Building a new home should be a rewarding and memorable experience. That’s why a custom-built home requires personalized service! Here’s your chance to learn everything you need to know about new construction properties from successful agents on the top-selling real estate team in the D.C. metro area.
Bridget Mendes, one of Keri Shull Team’s most experienced Buyer Success Agents, is leading this seminar at our Rosslyn office.
You’ll learn:
Advantages of New Construction — We’ll take an in-depth look at how you can design the exact home you are dreaming of!
Buying a Builder-Owned Lot vs. Finding Your Own — Which solution is best when finding a lot? In the D.C. metro area, land can be rare, we’ll show you how to find it.
Choosing the Right Agents and Specialists— Don’t risk costly problems or losing your dream home! A good agent will help you close faster and pay less.
Join us on Tuesday, March 22 at 6 p.m. for this FREE in-person seminar. Make your new construction dream home a reality with experts by your side!
Is your workplace located within three miles of I-66 inside the beltway? Are your employees stuck in traffic on I-66? If this is the case, then you may want to consider joining the Sustain & Save commuter benefit program to help the environment, to improve your team’s wellbeing and save money.
The Sustain & Save* program is a unique commuter benefit program where employees who commute alone on I-66 and pay tolls can receive $100 each month they commit to a sustainable commute. By switching from driving to one of the eligible options you are taking a vehicle off the road or helping your company to improve employee retention. Eligible options include public transit, carpooling, vanpooling, walking or biking.
Companies enrolled in Sustain & Save will receive support for those who are currently going into the office, those who are considering it, or if the return to office date is a couple months away.
Start today with our quick enrollment process:
Reach out to a Commute66 rep to express your interest in Sustain & Save
Meet with a Commute66 rep to verify your company is qualified
Sign the Employer Participation Form
Commute66 has strived to make a low-maintenance program for enrolled companies. To achieve this, Commute66 manages the program, the enrollment of individual participants, and the covers the monetary contribution.
*Sustain & Save is I-66’s incentive program managed by Commute66 — an Arlington County and Northern Virginia Transportation Commission initiative to provide transit consultation to businesses and properties located inside the beltway along the I-66 corridor respond to the Transform66 Program.
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.
Iron out your green garb because you’ll need it tomorrow.
That’s right, St. Patrick’s Day and all of its Irish glory is among us. And, Arlington County sure knows how to do it right. Among so many activities, make sure to give our Irish pubs some love tomorrow through the weekend, with Ireland’s Four Courts (Courthouse), McNamara’s Pub (Crystal City) and O’Sullivans (Clarendon) being communal faves.
Speaking of green, our local real estate market continues to equate to green for the sellers out there. A big driver of this has been the limited inventory which, according to our local MLS service, is down from 486 new listings in March 2021 to just 289 new listings last month. Translation: If you’ve been considering selling your home, now is an excellent time to consider it.
Just as with any major transaction, it’s important to have a trusted professional and/or team advocating for your best interests. And for that, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is ready to roll on your behalf. Until then, here are this week’s Just Reduced numbers.
As of March 14, there are 81 detached homes, 29 townhouses and 181 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 9 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:
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.
The sale features gently used name-brand items, children’s clothes and toys, men’s clothing, luggage, household items, furniture and more at bargain prices. You might even find items that still have their original price tags on them. Whether you’re looking to spruce up your kitchen or bathroom, we have it all!
The sale is located at 1616 North Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.
We are offering a free timed ticket system to help spread out our shoppers. Timed tickets are sold out but we have walk-up tickets available for each time slot. Arrive early for the best chance to get in quickly!
Masks are required. Sanitizing stations will be provided throughout the site and social distancing is encouraged while shopping.
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 market seems even more intense this year than last, is that accurate?
Answer: I didn’t think the market had much more room to absorb higher prices and intense competition again this year, but that has proven to be wildly untrue. From single-family homes to condos, the first ten weeks of 2022 has given us even more competition and price escalation than last year, all while interest rates have spiked.
High Escalations, Fast-Paced Sales Across All Property Types
I compared sales of Arlington properties that were listed and under contract in the first ten weeks from the last five years to measure how the start of 2022 has compared to previous years.
Detached/townhouse properties are selling for an average of 4.9% over asking price with 85% selling within seven days on market and 92% going for at or above the asking price. These numbers dwarf what had been historically competitive first quarter markets in the previous four years.
The condo market, which suffered through much of the pandemic, is officially back with competition and escalations picking back up to levels close to what we saw during the post-Amazon HQ2/pre-pandemic market. We’re still seeing above an above-average volume of condos being listed for sale (based on 5yr averages), which is keeping the condo market somewhat in-check, but I expect the intensity of this market to increase through the spring and deep into the year.
What About Higher Interest Rates?
Thus far, the market has mostly shrugged off intense headwinds created by rapidly increasing interest rates (see chart below), plummeting stock prices, and the war in Ukraine. Just yesterday rates jumped another .125-.25%.
There must be an inflection point somewhere, but so far hyper-low inventory, rising incomes and high demand have kept us from it.
As parents scramble to make summer camp plans for their children this summer, Arlington Independent Media is thrilled to offer a brand new slate of week-long camps for youth aged 10-14.
All camps meet from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Innovation School, 2300 Key Blvd. in Arlington.
Using the popular language of YouTubers, TikTokers and podcasters, we’ll give kids the camera and mic, transforming them from passive consumers to active media creators. Crucially, we’ll also show them how to decode the array of media messages around them.
At the end of these immersive sessions, campers will get to hear and see their work featured on 96.7 WERA and at an AIM film festival!
Students can spend a week specializing in either video or podcasts, or take both courses back-to-back as a two-week intensive — putting them on a path to become master media-makers!
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 Melissa L. Watkins, Esq.
If you are a federal employee and believe you are regularly asked to perform duties that are outside the scope of your grade, job series and title, there is a path to address such an issue.
The procedure is referred to as a “desk audit” or a classification appeal. A desk audit is simply a procedure where the duties and position of a federal employee are evaluated to determine whether the employee’s position should be upgraded in terms of grade, pay level, title or classification series.
Prior to a Desk Audit — Ensuring Accuracy of Position Description
Before requesting a desk audit, the federal employee should make sure that their position description accurately identifies the major duties assigned and performed. If the position description is significantly inaccurate, the employee should try to resolve the problem first by discussing it with a supervisor and perhaps a representative of the human resources office.
If unable to resolve the problem at this level, the employee could potentially use the agency’s negotiated or administrative grievance procedure. If the agency is unwilling to correct the position description, the federal employee can still pursue a desk audit and the inaccuracies will be reviewed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) later in the appeal process.
Desk Audit Process for General Schedule (GS) Employees
Usually, the first step in pursuing a desk audit is to speak with the individual’s supervisor to discuss the issue of whether their position is properly classified. It is important to stress the major areas of daily work and how these duties fit into the overall agency’s structure.
The federal employee will want to review their position classification standards prior to this discussion. If a federal employee’s supervisor believes that the individual’s position should be possibly re-classified, they can contact the federal agency’s human resources office to request a desk audit. The federal employee can also try contacting human resources directly if the supervisor is not receptive to the request.
What makes North Ballston a Special Neighborhood in Arlington?
A major crossroads since 1740, Ballston is home to more than 14,000 people today.
Named after the Ball family and Ball’s Tavern, which was located at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard in the early 1800s, Ballston has been an important crossroads and transportation hub for centuries. In 1896, an electric trolley began operating along Fairfax Drive to eventually serve Fairfax City, Falls Church and Clarendon where it branched off to Rosslyn and downtown D.C. Then in 1979, the Ballston Metrorail Station opened and ushered in new development.
Home to more than 14,000 people, Ballston offers an urban lifestyle with many high-rise condominiums at the core, then townhomes and single-family homes as you travel further north. The convenience of shopping, dining, entertainment and transportation south of Fairfax Drive is matched by access to athletic facilities at Quincy Park and Washington-Liberty Aquatics Center, and the Arlington Central Library to the north.
All these lifestyle amenities have made North Ballston a great place to live and play, which has also attracted some top corporations and universities including the Office of Naval Research, the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research… just to name a few. Some of the most exciting recent additions to the neighborhood include the renovated and expanded Ballston Quarter — featured in our January 15 Neighborhood Spotlight.
Connect with neighborhood expert Bob Johnson to learn more about North Ballston and other surrounding areas!
For 40 years, McEnearney Associates has been a premiere residential, commercial and property management firm with 11 offices located in the Washington metro region. With service excellence, hyper-local expertise, powerful data insights, innovative technology and cutting-edge marketing, McEnearney Associates have helped their clients make informed decisions on their most valuable real estate investments. There is an important difference at McEnearney: It’s not about us, it’s about you. To learn more, visit us at www.McEnearney.com.
Address:1100 N. Inglewood Street Neighborhood: Lacey Forest Listed: $1,075,000 Open: Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Walk, bike, or scoot to Westover Village from this light-filled 1940s brick colonial on a large, level, fenced lot with a rare two car garage.
The renovated kitchen is open to the dining room and features white cabinets, granite tops, wood floors, ceramic tile backsplash, and KitchenAid appliances with a separate baking drawer in the gas range and a convection element in the microwave.
Knotty pine panelling in the rec room was replaced with drywall, and the lower level has abundant recessed lighting with new carpeting in the rec room, and luxury vinyl flooring in the laundry room, utility and storage room, and wine closet. A gas fireplace is a focal point of the space, and a door to the yard provides a handy entrance for children and gardeners to clean up after time in the sunny garden.
Exterior shades and a bamboo floor make the sunroom even more inviting for nearly year round use. Desirable details: gas fireplace in the large living room, wood floors on the main and upper levels, a powder room on the main level and a second half bath in the lower level, great storage in the attics over both the house and the garage. The large garage has 110V wiring and offers potential for an ADU, office, gym, bike shop or housing cherished cars.
Conveniently located blocks to the W&OD bike and walking trail, Lacey Woods Park and Westover Park, the home is served by Cardinal Elementary School, Swanson Middle School and Washington-Liberty High School.
A classic home in one of Arlington’s prettiest neighborhoods.
Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Andors Real Estate Group.
Good morning, Arlington, and welcome to Just Listed! I was feeling creative today so I wrote you a little bit more in depth about price escalations relative to market conditions — let me know what you think!
Last week I told you about properties selling for $300,000 over their asking price, and this week I’ll tell you more! This continues to happen; in fact, it seems to be ramping up in frequency. Besides the obvious lack of inventory, there are other reasons why this happens. No, most of the time the agent or the seller did not underprice the property.
In fact, it probably was simply priced perfectly! Pricing with data, based on the location of the property and its overall condition relative to recent sales isn’t always easy, but it’s the only way to do it. Once a property hits this hot of a market and it’s priced properly, market forces do the rest, allowing for prompt validation, fear of loss by other purchasers and an escalated sale price.
This does not mean that sellers should price where they “think” or “hope” it will sell! In fact, doing this is a perfect recipe to NOT sell your house! The aggressive price escalations happen when value, and in these cases, extra value, is perceived and then willingly paid for through market forces. Starting too high is obvious to the marketplace and results in your property being ignored in favor of other options. Price with recent data and allow the agents and marketplace to do the rest.
We’ve been experiencing constant price appreciation in Arlington since the Great Recession. That price appreciation is not linear, it jumps during certain periods of time, and stays stagnant for others. This results in an average that can be applied over longer durations, but a lot of it happens in short bits when the conditions are just right, such as this year’s spring market.
Say we experienced 12% appreciation year over year, for example. This could be applied as 1%/month, or $10,000/month on a $1,000,000 home, or it could all happen in March with a single sale for 10% over asking price, and then prices stop jumping for the remainder of the year. The latter is more of what we’re experiencing, as last fall prices were much more stagnant due to fewer buyers in the market, at the time.
Simply put, if prices jumped hundreds of thousands of dollars constantly, many, many times per year, we’d all be buying and selling homes that are worth $5,000,000+ before too long, but that’s certainly not what we’re experiencing in Arlington.
Fewer buyers in the market at any given time does not result in prices decreasing, they simply stop going up, for a time, hence the idea of average price appreciation being applied as a year over year, or month over month, metric.
Welcome home to this expanded and recently renovated Cape Cod! It exudes charm and lives comfortably! Five bedrooms, two full and one half bathroom and the ability to live on the main level are just the beginning! Perfectly situated on a flat, 6,000sf fully fenced lot with driveway parking for two or more cars. An inviting front entryway leads into a foyer with views of the open kitchen, dining and family rooms.
Chef’s kitchen with gorgeous white cabinetry, Quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and bar seating. A family room in the rear steps out onto one of two decks and overlooks the backyard. Upstairs has three bedrooms, a brand-new hall bathroom, and a second private deck from the primary bedroom. Bonus space upstairs, loads of storage throughout, including basement, and a flexible floorplan for all work from home, home school or multi-generational needs.
Address: 5298 Old Dominion Drive Neighborhood:Williamsburg Village Listed: $2,395,000 Open: Sunday, March 13 from 1-4 p.m.
Perfect for the buyer who values quality, space, history and a private oasis. This beautiful home was built in 2005 and is situated on a 26,000 square foot private lot with an original D.C. boundary marker stone in back yard.
Generous room sizes and open floor plan, perfect for entertaining. Main floor features a living room, dining room, a chef’s kitchen, den, great room with a gas fireplace, plus a bonus office/studio/playroom space with heated floor and spiral staircase to upper level. Gorgeous kitchen with granite, stainless appliances including Viking range, wall oven, microwave convection oven, warming drawer and wine refrigerator. Upper level provides five bedrooms, three bathrooms, laundry and office. Lower level with sixth bedroom, full bath, and theater room. Refinished hardwood floors on upper two levels, new carpet in lower level and freshly painted throughout.
Expansive patio, built in grill and private fenced 26,000 square foot lot. Natural gas fueled backup generator. Three attached garage spaces with ample storage and ceiling height.
Under the authority of President George Washington, the D.C. Boundary Stones were laid out along the former D.C. boundary lines (1791-1792) marking the border between Washington, Virginia and Maryland. The boundary marker in the backyard is one of the original markers.
Discovery, Williamsburg, Yorktown school pyramid.
Listed by:
Marga Pirozzoli/Justine Pope
Compass
3001 Washington Blvd, Suite 400
Arlington, VA. 22201
(703) 584-4844/(703) 266-7277 margaplusjustine@compass.com
