Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

Statutes of Liberty: H-1B season is here

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 Arlington, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

USCIS’s inbox is going to look like this very, very soon

This year, the first week of March is the biggest week of the year for business immigration: H-1B season.

The H-1B visa is a visa for foreign workers who will work in a specialty occupation in the United States on a temporary basis. This means that foreigners who have specialty degrees — software programmers, accountants, lawyers — can work in the United States as long as they have a U.S.-based employer willing and able to hire them. The theory here is that workers in specialty occupations contribute greatly to the U.S. economy. (We agree with this theory, with the possible exception of lawyers who don’t advertise on ARLnow.)

Demand greatly exceeds supply for these visas. Each fiscal year, there is a cap of 65,000 visas and a separate cap of 20,000 visas, known as the master’s cap, for foreign nationals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher, for a total of 85,000 available visas. Most employers submit applications for foreign workers under this program in the hope that foreign workers will start work at the beginning of the next fiscal year, on October 1, 2023.

For the upcoming H-1B cap season, USCIS will continue to use the electronic registration process. Between March 1 and March 18, 2022, all employers seeking to file cap-subject petitions, including advanced degree petitions, must electronically register and pay a $10.00 fee to USCIS for each petition they wish to file. USCIS will then select registrations at random, and only those registrations chosen will be eligible to file a full cap-subject petition.

Demand is indeed intense. Usually, the number of registrations exceed the annual cap of 85,000 visas so USCIS makes random selections from those candidates who have registered. Once a registration is selected by USCIS, the employer has 90 days from the day to notification to file the petition.

If there are not enough registrations, or if employers fail to file the petition for the selected candidate, USCIS may continue accepting submitted registrations or open a new registration period.

Last year, after the initial lottery and the subsequent 90 day filing deadline for selected petitions, USCIS determined that the cap had not been met, thus triggering a second lottery where it selected an additional 27,717 registrations. A third lottery was announced in November, with the selection of an additional 16,753 registrations.

Electronic filing has proven to be a useful and cost-saving tool for employers as they do not have to file the whole H-1B petition and wait to see if their applications have been selected. The process, is however complex, and given the short timeframe to apply once a selection has been notified it is important to consult with an experienced immigration lawyer who can help companies navigate this new process. We are here to help.

As always, we welcome comments and will reply to all that we can.

Small Business Focus: 2022, roaring into the Lunar Year of the Tiger with new business resources

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

Two years into the roaring 2020s, a new year means new resources. With 2022 marking a fresh start for what we hope will be a spectacular year, the team at BizLaunch is committed to making sure the small business community is ready to succeed.

Free of charge and easily accessible with an Arlington County library card, BizLaunch is excited to welcome DemographicsNow, IBISWorld and Statista to its database family. Each of these resources has been curated to assist businesses in these unprecedented times; from the shift in eCommerce rates to learning more about the post-pandemic consumer, business owners will have answers to all questions they have about today’s small business climate. With cutting edge statistics, real time research in your industry, and an abundance of market analysis, this powerful trio has Arlington’s small business community in mind.

DemographicsNow is a 25-year-old full-service spatial analytics firm designed with features such as sales forecasting, customer profiling, market analysis and much more. This concrete location-based data can offer insight that may be exactly what you’ve been seeking. With DemographicsNow, you’ll know the who, when, where, how and even which locations hold the highest level of consumer engagement. In turn, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of how to take advantage of where you are and turn it into where your customers can live, work, shop, and more.

IBISWorld, a staple database in the business world since 1971, offers in-house analysts that provide economic, demographic and market data. What does this mean? All of this combined helps businesses make informed decisions with all variables and factors considered. They have an assorted portfolio of products, providing clients with things such as: industry research, financial ratios, risk ratings and Business Environment Profiles, just to name a few. With a full suite of industry research and expert tools that are accessible globally, IBISWorld aids a diverse range of clientele: from commercial banks to academic institutions alike.

Only a little over a decade old, Statista has taken the industry research field by storm. With more than two million registered users, one million statistics, 31 million visits per month and 170 industries covered, Statista has mastered the art of consolidating data and making it palatable. Information like research and analysis (combined) and eCommerce are what makes Statista stand out from most databases.

It has even been cited in articles by some of the largest media companies of the world, including Forbes, the New York Times, and the Financial Times. Additionally, it works closely with academic institutions like Harvard and Yale University, further building credibility of this influential database

(more…)

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.

Valentine’s Day may be a couple of days removed, but love is still very much in the air here in Arlington County.

We can feel the love in this week’s Just Reduced figures, with the total number of homes reduced hovering in the upper teens and some price reductions spanning tens of thousands of dollars. It is worth noting that through the years here, we’ve seen some reductions reach the several hundred thousand dollars mark.

Amid a market that is as red hot as that bouquet of roses on your table, real estate dreams can still be achieved here in 2022. Vital to making that happen is having the right team by your side. When you’re ready to discuss the next home that will make your heart flutter, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc is ready to dazzle.

Until then, here are this week’s Just Reduced numbers.

As of February 14, there are 71 detached homes, 27 townhouses and 167 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 17 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

1881 N. Nash Street #406

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.

Omicron is on the decline — Book your living wage cleaning!

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Dear ARLnow readers,

This winter has been rough.

Due to Omicron, many of our family, friends and neighbors got sick, and our hospitals were filled to capacity. And by overlapping with the holiday season, I know that many of us missed out on doing things we wanted to do and seeing people we wanted to see.

Thankfully, according to a recent NPR segment, it looks like we are turning a corner. In fact, according to the New York Times’ tracker for the District of Columbia, pictured below, cases are down 78% in the last two weeks. As case counts decrease as rapidly as they ascended, many of us are thinking through what we feel comfortable doing now and how to best enjoy our lives again.

Screenshot courtesy The New York Times

If one thing you’ve been missing is your regular home cleaning, Well-Paid Maids is here for you and still doing everything in our power to be as COVID-safe as possible. Our cleaners are still wearing masks to every job, we are still asking customers to be masked when sharing space with them, and our staff is still 100% fully vaccinated with a rolling booster mandate in effect as cleaners become eligible.

And, of course, we are still the D.C. area’s only living-wage home cleaning service. Our vaccinated, boosted and masked staff make at least $20/hour and receive a full benefits package including 22 paid days off, health, dental, and vision insurance, and 100% employer-paid commuting.

If you’re interested in doing business with a cleaning company that takes COVID seriously and matches your values, please visit our website to book a cleaning today. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. We look forward to serving you soon!

Regards,

Aaron Seyedian
Founder
Well-Paid Maids

Ask Eli: Increasing interest rates and what it means for the market

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: How are you seeing recent interest rate increases effect the real estate market?

Answer: Real estate has become significantly more expensive in the last 6 weeks due to a combination of another round of strong price growth and rapidly increasing interest rates.

Average interest rates over the past year

Interest Rates Up, Prices…Up?

Theoretically, higher interest rates should put downward pressure on home prices, but over the last 4-5 weeks, as rates have been climbing, I’m seeing winning offers on single-family homes coming in 10-15% or more above the asking price (and prices justified by 2021 sales). I’ve also seen price increases and competition, to a lesser extent, in the condo market.

Why is this happening? Early rate increases seem to have had the opposite effect on prices than you’d expect because some buyers are choosing to pay more now rather than wait and risk higher rates (most projections show rates increasing through 2022). Time will tell if this gamble pays off or not.

How is this possible? We live in an area where incomes often support higher borrowing limits than buyers choose for their own budgets, especially dual-income households, so for many buyers, especially those with the means to purchase single-family homes, they have the borrowing capacity to pay more and some are choosing to do so.

At some point, higher interest rates should cool the market, but we’ve yet to reach that point locally.

The Effect Higher Rates Have on Payments

I mentioned earlier that to this point, higher rates, and the threat of more increases in the future, have caused prices to increase. In general, a .5% increase in interest rate has a similar effect on the monthly payment as a 6.5% increase in purchase price, so if a buyer expects interest rates to be .5% higher in a few months, they can claim a victory on their mortgage payments by paying 3-4% more now before the rate hike.

The table below is a simple reference point on how much a .5% increase in interest rate effects monthly payments at different loan amounts. Is the threat of those changes in payment enough to cause you to pay more now or make a purchase decision that you otherwise may not have?

(more…)

Legal Insider: Social media tips for federal employees

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 Melissa L. Watkins, Esq.

Social media has a very long half-life, possibly longer than radioactive material.

As a federal employee, you are subject to certain limitations regarding your social media activity. There are five basic rules you should keep in mind as you engage with social media:

  1. Don’t: Use Personal Social Media During the Workday
  2. Don’t: Give the Impression You Are Posting in An Official Capacity
  3. Don’t: Share Non-public Information.
  4. Don’t: Violate the Hatch Act
  5. Don’t: Post Content that Could Raise a Security Concern

These rules will help you to avoid violations of the Federal Government Standards of Conduct and the Hatch Act.

The Federal Government Standards of Conduct do not prohibit federal employees from establishing and maintaining personal social media accounts. However, employees must ensure that their social media activities comply with the Standards and other applicable laws, including agency supplemental regulations and agency-specific policies.

When federal employees are on-duty, the Standards of Conduct require that they use official time in an honest effort to perform official duties, and that they use government property only to perform official duties, unless they are authorized to use government property for other purposes. Where agencies have established policies permitting limited personal use of government resources by their employees, those policies may authorize employees to access their personal social media accounts while on duty.

However, you should keep in mind that there is no right to privacy on work devices. If you do use your work device, whether desktop computer or mobile phone, to access personal accounts, understand that your activity may be monitored by the agency. The Standards of Conduct also prohibit employees from using their official titles, positions, or any authority associated with their public offices for private gain.

In addition to rules arising from the Federal Government Standards of Conduct, federal employees are also prohibited from engaging in certain activities on social media due to the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from sending messages through social media that advocate for a political party or candidate for partisan public office while on duty or in a federal building. Engaging in such activity may subject federal employees to disciplinary action.

There are three general prohibitions under the Hatch Act that apply to all federal employees:

  1. Employees may not engage in political activity while on duty or in the federal workplace.
  2. Employees may not knowingly solicit, accept, or receive a political contribution for a political party, candidate in a partisan race, or partisan political group at any time.
  3. Employees may not use their official authority or influence to affect the outcome of an election.

Beyond the rules established by the Federal Government Standards of Conduct and the Hatch Act, federal employees, contractors and applicants should also be mindful of the impact that social media can have on possessing or applying for a security clearance.

Federal agencies may also consider publicly available social media information in connection with an application for a security clearance. While the government has been quick to point out it has not yet created a good process for ‘checking’ social media in the background investigations process, the government has been clear that publicly available social media information may be a part of the government’s continuous evaluation process. It is advisable to change your privacy settings to “friends and family only” and to not accept new friend requests from people who you don’t know.

Contact Us

If you are a federal employee in need of employment law representation, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook and Twitter.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Shirlington edition

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

What makes Shirlington a Special Neighborhood in Arlington

The charming sense of community truly makes Shirlington special.

While it has evolved over the years, it has always stayed true to its community. It is a vibrant, welcoming and diverse area that has everything you need. Whatever you are craving from food to entertainment, Shirlington has it. It’s a place where you can live, work, shop and play.

Whether you are attending a show at the Tony Award Winning Signature Theater, enjoying tapas with friends at Palette 22, or taking a sweat-filled workout at F45 Training, this is a neighborhood shared by all, including your four-legged family members. You can let your dogs run abound at Shirlington Dog Park, a 2-acre off-leash play area, and then head over to Dogma Bakery for a dog-friendly sweet treat. Top off a great day by treating yourself at either Le Village Marche or a massage at Massage Forever.

Conveniently located off of 395, accessibility is a major selling point to the neighborhood. Home to the city’s only indoor bus station, Shirlington is connected to major bus routes that take you throughout Arlington and into D.C.

It’s not just bus and car friendly, but also a great location for pedestrians, runners, and bike riders as it is right off the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail and Four Mile Run Trail. The location leads to a perfect blend of urban and suburban, allowing neighbors and visitors alike to share in the vibrancy of the neighborhood.

In the heart of Shirlington, you’ll find high-rise condominium living. As you step further slightly out of the Village, you’ll find a wide variety of townhomes, condominiums and single-family homes.

Connect with neighborhood expert Sallie Seiy to learn more about Shirlington and other surrounding areas!

Sallie Seiy | 703-798-4666 | [email protected] | www.SallieSeiy.com | www.McEnearney.com | @soldbysallie on Instagram

Shirlington (and Nearby) Neighborhood Links & Recommendations

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.

Your Beermonger: Big Game pairings

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is written by Todd Himes, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Order from Arrowine’s expanding online store for curbside pickup.

This weekend is going to be a snack food extravaganza with plenty of commercial breaks, a whole lot of Snoop Dogg (performing in a halftime show and hosting/coaching the Puppy Bowl!) and rumor has it there will also be a football game going on around all of this.

There’s also going to be plenty of beers to go around, both in those commercials and in many of our hands. The sort of light lagers you’ll mostly see advertised will certainly have their place at many parties and on bar tops but if you’re interested in stepping up a few of your pairings I’m here with a few suggestions for you. Now, I’ll say a great craft lager or your favorite IPA could just as easily go with any of these foods and you can feel free to mix and match any of these as well, but I’m going to throw out a few of my favorites and give what you’ll hopefully find to be inspired pairings.

Nachos and Witbier

This pairing works incredibly well because the Wit will introduce a bright and fresh element with some citrus and spice. If you’re loading up nachos with fresh guac, pico de gallo and lots of shredduce, a tasty witbier can compliment all those flavors. If you prefer your tortillas smothered in queso, refried beans or chorizo then the higher than average carbonation of the style can cut through those denser, rich flavors.

Beermonger’s Choice — Port City Optimal Wit

Chili Con Carne and Smoked Lager

I really love this pairing because the smoke flavor really incorporates well into chili but a crisp lagered finish can help keep your palate from getting overwhelmed. There’s lots of suggestions out there for porters and stouts here which I love, but in the interest of keeping this party going until at least when the halftime show is over I like the low ABV options.

Beermonger’s Choice — Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Pepperoni Pizza and Brown Ale

Plan ahead if you’re looking to get delivery on this day since it is one of the busiest of the year for pizza shops or if you’re like me grab some of the Calabrese Salami from our deli and make your own spicy take at home. Brown ale is going to really pair well with the crust, cheese, sauce and meat without overpowering any of them. It can be tempting to grab an IPA or Pilsner here as well but when the cured meats start to join the party I really enjoy the toasty malty compliment here.

Beermonger’s Choice — Bingo Brown Ale

Wings and New England IPA

Hops are going to play up the spice here but a juicy IPA with low bitterness will keep you from burning your tongue off. I really enjoy the way the heat can play with some of the super tropical or citrusy hop varieties. The nice thing with this pairing is neither one of these are particularly known for their subtlety, the big flavors here can go up against each other for the entirety of four quarters.

Beermonger’s Choice — Commonwealth Big Papi

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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.

It’s 5:30 a.m. here in Arlington, do you know where your Realtor is?!

At Andors Real Estate Group, we’re up before the crack of dawn working on connecting our buyers with sellers, and our sellers with buyers. In this kind of market environment, you need an agent who is knocking on doors, making calls and getting it done! This market is not for the faint of heart, as lost contracts are becoming the norm very quickly, prices are escalating sky-high, and

Expect more frenzy from buyers in the short term, as rates took another jump (after three weeks of stagnation) rising from 3.5% last week to 3.69% this week. Remember, these rates are still super, super low and historically excellent, but they will start to shake some people’s confidence. Buyers shouldn’t be too worried, consensus is they’ll stop going up once they get to around 4%, but it’s definitely going to feel like a fire, especially for those actively in the market.

Despite sellers putting 77 new homes on the market over the past seven days, inventory dropped another 13, to a record low of 226 available properties (down from 237 last week). If buyers continue to ratify at these levels, we’re barely scratching three weeks’ worth of supply! Expect prices to continue to rise, fast, if this keeps up!

Buyers ratified 71 homes in the past week, so while that doesn’t perfectly keep pace with new inventory, a lot of the holdover inventory is also being absorbed (those sitting on the market for a month or longer) and of the 71 properties that went under contract, 38 of those spent less than seven days on the market.

Of the 226 homes currently available for sale, 53 are detached homes, 22 are semi-detached/townhomes, and the remaining 159 are condominiums. These properties range in price from $100,000 all the way up to $3,850,000.

Average list price for currently available homes is $872,076, and the median price is $562,000. These homes have been on the market for an average of 77 DOM (days on market) and a median of 38. Median days on market is dropping fast and serves as a much better barometer for how the market is moving; the average is heavily weighted by overpriced properties that sit on the market a long time.

This week last year, there were 376 homes available for sale throughout the county. Sellers had listed 64 homes for sale and buyers ratified 72 contracts.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. If you see a home that you’re interested in purchasing, give us a call!

Call the Andors Real Estate Group today at (703) 203-1117 to talk more about buying or selling Arlington real estate. Below are eight new listings that I think you might like to check out.

5702 11th Road N.

Listing of the Day: 2349 Chadlington Road

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/5

Address: 2349 Chadlington Road
Neighborhood: Chestnut Place, Falls Church
Listed: $1,325,000
Open: Saturday, February 12 and Sunday, February 13 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Walk to West Falls Church Metro, newly renovated Birch & Broad Center, and bike path from a light filled three level end townhouse with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a 2 car garage.

With 3,000 square feet brimming with style and upgrades, this home provides the versatile space needed today. The entry level fourth bedroom with windows on two sides and a full bathroom accommodates a guest, in-law or home office. The adjoining den has doors to the lushly landscaped, fenced yard brimming with bay laurels to ensure privacy on the stone patio. Even the garage doubles as a gym with room for cars and fitness gear.

A chef worthy kitchen is the centerpiece of the main level with crisp white cabinets, quartz countertops and gas cooking. The center island provides casual dining or a spot for participatory cooking and baking. An expansive dining room flows into the living room, ideal for gatherings or daily living. The focal point of the living room is a gas fireplace flanked by built-ins, and there are doors leading to a large deck overlooking the yard.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom has room for a sitting area, a desk, or media. Two walk-in closets provide organized storage. The adjoining primary bathroom features a double sink vanity and oversized shower. Two bedrooms on this level share the hall bathroom, and the laundry room completes the floor.

A lovely home awaits those who appreciate fine appointments and an enviable location in Chestnut Place.

Listed by:
Betsy Twigg
McEnearney Associates
703-967-4391
[email protected]
www.betsytwigg.com

Boring Title: Making financed home purchase offers more competitive in 2022

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Title insurance is boring, but Allied Title & Escrow is here to decode the jargon and make it (somewhat) more interesting. This biweekly feature will explore the mundane (but very necessary!) world of title insurance while sharing interesting stories of two friends’ entrepreneurial careers.

While we are still in the early days for the 2022 housing market, experts are advising buyers to brace themselves for another competitive year.

New data in Realtor.com‘s Monthly Housing Report shows home buyers are already off to the real estate races. In the first month of the year, the typical home sold faster than in any prior January in recent history, according to the report released earlier this week.

The bottom line is that buyers need to be prepared before they start shopping around. This week we sat down with David Piatek of Summit Funding to discuss the major changes for loan products that consumers can take advantage of in 2022 in order to be more competitive in the current real estate market.

Questions for David? Learn more at summitfunding.net/sites/dpiatek.

Have questions related to title insurance? Email [email protected]. Want to use Allied Title & Escrow when you buy a home? Tell your agent when you buy a house to write in Allied Title & Escrow as your settlement company! 

View More Stories