will be willing to pay top dollar for your home if they feel they can just move right in.

This week in Arlington, some 62 homeowners listed their properties for sale. 59 buyers ratified contracts, and 32 of those were on homes listed within the past seven days. Right now, there are 150 available properties for sale.

Some interesting notes:

Of the 32 homes that went under contract their first week on the market, 29 were priced below $1 million.

Of the 150 available homes, the median price is $1.22m and the average is $1.44m.

The Andors Real Estate Group’s new website will be up and running next week. In the interim, 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.

Boring Title: Purchasing a Home Can be a Rocky Process

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Title insurance is boring, but Allied Title & Escrow is here to decode the jargon and make it (somewhat) more interesting. This biweekly feature will explore the mundane (but very necessary!) world of title insurance while sharing interesting stories of two friends’ entrepreneurial careers.

Purchasing a home can sometimes be ROCKY… especially in a seller’s market where multiple offers and waived contingencies are normal.

Make sure to use Allied Title & Escrow to ensure a SMOOTH closing process! Check out our newest video starring Mikey Balboa… I mean Mike Madigan!

Have questions related to title insurance? Email Latane and Matt at [email protected]. Want to use Allied Title & Escrow when you buy a home? Tell your agent when you buy a house to write in Allied Title & Escrow as your settlement company!

Listing of the Day: 888 N. Quincy Street #1701

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Address: 888 N. Quincy Street #1701
Neighborhood: The Residences at Liberty Center (Ballston)
Listed: $749,900
Open: Sunday, February 16 from 1-4 p.m.

This 17th story corner unit features dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows and an amazing layout.

Enter the unit through a curved hallway that opens up to your main living area. The kitchen is equipped with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a breakfast bar.

At 1,183 square feet, the floor plan provides plenty of space for a living room, dining room and breakfast bar setup. The owner’s suite consists of a large bedroom with a walk-in closet and an en-suite bathroom with a dual sink vanity, shower and separate tub. The second bedroom and second full bathroom are conveniently located on the opposite side of the living space. One parking spot and extra storage convey.

The Residences at Liberty Center is a luxurious community with 24-hour concierge, a rooftop pool, rooftop gym and amazing views of D.C. The building is conveniently located just two blocks from Ballston Quarter and it is within three blocks of two Metro stops.

Listed by:
Matt Leighton
Orange Line Condo/Century 21 Redwood Realty
703-472-0574 (cell)
703-528-8195 (office)
[email protected]
OrangeLineCondo.com

VK Pediatric Dentistry: Meet Dr. Peter, Arlington’s Newest Kids’ Dentist

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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Dr. Peter has a lot in common with his patients. He likes kayaking, rock climbing, playing outdoors, and watching soccer and basketball on TV.

What Dr. Peter does not have in common with his patients is his age: Dr. Peter Markov, a member of the National Dental Honor Society and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, is a grownup, and his patients are children — all of them.

Dr. Peter is the founder and pediatric dentist at the brand new VK Pediatric Dentistry on Lee Highway, between Yorktown and High View Park neighborhoods. Being brand new means the office boasts the latest in dental technology, but in addition, the modern sun-filled office is intentionally designed to be comfortable and welcoming to children. It’s also fun and, of course, kid-friendly for all ages from infants to teens.

Grownups — i.e., parents — love VK Pediatric Dentistry too. VK Pediatric Dentistry offers many things they enjoy, including free covered parking, online scheduling, text and email appointment reminders, accommodation for an expanded list of insurance carriers and a location convenient from not just Arlington but most of Northern Virginia including the surrounding neighborhoods of McLean and Falls Church.

Not many parents know that pediatric dentists receive an additional two to three years of specialty training and have extensive knowledge of children’s dental health needs and growth development. Pediatric dentists receive training in advanced techniques and special dental materials as well.

Dr. Peter completed his specialty training at UPMC Children’s Hospital, a top 10 children’s hospital in the nation, and is proud to deliver top-of-the-line care for patients starting with their first baby teeth all the way up to their teen years.

“My goal is to raise a generation of kids who care about their dental health and are fearless in managing it,” he said. “With behavior guidance, nitrous oxide sedation and a staff that never stops smiling, we can usually get even the most nervous patients to have fun and accept care. We love kids and want them to have the best experience possible.”

VK Pediatric Dentistry is located at 5001 Lee Highway, Arlington. Call for an appointment at 703-962-7814 or schedule one online; for more information email [email protected].

Small Biz Focus: Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs March 2020

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

By Tara Palacios

Women are opening businesses at a fast rate.

They are opening businesses exactly five times faster than the national average. In BizLaunch, 60% of new clients are women and we directly see the positive impact of women entrepreneurs on our business ecosystem.

According to the the 2019 State of Women-Owned Business Report commissioned by American Express, “Between 2014 and 2019, the number of women-owned businesses climbed 21% to a total of nearly 13 million (12,943,400). Employment grew by 8% to 9.4 million. Revenue rose 21% to $1.9 trillion.”

The number of “sidepreneurs,” has also increased. [I.e., people who are employed but seeking to launch a business on the side or as a side hustle]. Women are engaging in building sustainability and wealth and using entrepreneurship as a platform to quickly achieve those goals.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month this March, BizLaunch offers two amazing conference opportunities for women who are in business or thinking of going into business:

AWE Summit 2020 — March 12, Marymount University

Join us for the 2nd annual AWE SUMMIT a can’t miss gathering of the most awesome business owners in the D.C. region:

  • Educational and inspiring presentations
  • Informative panels of experts
  • Conversations and connections
  • All-new vendor expo!
  • Morning coffee and a delicious lunch provided
  • 30-Second Pitch competition with $2500 in startup funds

weThrive

Experience a full day of learning tailored to your entrepreneurial journey. Whether you are in the early stages of your business, ready to scale up, or attempting to manage rapid growth, we have a track designed to educate and inspire you. You will self-select from the following life stage tracks:

  • CREATIVITY to Start
  • CONFIDENCE to Scale
  • COURAGE to Soar

Networking Reception: Celebrating Courageous Women

Wednesday, March 18, 6-8 p.m., Arlington Economic Development

The Entrepreneurial Journey Conference

Thursday, March 19, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Silver Spring Civic Center

We hope you can join us!

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