Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

The Nose That Knows: Wine for Thanksgiving made easy

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This column is written by the team at Arrowine & Cheese (4508 Cherry Hill Road). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Order from Arrowine’s expanding online store for curbside pickup or in-store shopping. Have a question? Email thenose@arrowine.com.

I’m going to make it easy for you. The typical Thanksgiving dinner is a culinary hodgepodge and a sommelier’s biggest challenge. So the goal here is to wash it all down deliciously.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Thanksgiving dinner! My Mom, the Goddess of Thanksgiving, rocked it better than anyone. Her green bean casserole, believe it or not, was delicious. Mom’s stuffing was a delightful moist conglomeration of steer liver, onions, butter, toasted bread, and Bell’s Seasoning. I can still taste it. Her twice-baked stuffed potatoes were to die for, with their crusty paprika-laced exteriors that encased a garlicky, velvety, creamy lusciousness. And then there was her home-orangy-tangy cranberry sauce, OMG!

Here’s the key to selecting your perfect Thanksgiving wine. Any “sweetness” on the Thanksgiving table will clash with a “bone-dry” wine. Cranberry sauce is “sneaky.” It changes the entire dynamic of the meal. Every year for the last 44, I have risked life, limb, and liver to find the Holy Grails of Thanksgiving Wine.

Holiday dinner (Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash)

Check out shoparrowine.com, place an order and let us do the rest. We will even bring it to your car! We have designated free parking just behind Arrowine. What could be easier?

This list is foolproof. If you can’t make it to Arrowine, use my suggestions as a reference.

And the envelope please…

  • Le Berceau Blanquette de Limoux NV, France: $14.99

Every celebration should start with a fizz. And at $14.99, this dry and complex Methode Champanoise hits the nail on the head.

  • 2021 Domaine du Pas Saint Martin, Le Vent Dans Les Saules, Anjou France: $19.99

This 100% Dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley is brimming with opulent flavors of sliced apples, spiced pears, tangerines, and a vibrant palate-cleansing mineral finish.

  • 2021 Domaine Billard Bourgogne Aligote, France: $19.99

The “Other White Burgundy” on the nose is kumquat and nectarine, with just a hint of lemon zest. The palate adds lime and Japanese yellow plum with a refreshing cleansing and mineral finish.

  • 2020 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis, Sainte Claire: $31.99

This wine has soul; it’s richly flavored, mineral, and complex. The palate has laser-like flavors of wet stone, crushed seashells, and fresh sweet butter. The finish is long and lingering.

  • 2021 Margerum M5, Los Olivos, California: $25.99

This White California Rhône Blend is a “no-brainer” for Thanksgiving. A skillful and brilliant blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and Picpoul Blanc with aromas of apricots, white florals, and flavors of apple and peach nectar with a zippy finish. Poetic.

  • 2021 Valle de Inez Pinot Nor San Luis Obispo, California: $21.99

Doug Margerum crafted this complex, bargain Pinot. It has structure and complexity and is drier than most — a “serious” Pinot from California at a price.

  • 2021 Ken Wright Cellars, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon: $29.99

This wine is a textbook Willamette Pinot. It checks all the boxes and more. Lots of cherry fruit, smooth and sensual. A delight to drink, delicious.

  • 2021 Domaine Laurent and Romain Pillot Bougogne, France: $24.99

My go-to Bourgogne for over 15 years, no one does it better, and a price that is impossible to beat for the “Real McCoy.” Supple, medium-bodied, and loaded with crystalline strawberry/mineral fruit. A winner.

  • 2021 Melville Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California: $44.99

Complex and satisfying, Melville delivers. Lots of cherry/strawberry fruit and well-integrated oak make this supple Pinot a stand-out.

  • 2020 Lafond Lirac “Roc Épine” Rhône Valley, France: $22.99

If you like a gutsy Côtes du Rhône, this Lirac is richer and more complex. This wine is spicy, smooth, and a joy to drink!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Arrowine Family to yours,
Doug Rosen

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

Explore Shirlington one wine at a time

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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Attention all wine lovers, come explore your neighborhood this weekend!

This Saturday, November 19 we’re bringing back a fan favorite, the highly anticipated DC Wine Walk!

Enjoy wine with friends in Shaw/U Street, Dupont Circle, Waterfront and The Village at Shirlington.

Receive 25% off tickets for The Village at Shirlington neighborhood by clicking here today.

#FrayLife

Small Business Focus: Get paid to shop local on Small Business Saturday

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

This year, Small Business Saturday, the annual shopping event that encourages shoppers to support small businesses, will be held on November 26.

Since its founding in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday has inspired thousands of shoppers to support local businesses.

With consumers and businesses facing rising costs due to inflation, starting today, BizLaunch is offering shoppers 5% rewards throughout the holiday shopping season for every purchase made at local businesses in Arlington through Open Rewards. The program, a partnership between Arlington Economic Development’s BizLaunch and a technology company Bludot, is a customer rewards program that incentivizes customers to shop locally.

“Small businesses are the fabric of Arlington and truly make our community unique,” says BizLaunch Director Tara Palacios. “The Open Rewards program is one of BizLaunch’s many innovative tools that small businesses can leverage to help them during these turbulent economic times.”

BizLaunch has invested $5,000 to pilot the Open Rewards program. The funds will provide shoppers with a 5% rewards incentive, which can then be redeemed to shop again at local businesses. To participate, consumers can download the Open Rewards app from the App Store or Google Play store, shop at eligible businesses and redeem rewards by uploading a receipt or linking a payment card.

Arlington small businesses with an Arlington Business License in the personal service, restaurant and retail sectors are automatically enrolled. There is no cost for businesses or consumers to participate. Arlington small businesses that want to participate in the program can visit BluDot online.

This holiday shopping season, get paid to shop local with Open Rewards. For more information about BizLaunch, visit www.bizlaunch.org.

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 Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!

Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes. 

As of November 14, there are 143 detached homes, 50 townhouses and 208 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 34 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

6332 22nd Street N.

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 Arlington Realty, Inc.

Copperwood Tavern BOGO Black Friday Sale is back!

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Mark your calendar for our company-wide Annual Black Friday Sale!

On Friday, November 25 Copperwood Tavern, Dudley’s Sport and Ale, The Pinemoor, Brass Rabbit, and Quinn’s On The Corner will open at 9 a.m. for their annual BOGO Gift Card Sale.

Purchase a $25, $50, $100 gift card and receive the equivalent value free! The sale is valid in-store only and there is no limit on purchase.

Subscribe to each of their newsletters for updates!

Ask Eli: Assumable low interest rate loans

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Enjoy!

Question: Is it possible to take over a seller’s existing loan if they have a low interest rate?

Answer: Thank you to our Veterans and Active-Duty military for your service.

In keeping up with the theme of last week’s column, addressing popular mortgage product/strategies, and in honor of Veterans Day, this week I’ll cover assumable VA loans.

An assumable loan is a loan that can be transferred from a seller to a buyer, allowing the buyer to maintain the interest rate of the seller’s existing loan rather than accept a market-rate interest rate. This can be valuable in a high-interest rate environment like we’re in now when most homeowners have an interest rate well below current market rates.

To help me provide the best information about assumable VA loans, I reached out to Skip Clasper of Sandy Spring Bank ([email protected]), who I highly recommend for a range of loan products including VA loans, construction/rehab loans, and jumbo loans.

Only Some Loans Are Assumable

VA loans (available to Veterans, service members and surviving spouses), FHA loans, and USDA loans are the only traditional loan products that are assumable. They make up a relatively small percentage of existing home loans in Arlington (likely single-digit percentage of total loans). I’m not aware of any conventional loans that can be assumed.

Key Details about Assuming a VA Loan

There are some important details and caveats to assuming a VA loan that both buyers and sellers need to understand prior to transferring a loan:

  1. Buyers do NOT have to be a Veteran or otherwise qualify for a VA loan to assume a VA Loan.
  2. Sellers can NOT obtain a new VA loan until the previously assumed loan is paid off (or refinanced out of) unless the new buyer is a Veteran and uses their eligibility on the assumed loan.
  3. It is less expensive (closing costs) to assume a loan than to originate a new loan. The VA Funding fee is only 0.5% for assumable VA loans.
  4. You need a down payment that covers the gap between the assumable loan balance and the purchase price. For example, if the seller’s loan balance is $200,000 and the purchase price is $500,000, the buyer is assuming $200,000 is debt and will have to cover the remaining $300,000 via down payment or alternative debt such as a second trust.
  5. Buyers need to qualify for the loan using normal income, debt, and credit guidelines.

As you can probably determine from the above details, there are only a limited number of scenarios where assuming a VA loan makes sense for both parties. The biggest hurdle to VA loan assumption is that the VA loan eligibility stays with the loan so if the buyer does not have their own VA loan eligibility, the seller must be sure they are okay giving up this very valuable benefit until the new buyer pays it off or refinances.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460

Statutes of Liberty: Sick of delays in your immigration case? Sue!

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Doran Shemin, Esq., and Laura Lorenzo, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

One of the chief complaints we hear as immigration lawyers is that immigration processes take forever.

U.S. citizens who file a petition on behalf of their spouses are taking at least a year in most places. Many employment-based green card applicants are waiting at least two years to receive their green cards. And asylum? The average wait time for an interview in the D.C. area is about five years. Trust us; we hate it, too.

However, if you’re tired of waiting for a decision, there is a solution. Sue the government in federal court! Here’s the deal:

In many types of immigration cases, a statute or regulation dictates that the immigration authorities must make a decision on application within a certain period of time.  For example, Congress specifically stated in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 that petitions for juveniles that have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by one or both parents, must be adjudicated within 180 days.

Under the Administrative Procedure Act, or APA, Congress created the ability to sue an agency for failing to act when the agency is required to act, or when the action is unreasonably delayed or unlawfully withheld. A good example of a decision unlawfully withheld is a special immigrant juvenile petition that must be adjudicated in 180 days. However, you can also file an APA lawsuit regarding discretionary applications, like green card applications. Just because the immigration authorities have the discretion to approve or deny an application, it does not mean that the authorities can sit on the case forever.

Additionally, under the Mandamus Act, a lawsuit can be filed to compel an agency to act. In these cases, the plaintiff, or the person suing the agency, must show that (1) she has a clear right to the relief requested; (2) the agency has a clear duty to perform; and (3) there is no other adequate remedy available.

An important note: The goal of the lawsuit is to receive a decision, whether negative or positive. It is not to compel an approval. The only thing the judge can do is order the agency to take action in the pending immigration matter.

In the majority of cases, these lawsuits do not go all the way to a full trial. Usually, the government does not want to deal with the lawsuit, and instead will make a decision on the application or petition so that the case can be dismissed.

If you are tired of waiting around for USCIS, the Department of Labor, or the Department of State to make a decision in your case, we recommend that you speak with an experienced immigration attorney that handles these types of cases in federal court. Picking the right federal court in which to sue can be very tricky, and each court (and sometimes each judge) has their own specific rules that you must follow or else you risk having your case rejected. You also have to provide a copy of your complaint to many different offices, and failure to do so can also result in the case being dismissed.

As always, we welcome questions and comments. We’ll answer all we can!

Arts Focus: Share your feedback on design concepts for temporary outdoor arts space

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

The 2700 South Nelson Project is planned to replace the two buildings acquired by Arlington County at 2700 South Nelson Street and 2701 South Oakland Street with a temporary flexible outdoor arts and maker space.

Based on the needs and ideas shared by community stakeholders, the artists and designers at Graham Projects have created two design concepts.

View the designs and share your feedback to shape the future temporary creative open space at 2700 S Nelson! The feedback form will be open through November 21.

As a part of the Public Engagement process of the project, the Graham Projects design team and Arlington County officials engaged nearly 400 participants through several outreach strategies; including targeted meetings with key stakeholder groups, a public virtual Kick Off Presentation, two in-person Pop-Ups reaching residents at popular gathering spots, and an online Engagement Web Page where folks could respond to different examples of public art and placemaking; and share their ideas for colors, thematic inspiration, local history, and on-site programming.

Want to read more about the public feedback that informed the potential design concepts? Download the 2700 S Nelson St Placemaking Plan: Community Engagement Data Analysis.

View renderings and videos about each of the proposed designs at this link, then share your feedback through November 21.

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 Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!

Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes. 

As of November 7, there are 153 detached homes, 52 townhouses and 217 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 46 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

2420 N. George Mason Drive

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 Arlington Realty, Inc.

Ask Eli: How do you prefer your seller discount? 2-1 Buydown review

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Enjoy!

Question: The seller of a home I’m interested in is offering a 2-1 Buydown incentive. Should I accept that or negotiate for something else?

Answer: Higher mortgage rates have re-opened conversations about creative ways to help buyers reduce their rates and monthly payments to incentivize demand: assumptions, seller-financing, buy-downs, adjustable mortgages, and more. Over the coming months, I’ll start covering some of these options to share pros and cons of each.

This week, we will look at the 2-1 Buydown, which has captured a lot of attention lately and is being marketed as a way for seller’s to draw buyer interest by helping them reduce their monthly payments during the first two years of their loan.

I’d like to thank Trey Reed of Intercoastal Mortgage ([email protected]) and Brad Pace of US Bank ([email protected]) for their contributions on this article.

What is a 2-1 Buydown?

A 2-1 Buydown is a seller-paid benefit to the borrower/buyer that reduces their mortgage rate by 2% in the first year and 1% in the second year. In the simplest terms, it allows the seller to pre-pay some of the buyer’s interest payments for the first two years of the loan to reduce their monthly payments.

It generally equates to a savings on total interest payments equal to ~2.35% of the loan amount, over the two-year period. The seller pays that amount to the bank at closing, which shows up as an additional cost to the seller on their settlement statement. The 2-1 Buydown is something sellers may offer up-front or that buyers can negotiate for.

Ultimately, the question (which is reflected in the above poll) is whether or not the dollars allocated by the seller to a 2-1 Buydown are best used there versus towards buyer closing costs (reduces buyers out-of-pocket), lowering the purchase price (reduces interest/payments over the life of the loan and loan payoff amount), or points (a permanent reduction in interest rate rather than pre-paying some interest for two years).

It’s important to note that the 2-1 Buydown doesn’t change the qualification requirements (e.g. Debt to Income ratio limits) for the borrower (buyer). They must qualify for the loan at the full mortgage rate, not the discounted rate.

There is also a less commonly used 3-2-1 product that lasts three years and reduces the rate by 3%, 2%, and 1% in years 1-3 of the loan.

Example of a 2-1 Buydown

Here’s an example from Brad Pace at US Bank of a 2-1 Buydown, compared to using the same dollars to reduce the purchase price:

Standard Deal without Any Negotiated Discount:

  • Purchase Price: $1,500,000
  • Loan Amount: $1,200,000 (20% down)
  • Interest Rate (7yr ARM): 5.75%
  • Principle & Interest (P&I) Payment: $7,002

Deal with 2-1 Buydown:

  • First Year P&I Savings: $17,345.85 ($5,557 P&I payment)
  • Second Year P&I Savings: $8,917.27 ($6,259 P&I payment)
  • Buyer Savings in First Two Years (also the cost to seller): $26,263.12

Deal with Cost of 2-1 Buydown Applied to Price:

  • Purchase Price: $1,500,000 – $26,263 = $1,473,737
  • Loan Amount: $1,178,989 (20% down)
  • P&I: $6,880
  • Buyer pays $23,328 more in first two years compared to the 2-1 Buydown and will take ~16 years for the lower ($122/mo P&I) payment on the price reduction to breakeven with the cost savings of the 2-1 Buydown. However, buyers also benefit from a lower loan balance which means more equity and more proceeds when they sell.

(more…)

Legal Insider: Continuous evaluation for security clearance holders

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By John V. Berry, Esq.

Continuous evaluation (CE) is an ongoing screening process for security clearance holders that monitors cleared employees in between periodic reinvestigations. Many government employees, military personnel, and government contractors have already been placed in the CE system over the past few years.

What is Continuous Evaluation?

Continuous Evaluation (CE) is an ongoing security screening process reviewing the background of a cleared individual. Traditionally, the government has investigated individuals with security clearances through periodic reinvestigations after 5 or 10 years, depending on the level of the individual’s clearance. This has often caused gaps where the security clearance process has not uncovered potential adverse information on individuals between investigations.

CE is an effort by the government to reform the security clearance system and increase the timeliness of potentially adverse information reviewed between periodic reinvestigations. CE employs automatic record checks to provide near real-time security risk information on an individual. CE checks utilize commercial databases, criminal databases, U.S. Government databases, public records and other available information. Presently, CE does not use social media, although there have been some test programs using social media analysis.

When an individual is enrolled in CE, the government will be alerted to any changes in a clearance holder’s eligibility. If adverse or unreported information is identified through the CE process, the system will alert the sponsoring agency. One example of CE is where a security clearance holder is arrested for a crime which is then reported to government clearance adjudicators. The agency will then review the potentially adverse information to determine if further adjudication of the security clearance is required. With CE, it is important for individuals to focus on self-reporting issues that arise before they are later discovered.

CE is a work in progress. There will be changes and updates to CE as the government makes adjustments to the security clearance process as part of reform. The ultimate goal is full Continuous Vetting (CV), which is a more comprehensive form of CE. CV will likely eventually eliminate the need for periodic reinvestigations in the future.

Contact Us

When an individual is facing security clearance concerns it is important to obtain legal advice and/or legal representation. Our law firm advises individuals in the security clearance process. We can be contacted at www.berrylegal.com or by telephone at (703) 668-0070. Additionally, our Facebook page is located here and our Twitter account is located here.

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