Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

Listing of the Day: 1424 12th Street N.

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1424 12th Street North
Neighborhood: Rosslyn
Listed: $795,000
Open House: Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 from 1-4 p.m.

Location, Location, Location. Updated, spacious end unit townhouse in Rosslyn with updated kitchen & baths, inviting patio, attached garage and much more! Offered at $795K.

Spacious townhouse minutes from the heart of Rosslyn. Experience casual sophisticated living in this sun filled three level townhome, minutes from the heart of Rosslyn. This home features three bedrooms, three full baths, 1 half bath, updated kitchen opening up to dining and living rooms, stainless steel appliances, two fireplaces, sunny bedrooms with ceiling fans, attached garage, smart home technology, inviting outdoor patio & much more!

Very convenient to two Metro stops, Rosslyn (.6 miles) and Courthouse (.8 miles).

This wonderful home features:

  • An updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances, double dishwasher & corian countertops;
  • Open concept with kitchen opening up to dining and living rooms;
  • Gleaming hardwood floors throughout main level;
  • Spacious master bedroom and en suite;
  • Two additional bedrooms with plenty of closet space and ceiling fans.
  • Updated bathrooms;
  • Ample storage space;
  • Laundry conveniently located on main level; and
  • A Location that is minutes from shops, restaurants, Courthouse and Rosslyn. It’s walk score is “92” & bike score is “75.”
  • Open Houses: Saturday & Sunday. March 12th and 13th, 1-4PM. Delectable refreshments will be served.

For more information please call Natalie Roy of Keller Williams Arlington at 703-819-4915 or email [email protected].

Around the Financial Block: Food for Thought This March

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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The average American family spends over $8,500 per year on food.

Over 40 percent of that amount is for food eaten away from home.[1] That’s about $160 per week, $65 of which is eaten in restaurants. But are we getting good value for our money? The quality of the food we eat directly affects our health and well-being. Why not take the month of March — which is National Nutrition Month® — to examine your family’s spending patterns for food? To get the maximum amount of cooperation from your children, involve them directly in the process. They may end up teaching you a thing or two!

In the early days of our country, most people grew their own food. In the 1700s, farmers represented the overwhelming majority of the labor force and today farmers seem to be few and far between. Today, most people are cut off from the sources of their food supply. When children helped their parents to hoe, plant, weed, prune and harvest, as well as peel, chop, pickle, boil and bake, it’s a safe bet they didn’t waste their meals. They knew firsthand exactly how much effort went into every bite! On the other hand, if they grow up thinking milk comes from the grocery store, and lettuce is the green stuff sticking out from under the hamburger, they’re less likely to appreciate what’s put in front of them.

To help your child learn about the real cost of food and how to get good value for dollars spent, try one or more of these activities:

  • For one week, keep track of all your food expenditures. Include grocery shopping, convenience store purchases, school lunches and snacks, and restaurant meals. Add them all up to see what your family spends per week on food. Multiply that weekly total by 52 to get an estimate of what your yearly food budget might be. Then divide the weekly total by 21 to see what the cost of each meal was for that week.
  • Do a blind taste test. Compare a store brand product, such as peanut butter, with a higher-priced name brand. Or compare a homemade product with an already-prepared version. With eyes closed, can you tell the difference? Which is better?
  • Point out the ways in which advertisers try to get people, especially children, to buy their products. Bright colors, fun shapes, cartoon characters, and small toys are some of the gimmicks used. Explain that these foods may be overpriced or unhealthful despite their appeal. Make a game of trying to be the first to spot such gimmicks on television, in ads, on menus, and on product packaging.
  • Read labels. Grab a bag or box from your refrigerator, your cabinets, or the grocery store shelf and read the ingredients. By law, ingredients must be listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first. Some ingredients will be easy to identify, like flour or sugar. But do you know what casein is? Lactic acid? Polysorbate 80? Point out to kids that ingredient names can be confusing or even misleading. Fructose, glucose, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, and agave nectar are all different kinds of sugar, for example.
  • Try a new food. Take kids to a farmer’s market, the produce aisle of a grocery store, or wherever plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables are available. Choose one unfamiliar item to prepare at home. Use recipes found in cookbooks or online. Salespeople at farmer’s markets are usually a great source of information about the foods they sell. You could also research a new item first, one that sounds delicious or intriguing. Have you ever tried star fruit? Ugli fruit? Blood oranges? Fresh artichokes? Find a simple recipe for preparing your new food. Then go to the store and look for the item, as well as any other ingredients you need for your recipe. Take it home, prepare it, and then discuss what you’ve made. Is this a food you’d like to try again?

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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 properties. His goal is to get you the best value possible when buying a home.

Spring has sprung early in Arlington County — compared to last week, there is a net of 60 more real estate listings in our area.

Homeowners on the fence of selling their homes have officially let any feelings of hesitation thaw out and they are embracing all the joy that comes with selling a home during the springtime.

If you’ve been tracking this column for some time and have been wondering “Well, when is the peak listings season?” Well, it’s right about now and it runs through mid-May.

And, as you’d likely imagine, as there is an influx in listings, the prices become that much more competitive!

This week, as of February 28, there are 177 detached homes, 44 townhouses and 274 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 36 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: Landscaping for Homeowners and Sellers

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: What are some good landscaping tips for selling my home this spring?

To answer your question, I sat down with my good friend and long-time Arlington resident, Jeff Minnich (you should see his yard!) of Jeff Minnich Garden Design, to discuss smart ways to boost the outdoor appeal of your home before listing it and talked about some of the current landscaping trends he’s seeing.

High ROI Landscaping for Sellers

  • DAPPR: Define bed edges, Add fresh mulch, Pull the weeds, Prune the bushes, and Remove dead leaves
  • Lawn is King: Tall Fescue grass works the best in Arlington. The best time to seed your lawn is March – April and September. Water 1-2x per week. Give it about a month to grow.
  • Blast of Color: Azaleas are beautiful around here in April and May. Pansies are good options fall thru spring. Geraniums are great in the summer.
  • Grand Entrance: Your front door is a focal point – hit it with a fresh coat of paint or replace all together. Power wash your driveway and walkways. Flagstone aka Pennsylvania Bluestone offer great value if you need to replace or add a walkway (also perfect for patios).
  • Create a Scene: Help potential buyers picture themselves relaxing in their future yard by staging an area of your yard with chairs, table, umbrella, hammock, lemonade pitcher, etc.
  • De-clutter: Just like you removed personal items from inside the home, put things like statues and lawn gnomes away
  • Condos too: If you have some outdoor space (balcony, patio, etc) pot some plants (see Blast of Color) and stage it (see Create a Scene)

Landscaping for Homeowners

Trends:

  • Outdoor living spaces are the biggest trend in Arlington. This includes kitchens, fire pits, entertainment areas, and lighting
  • Hydrangeas and other “old fashioned” shrubbery are back in style. Dogwoods and azaleas are always trendy in Arlington.

Approaching a landscaping project:

  • Step 1 Hardscaping: Install patios, walkways, living spaces, water features, etc. This can cost anywhere from $10,000-$25,000+
  • Step 2 Sheds and Storage: Establish space for these items next
  • Step 3 Plantings: Work from biggest (trees) to smallest (flowers)
  • A full project usually takes 1-3 months to complete
  • There’s no such thing as maintenance-free

Thank you Jeff for all of your great advice. To learn more about Jeff or see examples of his work, please visit his website (link) or send an email to [email protected]. Jeff received his horticulture degree, with an emphasis on landscape design and nursery management, from Virginia Tech. His garden design/build firm, Jeff Minnich Garden Design, Inc. takes the client from initial design concept through the completed garden design. Enjoy the wonderful colors of his personal Arlington garden at 2268 N. Upton St.

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.

Legal Insider: Performance Improvement Plans for Federal Employees

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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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 Berry

Federal employees are usually told that a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is only designed to benefit them and make them better performers. This, unfortunately, is usually not the case.

Managers often promise employees that they will be given special assistance to ensure they are successful during their PIP, only to later find themselves facing termination a few months later when they have not received any of the promised assistance during the PIP process. For this reason, it is crucial that federal employees on PIPs, or those who have just received a poor performance evaluation, be on guard.

Promised Opportunity to Improve

PIP procedures were enacted by Congress and require federal agencies to provide employees with an opportunity to improve prior to taking performance-based actions. The federal statutes, regulations, and case law dealing with the PIP process emphasize the importance of providing an employee with a meaningful opportunity to improve, as a PIP is meant to assist employees in achieving performance goals.

As part of the meaningful opportunity to improve, an employee generally must receive the assistance promised by the agency at the onset of the PIP period. Moreover, a supervisor’s negative actions toward an employee during or after the performance of his or her PIP period may constitute a violation of PIP procedures.

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Rethink Energy: You Voted – We Heard You!

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A 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. Got a question? Email us at [email protected]!

2,000+ ARLnow readers cast votes in our last post – Make Energy Great Again. Thanks for making Arlington great with such yuuge voter turnout.

We heard you! We’re pleased to announce that we will make eight thermal cameras available to residents. These cameras help find opportunities for energy efficiency at home like air leaks and missing insulation. We’ll post more on this as we get closer to the release. If you would like to be notified when the cameras are available, please sign up in this link for our Rethink Energy newsletter where we’ll be sharing more details.

Moving on, it snowed a little yesterday but next week spring gives winter the boot. We’ve heard rumors of 70 degree days next week. Here are a few tips and reminders as we move into the new season.

Get paid by Dominion Power by signing up for their Smart Cooling Rewards. This program cycles your AC unit off on peak demand days for limited periods. This helps reduce the strain on our overall electricity grid. Dominion will give you a $40 bill credit each year for participating. For more info, visit: http://bit.ly/smartcooling

Get your HVAC tuned up before the summer heat arrives. Making sure that your cooling equipment is running with the right amount of coolant. Without enough coolant in your air conditioning system it works harder (uses more energy) to do the same amount of work. It doesn’t hurt to change your air filter while you’re at it.

Connect and sign up for our semi-monthly newsletter. It includes news, tips, and occasional giveaways. Sign up here!

WWBG: Aslin Beer Company in Herndon

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). This column is written by Dominion owner Arash Tafakor.

This week, Dave and I sat down with the founders of Aslin Beer Company right in Herndon, Va. near Reston Town Center.

Aslin is one of Virginia’s newest breweries and they’re already on the national map by brewing world class New England style IPAs and a bunch of other tasty brews.

This week we tasted their brand new IPA called Orange Starfish that will be released today at 3 p.m. Dominion will also be getting Aslin’s next round of releases in the next few weeks. So watch the video and stay tuned.

Listing of the Day: 1504 N. Ohio Street

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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1504 N. Ohio Street
Neighborhood: Highland Park
Listed: $675,000
Open House: Saturday, March 5, from 1-4 p.m. and Sunday, March 6, from 1-4 p.m.

Walk to East Falls Church Metro and Westover Village from thoughtfully updated 3 bedroom 3 bath Cape Cod nestled on a large level lot in the McKinley, Swanson, Yorktown district. Renovated kitchen features handsome wood cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless appliances, wood floors, and a pantry cupboard. The living room flows into the den with a wood burning fireplace and built in bookcase. An atrium doors opens from the dining room to the expansive deck and landscaped yard.

Upstairs there are two bedrooms, each with an alcove for additional space, a renovated bathroom and storage. The lower level offers a rec room, the third bedroom and bathroom, laundry and storage.

Recent important improvements include roof, double pane windows, kitchen, renovated and updated baths, fresh paint, wood floors.   An appealing home on a gorgeous lot with an enviable location. Details of 1504 N. Ohio Street at betsytwigg.com

Please contact Betsy Twigg with McEnearney Associates at 703-967-4391 or [email protected] for more information.

Rental Trends: Apartment Hunters Rely on Reviews, Search Sites

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 home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Renters increasing pay attention to online reviews when searching for their next place, one of several technology trends explored in a recent study by J Turner research reported by Multi-Housing News.

Understanding how renters search for their next place can help landlords decide where to devote their time and energy in order to attract the best possible pool of potential residents. Here are some of the key trends the study identified, based on responses from more than 25,000 residents of 500 properties nationwide. In addition, we included some practical advice on what you can do to capitalize on renters’ search habits.

  1. Renters rely on review sites.

Renters are increasingly consulting reviews and trust them more than they did a few years ago. The study said more than half of renters surveyed look at reviews at the start of their search, and nearly three-quarters use sites such as Google, Yelp and apartmentratings.com to get more info about places they’re considering. Google and Yelp are among the most trustworthy, followed by Apartment Ratings.

While many of the review sites may focus on larger apartment buildings, paying attention to what satisfies Arlington renters, and what they’re complaining about, can be a very useful tool for local landlords. And if you do have a presence on review sites, it pays to monitor it regularly and respond to any negative feedback quickly and professionally.

  1. Social media ranks low among searchers.

Only about 15 percent of apartment searchers rely on Facebook or Twitter, the study said.

By all means, repost your vacancies on Facebook and Twitter to increase the potential that others will share it. But don’t rely on social media as a sole marketing strategy.

  1. Listing sites are the top way to find rentals.

Not surprisingly, using listing sites was the most commonly used tactic, followed by driving by and word of mouth. Apartments.com and Apartmentfinder.com were the most popular sites, each used by about a quarter of apartment hunters surveyed.

This means crafting a solid listing with quality photos and posting it on multiple platforms is key. Consider spending some money for a photographer. Understand what renters in the market are looking for so you can highlight the best your property has to offer. It will pay dividends in the end.

  1. Boomers and Millennials prioritize different things.

The study showed a generational divide among people looking for rentals. Boomers prize peace and quiet, with three quarters ranking it as an important factor. But for millennials, getting a good value ranked higher.

Despite the differences, value and quiet still ranked high for both generations. So, when crafting your marketing, emphasizing the quiet nature of the unit or neighborhood will likely win points. Even those who want to be near the action don’t want to hear it at 3 a.m. on a work night. And with at least two-thirds of each group looking for value, study your local market when setting the rent to avoid overpricing.

#PlayUSS Spring Registration Now Open

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The following post was written and sponsored by United Social Sports.

The word on the street is that United Social Sports is now powering D.C. Social and the two groups are now offering more options to get out and play in Arlington than ever before.

This Spring brings more leagues to NoVa, which means more opportunities to meet new people and get a bit more active. There are also brand new leagues with our neighbor to the west, Annandale, including a weekday Thursday night Kickball League and a Wednesday night Softball League.

Players can grab a friend or two, signup solo or register full teams. Leagues this season include Kickball, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, Basketball, Skeeball, Cornhole, Tennis, & Bowling.

Ready to get active this Spring? Check out the returning and new leagues playing this Spring.

USE Promo Code: ARLSP16 & save 10% on registration!

P.S Use #PlayUSS on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win a FREE Registration! The league is giving out a free registration each week by selecting random #playuss posts.

Bocce (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Basketball (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Capital Bowling (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Cornhole (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Flag Football (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Bar Sports (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Kickball (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Skeeball (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Soccer (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Softball (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Street Hockey (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Volleyball (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Tennis (Click Here for Full Spring 2016 Lineup)

Heads up – Team Sports registration closes March 29th, and Bar Sports on April 5th or when leagues fill. Several leagues have already sold out!

Ask Eli: Seeking Community Members to Talk About Your Neighborhood

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!

Who loves their neighborhood? Looking for community participation!

I’d like to start spotlighting an Arlington neighborhood each month with a brief interview of 1-2 members of the community who live there, along with some interesting market statistics.

If you love your neighborhood and are interested in (anonymously or not) participating in a quick, fun interview about it, send me an email ([email protected]). It won’t take more than 15-20 minutes, I’ll come to you, and you’ll get a free coffee out of it!

Here are some neighborhoods I’d love volunteers from, but don’t let this list stop you from participating if you don’t live in one of them.

  • Claremont
  • Shirlington
  • Aurora Hills
  • Penrose
  • Nauck
  • Columbia Pike
  • Bluemont
  • Westover
  • Cherrydale
  • Yorktown
  • Country Club Hills
  • Lyon Park
  • Lyon Village

Don’t forget that this column is meant to answer your residential real estate questions, so please send them along.

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.

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