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 did Arlington’s single-family home market perform in 2021?

Answer: Last week we reviewed the performance of the condo market so this week we will take a look at the market that has been a topic of conversation across the country for well over a year — the single-family (detached) housing market.

Appreciation Was Strong, Not Exceptional

The 2021 Arlington single-family market was fiercely competitive and experienced its highest appreciation in years. However, the shift in market conditions (demand and price appreciation) was not nearly as dramatic as other regional or national markets that have made headline news over the last 12+ months.

Why? Because thanks to strong market fundamentals and Amazon’s 2018 HQ2 announcement, the Arlington market was already exceptionally competitive and expensive, relative to most other regional and national markets, prior to the COVID-driven housing market mayhem.

Here are some highlights from the chart and table below (22206 and 22209 are not included due to lack of single-family homes sold):

  • The average and median price of a single-family home in Arlington increased in 2021 by 6.2% and 7.2%, respectively. Excellent appreciation for any homeowner, but not the double-digit appreciation other regional and national markets experienced last year.
  • Nearly 50% of homes sold for more than the asking price and didn’t last more than one week on market.
  • More single-family homes were listed and sold in 2021 than any of the last five years. Had supply been closer to the ~1,000 homes sold in the previous three years, I suspect average and median prices may have climbed closer to double-digit year-over-year increases.
  • The median price of a house in Arlington exceeded $1M for the first time in 2021. The average price climbed above $1.2M in 2021 and has been above $1M since 2018.
  • The average buyer paid 1.1% over the asking price, which equates to about $13,000 over ask.
  • Of the homes that went under contract in one week or less (just under half), the average buyer paid 3.7% over the asking price.
  • In 2017, the majority of homes (39%) sold for less than $800k, in 2021 just 15% of homes sold for less than $800k (this includes teardowns) and 19% sold for at least $1.6M.
  • In each of the last three years, over 40% of homes have sold for $800k-$1.2M.

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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 V. Berry, Esq.

Pursuant to the Biden Administration’s changes to personnel law for federal employees, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has just issued new proposed regulations to rescind many of the prior Administration’s federal employee rule changes. The changes by OPM were those put into motion earlier this year when the President revoked Executive Order 13839 by signing Executive Order 14003. The President, in Executive Order 14003 directed OPM to suspend, revise, or rescind actions implementing Executive Order 13839.

OPM’s new rules will affect federal employees in a few ways and will likely be fully implemented as soon as the short comment period is over. The changes will eliminate the clean record settlement ban, alter performance-based actions, revise probationary period notices, and change a few other personnel issues for federal employees. By far, the most important change is the ability for federal agencies to enter into clear record settlements with federal employees in cases.

Major Changes for Federal Employees

OPM’s proposed rules will rescind several parts of the former Administration changes to civil service rules, including the following:

  • Clean Record Settlements: This is the change that everyone has been waiting for. The prior Administration banned federal agencies from resolving federal employment litigation involving clean record settlements, where a person would be able to obtain a fresh start as part of settlement. Both federal employees and agencies disliked the ban because it interfered with their ability to resolve cases. The proposed changes will eliminate this ban and allow federal agencies the discretion to resolve complaints and settle cases in a fair manner.
  • Performance-Based Actions Against Federal Employees: The former Administration’s prior rule added language that basically left struggling employees without the ability to obtain assistance in successfully passing performance improvement plans. OPM’s change in the proposed rule would revert back to prior language that provided that as “the agency shall offer assistance to the employee in improving unacceptable performance” during the performance improvement plan process.
  • Probationary Notices: Next, OPM’s former rules required federal agencies to notify supervisors at least 3 months before an employee’s probationary period ended (with an additional reminder 30 days before it ended). The rules also required supervisors to make an affirmative decision about whether the employee should stay on the job. The rule had the unintended effect of causing many unjustified terminations and confusion. OPM’s new rules will remove this requirement because it believes that the frequency and timing of notifications should be left up to the discretion of each agency.
  • Disciplinary Penalty Determinations: The proposed rule removes many of the former Administration’s new criteria for disciplinary penalty evaluations, restating that a belief that the Douglas factors govern penalties for federal employees, leaving significant discretion to federal agencies.
  • National Guard Technician Changes: The proposed rules also would implement new requirements for procedural and appeal rights for dual status National Guard technicians for certain types of adverse actions.

If you are in need of advice regarding noncompete agreements or clauses, 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 or Twitter.


This regularly scheduled sponsored 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.

Do you live and breathe renewable energy and energy efficiency? Do you have a keen community commitment, a brain for scaled sustainability programs and the experience that proves it? Does the idea of completely transforming the way energy is generated, transported, used and stored (with an expert team that loves this, too) excite you? If so, we have the perfect job(s) for you!

Come join our dedicated and fun-loving team to create a carbon-neutral Arlington.

The Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management (OSEM) within the Department of Environmental Services is seeking two highly skilled technical and programmatic staff to fill the Green Building Manager and Energy Program Specialist vacancies.

The OSEM operates as Arlington County’s core agency for climate mitigation and adaptation programs and a growing portfolio of cross-departmental and community-facing energy programs.

Learn more about these jobs, share them with your friends and colleagues, and apply!

The full job descriptions are linked below:


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.

Happy New Year, Arlington!

WOW — 2021 was a year for the record books when it comes to real estate, and the real question is how will 2022 compare!?

Truth is, we only have some early indicators at this point, and anyone who claims to know is only speculating. So many things impact our local marketplace, and many of those are likely to change throughout the year.

Interest rates are going to rise this year, but exactly how that impacts our high-priced homes might surprise some folks. I’ve mentioned before that interest rates impact lower incomes and lower price points more than they do the million-dollar homes, so the hype around interest rates may be overblown, at least in Arlington and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Inflation is another serious factor, especially as it continues to run very high, relative to the past few decades. Real estate is a hard asset, a perfect place to hedge against weakening purchasing power. If inflation continues to run high, expect housing prices locally and across the country to keep up, or exceed inflation numbers.

Inventory, currently at the lowest point since I took over this blog 23 months ago, will always be the biggest part of the story in Arlington. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, housing markets are a simple supply and demand equation. So long as inventory fails to meet demand, prices will be driven upwards. Expect this to continue for years to come.

Do politics play a role? Well, more so in Arlington and the DMV than just about anywhere else in the country, but just how much? Very little. Truth is, even in presidential cycles, most of the staffers on the hill are already here, and they don’t leave even if their candidate doesn’t win, they just work in a different office somewhere in the region. There is almost no discernible impact from either the presidential election or mid-terms, and 2022 isn’t likely to deviate from that too much.

2021 smashed sales records for one main reason, and that is that people finally started moving! Demand wasn’t fully satisfied, but enough homes came up for sale, and were subsequently bought, that we were able to see so much more turnover in our geographically tiny county. We’re beginning 2022 with 261 properties available for sale, but this week last year, we had 513! So, for 2022 to look anything like 2021, we’re going to need some sellers to cash in on the high prices…

Digging into some other numbers for you to kick off the year, we’re off to a slow start, but that’s to be expected this time of year. Sellers listed just 28 homes in the past week, and buyers ratified 17 contracts, four of which were on homes listed seven days or less.

Of the homes currently available for sale (261 total), 61 are detached homes, 36 are semi-detached/ townhomes, and the remaining 185 are condominiums. These properties range in price from $100,000 all the way up to $4,250,000.

Average list price for currently available homes is $841,985, and the median price is $562,450. These homes have been on the market for an average of 89 DOM (days on market) and a median of 64. Expect the DOM to start dropping precipitously in the coming weeks as we see a surge of new inventory.

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.

6586 Williamsburg Blvd

As you pause at the start of a new year to consider your goals and resolutions, there’s no better time to consider whether to invest in your future career through an MBA.

Whether you’re looking for fully online delivery or in-person classes, Virginia Tech offers three different part-time MBA formats designed for working professionals in the Washington, D.C. area and beyond.

“Our strategic focus since 2013 has been to provide working professionals with flexible options that fit into their personal and professional lives,” said Dana Hansson, director of MBA programs at Virginia Tech.

That commitment to providing different types of flexibility informed the launch of Virginia Tech’s Online MBA in January 2021, but the program recognizes there is still a significant population of students that prefer the in-person learning environment, particularly after online meetings have become the new normal in other parts of their lives.

Virginia Tech’s portfolio of programs seeks to balance these preferences so everyone can find an MBA that meets their individual needs.

  • Evening MBA — Virginia Tech’s Evening MBA program has been consistently ranked the best part-time MBA program in Virginia, and one of the best in the nation, by U.S. News & World Report. The program provides maximum flexibility for those who prefer to learn in-person. Classes are offered on weekday evenings at Virginia Tech’s center in West Falls Church and students choose their own course load each semester, as well as their personal degree timeline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
  • Executive MBA This 18-month, cohort-based program is based at Virginia Tech’s state-of-the-art facility in Ballston. With easy transport links, an accelerated timeline, and the cost of books, meals, parking and more included in tuition, the Executive MBA provides maximum convenience for experienced professionals. Students meet bi-monthly on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings for intensive class weekends that emphasize strategic leadership and experiential learning. The next application deadline is January 15.
  • Online MBA — This 22-month, cohort-based program is 100% online, and includes a mix of synchronous and asynchronous delivery to maximize engagement. The cohort format allows students to build meaningful connections with talented classmates and Virginia Tech’s top-notch faculty. The next application deadline is January 31.

Learn more about each of Virginia Tech’s MBA programs and how to apply at mba.vt.edu.


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.

Last month, we gave you our review of what 2021 brought to the wild world of immigration law. This month, we want to give you a peek into the crystal ball and tell you what we think 2022 will bring.

Fee Increases

We predict that DHS will succeed in increasing its fees, though not to the extent proposed during the Trump Administration. This fee increase will have two parts — increases to fees paid to the State Department for visa applications, like student visas and visitor visas — and increases to fees paid directly to USCIS for all sorts of immigration benefits, including green cards, work permits, naturalization and employment-based visas. It is quite possible that USCIS will expand the availability of Premium Processing for additional types of employment-based immigration benefits.

Whether USCIS needs the additional money is a tough question. It is beyond dispute that delays have skyrocketed. Whether additional money would solve the problem is a matter of dispute; we tend to think that USCIS’s problems are operational, not financial.

Immigration Courts Open for Business

The Immigration Courts — including our local court in Arlington — have opened and closed as the waves of COVID have swept through our area. At the moment, the Omicron variant has led the Arlington Immigration Court to stop holding crowded preliminary hearings, but trials (“individual hearings”) are continuing as normal.

Making predictions about the immigration courts means making predictions about COVID, which means making a fool of yourself in public. Fortunately, as Statutes of Liberty readers know, we’re more than willing to do that.

We predict that the Omicron variant will have little impact on the functioning of the immigration courts. Trials will continue. Perhaps the immigration court backlog will even begin to decline. Hope is the thing with feathers –/that perches in the soul…

Asylum Backlogs Will Get Worse

Several factors will combine to make U.S. asylum offices even more backlogged than they are now. First of all, the Remain in Mexico program will die. Litigation to preserve it cannot, in the long run, prevail against the Biden Administration’s deep unhappiness about being forced to continue it. Second, as COVID-related restraining measures slowly are repealed, the continued use of Title 42 will end, either voluntarily or by injunction. The end of those two programs will make it easier to come to the U.S. to seek asylum, and the incredibly tight labor market will increase the financial incentive to do so.

We respect our local asylum office and appreciate the work of asylum officers, but we have no confidence that DHS will staff up the asylum offices sufficiently to cope with any increase in applications.

Immigration Reform Won’t Happen

Congress last acted to reform U.S. immigration law, in a significant way, in 1965. That was a long time ago; the distance between 1965 and the present is the span between 1965 and the Roosevelt Administration (TR, not FDR).

Immigration reform came close to happening in Build Back Better. It came closer in 2004. It won’t happen this year. Legislative action to formalize DACA into a permanent status won’t happen either. We’ll continue to muddle through.

Do you have predictions about what will happen next year? Tell us in the comments. As always, we welcome your thoughts and questions and will do our best to respond.


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

Now that we’re in 2022, many small business owners may be wondering what they can do to make their business more prosperous in the new year.

For our first Small Business Focus of 2022, we thought we’d have a Q&A with our BizLaunch Director, Tara Palacios who will share some tips from her 20+ years of experience in helping small businesses start, grow and scale.

1.) The last two years have been extremely challenging for many small businesses. What is one action item that you’d recommend that all business owners complete in 2022?

If there is anything the pandemic has taught us, it is to make sure you have your house in order. One action item is to make sure that you are ready to take an opportunity that presents itself. Do a business audit ensuring that the formation of your business is solid. This includes making sure you have your EIN and that it matches your legal name of your business with the SCC. If you’re using a trade name for your business, ensuring that is registered with the SCC. You want to ensure everything matches with various regulatory agencies.

Additionally, you will want to make sure that you are current on all your bills, including your tax obligations to compete for opportunities. Last year, many entrepreneurs faced challenges regarding their legal structure, and you cannot apply for a grant or other forms of capital if your legal name does not match with the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) or if you are not current on your financial obligations.

I would also recommend business owners check that their social security number or EIN has not been compromised, meaning someone else has not used your personal information. Individuals can pull a copy of their Social Security Statement and credit report to ensure everything matches their records. Maybe even consider getting a credit monitoring service as cybercrime continues to rise and small businesses are an easy target. The new year is a wonderful opportunity for businesses to audit these areas.

I think before the pandemic many businesses may not have been aware of certain regulatory requirements; however, at this stage of the game it’s imperative businesses have their house in order. Having your house in order will ensure you’re able to compete in 2022 whether that be for financial or business opportunities.

Finally, with so much disruption affecting businesses, I think conducting a SWOT analysis is helpful in analyzing future opportunities and threats and how businesses can combat those.

2.) If you could look into your crystal ball, what are some opportunities that small businesses can take advantage of in 2022?

I would say that in any type of crisis, there is always opportunity. There is always need, and there is always the ability to be able to build your business. Therefore, if I were to look into my crystal ball for 2022, I would say anything around making life easier for people whether through technology or superb customer service. If you can build innovation that makes things easier for people to navigate, that’s the way to go.

This is also the time to have your employees trained on customer service, ensuring your service to customers is on point. Having employees trained to provide top notch customer service is one way not only to differentiate your business, but also to retain talent.

3.) Finding and retaining talent continues to be a challenge for many small businesses. How can small businesses best compete for talent in 2022?

The biggest thing small businesses can do is create an atmosphere where employees can access professional development opportunities. Take advantage of the resources available through the Arlington Employment Center and the Workforce Investment Board. These services are free and provide training and recruitment services for employers.

Employees want to feel empowered and that they are making a difference in the work they are doing while also feeling challenged and growing. A job is not just a place to make money, but rather a lifestyle. People are doing jobs today because they feel an affinity for the work.

4.) What are some of your favorite small business resources?

My favorite small businesses resources are the online tools provided by the Arlington Public Library. You can access free business intelligence, market research and industry analysis. We’re also excited to be able to provide additional databases this year such as Statista, Demographics Now and IBIS World.

I also love Canva, which is an online graphic design tool that is very easy to use and gives businesses the ability to develop upscale marketing collateral and access licensed professional imagery.

However, I can’t forget BizLaunch’s ReLaunch program, a free resource where businesses can access consulting and website development services. That program is one I would take advantage of in 2022.

I think sometimes businesses think they must spend a lot of money on these resources; however, many are accessible for free in Arlington.

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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 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.

A very happy 2022 to you and yours!

Just Reduced is back for another year, helping Arlingtonians and those well beyond navigate the local real estate landscape. Each week — as in years past — we’ll highlight a selection of properties that experienced a price reduction within the past week. While it was a slower week on the Just Reduced front — folks were enjoying the holidays after all — we’ll certainly see the selections kick up on the coming weeks.

A friendly reminder that these savings can be only the beginning, so long as you have the prowess or team on your side negotiating on your behalf. So, as you finalize and get rolling on your 2022 resolutions, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is here to help make them a reality.

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

As of January 3, there are 70 detached homes, 30 townhouses and 172 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 5 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

4024 N. Aberdeen Street

Please note 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.


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 did the Arlington condo market perform in 2021?

Answer: Happy New Year everybody! I hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful snow.

We’ve reached a clear market stabilization point in Arlington’s condo market after an up-and-down 2-3 years. The condo market surged from the 2nd half of 2018 through pre-COVID 2020, led by the announcement of Amazon HQ2 in November 2018, then was hit hard by COVID with many owners and investors flooding the market with supply while demand dropped. This downward pressure lasted from the Summer of 2020 through Q1 2021 and has since stabilized.

Note: The statements and data below are for apartment-style condos (buildings/shared entry) and does not include townhouse-style condos (direct entry) or senior living.

Amazon HQ2 and COVID Were (Mostly) Offsetting Forces

The pricing and demand data are such that the upward pressure from Amazon HQ2 and the downward pressure from COVID seem to have mostly offset each other resulting in modest-to-moderate annual price appreciation over the last 5+ years in the Arlington condo market.

Prices from the 2019 market surge have stuck, with the average price of a one-bedroom in 2021 being 1.5% higher than in 2019 and the average two-bedroom in 2021 being 5.6% higher than in 2019. For the entire Arlington condo market, the average cost of a condo in 2021 rose 2.9% over 2019 values.

If you remove new construction condo sales, the average one-bedroom in 2021 is just 1% higher than in 2019 and the average two-bedroom in 2021 is only .9% higher than in 2019. For the entire Arlington condo market, the average cost of a condo in 2021 rose just .3% over 2019 values.

The other interesting takeaway from the data below is that key demand metrics like average sold price to original asking price, percentage of homes selling within 10 days on market, and average days on market have all settled back to what we saw before the Amazon HQ2 surge (and had been for a while before that).

I think that we are positioned for moderate condo appreciation in the coming years, unless we undergo a significant restructuring of office usage. This is based on a few key points:

  • Condo values have held on, and even appreciated slightly since 2019, despite the massive supply hitting the market over the last 18 months. Historically low interest rates and rising single-family/townhouse prices certainly helped drive that.
  • Amazon HQ2 will continue hiring thousands/tens of thousands of people over the next decade and driving major commercial development in Arlington
  • The pipeline for new condo development is practically non-existent and it takes years to fill that pipeline
  • In many cases, apartment rents are now higher than they were pre-pandemic, making buying more attractive
  • Wider gaps between condo prices and single-family/townhouse prices drive more buyers to condos, if they wish to remain in Arlington

Market Performance Similar Across All Price Points

Sometimes entire markets are led or held back by smaller sub-sections of the market and that gets lost when you take broad averages. I broke the Arlington condo market down into the lower 25%, middle 50%, and upper 25% of price points in each of the last three years to see if one section of the market might have an unnoticed influence on the overall numbers.

As it turns out, all three price cross-sections of the Arlington condo market have performed very similarly over the last three years, which I think is representative of a healthy market.

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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.

Thank you to all of our readers! In celebration, we’d like to share a few of the highlights from the year as we head into 2022.

This year we opened 3 beautiful new offices in Chevy Chase, Old Town Alexandria, and Ashburn and hit a new milestone of 5,000+ closings in 2021. The ongoing pandemic accelerated demand for remote closing options with over 40% of sellers now choosing to sign virtually. We have partnered with Notarize and several of the industry’s best solutions providers to meet new demands and remain flexible as the industry evolves.

We are more focused than ever on enhancing our technology and risk-management capabilities to ensure a secure transaction as wire fraud and other cybersecurity crimes become more sophisticated.

And lastly, our dedicated Client Experience Team created earlier this fall is a true Dream Team and work extraordinarily hard to maintain an open dialogue with our clients to ensure we deliver a valuable experience.

From Allied Title & Escrow, thank you and happy holidays!

Have questions related to title insurance? Email Latane and Matt at [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! 


Smoky Mountain by Donna Lomangino

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

Dominion Electric Supply in North Arlington has partnered with the Arlington Artists Alliance and local food and wine vendors for Lighting Our Community With Art — a series of community art shows at their space on Langston Blvd., featuring numerous member artists.

Opening in January, the first 2022 exhibition features work by ceramicist Lieve Dewulf, mixed media artists Tom Mulczynski,and Pat Loudis, and painters Donna Lomangino, Rebecca McNeely and Andrea Schellman.

Gallery Underground, the juried gallery of the Arlington Artists Alliance, has been named our region’s “Best Art Gallery” in Northern Virginia Magazine’s 2021 reader survey, and has received a 2021 “Arlies” as one of Arlington’s “Best Shops” from the readers of ARLnow. Located in the Crystal City Shops at 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202, this visual arts venue showcases the work of established and emerging regional artists. In addition to monthly rotating exhibitions, Gallery Underground hosts a variety of community events, like lunchtime paint-ins and dance and musical performances. Gallery Underground is sponsored by the Arlington Artists Alliance (AAA), in partnership with the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID), and JBG Smith.

This off-site exhibition will take place at Dominion Electric, 5053 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22207. The exhibit runs from January 3 through February 28, 2022, with an opening reception planned for Saturday, January 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information about the exhibit and the Arlington Artists Alliance, visit: www.arlingtonartistsalliance.org.


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