Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

Local Favorite The Perfect Pita Turns 25, Expands in Grocery Market

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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The Perfect Pita, and the family behind it, are celebrating the eatery’s 25th anniversary with specials all month.

Starting today, get a free t-shirt if you spend at least $8.94. The price is a tribute to the month (August) and year (1994) the first shop opened.

Founded by Arlington residents, Atilla and Carol Kan, what started as a single lunchtime takeout restaurant became a local favorite with 14 locations, catering and products in grocery outlets, wineries and independent markets.

Erica Kan Olds, daughter of Atilla and Carol and now President of The Perfect Pita, oversaw the opening of the first Perfect Pita in Alexandria. There was not even a sign on the door that first day. 25 years later, the family-owned eatery has a loyal following.

“We have come a long way,” said Erica. “We have our customers to thank for that.”

With the success of their first location, the Kans opened additional locations throughout the Washington D.C. area.

Erica founded The Perfect Daughter in 2009, a SWaM certified catering business. The Perfect Pita is a member of Virginia’s Finest and proudly places that logo on their grocery items. Perfect Pita products sold at grocery stores are also available at The Perfect Pita locations. The restaurant serves breakfast all day and lunch, including pizza, soup and salads.

Online ordering and delivery are available from many locations. Ingredients are fresh and local, with pita bread and hummus made daily. There is something for everyone — vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and Halal options included.

Can’t get to a restaurant? The Perfect Pita hummus is available at Safeway, Wegman’s and Whole Foods Market locally. Recently, Whole Foods added exclusive flavors under The Perfect Daughter label.

If you’ve never tried The Perfect Pita, November is the Perfect month to stop in for the first time!

Ask Eli: The Missing Ultra High-End in Arlington

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: I recently saw a home listed in Arlington for almost $30M. Are there neighborhoods in Arlington with ultra-expensive homes like this?

Answer: We hear a lot about the “missing middle” in Arlington housing, but there’s another market that Arlington struggles to support that nobody is talking about… the super-rich. Sure we have plenty of homes that sell for $1M-$2.5M (457 sold in 2019) but in 2019 there were only seven sales over $2.5M and just one over $3M (and that was a sub-dividable lot). So what gives with everybody calling Arlington “expensive” if we can’t support the super-rich? Where do they live? (I hope my sarcasm is coming across…)

Arlington’s Most Expensive Homes

The recently listed $28.5M home, by Mark Lowham of TTR Sotheby’s, on the Potomac River side of Chain Bridge Road is an anomaly in Arlington. Outside of the prestigious Country Club Hills neighborhood and Turnberry Tower penthouse-level condos, sale prices in Arlington rarely eclipse the $3M mark and even in those communities the handful of $3M+ sales historically top out at $4M. And then you have a very small pocket of ultra-luxury homes at $5M+ along the Potomac, off Chain Bridge Road, which fall within Arlington County, but actually have a McLean mailing address and zip code (22101).

Note: There are dozens more homes in Arlington worth $3M-$5M that just haven’t been sold. Many are custom built in the last 10-15 years with the original owners still occupying them. There are also a handful of private sales that aren’t entered into the MLS because they were sold off-market.

Why Doesn’t Arlington Have Ultra-Expensive Homes?

So with so much wealth and close proximity to D.C., why doesn’t Arlington have more ultra-expensive homes? The answer is lot size.

For anybody that has looked for a home with a little elbow room/privacy in Arlington, you’ve reached the unfortunate conclusion that it’s very difficult to find anything with more than ¾ acres (even ½ acre is highly coveted) and there are just a small handful of properties with more than 1.5 acres. Smaller lots make it difficult to build enough house to justify a $5M+ price tag.

Where To Spend $5M+?

So where do people with $5M+ to spend on a home live? In Northern Virginia, most of those homes are in McLean or Great Falls, as well as further west in Loudoun County’s horse/wine country. D.C.’s most popular ultra-expensive neighborhoods are Georgetown and Kalorama, with a spattering of other neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park. In Maryland you’ll find the most expensive homes in Potomac along River Road, as well as Chevy Chase and Bethesda.

Enjoy Some Photos

For those of you who are here just for the pictures, here you go! I’ve linked to $5M homes either for sale or sold in the last few years in the area:

Whether or not you’re looking for a $5M home or $50k parking spot, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] to schedule a meeting to discuss your real estate plans!

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to set-up an in-person meeting to discuss local real estate, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at www.EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.

Photo via Mark Lowham, TTR Sotheby’s

Say Goodbye to This Decade — The Best NYE Deal in Town

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

New year, who dis? Pop the champagne and start off the new year with DC Fray’s 5th Annual NYE celebration.

They’re hosting two open bar parties to ring in 2020!

With live DJs, party favors and champagne toasts, the only thing you have to worry about is deciding where you want to be when the clock strikes midnight.

Get your groove on at Grand Central or dance the night away at Kelly’s Irish Times with a VIP bar sponsored by Jameson.

This is the best value in D.C. with open bars and appetizers included for as low as $69!

Get your tickets.

Legal Insider: President’s Proposed Changes in Tip Rules for Employees

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 President recently proposed a new federal rule which will affect the wages of employees who earn tips.

The new rule was proposed on October 8, 2019 by the Department of Labor (DOL) and would permit employers to require widespread sharing of tips with other types of co-workers. One of the major industries affected would be the foodservice industry. The newly proposed rule would permit employers to share wait staff tips with food preparation staff and others (e.g. dishwashers, food delivery personnel).

Difficulties With the New Tip-Pooling Rule

A problematic part of the newly proposed rule would give employers newfound flexibility in assigning non-tipped assignments to workers who rely on gratuities for the major portion of their income. The restaurant lobbying industry has sought these types of changes for some time. Former President Obama’s Administration had previously mandated that tips belonged to the workers that received them.

One of the major problems with the new rule, for employees that earn tips is that it takes funds earned by them and transfers them to employees that don’t earn tips. By doing this, restaurant owners are potentially able to compensate food staff (non-tip earners) with lower salaries.

Tipped Employees Wages will be Affected

The DOL, in their proposal, even acknowledges that the new rule will result in tipped employees spending more time on lower-paying duties:

“The removal of the twenty percent time limit may result in tipped workers such as wait staff and bartenders performing more of these non-tipped duties such as ‘cleaning and setting tables, toasting bread, making coffee, and occasionally washing dishes or glasses.’ …Tipped workers might lose tipped income by spending more of their time performing duties where they are not earning tips, while still receiving cash wages of less than minimum wage.”

Employers will Gain

Employers will gain from the situation and may be able to provide lower salaries to non-tip earners, offsetting the loss with tip income. The DOL also provides the real rationale for the change in the proposed regulation: “[E]mployers that had been paying the full minimum wage to tipped employees performing related, non-tipped duties could potentially pay the lower direct cash wage for this time and could pass these reduced labor cost savings on to consumers.”

The proposal should become final in about 6 weeks and could have some changes in the final version. However, if a new administration comes in, the tip-pooling policy could potentially change once again.

Conclusion

If you are in need of employment law 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.

Rethink Energy: Deadline to Join Solar and EV Charger Co-op

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored column is written by the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy team (AIRE). This county program helps you make smart energy decisions that save you money and leaves a lighter footprint on the environment.

Nothing motivates like a deadline, right? If you’ve been thinking about solar, now is the time to act.

Act now to join the Arlington Solar and EV Co-op before the November 30 deadline.

Homeowners don’t need to purchase a solar system or electric vehicle charger by November 30. Rather, this deadline is to sign up for a no-cost and no-obligation solar assessment of your home. Meeting the deadline also guarantees that you can purchase solar at the discount offered only to the co-op members by the installer.

Get started by providing some basic information on the Solar United Neighbors website. Folks interested in solar will receive a no-obligation roof screening and project proposal.

The Federal tax credit is gradually phasing out between now and 2022. Next year, the solar tax credit will be reduced to 26 percent. In 2021, it will be 22 percent and in 2022 and beyond, per the existing legislation, it will no longer be available to homeowners.

More than 160 Arlington homeowners have previously installed solar in our Solar and Electric Vehicle Co-op. The cooperative helps Arlingtonians buy solar and EV chargers at a discounted price. The cooperative also provides support to participants to make the purchasing process easy.

New Homes in Arlington: November 15

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Welcome to New Homes, a biweekly column highlighting the new construction real estate market, written by Conor Sullivan and Dave Moya of Three Stones Residential at Keller Williams Realty. We are here to share our experience and expertise in lot acquisition, financing and construction of custom homes. 

If you’re looking to update your home but not quite ready to purchase New Construction, a kitchen remodel may be a great option for an upgrade. The kitchen tends to be the center gathering space in a home, and is one of the most common rooms buyers look to for updates. It is a big project to take on, so we’ve put together a list of guidelines to consider before getting started.

Set Your Budget: Kitchen renos take time and money. Think realistically about how much you can spend on this project. When budgeting out, you may want to aim more conservatively in case there are unplanned costs during the process. A great rule of thumb is to have around 10% to 20% for those extra costs as a buffer. You can visit kitchen and home stores to look at a variety of styles and designs, look at costs, and determine what you really need and can afford.

Plan The Layout: It may benefit you to work with a kitchen designer during this portion of the process to determine how the space you are working with can be best remodeled into your dream kitchen. Do you want to add an island? Is there realistically enough space to do that? These are the types of questions you can work with your designer around. While a space for entertaining, the room also should be practical and functional. Your designer can also work with you on layout and materials options, so you can see what will look best at different costs, fulfilling all your dream kitchen desires. To help save a bit of cash, try and keep the same footprint of your existing kitchen, unless it’s necessary to move. Moving plumbing and electrical could bring unforeseeable issues.

Find The Right Contractor: It has been said that a contractor is only as good as his last job. Choosing someone to work with for a large project like a kitchen renovation should be done thoughtfully. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and inquire about how their work habits on-site – were they timely, did they supervise subcontractors? Did anything go wrong and how did they handle it? Ask if they work with a variety of subcontractors or if they have a usual team they work with.

Prepare for the Reno Lifestyle: While you are preparing to get a brand new kitchen that will host all your future yummy family dinners, you also need to think about how your family will eat during the course of the renovation. These projects can take anywhere from 4 months to a year depending on the size. You may want to budget for take-out, and also prep meals that can be frozen & microwaved, or if you’re lucky – rely on friends and family to host you!

Renovations are exciting but can be daunting. At Three Stones Residential, we are here to help. We can not only help you buy or sell a home, but we are your real estate consultants for life. If you have any questions about a renovation or home upgrade project, we have the resources to help and can guide you in the best direction. Contact us at [email protected] or 571-429-7670.

Below is a list of new homes currently on the market in the Arlington area.

Want to learn more about financing a New Home build? McLean Mortgage (NMLS ID: 99665) can handle all of your construction financing needs. You can build your new home with as little as 5% down. Contact construction loan expert Troy Toureau (NMLS ID: 5618) at 301-440-4261 or AnyHomeLoans.com to learn more.

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:

928 26th Street S.
5 BD/4 BA single-family home
Agent: Neighborhood Real Estate, Llc
Listed: $1,299,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

2131 N. Nottingham Street
3 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $874,900
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

101 N. Granada Street
3 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc
Listed: $775,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

2200 N. Westmoreland Street #209
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Weichert Realtors
Listed: $599,900
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

4818 28th Street S.
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Samson Properties
Listed: $499,900
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

1210 N. Taft Street #203
1 BD/1 BA condo
Agent: Redfin Corporation
Listed: $340,000
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 Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

Generally, our fall market runs strong right up to Thanksgiving and then slows until the first week of January.

It’s unusual for the market to get stronger as it approaches Thanksgiving, although last year the market paid no attention to the holidays. It stayed strong right through to Christmas. It’s looking like this fall might be a repeat.

Perhaps buyers got spooked by rising interest rates this week and decided to ratify on something so they could lock in their rate before it increases further. Early this week rates jumped to 3.875%-4% for a 30-yr fixed rate mortgage, the highest mark in the last three months.

While home buying sentiment runs strong in Arlington, nationally it has waned in the last two months. A new report from Fannie Mae indicates that while still strong, their “home purchase sentiment index” (HPSI) dropped last month by 2.7%. That’s not a big deal, except that its the second month in a row that it’s dropped. There was a 7% decrease in Americans saying it is a good time to buy.

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

Statutes of Liberty: From TPS to Green Card

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.

ARLnow readers know well that the Washington D.C. metro area has one of the largest Salvadoran populations in the United States. Many Salvadorans in our community have been living and working in the United States lawfully for many years under a program called Temporary Protected Status, also known as TPS. Other immigrants from Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen also hold TPS. Quietly, cheaply and efficiently, TPS has offered a safe harbor for many of our friends and neighbors for decades.

The Trump Administration, for reasons best known to itself, has sought to wind down the program, particularly for Salvadoran, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Sudanese, Haitian and Nepalese citizens. TPS holders, employers and immigration attorneys throughout the country have been waiting on pins and needles to see if the Trump Administration would extend TPS for these countries, thereby allowing many immigrants to continue to be productive members of our community.

Thanks to litigation on a scale best appreciated by watching Game of Thrones battles through a kaleidoscope, TPS has indeed been extended until January 4, 2021 for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras and Nepal. (Two years ago, one of your Infallible Writers told you that TPS was ending. He was wrong.)

This array of stopgap extensions is better than nothing. But what are employers supposed to do if they have to worry year after year about losing their workforce when TPS finally ends? Thankfully, there is an answer for these employers: sponsor TPS employees for permanent residency.

Employers who have trusted employees that are authorized to work under the TPS program can file petitions on behalf of these employees that can eventually lead to green cards. This process, called PERM, is a three-step process that allows immigrants to receive permanent residency in the United States. Any company, large or small, can use PERM to petition beloved employees or attractive potential employees.

It starts off with recruitment and certification overseen by the Department of Labor, followed by an immigrant visa petition with the Department of Homeland Security. If all goes well, the employee can then apply for a green card. This process helps employers keep their star employees without worrying about the whims of the government.

If you have TPS, or you work with a team that includes TPS employees, reach out to an immigration attorney to see if this process is right for you. Moving from TPS to a green card requires dealing with multiple bureaucracies, and small mistakes can have major consequences. We’re here to help. We’re also here to answer questions, so please feel free to leave a comment. We read and appreciate them all.

What Does Transportation in the ‘City of the Future’ Look Like?

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

A free one-night seminar November 21 for prospective graduate students explores policies behind AI, big data, Uber, blockchain and more.

The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University is offering a rare opportunity to sample a range of courses across the Master’s in Transportation Policy, Operations, and Logistics program in an evening focusing on “Transportation in the City of the Future.” The 90-minute sampler takes place Thursday, November 21, from 6:30-8 p.m. at George Mason University’s Arlington Campus.

“This will cut across all of our courses and some of the other programs offered at the Schar School,” said Laurie A. Schintler, director of the dynamic and timely Master’s in Transportation Policy, Operations, and Logistics program. “We will focus on emerging technologies in smart cities, which is very hot right now. We’ll look at everything from drones and autonomous vehicles to transportation economics and logistics.”

The sample class will also examine ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, big data, the use of blockchain and AI in transportation, flexible and on-demand transit systems, shared-use vehicles, mobile payment systems, and a methods course and a systems course. New electives addressing additional topics, including one focusing on automated vehicles, will be introduced.

Just as importantly, Schintler will also address “the social, ethical and institutional issues that go along with these technologies,” she said. Those issues include planning, policy and privacy as well as inclusiveness, sustainability and livable communities.

The title may suggest the “City of the Future,” but Schintler said the future is already here, and so are employment opportunities.

“There are jobs in the field, but you do have to be abreast of the cutting edge,” she said. “Things are changing rapidly.”

The session is free for prospective graduate students. Space is limited. Register here. #ScharSchool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4PSlkils6Y

Arts Focus: Rocking a Partnership with the Local Library — The Grandsons Headline Groovin’ On the Pike

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Rock out with The Grandsons, the last of the fall edition of the Groovin’ On the Pike: After Hours at the Library, on Friday, December 6 at Columbia Pike Branch Library!

The collaboration between Arlington Cultural Affairs/Arlington Arts and Arlington Public Library features a diverse line-up of musical groups routinely drawing upwards of 200 patrons to dance in the stacks and enjoy a brew from the cash bar on the first Friday of the month at 7 p.m.

Moving and shaking into their 3rd decade in the world of rock and roll, The Grandsons recently released their first ever holiday CD, Christmas with The Grandsons, and headlined at the world famous 930 Club in D.C. The Grandsons have also branched out into the kids’ music scene with the release of One Big Orooni under the name “the grandsons, Jr.” The CD won critical praise from the Washington Post, and one of the songs has been in regular rotation on the SiriusXM show Kids’ Place Live.

Come on out and discover another side to your local library! Click this link for free tickets.

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