Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

The Chew: A Training Must-Have For Your Dog’s Playtime

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.

By Rae Patterson, Writer and Animal Enthusiast

Dog training can be time-consuming and frustrating on your own, but it can also be as simple as letting your pet play. At Bark & Boarding, we take pet playtime seriously. Why? Just imagine: You’re finally home after a long day. You open the door to see your cozy living room destroyed. All because your dog just needed playtime.

In a 2014 study, researchers at Bristol University proved that dogs need to play for the sake of both their physical and mental health. Pet playtime and good behavior are directly related.  Our pets retain natural instincts that drive them to chew, chase, catch, and shake. These are all behaviors that a wild dog would need to survive, and our cuddly pets are still Nature’s animals.

Most people expect notoriously active breeds like Boxers or Rat Terriers to need extensive exercise. However, “non-athletic” breeds need it too. Veterinarians agree that all dogs need at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.

According to dog behavior psychologist, Lizi Angel, just as exercise also benefits mental health in humans, “daily physical activity directly and beneficially affects [a] dog’s brain chemistry,” making your dog less stressed and generally happier.

There are many options that are enjoyable for both you and your dog: taking your dog on brisk walks, hikes, swims, or trips to the dog park are essential for any dog to get regular exercise.

Careful though, as Angel points out, “A dog’s main form of exercise shouldn’t be aimed at tiring the dog out so that it has no energy left to ‘misbehave’; it should primarily be about changing the dog’s mood for the better.”

Play, in general, is mainly about your dog’s mind. The Bristol University study revealed that dogs also need interactive and mentally stimulating games. In fact, they attribute up to 22 common behavioral issues, including anxiety, aggression, pulling on the leash, whining and not coming when called, to dogs who don’t get enough play time.

Games such as fetch, tug-of-war, and practicing tricks are beneficial for stimulating and bonding with your dog. When you’re away from home, try providing your dog with tasty or interactive chew toys both a non-destructive and instinct-satisfying way for your dog to occupy the time.

Bark & Boarding’s dog daycare program creates opportunities for exercise and mentally stimulating play time with humans, toys and other dogs throughout the day so that your dog remains your best friend in the end! Learn more at Barkandboarding.com

Ask Eli: Looking For Neighborhood Profile Interviewees

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Rosslyn resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

I hope everybody had a great Memorial Day Weekend. I enjoyed watching and hearing Rolling Thunder ride through Arlington and had some of the best brisket I’ve ever tasted at Texas Jack’s Barbecue. Thank you to all who have served and currently served our great country.

I am looking for more volunteers to be interviewed for my Arlington Neighborhood Profile series. If you love where you live and want to share your hidden secrets and passion for your neighborhood, I’d like to feature you and your neighborhood in an upcoming column. In the past, ARLnow readers have thoroughly enjoyed profiles of Claremont, Arlingtonwood, Bluemont, and Rosslyn.

Reasons you should email me:

  • You LOVE your Arlington neighborhood
  • The interview doesn’t take much time
  • You’ll get a free cup of coffee out of it
  • You’ll be Arlington-famous like Remy Munasifi
  • You choose when and where we meet

If you’re interested, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks!

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at http://www.RealtyDCMetro.com.

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

Flying Colors: Emeralds and Rubies in the Sky

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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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.

Hummingbirds visit us for a short period of time from the Spring until Fall. There are 18 species of Hummingbirds in North America. The most common hummingbird seen in Northern Virginia, is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

They commonly are referred to as the Emeralds and Rubies in our sky. These little beauties can fly backwards, upside down, weigh about the weight of a penny and lay the world’s smallest egg. They typically only lay 2 eggs a brood the size of a blueberry.

Hummingbirds eat about every 10 minutes and they drink up to twice their body weight in nectar every day. When using a Hummingbird feeder, we recommend filling them with a 4 part water to one part sugar solution. This solution can be made by using plain table sugar, no Splenda or Equal. Boil your water and add in the sugar, let it dissolve. Once it is cool you can pour some into the feeder and place the remaining solution in your fridge.

The solution should be changed every two to three days and every other day when it hits 90 degrees outside. Most WBU stores carry 8oz and 24 oz packages of sugar as a convenient way to make the solution for these flying jewels. We also recommend adding a rain guard to your feeder to help protect it from getting watered down. Another great tip is to keep it in the shade or near some flowers. Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower and Bleeding Hearts are great perennials to plant in your sunny garden. When the hummingbirds are not at your feeder they can be found drinking nectar from flowers, eating small gnats, spiders, aphid and flies.

How do you feed these little guys? Well we have a great selection of feeders to choose from. We have beautiful glass ones called droplets, or glass ones that look like a potted plant. The sphere feeders can do double the work, when it’s not a hummingbird feeder it can be used as a small watering dish or hold mealworms. Our number one best sellers are our Wild Birds Unlimited brand. That are easy to clean, can be put them in the top rack of your dishwasher or simple rinsed at the sink of your kitchen.

Our WBU feeders come with an ant moat molded into the nectar dish. Ant moats are an important item to add onto any hummingbird feeder to prevent the ants from getting into your nectar.  Just add a little bit of water to the ant moat and a drop of oil to keep it from evaporating too quickly. These can also be used when hummingbirds season is over, for bark butter bits, mealworms, or water.

The NEVER list: never add food dye to your feeders, flower nectar is colorless and pure, that’s what your hummers want. Never use honey, it spoils too quickly and if it ferments cause a fatal fungus to form on hummers tongues. Never use sports drinks, fruit juices or other sugary substances like soda.

Look for these little jewels flying through your yard this weekend. Then come into our store and put a pin in our “Hummingbird Location Map” so we can all see where these beautiful little emeralds and rubies are!

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:

2711 Arlington Blvd #202
1 Bed/1 Bath Condo
Agent: Andrew Acker
Listed: $271,999
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

4624-D 28th Road S.
2 Bed/1 Bath Condo
Agent: Kay Houghton
Listed: $314,900
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

4711 31st Street S.
2 Bed/2 Bath Townhome
Agent: Bradley Wisley
Listed: $475,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

4141 N. Henderson Road
2 Bed/2 Bath Condo
Agent: Pamela Hazen
Listed: $520,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

1122 S. Harrison Street
2 Bed/1 Bath Single-Family Detached
Agent: Susan Minnick
Listed: $639,900
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

5605 5th Road S.
3 Beds/3 Bath Single-Family Detached
Agent: Michael Webb
Listed: $829,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

2418 N. Monroe Street
3 Bed/3 Bath Single-Family Detached
Agent: Julie Modaressi
Listed: $1,050,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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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.”

Buyers once again were more active that sellers this week in Arlington. They ratified 89 contracts, while only 67 sellers braved to put their homes on the market. So the inventory level remains painfully low.

Freddie Mac reported that interest rates nudged about 7 basis points down to about 4.03% for a 30-yr fixed rate. Federal Reserve notes released Wednesday show an expected increase next month in the Fed’s benchmark rate which affects consumer interest rates like credit cards.

A report this week revealed the 20 most profitable cities for real estate appreciation. Nothing in our area came close. Topping the list were San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle. Arlington, on the other hand, showed zero percent appreciation in 2016 across the board for all types of housing; condos, townhomes, and single family. Can anyone explain how home values remained flat when there was only about 2.2 months of inventory and interest rates remained relatively stable? A conundrum…

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

Ready Arlington: Summer Emergency Preparedness For Families

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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This biweekly column is sponsored by the Arlington Office of Emergency Management.

The end of the school year is fast approaching for many Arlington families. Judging by the number of “OBX” stickers on the back of local minivans and other family haulers, parents around Arlington have that trip to the beach, summer camp for the kids, or a week of playing tourist on staycation planned at this point.

As emergency managers, we have similar plans, but we’re always thinking about contingencies. Common events like a severe thunderstorm or major traffic accident can quickly alter the day’s plan and sometimes evening plans. Here are some thoughts about family preparedness potential chaos this summer.

For vacations, summer camp and other family options over the summer, parents who have been through the end of the school year process before may remember tumbling into a new daily routine of altered timelines in the morning and evening. This can often occur week after week and in an emergency, it is hard to remember simple things such as new contact numbers or find a list allergies or prescription information.

Summer Camp

There seems to be an endless number of summer camp options for Arlington kids (including HERricane), though they fill up quickly. Summer camp checklists usually include a quick list:

  • Backpack (labeled with name and phone)
  • Lunch and snack (nut-free)
  • Water bottle
  • Sunblock
  • Insect Repellent
  • Change of clothes for younger campers
  • Plastic bag (wet clothing)

Depending on the type of summer camp, other items may be on the list, and these camps typically have emergency contact information and health histories submitted during registration. Outside of camp, these items are a good starting place to ensure your child has a baseline go-bag. Parents may consider including a hard copy of the family emergency plan and a small bag with band-aids and other first aid items.

Home for the Summer / Staycation

There are many child care scenarios at home during the summer. Staying with grandparents, or at home with nannies and child care providers is a common summer solution for working families. Add their numbers to your Arlington Alert account, or better yet, have them sign up for Arlington Alert. In addition to your phone number(s) these trusted individuals need an adult oriented family communications plan, so they can reach parents or help give doctors and emergency responders important information.

This also applies to parents staying home with the kids. Mom or dad may be home with a slate of activities and field trips for the kids, but in the event of a tornado, will everyone know where to shelter during a tornado, or be able to return home a different way.

Vacation

Heading to the beach? Preparing for kids will be similar to the summer camp, especially when it comes to sunblock. If this is a road trip, car kits should already have things like emergency blankets, a flashlight, a few water bottles and jumper cables. Not all people plan ahead, so note pharmacies, grocery and convenience store locations close to the beach (look for seagulls), and remember to print an extra hard copy of the family communications plan for the glove compartment.

For more information, please visit www.readyarlington.com.

Listing of the Day: 4634 14th Street N.

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4634 14th Street N.
Neighborhood: Waycroft-Woodlawn
Listed: $1,650,000
Open: Sunday, May 28 from 1-4 p.m.

This home in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood is an excellent opportunity to buy a new home by well-regarded Arlington builder, Dave Springberg of Springstreet Development.

Only a short walk to Ballston and Westover Village via the nearby bike trail, this home embodies an urban lifestyle with today’s most desired amenities.

Attention to important “behind-the-scenes” details sets Springstreet apart: 1 inch copper water service to the house rather than plastic piping; select sand-in-place hardwood floors on main and upper level rather than engineered wood; 80% AFUE natural gas heating, and 14 SEER electric air conditioning enhanced by R-38 blown fiberglass insulation in attic; R-19 open cell spray foam insulation in floors above unconditioned space, such as garages; R-13 cellulose wall insulation and R-12 fiberglass batt insulation in finished basement walls along with pre-drywall air sealing; 30 year architectural roof shingles; Miratek composite trim boards, corner boards and fascia for ease of maintenance, and durable HardiPlank siding.

Desirable interior details 9 foot ceilings, inviting foyer flowing into traditional dining room and office with an en suite bath; the family room, breakfast area and kitchen span the back of the home; walk in pantry; mudroom with cubbies and charging stations off the two car garage, and doors to the deck and deep, level, fenced rear yard.

Upstairs the master bedroom offers two walk in closets, a bathroom of human scale with double vanities, a second bedroom with ensuite bath and a shared bathroom between the third and fourth bedrooms.

A large rec room provides space for media, play, hobbies and a gym; French doors separate a versatile room for everything from an office to a craft space; the fifth bedroom and bathroom are on the level along with extensive storage.

Walk to Metro, easy commute to Washington, Rosslyn-Ballston business corridor, Pentagon, airport, Crystal City, Fort Myer and Foreign Service Institute. Easy reverse commute to Tysons.

A high quality new home with character and style – in a location you will value each day.

Listed by:
Betsy Twigg
Washington Fine Properties
703-967-4391
[email protected]

DC Couple Saves $60,000 Using homezen to Sell their Home

Sponsored By homezen.
homezen saves you thousands by making it easy to sell your home without an agent.
Created By BlankSlate

When Alyson and Tyler started thinking about selling their home, they considered calling the real estate agent who had helped them in the buying process. But the transaction costs of using an agent were just too much to justify.

“At the same time, we have two young kids and very little spare time to understand the important details and nuances of managing a real estate transaction,” says Tyler.

Then they heard something from a friend that piqued their interest. Some colleagues were building a business called homezen that provides online tools and support to help owners of condos, townhouses, and single family homes sell without an agent, at a flat fee.

“We really liked and trusted the real estate agent who helped us buy our home, and it was a tough decision not to work with her again for selling it,” says Alyson. “But the idea of funding our next down payment with the money we could save was too much to pass up.”

homezen helped them set their listing price, hired professional photographers to take photos of their home, listed it on the MLS, and took care of the paperwork.

(more…)

Rental Trends: The Three Main Types of Commercial Real Estate Leases

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and homeowner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Leasing commercial real estate is very different than residential leasing. In an ultra-competitive market like DC, it’s important to understand the types of leases available and use the one that makes the most sense for your tenant.

Businesses have very different needs, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every business tenant. Businesses with higher seasonal income cannot afford to pay high rents when things are slow. Manufacturing businesses and auto shops will use a substantial amount of utilities and require more building maintenance than retail tenants.

Traditional business such as consultants and corporations will want a fixed rent so they can budget accordingly.

We’ve listed the four types of leases below. Choose the one that works best for your situation.

Percentage Lease

Retail businesses who have higher seasonal sales are an excellent candidate for percentage leases. These tenants pay a monthly base rent plus a percentage of the business’ revenue.

Full-Service or Gross Lease

Full-service leases include all operating expenses and utilities included in the monthly rate payment. They also include an escalation clause that allows an increase in rent when expenses increase. If expenses are higher than estimated during any given month, these leases usually include language that allow the tenants to receive a bill for these expenses.

Triple Net Lease

The opposite of a full-service lease is the triple net lease. Landlords charge a base rent, and then bill for operating expenses. Expense categories include utilities, maintenance, property insurance and management. These leases are very common in free-standing properties and offices with multiple tenants.

Modified Gross

A modified gross lease is a full-service lease that allows the landlord to bill for additional expenses such as higher than average utility bills.

Managing commercial real estate is difficult. If you find yourself constantly struggling to handle your growing portfolio of commercial properties, it may be time to hire a property manager. They’ll save you time, money, and the headaches associated with dealing with commercial tenants and the complicated regulations of the DC real estate market.

Just Reduced Properties In Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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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.

Less than one week away is one of the most important days of the year: Memorial Day.

To all of the military families who have lost loved ones in battle, my heart is with you. And my gratitude is always (and I mean always) with those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

One of my favorite parts about living in Arlington County are the memorials — right at our doorstep — honoring America’s heroes. They can be easy to overlook, given our proximity – but these are destinations for so many Americans, providing an opportunity to pay respect to some truly incredible people.

I hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day weekend and takes a moment to reflect on our heroes. My family and I certainly will be.

And here are this week’s stats:

As of May 22 there are 233 detached homes, 72 townhouses and 271 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 54 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.

Ask Eli: Using Square Footage in Real Estate

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Rosslyn resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: Square footage seems randomly reported on different websites. Why is that and what is it supposed to include? Is the math on $/sqft the same across all sizes or is there a diminishing return at a certain point where more square footage doesn’t translate into more value?

Answer: Total square footage, above grade square footage, and $/sqft are some of the most common criteria and valuation metrics used in real estate, but square footage is also one of the most inconsistent data points we have. For purposes of this column, I will talk in terms of finished square footage used in real estate sales. County appraisers include unfinished space (e.g. storage, garage, decks) at a discounted rated in their tax assessment calculations.

How Is Square Footage Calculated?

I haven’t come across a published definition of how Arlington calculates finished/livable square footage, but in speaking with county tax appraisers it’s considered interior space with finished flooring and walls, and part of the home’s heating and cooling systems. I believe ceiling height (minimum 7 feet) is a factor as well. It does not include garages, decks, attics, or raw storage. It does include closets and bathrooms that are part of finished areas of the home.

Square footage is measured from the framing or exterior walls, so often times the County’s square footage is higher than the usable square footage inside the finished walls of a home.

What Do Most Websites Use?

MRIS, which is the database of record used by REALTORS and where most consumer-facing websites pull data, contains a few fields for square footage.

Taxable Living Area: Pulled from the tax record for above-grade (above ground) finished square footage. It’s a bit of a misnomer because it does not include taxable living space in the lower level(s) of a home.

Above/Below Grade Finished: This is an optional field entered by the Agent to calculate total square footage

Above/Below Grade Unfinished: This is an option field entered by the Agent and does not impact total square footage

Total Finished: Sum of above and below grade finished square footage, if entered by Agent

In my experience, most consumer-facing websites will use the total finished square footage if it’s available and default to the above-grade square footage from the tax record if it is not. Zillow seems to do the best job of pulling from multiple public data sources to get total square footage, even if the Agent hasn’t entered it into MRIS. On the other hand, Zillow allows homeowners and Agents to edit this data. Most square footage readings entered into MRIS by Agents are based on measurements between finished walls, not from the framing.

Common Data Problems

Be careful using square footage to define search criteria or for home valuations because the data can be flawed. Here are some common issues I run into:

Total square footage not entered: If an Agent doesn’t enter data for above and/or below grade finished square footage, the total square footage field is a null value.

New homes: In most cases new construction has a taxable living area in MRIS (from tax record) of zero or if it was a tear-down, it likely has the square footage of the original home which is generally much smaller.

Split Levels/Foyers: Split Levels and Split Foyers were a common design in the 1960s-1980s and usually about half of the total square footage of the home is considered lower level or below grade. In most cases, the square footage number pulled by MRIS from the tax record is only the upper level and thus only about half of the total size is automatically listed.

Additions: If a home has an unpermitted addition or the tax record was never updated, the MRIS taxable square footage will be low and unless the total square footage was entered, the extra space won’t show up.

Condos and townhomes are generally much more reliable when using square footage as a criteria/valuation factor than single family homes.

Price per Square Foot To Compare Values

$/sqft can be an effective valuation tool when you’re assured that the square footage values you’re using in your calculations are accurate and when you’re comparing properties of similar size.  For example, a 600sqft condo selling for $350,000 is nearly $600/sqft while a $2 million single family home with 6,500sqft is just over $300/sqft. Most condos trade in the $400-$700/sqft range and most single family homes trade in the $200s.

I generally avoid using $/sqft when valuing single family homes because the prevalence of inconsistent data introduces too much risk. However, $/sqft can be an effective valuation tool for condos and townhomes, especially when comparing values within the same community where fees and square footage measurements are consistent across each unit.

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at http://www.RealtyDCMetro.com. 

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

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