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WWBG: Trick or Treat with Some Recent Releases at Dominion Wine and Beer

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). It is written by Garrett Cruce, a Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server.

Three Notch’d Brewing Company and Oskar Blues Brewery Black & Goldings black ale (6.3% ABV)

Black & Goldings black ale Dave Warwick of Three Notch’d and Tim Matthews of Oskar Blues first met when they were starting their careers in Pittsburgh. Black & Goldings is their tribute to that time. This beer is pretty simple — the black malt adds a welcome bitterness that you don’t get with the refined Golding hops. Simple is not bad. This is classified as an American black ale, but it’s more porter (a black ale) than black IPA. Freshly poured, Black & Goldings smells enticingly of coffee and dark chocolate. The tangy bitterness imparted by the black malt borders on smoky giving this beer an unexpected flavor kick. This a limited offering, so I’d pick one up soon.


Old Ox Brewery Black Ox rye porter (6.0% ABV)

Black Ox rye porterBack in August the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild held the Virginia Craft Brewers Cup — Black Ox won gold in the American Dark Ale category. It’s really no surprise why. Old Ox Brewery of Loudoun County brews this porter almost like a black IPA, with the rye really spicing things up — so to speak. The aroma blends the expected coffee with exotic licorice and a hint of floury biscuit. I’m no porter purist — I definitely love a hoppy black IPA — so this beer is pretty exciting. Despite the description on the web site, Black Ox in the can appeared to be hop-forward. It combined the bitter tang of the black malt, the peppery spice of the rye with a bit of the dankness that hops impart. This was the kind of beer that you finish and immediately think of pouring another. It’s frankly delicious.


AleSmith Brewing Company Anvil ESB (5.5% ABV)

Anvil ESBSan Diego’s AleSmith Brewing Company considers Anvil its flagship beer. This American take on the classic British pub ale, the Extra Special Bitter, is both classic and fresh seeming. Essentially, a bitter is a pale ale. When brewed with mild British hops, however, the malt tends to take over. Anvil, brewed with appropriate hops, nevertheless manages to balance the malty tendencies of the bitter. Before I even took a sip, I picked up the pumpernickel and brown sugar in the aroma. I was surprised, however, by the complexity of the flavor. I expected a malt bomb, but I got winey raisin with a malt backbone that is clipped by a slight bitterness in the finish. Overall, this was a super drinkable beer that wasn’t too much of any one thing. At 5.5% it’s even sessionable — share a 22 oz. bottle or enjoy it all to yourself.


Bell’s Brewery Roundhouse India Red Ale brewed with honey (7.5% ABV)

Roundhouse India Red Ale Ranked 7th among all craft breweries in America by the Brewer’s Association in 2015, Bell’s is large enough to offer great variety in its beers. Whether you’re looking for the reliably hoppy Two Hearted Ale or the hop bomb Hop Slam or one of their milder malt forward offerings, there’s plenty for you. Neither plain nor extra fancy, Roundhouse — with its playful boxing ring turnbuckle on the can — brings the hops and the malt to the party. Just smelling it gave me the impression that I was about to be assaulted by a malt-forward beer — bready malt mingled with earthy hops. Despite the aroma, Roundhouse starts out with a peach black tea bite that is softened by the malt in the finish. While I definitely don’t mind a good wallop from hops — and kind of expect it from a beer that puts “India” in it’s name — this beer pulls its punches. In the end though, it’s still a tasty brew that goes down much easier than its 7.5% ABV might suggest.

Though Halloween is over, there are plenty of treats to be had. These are just several of the delicious new offerings that this Fall is ushering in.

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.”

Home buyers have again gotten the short end of the stick this week.

Only 38 new listings came on the market in Arlington. But the buyers were busy ratifying 56 contracts. A memo needs to go out to home owners that it’s okay to go on the market right now. Demand is high. Supply is low. It’s a seller’s market.

Typically, immediately after a presidential election consumer activity surges including home buying. So we can expect even more demand after Tuesday, but there won’t be much inventory for them to choose from. With buyer pressure on the limited inventory we can expect to see home values increase in the coming months.

Mortgage interest rates nudged slightly upward this week to 3.6% for a 30-yr fixed rate.

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

Healthy Paws: Hypoallergenic Diets

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a column sponsored and written by the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, a full-service, general practice veterinary clinic. The clinic is located 3000 10th Street N., Suite B. and can be reached at 703-997-9776.

Does your pet have chronic or intermittent diarrhea, but otherwise feels great? Does he or she itch and scratch constantly, have hair loss, repeated skin infections, ear infections or rashes? If you answered yes, read on, as your pet could possibly have a food allergy.

What are the most common food allergies?

Contrary to all the pet-food company marketing, it is rarely grains! The vast, vast majority of the time, the allergy is to the animal protein source, with chicken being the most common, and then beef.

What’s the difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity?

An allergy implies that the body’s immune system is involved in the symptoms; whereas food sensitivities can cause similar but often milder symptoms that are due to a local reaction in the GI tract (think lactose intolerance in people). A food sensitivity may improve simply with a diet change to a new brand or variety, whereas a food allergy is related to the body being sensitized via the immune system to a specific ingredient.

How is a food allergy diagnosed?

Unfortunately, a true food allergy can be difficult to definitively diagnose. There is no accurate blood test for food allergies (though Dr. Google may suggest otherwise), and the only way to really diagnose a food allergy is to do a STRICT trial with a hypoallergenic or hydrolyzed diet for 8-12 weeks. Because it can take days to weeks for an offending protein to fully be eliminated from the body, and also significant time for the GI tract to heal following insult, the full 8-12 weeks is vital to ensure we allow enough time to see clinical improvement if it is going to happen!

Not only that, in order to make a truly definitive diagnosis, at the conclusion of the food trial one must reintroduce the original food to see if the symptoms return! Understandably, many owners are reluctant to go this final step if their pet’s symptoms are significantly improved, but without it we do not know if improvement was just a coincidence (or perhaps due to some other treatments that may have been initiated at the same time or a changing of seasons).

Essentially, a food trial is a diagnostic test — but one that takes 8-12 weeks to get results.

What make a diet hypoallergenic?

A hypoallergenic diet is designed to be absent of the ingredients most likely to trigger a true allergic response. Again, protein sources are much more likely to be the culprit than grain or other ingredients. There are two ways to address this protein issue — one is with a “novel” protein — i.e. a protein that the patient has never been exposed to previously — and the other is with a “hydrolyzed” protein — i.e. a protein that is broken down into such small pieces during the manufacturing process that it is not recognized as foreign by the body.

A thorough dietary history is very important when figuring out which hypoallergenic diet route to go. If the pet has been exposed to a variety of protein sources throughout their life, a hydrolyzed diet may be a better option.

It is important to note that many of the over-the-counter (OTC) diets that may tout themselves as being lamb, bison, turkey, etc. actually do have chicken further down the ingredient list. OTC diets are frequently contaminated with minuscule amounts of non-ingredient proteins as well. Thus, for the purposes of a strict food trial, we are more apt to recommend a prescription diet that is strictly controlled in the manufacturing process and is guaranteed to be a single protein source. In a very sensitive pet, even having a trace of the offending protein (such as, may remain if there was not strict cleansing of the equipment between processing of different diet varieties) could be enough to trigger symptoms. There are a limited number of OTC options that may be viable alternatives to a prescription diet, but these should be discussed with and approved by your pet’s veterinarian prior to going to the effort of a full food trial with them, as in some cases they may not be sufficiently “hypoallergenic.”

This sounds hard!  

There’s no arguing that a strict food trial requires some restraint and diligence on the part of the owner! Treats play an important role in our relationship with our pets, and having to be really strict can be tough…but it important to remember that it’s for a relatively short period of time and that eventually you will be able to slowly reintroduce things into your pet’s diet.

It is also important that all members of the family be on board with a food trial before it’s initiated — again, all it takes is a single exposure to the offending protein to set things back to the beginning!

Good news — you finished the food trial and your pet’s symptoms are improved. Now what?

At this point, we’d typically recommend SLOWLY reintroducing things back into your pet’s diet, but still being sure to avoid the suspected offending protein — i.e. each week, add one new item back into the diet, monitoring for recurrence of the original symptoms.

Bad news — you finished the food trial and your pet’s symptoms are not improved. Now what?  

Fret not — all is not lost! You’ve still gleaned some very valuable information by ruling out a food allergy. In the case of skin symptoms, environmental allergies may be a factor and in the case of GI symptoms, a whole plethora of other possibilities remain. It will be important to work with your pet’s veterinarian to continue looking for the cause of chronic skin or GI symptoms.

Rental Trends: Top Reasons Why You Should Consider a Property Manager

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.

On the surface, becoming a landlord seems like a simple decision.

You choose a property, invest just enough to turn a profit and choose a credit-worthy tenant. The rent is paid on time, nothing ever breaks, and your monthly rental income is sufficient to cover your mortgage (if you have one) and monthly maintenance expenses.

Unfortunately, things don’t really work that way and even a credit-worthy tenant can cause cash flow issues. Nothing ever works perfectly all the time, and you may operate at a loss until you have sufficient equity in the property.

If you’re renting a property that’s thousands of miles away from your location, you also have to worry about how well the tenants are taking care of things since you’re not physically present.

While you may be able to hire an individual to take care of your property, without the proper experience, resources and knowledge you may be wasting precious dollars.

Do you really need a property manager? It’s up to you to decide, but here are some of the issues you may face if you choose the DIY route:

1.   Legal

Leasing agreements are complicated. And while you can easily pick one up at the nearest Staples, these generic agreements may not be legally sufficient in the area you choose to invest in. Because DC is not a state, the agreement may need different language and might not hold up in court.

Though you can hire an attorney to draft one for you, when it comes to enforcing the agreement you’re left to your own devices. If this is your first time as a landlord, you may not know when it’s appropriate to secure legal counsel to help before things get out of hand.

2.   Physical

This is particularly difficult if you are a long-distance landlord. You need to conduct inspections on both the outside and inside of the property on a periodic basis. But you cannot waltz in anytime you choose and depending on the terms of your leasing agreement, you may not be able to go in without prior notice.

If the exterior of your property is showing signs of neglect, chances are the inside of the property is as well. A good property manager can drive by a property and make an accurate assessment.

If the grass isn’t mowed and the exterior of the home shows signs of recent damage due to negligence, vandalism or weather, it’s probably time for an interior inspection.

(more…)

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.MrArlington.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.

Oh hello there, November. It’s that time of year where all of the leaves are falling (if they haven’t already).

And, they’re not the only things that are falling – just take a look at this week’s list of “Just Reduced” properties. No time of the year is immune to a stellar bargain.

In addition to keeping an eye out for a good deal, it’s also the time to start thinking of all the dough you’ll be saving tax-wise by owning your own home. Mortgage deductions, closing cost deductions, property tax deductions – they are only the beginning!

Sure November can seem a little slow all around (particularly after a Thanksgiving meal). But, it’s never a bad time to get moving on the benefits of homeownership.

As of October 31, there are 214 detached homes, 51 townhouses and 298 apartments for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 49 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: Understand Days On Market, Make Better Offers

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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Question: Why do I see different counts for the number of days a property has been listed for sale depending on the website I visit? What are the rules around agents resetting days on market?

Answer: Days on market is one of the most important data points when determining an appropriate offer:

  • The longer a property has been on the market, the more likely a seller is to accept a reduced sale price
  • Higher days on market = more leverage for buyers
  • Sellers are most likely to fight for full asking price during the first couple of weeks
  • You’re most likely to encounter multiple offers in the first week

The chart below shows the average sale price to original list price ratio based on the number of days a property has been on the market (100.00 = sold for full ask). On average, a property that sells in the first 10 days goes for above the asking price and after 30 days, the average seller takes a 4% reduction from the original asking price.

Ask Eli Nov 1 2016 Table

Days On Market – Property (DOMP)

DOMP is the number you want to focus on because it’s the number of days a property (based on the address) has been actively marketed for sale and it’s difficult to reset this number (see Resetting DOMP section).

Days On Market – MLS (DOMM)

DOMM is the number of days a listing has been actively marketed for sale. A listing is the individual record created by an agent to market a property for sale. It’s easy (and legal) for agents to reset this number as many times as they’d like by re-listing a property for sale. MRIS (see last week’s article for definition) makes it pretty easy for agents to do this and it’s common to see this action taken after a large price reduction because it gives the new listing more visibility to the public by, for example, popping back up in buyer’s automated searches as a new listing.

Resetting DOMP

The only way to reset DOMP is to withdraw a property from the market for 90+ days. This is an MRIS rule and may be different in other markets outside of the MRIS coverage area (VA, DC, MD, and parts of WV, PA, and DE). It’s somewhat common for a seller who’s not in a rush to remove an unsold listing from the market before the winter and allow the DOMP count to reset prior to re-listing in the spring.

How Do You Know?

Be careful, most public-facing websites use DOMM because they track the number of days the listing, not the property, has been on the market. Most good real estate search websites offer a “property history” section where you can view previous sales, when it’s been listed, taken off market or had a price reduction. MRIS has data fields specifically for DOMM and DOMP so your agent can easily provide this information and if you receive listing information from your agent directly from MRIS, those data fields are easily viewable.

Understanding the impact days on market has on final sale price is critical for buyers and sellers to maximize their value. The impact varies by locality and by the type of housing, so it’s important to also understand your market.

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.

The Chew: Halloween Safety For Your Kids and Dogs

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

If you are a parent of small children, you will very likely spend the evening of Halloween walking through your neighborhood asking for candy with your kids dressed in silly costumes. 

While out and about, you will be sure to see someone with a dog out on an evening walk or joining the family in the festivities. There is a natural attraction between children and dogs. It doesn’t take long for dogs to figure out that the smaller the human, the more food they are likely to pick up and messy faces are delicious desserts. Kids love dogs because they are soft, adorable and just plain fun to be around. Training your children how to approach dogs they’re not already familiar with is important for many reasons: The most important reason is SAFETY!

First, let’s talk about the approach. Don’t ever RUN at a dog. It can make a dog feel threatened or overwhelmed. A calm, slower approach will allow the dog to see you coming and begin the proper greeting. Another important thing to remember is to ALWAYS ask the owner for permission to continue with the meeting. Most owners are going to be very honest if they believe there could be the slightest issue in meeting new friends. Respect anyone who says it may not be a good idea. 

A large, over-excited dog can do harm to smaller children just by jumping up on them and knocking them over. It is certainly unintentional, but the owner of the dog may not feel comfortable with the possibility of harming your child in this way and therefore ask your child not to approach. ALWAYS comply with any owner’s recommendations, as they know their dog better than anyone else. 

At Dog Paws we train our dog walkers to avoid other people during their walks simply because we don’t always know how they will react in all situations. If there is a dog being walked and they cross the street to avoid you, don’t take it personally — it’s probably a neighborhood dog walker.

Once permission has been granted, walk forward with your arm out in front of you, your hand in a fist, palm facing down. Hold it low to allow the dog to take a few sniffs. If the dogs leans forward or gives it the “lick” of approval you may proceed. If the dog does not lean forward or looks away, it’s better to leave it be. Instruct your child to stay away from petting faces and avoid the tail. Not even the nicest dog in the world is okay with a tail pull. Petting should be gentle and slow with long strokes to begin with. Encourage your children to talk to the owner about what the dog’s favorite “scratch spot” might be.

Something to remember is that dogs — even those who do well with children on a regular basis — may feel intimidated if there is a large group of kids. I know a dog that would pull me to the playground on our daily walks to meet the children playing, but once there were more than five of them surrounding her she would show signs of stress. Teach your children to look for these signs of stress in dogs. If a dog is backing away, begins to snarl or you see the hair on the back of his neck and down the spine go up, it’s time to move on.  

Teaching children how to respect dogs will help them develop stronger, healthier pet relationships in the future. Knowing the correct techniques when meeting dogs is the best way for all parties involved. 

Happy Trick-or-Treating! 

Sara Schabach
In-Home Pet Care Manager / Writer Extraordinaire

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.”

It’s getting worse. Arlington’s low level of inventory has dropped again this week.

Only 39 new listings came on the market. It really does seem that Arlington has become such a desirable place to live that nobody wants to move. Buyers outpaced sellers this week with 48 ratified contracts on all types of homes. The only good news for buyers this week is that interest rates remained unchanged, but that may not be for long.

Financial analysts expect to see rates start to climb after the elections. It’s not too late for buyers to take advantage of these low rates, if they can only find the right home.

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: To Alert or Not to Alert?

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

How much notification is just right?

Hello? Are you out there?

If you’re like us, data makes you giddy. In the world of emergency management, it can feel like we’re sending messages out into Ready Arlington Alertthe world without ever knowing if they’re being reflected back like the hot summer sun off a tin roof or absorbed like a Harry Potter book. But add a little data, and “POOF!” we can start to see if we’re having an impact!

Getting information to those who live, work and play in Arlington before and during an emergency is critical. We use Arlington Alert to notify you of imminent threats, hazardous weather, traffic delays, government office closures and special events that may affect your life. But striking a balance between sending enough and too much information is a line our office walks on a daily basis.

This summer we teamed up with Virginia Tech’s Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory (SDAL) to learn more about how we’re reaching you and how we can we improve the alerting system.

Where are you, Arlington Alert Subscribers?

No surprises to us here — a majority of registered users are in the densest residential and commercial areas of the County. Ready Arlington EnrollmentInterestingly though, our highest pockets of users are in neighborhoods that have long term residents and experience little turnover.

At first glance, this doesn’t tell us much — we’d expect to see more users in areas where there are more people. Digging a little deeper, however, it shows success from the Run-Hide-Fight trainings and outreach we’ve conducted in these areas of the county.

We also saw where our lowest enrollments were, and for the past month we have targeted many outreach activities in those communities. As a result, we have been able to increase enrollment in neighborhoods with lower enrollment rates.

Finding our Message Champions

We know that every single person who works, plays and lives in Arlington will not register for Arlington Alert. In order to reach Ready Arlington Common Wordsthe greatest number of people, we need Message Champions: those who will promote Arlington Alert and share our messages with their networks to help get critical information into the community.

Using personality traits, professions and communities, a psychologist associated with the study helped to build a profile of people who would be our best Champions. She found that those who work in education, training, counseling, facility management, healthcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports management are most likely to share messages in an emergency (note to the professionals above: expect to hear from us about how you can help us share our message during an emergency!)

Can We Still Be Friends?

One too many messages, and we all know what happens: “STOP MESSAGE!” It’s a delicate balance of giving you the information you want and need, but not overloading you with too much.

The study found that a majority of un-enrollments followed road closure and “Final” messages sent to notify you that streets had been re-opened (note: you can select to which type of alerts you would like to receive, such as weather or emergency alerts, and eliminate traffic alerts if they don’t apply to you). From this, we’re taking a look at how and when we send messages to better communicate with you.

Making the Reach

So we’re asking for your feedback and help in our continued efforts to improve the system. Text “Arlington Alert” to 703-454-8608 to tell us how you’re using the system (or not using the system), and what we can do to improve it, or even volunteer to serve on a focus group!

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.MrArlington.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.

Monday is Halloween. And, Halloween is bound to be extra spooky this year with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump masks flying off the shelves.

Buying a home can be scary, too. It’s one of the biggest purchases you’ll make during your lifetime, there are dozens of complicated-looking documents that you’ll need to sign, and there are several critical steps you’ll need to take to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.

When it comes to real estate, you shouldn’t be scared… you should be prepared. In the homebuying world, there is no better way than to be prepared than to have a trusted real estate agent by your side.

And whether it’s before, on, or after Halloween, I’m ready to help you GET MORE out of your transaction.

As of October 24, there are 227 detached homes, 59 townhouses and 315 apartments for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 49 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: Explaining the MLS and MRIS

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: Can you explain what an MLS and MRIS are and how they relate to home sales?

Answer: I got this question from a few people after last week’s article about the type of data available to agent’s, that’s not available on consumer-facing sites. Over the years, I’ve found that a lot of people are familiar with the terms MLS and MRIS, but not quite sure how it ties into the real estate sales process. The following explanation is 100% my own, in an attempt to simplify it for ease of understanding.

What is a MLS (Multiple Listing Service)?

An MLS is a real estate information exchange platform and database created by cooperating residential real estate brokerages to improve the efficiency of their real estate market. As a privately created and managed organization, each MLS is primarily funded through the dues of the brokerages and agents within the market it serves. There are hundreds of MLS’s across the country and each operates under its own direction and rules & regulations. The information you find on consumer-facing websites like Zillow, Realtor.com and Homesnap comes from various MLS’s and each MLS has the right to negotiate its own relationship (syndication agreements) with these sites and determine what information is made available. I recall reading something last year about an MLS in Pennsylvania that was considering blocking 100% of their data from Zillow.

What is the MRIS (Metropolitan Regional Information Systems)?

MRIS is the MLS that serves our region including Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware. It is one of the largest MLS’s in the country by size and geographic area and supports nearly $125B in annual real estate sales. Having an MLS that services such a large area provides substantial value to the consumer because it allows sellers, who work with an agent, access to a wide audience and ensures that buyers searching online will see the same homes for sale, regardless of which website they’re on.

The Executive Committee and Board of Directors is made up of representatives from the region’s major brokerages and directs the business of MRIS, which has developed into a full-blown software, services and technology company consisting of familiar roles such as Director of Marketing, Director of Customer Support and Chief Operating Officer. MRIS leadership has adopted a strict set of rules & regulations to provide data uniformity and ensure fair play.

The primary interaction agents have with MRIS is through the online portal to enter their listings (homes for sale) and search for homes for sale on behalf of buyer clients. Agents can send listing information directly to clients via MRIS, but some brokerages and 3rd party vendors have built slick programs that interface with MRIS and allow for a better agent-to-client interface using MRIS data. MRIS is a one-stop-shop for agents in our area to find nearly 100% of homes for sale, coming soon to the market and past sales.

Without MRIS, our real estate market would be fragmented and inefficient for consumers, agents and industry partners, so overall it provides a huge benefit to the regional real estate market. However, like most industry-focused companies built before the latest technology revolution, it lags in customer experience and user interface design, which are areas MRIS is working on to provide both agents and consumers a better end-to-end experience.

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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