Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

The Chew: Make Your Home Safe with These Puppy Prepping Projects

By ARLnow.com Sponsor


The following bi-weekly column is written and sponsored by Bark + Boarding, which provides a heart-centered and safe environment for your pets. Conveniently located at 5818-C Seminary Road in Bailey’s Crossroads, Bark & Boarding offers doggy daycare, boarding, grooming, walking and training services, plus in-home pet care.

The day’s finally arrived to bring home your precious bundle of joy.

You’ve patiently researched and waited to adopt the perfect furry canine friend. You shopped for the cutest matching collar and leash. You bought the monogrammed doggy bowl. You studied which food would be the most nutritious. You even remembered to order their customized ID tag.

But did you remember that the plant in your backyard might be poisonous or that the medication on your bathroom counter is also a hazard? What about those piles of Legos in junior’s room, or grandpa’s old coin collection in the study?

Clean Up Toxic Substances

Go room to room to look for harmful substances that would be easily accessible. Where possible, switch to a pet-friendly product. If you need the item, say medicine for example, make sure to store it in a secure location. In particular, look for these ten items that were the most commonly ingested toxins in 2016, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

  • Garden Products — Fertilizer is particularly irresistible to pets.
  • Plants — Check all plants ahead of time to make sure your indoor and outdoor plants are safe. And if you get that special anniversary bouquet, make sure to check it too.
  • Rodenticides — Remember, mice and rat poisoning are meant to kill.
  • Insecticides — If you use these in the yard, store them where they can’t be accessed.
  • Chocolate — Keep this out of reach at all time.
  • Household Items — Tens of thousands of pets are poisoned by paint, glue and cleaning supplies each year.
  • Veterinary products — Even if you have a prescription for your pet, make sure they can’t access it outside of regular dosing times.
  • Food — Onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, alcohol and other human foods can pose serious threats to your dog. The best thing you can do is train your dog early to stay out of the kitchen.
  • Over-the-counter products — Ibuprofen is the number one reported OTC toxin.
  • Human Prescription Medications — The largest percentage of pet poisoning cases were due to the ingestion of owner’s medication.

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Rethink Energy: New Lunar Panel 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. 

Arlingtonians are often on the leading edge of emerging technologies and trends. Early adopters, so to speak.

Starting this spring we are excited to announce the launch of our new Lunar Power Co-op. Previously, solar panels were only able to harness the power of the sun, meaning moon light was being wasted.

Now, new solar panel technology that incorporates solar capture and lunar capture technology will be able to capture sun AND moonlight. That’s right, you can now power your home at night with lunar energy. These panels will be 137% more efficient than any other panels on the market. We’re pretty excited and we think you will be too.

Kidding aside, happy April Fools! Our real solar co-op launches today! We’ll be posting more info as this 4th co-op round is rolled out over the next week.

To be notified about upcoming co-op info sessions and receive more info, please email: [email protected].

Flying Colors: Up, Down And All Around

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

We walk straight up. Looking straight ahead to insure we do not walk into buildings, fast moving trains and dinosaurs. Or, at least we did. These days, some of us would never know the dinosaur was on us until it was too late.

Yet, this is a great time to look Up, Down and All Around. Because Spring is finally here! And with it, an abundance of exciting things Up, Down and All Around. Not only in our backyards but in our parks, on the lakes, in the rivers and in the sky.

Many birds are coming up into this area with their normal migration. Many can be seen in our yards. Many can be seen in state and local parks. Many birds can be seen just walking along the Georgetown waterfront.

With the southerly flow of warm air, many migrant birds such as warblers, thrushes and other insect eating birds will be moving into our area. Many are small and hard to see. But you can begin to hear their many songs, especially in the quiet of the morning.

Experiment with different foods in your feeders, especially insect — live or dried — to attract some of these birds.

Also, start to clean your birdbaths and if you have a dripper or mister, set that up. Running water is a fantastic way to attract the insect eating birds. And every other bird in your yard.

So, shed some of the layers you have been dragging around for the last 4 months and flex your muscles as the weather warms. Put your phones in your pockets. Take to the woods, parks and fields.

Look Up, Down and All Around!

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:

2522 N. Upland Street
8 bed/6 bath, 2 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ruth Boyer O’dea
Listed: $2,499,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

929 N. Daniel Street
7 bed/4 bath, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ronald Cathell
Listed: $1,898,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

1138 N. Harrison Street
4 bed/3 bath, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Melissa Larson
Listed: $1,284,900
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m.

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Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed banner
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.”

Arlington’s Spring market brought out 72 buyers who ratified contracts this week, and 83 sellers listed their homes. But the overall inventory dropped to just 1.4 months of supply at the current rate of absorption, making it difficult for buyers to have much selection. Of the homes sold, 31 got snatched up within seven days of hitting the market.

Buyers were happy to see interest rates dip a tiny bit this week, rather than their steady climb. The 30-yr fixed rate dropped about four basis points to 4.54% following the drop in the yield on the 10-yr US Treasury note.

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

Taste of Arlington to Feature Largest Restaurant Row in its History

On Sunday, May 20, from 12-6 p.m. the 31st Annual Taste of Arlington presented by Courthaus Social returns to Ballston.

Hosted by BallstonGives, the charitable arm of the Ballston Business Improvement District (BID), this family-friendly street festival will benefit several Arlington non-profits including the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Arlington Food Assistance Center, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Center for Excellence and Volunteer Arlington.

The event features a craft beer and wine garden, live music on two stages, a dedicated KidZone and a pop-up dog park but the real focus of Taste of Arlington is the food. With over 60 restaurants and food trucks, this year’s restaurant row will be the biggest in Taste of Arlington history and will continue to showcase the best of Arlington’s rapidly growing food scene.

Buzzworthy newcomers like The G.O.A.T., Ambar and Bartaco will be in attendance, along with delicious Arlington favorites such as Epic Smokehouse, SER Restaurant and Rocklands Barbeque.

For those interested in trying something with an international flair, Taste of Arlington boasts a diverse lineup of vendors offering tastes from across the globe. From Venezuela (Arepa Crew) and the Philippines (Bistro 1521) to Australia (Oz) and Anatolia (Ozfeka Catering), there’s something to satisfy even the most adventurous of palates.

What can we expect to eat at this year’s festival? Here’s some of the dishes that already have our mouths watering:

  • Cheesetique’s gooey Melted Raclette, served with an assortment of dippable accompaniments.
  • Wood-fired pizzas from Timber Pizza, specifically the Green Monster, loaded with pesto, zucchini and kale.
  • Tacos Al Pastor, stuffed with roasted pork and pineapple, from TTT & Buena Vida.

Hungry yet? Tickets are on sale now, with discounted prices available until May 1. Head over to www.tasteofarlington.com to purchase your tickets today!

Boring Title: Horror Stories from the Obstacle Racing and Title Industry

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 column will explore the mundane (but very necessary!) world of title insurance while sharing interesting stories of two friends’ entrepreneurial careers. 

People ask me (Latane) all the time how and why I ended up in the title industry after being in the obstacle racing industry. The answer: It really makes no sense!

With that said, one thing I did consider as I got older and had a couple of kids to support was whether it was smart for me to be in an industry (eg., Obstacle Races) which was so boom or bust. Title insurance seemed a bit less risky than obstacle racing but today we will explore the horror stories of owning a business in each industry.

In our title tip of the week, we will also explore a horror story of a consumer who didn’t buy title insurance.

When you take an obstacle race to a new city, you are committed to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for that weekend whether people sign up or not. Sometimes though you are lucky enough to get thousands to sign up for your race but that doesn’t mean you are in the clear. One such incident occurred in October of 2013 when we took the Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge (ROC Race) to New York City. We were very excited as we had over 25,000 participants signed up which was our most successful race to date.

What we didn’t expect was that this one weekend would be the only time in over 50 races that we were setting up the course on federal land. That week we learned that federal government would shut down for the first time in 17 years. As a result of the shutdown, federal employees would not be working and thus the property would be chained up and no one would be allowed on the land.

Although we had a no refund policy, we tried to do the right thing by offering refunds but first we informed everyone we would be rescheduling the event for two weeks later at a different location. We hired a communications/PR expert when making the decision to offer refunds who estimated only 8% of participants would take us up on the refunds. Unfortunately 55% took us up on that offer and an entire year of profits went away in a blink of an eye.

We had tried to plan for all types of situations, but that was one we never considered. We actually came up with a new internal saying after the event: NEVER EASY!

Owning a title company has its own set of risks. Although we at Allied Title & Escrow are fortunate to have top of the line security systems and protocols in place and have never had a security issue, other title companies have been hacked.

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Free Limo Tour of New Construction Communities in Loudoun County

Interested in buying a new home or designing your own?  Get a glimpse of the best new construction homes that Northern Virginia has to offer — on Saturday April 7 at 12 p.m.!

Join the Keri Shull Team for an exclusive FREE luxury tour around the latest and greatest new construction communities of Loudoun County including Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes. Hosted by New Construction Specialists from the Keri Shull Team, this luxury tour around Loudoun will take you through these new communities, while going over the ins and outs of building or buying a brand new home.

Perfect opportunity to discover your new home, meet your future developer or find your next inspiration.

Ride in style with the Keri Shull Team — Saturday, April 7. Wine and hors d’oeurves included — absolutely free.

Attendees of New Construction Limo Tour will receive our exclusive guarantee: Move up to any of our new construction listings and we will sell your current home for free!

Event details

  • What: New Construction Limo Tour
  • When: Saturday April 7th, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Where: Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, and NVR Homes
  • Cost: FREE
  • Contact:  [email protected] or call 571-969-7653

Space is limited, so sign up today before it fills up! Register at: Loudouncountytour.com.

Extra Space Storage — Arlington’s Neighborhood Storage Facility

Extra Space Storage in Arlington offers state-of-the-art security and makes moving in and out simple by providing moving carts for interior units, commercial loading docks, ample covered parking and passenger elevators.

As part of the community, many of our customers enjoy taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of D.C. as well as frequenting local restaurants, festivals and shopping centers. We have successfully served the communities of Clarendon, Ballston, Rosslyn, D.C. and Arlington since 2001.

The cleanliness of Extra Space Storage of Arlington and the friendly professionalism of our staff ensure that you have an excellent experience storing with us. Our knowledgeable storage specialists can help you determine the unit that fits your needs.

Because we value our customers’ security, our facility has motion detection cameras providing 24-hour video surveillance, individual door alarms and a security floor level. Our facility also offers a unique feature called DocuSign, an electronic lease that you sign digitally to save you time.

We are conveniently located at 1001 N. Fillmore Street, minutes from D.C. at the three-way intersection of Fillmore, Washington Boulevard and 10th Street, just three blocks from the Clarendon Metro station and two miles from the Pentagon.

Our facility has 666 self-storage units ranging in size from 2’x 3′ to 10’x 45,’ some of which are climate-controlled for sensitive items, or any additional items that you might consider storing.

For more information, new customers can visit us online or contact Extra Space Storage at 855-518-3614.

Arts Focus: The Work Of Art — A Workshop Series Helps Artists Get Down To Business

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Photo Via Kori Johnson

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

Anyone in the workforce knows that it is essential to keep your resume in top form, showcase your skills expertly and to position yourself to be compensated fairly.

An upcoming series of workshops is designed to build capacity in this regard for artists and creatives! Join arts consultant Kori Johnson for a series of three workshops taking place from 1:00 until 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, 21 and 28.

Presented by the Arts Enterprise Institute, a program of Arlington Arts, this workshop series is part of the Springboard for the Arts “The Work of Art Toolkit: Business Skills for Artists” curriculum.

  • Showing Off Your Best: Creating An Artist Portfolio — Apr. 07

Learn the essential elements of creating a professional artist portfolio. You will learn how to craft an artist statement and curate work samples that make your art shine! Register.

  • It’s All About the Message: Arts Promotion Basics — Apr. 21

Create an effective promotional strategy to promote your work, and learn basic marketing and promotion techniques – defining your audience, crafting your message, writing a press release and more! Register

  • Getting Your Fair Share: How to Price Your Art — Apr. 28

Learn how to set the right prices for your art and create a custom pricing strategy that honors your time and skill while remaining competitive! Register

Kori Johnson is an arts consultant based in Columbia, Maryland, with over a decade of arts education and arts administration experience in New York City, D.C. Metro and the Bay Area. Kori began her career as a middle school English teacher before transitioning into arts management in the nonprofit and local government sectors.

At DreamYard, a nationally recognized arts organization, she managed arts residency partnerships with over fifteen Bronx public schools. She then went on to manage partnerships with D.C. public schools through Turning the Page, a family engagement nonprofit. Before returning to Maryland, Kori spearheaded community outreach programs for a Bay Area art center and contemporary art gallery.

Springboard for the Arts is a nationally recognized economic and community development organization for artists by artists. Its mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, information and services they need to make a living and a life. As a participant in the initiative, Arlington Arts’ Arts Enterprise Institute is bringing this recourse to Arlington’s creative community.

The cost of the workshops is $25 per session and registration is required through Eventbrite. The workshops take place at Arlington Cultural Affairs, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive in Arlington. For more information, visit our website!

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 licensed broker Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty, Inc. GET MORE out of your real estate investment with Aaron and his team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6116 today!

Please note: While Aaron Seekford provides this information for the community, he is not the listing agent of these homes.  

U.S. News and World Report just surveyed 3,000 communities in search of the healthiest communities in the United States.

And (as we’d expect), Arlington made the list… coming in at No. 31! The survey took a number of factors into consideration, including population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food/nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality and infrastructure.

Some of our neighboring towns/counties/cities fared pretty well, too, with Falls Church City, Fairfax City, Loudon County and Fairfax County all cracking the top 50.

Dissecting Arlington’s ranking a bit more, we placed in the top 10 in the education, economy and public safety categories. Pretty nice!

When you’re ready to settle in to one of the top communities in the U.S. with a home of your own, our team is here to help you GET MORE out of your transaction.

As of March 26, there are 171 detached homes, 25 townhouses and 203 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 26 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week.

Here is this week’s selection of Just Reduced properties:

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 Aaron Seekford.

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