Timeless elegance is essential when you’re choosing where to live your classic Chantilly lifestyle.
With modern twists throughout the charming new townhomes at Rockland Village Green, you’ll see a casual yet refined style incorporated into every detail.
This new community, with townhomes from the lower $600s, puts the best urban amenities just outside your door. Shopping, dining and recreation are all nearby, and the close proximity to major commuter routes ensures an easy drive to work.
These are the things that homeowners love at Rockland Village Green. And this amazing access is the promise that has been drawing high interest in the community’s final garage townhomes. Visit today to tour the stunning Holbrook model and the Bennington I Quick Move-In Homes!
If you are stuck in an endless cycle of renting, you can finally find a home complete with luxury features and finishes that you love and are eager to own and invest in.
With its premium Chantilly location and access to highly rated Fairfax County schools, these stunning townhomes are also functional and comfortable. This sought-after area is also home to an abundance of outdoor recreation, from local parks to nearby golf clubs.
Townhomes in the community come complete with three to four bedrooms, up to 2,457 square feet and a beautiful brick exterior with a two-car garage. You can even personalize your home design to your exact liking, including with an optional extra suite.
Anyone interested in elevating their lifestyle with a new townhome at Rockland Village Green should visit khov.com/RocklandVillageGreen or call 703-885-7118 to speak with a Sales Consultant.
Be sure to tour the community’s model home at 13921 Vernon Street, Chantilly, VA 20151 before the final townhomes are claimed.
This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
By Tara Palacios
Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.
Since 2006, I volunteered and worked with leaders from former Soviet countries through the tremendous efforts of the Open World Leadership Center and the American Councils for International Education. Through the years we discussed best practices in local government and how to best design and encourage an entrepreneurial ecosystem even in the toughest of circumstances. My case studies came directly from the economic development work we do in Arlington.
Through my work over the years, I was completely honored to be invited recently to travel to Ukraine during Global Entrepreneurship Week to present at the America House through the US Embassy in Ukraine and the efforts of the State Department. This would be an amazing opportunity to directly interact with individuals representing universities, government entities, youth leaders and entrepreneurs.
I conducted 12 presentations in 8 days in the Capital City of Kyiv and the City of Lviv. With Ukraine being in the news every day, I was determined to make a positive impact through our exchange.
I had the pleasure of conducting a Facebook live event in Kyiv where we discussed the intricacies of starting a business and resources for small businesses and how to access information effectively. We also conducted two Starting a Business workshops at the America House.
After reflecting on my work and time in Ukraine I developed the following observations:
Globally, small businesses face challenges with access to capital. Finding investors and successfully building cash resources to launch or grow your business is a tremendous hurdle for many entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely enterprise; however, there is strength and empowerment in reaching out for help and/or mentorship.
Favorable policies and regulations are key to fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Understanding how to navigate the intricacies of regulations are paramount to small businesses and if a jurisdiction can make the process simple and transparent it will encourage the successful growth of business.
Creating programming that is reflective of the people who make up your community is key.
Never give up hope.
Small business needs are global. If we design and develop specific programming to foster growth we build community, and through our efforts we will have a positive impact on future generations.
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.
Count this as your official two-week heads-up… Christmas will be here in two weeks, y’all!
So, how is that shopping coming along?
More specifically, how many Nintendo Switches have you purchased? Any Instant Pots for the stragglers that didn’t get on board last year? Or, perhaps a Razor scooter or two (P.S., those were super-cool like a decade ago, too)?
Regardless, our team wishes you the best of luck with your holiday-related endeavors.
And, if a real estate gift is at the top of your wish list this year — whether buying or selling — we’re ready to jump into action on your behalf. While we’re certainly on the homestretch of 2019, it’s never too late to achieve those goals of yours.
And now, on to this week’s Just Reduced figures.
As of December 9, there are 112 detached homes, 22 townhouses and 78 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 10 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.
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 2020. 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:
Likely length of ownership
Difference in criteria for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house
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.
This content was written and sponsored by The Keri Shull Team, Arlington’s top producing residential real estate team.
Have you seen the heights of luxury living in Arlington? Let us show you the top places to live in Clarendon!
All of these condos offer the unique blend of urban and suburban living that comes with living in the D.C. area — it’s truly an environment unlike any other!
When you’re looking for a home, what are your “must-haves”? We’d love to hear from you, so let us know in the comments below!
Are you interested in moving to Clarendon, or any other unique neighborhood in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia? Contact The Keri Shull Team today to learn how we can help you find and win your dream home — for a price that you’ll love!
Do you know anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the DMV? We’d love for you to introduce us! Click here to contact us today.
Bicycling Realty Group of KW Metro Center is organizing two inaugural holiday real estate pop-ups!
The first one will be held at Conte’s Bike Shop, 3449 Wilson Boulevard, on Saturday, December 7 from 12-5 p.m. The second takes place Sunday, December 15, at Acme Pie Company, located at 2803 Columbia Pike, 3-6:30 p.m.
We are thrilled to announce that Olympia Moving & Storage, HMS Home Warranty and Arlington’s Universal Title will be co-sponsoring both holiday pop-ups!
We will be collecting donations, both nonperishable food items (see list of most needed items below), as well as contributions for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Holiday treats, fun real estate goodies & info will also be provided. Mama’s Donut Bites Truck, with its delicious cider donuts, is scheduled to join on the 7th! On the 15th, come taste some of the best pie you have ever had, from the Acme Pie Company. What’s not to love about pop-ups, especially during the holidays.
For more information on the event call 703-819-4915 or [email protected].
AFAC is most in need of the following low sugar & low sodium items: Canned tuna, canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter (in plastic jars) and cereal.
Hope you can join us for our first ever inaugural holiday pop-ups!
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.
Everyone’s been asking me how I’ve been enjoying my “vacation” while we’ve been remodeling at Arrowine.
Well, I’ve been working pretty hard most of that time, so once I’ve apologized for my reaction I mention that I did carve out some time during the week to pay a long overdue visit to my friends at what I consider the area’s best brewery, Ocelot.
The first thing many of us think about from Ocelot are their IPAs, and as always they delivered. Home, their go-to 6.7% ABV IPA, was as good as I remembered. The combo of Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops often works well, but not every brewery uses Nelson right; Ocelot always gets good stuff from using Nelson.
I tried a couple of the rotating IPAs: Two Lost Souls featured Citra and Mosaic and was an absolute banger, giving off a lot of the “just opened a package of hops pellets vibe that I love so much in Reason’s Pattern Recognition. Having said that, I think I appreciated Vandals a bit more. It was just a bit lower in strength (a hair under 7%) than Two Lost Souls, and paired Mosaic with Galaxy. Not nearly as “loud” with it’s hoppiness, but felt more balanced and elegant.
Musaq, an 8% Double IPA brewed with the folks from Pure Project Brewing in San Diego, was a full-on Southern Hemisphere tropical fruit bomb with Citra, Kohatu, Waimea and Vic Secret. Yes, I took some home.
The stars of the day, however, were Ocelot’s Lagers. Sunnyside Dweller remains as nice a Pilsner as you’ll find in the area, and yes, I took some home. But I got to try their other Pilsner, Lamp. Lamp uses the newer Huell Melon hop from Germany, which in a lot of Hazy IPAs is way overused for the sake of extracting as much of its namesake’s fruit character as possible, but I think it’s actually best applied to beers like this — lower alcohol, easy-drinkers that let it be the pretty, subtle thing it actually is. Yes, I took some home.
Last up was Palaces Of Montezuma, a lager made in collaboration with Right Proper Brewing of D.C. to celebrate the wedding of the great Phil Runco, who deftly handles all things beer for Brightest Young Things. It’s made almost as a Lager version of Home, with the same Citra/Nelson Sauvin combo but working a little rye malt in, too. It’s just hoppy enough to stand out, but still refreshing and easy to enjoy. Yes, I took some home.
So, when will you see some of these at Arrowine? Well, as you read this, we’ll be newly reopened from an insane week of rebuilding and remodeling. In fact, right around the time this posts the last installation work should be wrapping up on the draft station, so look for info on beers for growler fills starting next week!
Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”
What a difference a year makes. While Arlington’s real estate market is still healthy, it’s not robust. With so much demand for housing in Arlington, you’d think buyers would be more active ratifying contracts. But they’re not, and it’s puzzling as to why.
Let’s put it in perspective. This week, buyers ratified only 26 contracts while sellers listed 36 homes. There are currently only 211 homes actively for sale. Mortgage interest rates are steady at 3.75% for a 30-yr fixed rate.
However a year ago this same week, buyers ratified 68 contracts, sellers listed just 24 homes, there were 350 homes for sale, and mortgage rates were 4.75%, a full one percent higher. Granted, buyers and investors may have been motivated by Amazon’s announcement two weeks earlier that it selected Arlington for its HQ2.
But with interest rates so low today, why aren’t more buyers out there ratifying contracts? Economists point to chronic low inventory, and certainly that’s a factor, but I don’t think that explains current buyer behavior. It may take a few more months of data for other factors to be detected.
The outlook is bleak. If we think the low inventory situation is bad now, economist point to worsening conditions over the next 20 years as our population grows and ages, and housing demand spikes. The current rate of home builders delivering more supply will lag far behind growing demand creating an even greater crisis for available housing. So these may be the good times right now. It’s hard to imagine that.
My advice to buyers: Get purposeful, make home buying a priority, select an assertive professional agent to help you not just FIND the home, but more importantly win the bidding war, and don’t be discouraged by failure. If you don’t focus on your mission, you will forever be a home shopper, and never a home buyer.
Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.
Travel can be a wonderful and life-changing experience. Many people in Arlington have come from elsewhere, and are interested in exploring the world and experiencing new things. An Arlington-based travel company is here to help people achieve those dreams.
Global Wanderer Travel is a full-service luxury travel company specializing in group tours to various domestic and international destinations. Each trip they offer is an opportunity for people to experience a new place and new experiences, as well as satisfy the travel bug.
The company aims to provide people (both newcomers and seasoned travelers) with a mix of fun experiences and immerse them in local culture at the same time. The company is expanding its offerings and would like to draw people’s attention and raise general awareness of the opportunities available.
Global Wanderer Travel’s goal is to provide a more meaningful travel experience. With upcoming destinations such as New York, London, and Paris on the horizon, the company offers a mix of destinations to satisfy any traveler’s desires. Each tour includes a small group size so everyone gets to know each other.
Rather than just visiting the main tourist attractions in a city, people are also given unique opportunities to immerse themselves in the local culture, whether through a food tour of local cuisine, exploration of a city’s downtown streets and neighborhoods, or history lessons from a native historian. Each traveler gets the fun and relaxation of a vacation, but ends up with a full appreciation and understanding of the destination as well.
Global Wanderer Travel is continuously expanding its tour offerings to new places. Interested travelers are encouraged to reach out with questions and to find out more.
The Arts are rooted in entrepreneurship. That’s why Arlington Arts has been a stalwart supporter of the GRUMP Holiday Art and Craft Show: an annual showcase featuring more than 50 vendors and the best in unique handmade gifts and treats!
Offered in partnership with the Crystal City BID, JBG Smith and Arlington Arts, it’s a great example of how Arlington County connects the business and creative sectors. In advance of this year’s event on Saturday, December 14, we chatted with co-creator Tina Henry-Barrus about the continued evolution of the nine-year-old seasonal show!
How did Grump come about?
Beth Baldwin and I became friends while selling our handmade stuff at various local arts and crafts shows. One show, Crafty Bastards, was in the early fall and I thought that the area needed a similar fair during the holidays. I called Beth and said, “Hey, wanna attempt a holiday show of our own?” You should always have a friend who will say yes to your weird ideas.
What’s with the name?
When I asked Beth if she wanted to put on a show with me, the word GRUMP popped into my head. She laughed when I said it, so I knew it would work. It wasn’t until the second year that we added the Yeti mascot. Kids started showing up to get their photo taken with the Yeti and would ask me “Where’s GRUMP?” So now GRUMP is both the name of our show and the name of our Yeti mascot.
How did the partnership with Arlington County take shape?
Beth Baldwin was an Artist in Residence at Artisphere and she worked with staff to move GRUMP there, where it blossomed over several years. Arlington Arts has been such a valuable cheerleader for us. We wouldn’t have made it to year 9 without them!
How do you describe GRUMP to a first-time attendee?
GRUMP isn’t your grandma’s craft show, but it also isn’t super hipster either. The indoor GRUMP show has 40-60 local vendors, 3 or 4 workshops to inspire you to make something, and many Yetis for photo ops. The Yeti is a really fun part of our event. Last year we had a Yeti Board Meeting that folks could watch. This year, the Yetis will judge an ornament-making contest, kind of like The Great British Baking Show.
How is it different than other holiday shopping opportunities?
Our show is highly curated to not only our tastes but to the tastes of our shoppers. Yes, we know who they are! We also try to make sure our vendors are all really kind and lovely and fun to meet. Add in the workshops and Yeti photo ops and you have a really fun day.
What’s the best reaction you’ve ever had from a patron?
The patrons’ reactions to the Yetis never get old, but honestly, I mostly love the patrons who become vendors. The idea that our little idea encouraged someone to get creative and make something is really meaningful to us.
Find out how you’ll react when you attend GRUMP Holiday Art and Craft Show, on Saturday, December 14 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event takes place at 2100-B Crystal Drive, Arlington VA 22202 (in the former TechShop venue). You can take the Metro to Crystal City and follow the signs to GRUMP, or drive and park in the garage for free.
