Feature

Rethink Energy: Free Shade Trees Planted For You

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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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.

Arlingtonians are passionate about their trees and many are concerned about our tree canopy. We are, too!

Trees help our community in myriad ways. They keep us cool and shaded, soak up stormwater, support local wildlife and much more. We aren’t going out on a limb when we say there is a direct connection between trees and energy. Planting the right trees in the right places can keep your house and community cooler in the summer and reduce your energy bills.

Trees cast shade on buildings and pavement, lowering the temperatures and reducing the need for electricity to cool buildings during the summer.

Get a free shade tree planted in your yard without lifting a finger.

In 2009 the Tree Canopy Fund (TCF), was launched after Arlington County Board approval in 2007 with the goals of arresting the decline and restoring and increasing the County’s tree cover over time.

Administered by EcoAction Arlington and the Arlington County Urban Forestry Commission (UFC), the fund provides grants to individuals and community groups to plant trees on private property. More than 1,200 trees have been planted since the program started.

Click to learn more about the trees available and to fill out the application.

New Homes in Arlington: May 3

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Welcome to New Homes, a biweekly column highlighting the new construction real estate market, written by Conor Sullivan and Dave Moya of Three Stones Residential at Keller Williams Realty. We are here to share our experience and expertise in lot acquisition, financing and construction of custom homes. 

First, we need to understand who the top builders and influencers are that are reshaping our communities…

Deciding to build your own custom home does not need to be scary, nor does it have to be stressful. However, it does mean you will have to make a ton of decisions from insulation type to lighting fixtures, door trim, and dozens of other areas. That is why finding the 3 “R” are critical to success and happiness when building a new home.

Right Builder, Right Time, Right Lot. Let’s continue to meet some of the top builders in NOVA with experience building quality homes for clients every year.

Meet The Builder: Matt Rzepkowski of MR Project Management.

What differentiates you from other builders? 

When you build a home with MR, you build a home with me personally. I live in the area and I visit every room of every house every day. We’ve built over one hundred homes in the Arlington, McLean and Falls Church areas, the vast majority of which were built using the same subcontractors with whom we’ve partnered with for over a decade.

Consistency, attention to detail, and personal customer service are the hallmarks of MR.

How many homes have you completed in the last 12 months? 

We built 27 spec and custom homes last year. The business has grown steadily since its inception and we attribute that to providing a great home for our clients and also providing over the top customer service. We have done limited marketing over time and almost all of our custom clients and sales come from existing customer referrals.

How long have you been building homes and how many people work on your team? 

I am a third generation home builder and both my dad and grandfather were custom homebuilders, so at some level I have been building and working in the industry my whole life. After college I worked for a national homebuilder and went through their training program for a couple years before moving over to the custom home side.

Today, the MR team consists of eight people and almost everyone on the team I have known or they have been working with me in some capacity since I started building custom homes fifteen years ago.

What counties have you built in?  

Arlington and Fairfax County, but within Fairfax we really just build in McLean and the Falls Church area. We try to keep all of our projects to about a five mile radius so that we can visit each project multiple times a day and spend most of our time onsite and with clients as opposed to in the truck driving between projects.

What is the most popular model you build?

Everything we build is custom for each individual client and site and we do not have standardized models. However, there are certain design and build concepts that carry through to all of our homes including detailed craftsman trim work, a great kitchen design, spectacular master bedrooms and spa like baths, large rec rooms in the basement and a flex room on the main floor that doubles as a home office, playroom or additional bedroom.

Here are some current homes that MR Project Management has on the market:

Three Stones Residential specializes in matching home owners with the right builder and lot location. If you have any questions about new homes or builders that you’d like us to highlight please email us at [email protected].

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.

Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:

5029 38th Street N.
6 BR/6 BA, 2 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ttr Sothebys International Realty
Listed: $2,895,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

2369 S. Queen Street
4 BR/3 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Ttr Sothebys International Realty
Listed: $999,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

1508 N. Powhatan Street
3 BR/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $865,000
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

312 S. Abingdon Street
3 BR/2 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $767,500
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

2624 S. Kenmore
2 BR/2 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $629,000
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m.

 

2526 E S. Arlington Mill Drive #5
2 BR/3 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $549,000
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

880 N. Pollard Street #227
1 BR/1 BA condo
Agent: Samson Properties
Listed: $399,998
Open: Saturday 12-3 p.m.

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 Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

As we enter the final few weeks of the spring real estate market, sleepy sellers seemed to have awoken and smelled the coffee.

They listed a record 84 homes this week, hoping for a sale before the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. That event marks the slowdown of the market as we slide into summer.

Perhaps buyers have already started backing off as they ratified just 56 contracts this week. In the last three weeks, they ratified 75, 64 and 65 contracts. So, their pace has faded. Of the 56 homes sold this week, 27 were snatched up within seven days. The average days on market for the week dropped to just 17.

Mortgage rates dropped slightly this week by about six basis points so now the 30-yr fixed rate is about 4.2%-4.3%. The Federal Reserve met this week and decided not to change their benchmark rate for the foreseeable future.

We tend to look west when watching for market trends. And California’s real estate market is showing some movement. Sales activity has slumped for mid-level and upper end homes. Analysts say the market over heated and prices began to exceed buyers’ affordability.

The luxury home market in San Francisco dropped 16% in the first quarter over last year in terms of sales activity, and prices dropped 1.5%, the first-time prices have dropped in seven years there. However, on average across the U.S., home values are up 2.7%.

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

How to Break Your Lease to Buy a Home

Many people are excited about the prospect of owning a home, but encounter issues with timing.

This could be from a major life event, financial reasons or most commonly their rental lease isn’t up yet. Luckily, you are NOT trapped — you have options!

Here are 3 of the best options for prospective buyers to get out of their current lease:

Find a Replacement — The best option is to get your landlord’s permission to have someone take over your lease. That way you would just pay rent until the new tenant signs the lease and moves in. There are many great free websites for advertising your rental.

Work with The Seller — If you’re buying a home and can’t find someone to take over your lease, or if you are on a tight timeframe, ask the seller for a credit at closing. This can potentially cover all or part of the cost of breaking your lease, and leave you with more money for a down payment (or in your pocket).

Buy Your Way Out — If these options don’t work, another option is to talk to your landlord and pay the penalty to break your lease outright. Leases vary, so read yours carefully… but this usually involves paying a 2-month penalty. This excludes the security deposit, which should be returned to you as long as there is no property damage.

To get $1,500 towards breaking your lease, attend our upcoming Home Buying Seminar on Monday, May 6 in Arlington.

Topics Covered Include:

  • Financing programs
  • How to avoid double paying a rent and a mortgage
  • How to calculate your budget the right way
  • How to craft a winning offer in a highly competitive market
  • Finding off-market properties
  • Leveraging your equity
  • The 4 C’s of Real Estate

Space is limited — click to register.

Benefits of Attending:

  • $1,500 credit toward your new home or toward early lease termination
  • 12-month home buy-back guarantee — purchase with confidence!
  • Wine and cheese provided
  • The first 3 to attend will receive a gift card to Barley Mac restaurant!

This event is hosted by The Keri Shull Team, the D.C. metro’s top producing real estate team. Details are as follows:

Arlington Pet of the Week: Dexter

By Airey
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This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Dexter, a Golden Retriever who was adopted after his first family found he was “too big to handle.”

His owner, Chaira, says this just means Dexter has “more to love.” Here’s what she said the pooch thinks of his new home in Arlington:

When they first brought me to their home, I was sure to test out my new space by eating 4 double chocolate chip muffins, and a whole fried chicken and mashed potato meal, containers, bones, and all. I thought that meant they wouldn’t have any evidence it was me, but somehow they still figured it out.

Despite this, I think they really love me, and I’m really looking forward to my new home here. I think the best part of this new place is these big parks my parents take me to. Sometimes they walk me by what mom and dad call “baseball fields”, but I just call them “toy fields” because I almost always get to come home with a new ball for my collection.

I still have a lot to learn in my new home, but every day I get to smell something new, meet a new friend, and go for a run in the park, and I don’t think there’s anything else I could ask for, except maybe some more of those bacon treats my mom keeps hidden in her purse as if I can’t smell them.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos, they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care is the winner of six consecutive Angie’s List Super Service Awards, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year and a proud supporter of the Arlington County Pawsitively Prepared Campaign.

Becky’s Pet Care provides professional dog walking and pet sitting in Arlington and all of Northern Virginia, as well as PetPrep training courses for Pet Care, CPR and emergency preparedness.

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 licensed broker Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty, Inc. GET MORE out of your real estate investment with Aaron and his team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6116 today!

Please note: While Aaron Seekford provides this information for the community, he may not be the listing agent of these homes.

Happy May, folks!

It’s an exciting month and let’s talk about the exciting weekend ahead. Saturday is National Comic Book Day, “May the 4th Be with You” (for all of you Star Wars fans) and the Kentucky Derby is going down. And, Sunday is Cinco de Mayo. Yowsers!

Beyond this weekend, May is a stellar month for some home-related bargains. Specifically, Memorial Day weekend is an awesome time to purchase appliances, kitchenware and mattresses. So, if you’ve been waiting for a good deal, well, it’s coming!

On the real estate front, we’ve seen a slight tick up in “Just Reduced” homes in recent weeks. If a solid deal on a home is what you seek, we can make that happen, whether sellers are proactively reducing their home prices already or if we need to negotiate.

When you’re ready to GET MORE out of your transaction, our team is ready to roll.

As of April 29, there are 159 detached homes, 20 townhouses and 106 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 20 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week:

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Aaron Seekford.

Ask Eli: How To Rent Your Home Back From New Owners

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. Enjoy!

Question: We’re preparing to sell our home and are concerned that we won’t have enough time to move out after it sells. Is there a good time to ask the buyers if we can stay a bit longer?

Answer: A Seller’s Post-Settlement Occupancy, more commonly referred to as a rent-back, allows a home owner to sell their home, collect the proceeds and continue living in the home for a pre-determined period of time after closing.

The most common scenarios for a rent-back are:

1. You have a need for the sale proceeds quickly; such as applying them towards the purchase of your next home. A word of caution on this strategy — make sure that you’ll be able to find and close on your next home before the rent-back period ends (or already found it).

2. Moving out is burdensome and/or highly disruptive to your family and/or job that you don’t want to start the process until you’re under contract and all buyer contingencies have expired.

3. You need to remain in your home until the school year is finished.

How Rent-Backs Are Structured

The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors contracts (as well as other regional contracts) provide a standard form for a Seller’s Post-Settlement Occupancy Agreement so you don’t need to worry about hiring an attorney. It functions as a short-term lease including how much the seller will pay the buyer for the rent-back, how long the rent-back lasts, a security deposit, and a penalty for staying past the rent-back period.

Buyers will conduct a pre-closing walk-through before they purchase the home where they have all the rights provided to them in a normal sale. At the end of the rent-back, the new owners will conduct another walk-through once the previous owners move out, which is similar to that of a walk-through at the end of a normal rental period.

If the previous owners caused damage during the move-out, the new owners can make a claim against the security deposit, generally held by the Title Company who handled the sale.

Not Without Risk

For the new owners, a rent-back carries with it some of the same risks involved in being a landlord. Disputes over security deposit, damage in excess of the security deposit, or trouble with the previous owners moving out on time are all realities that buyers need to consider. As with many decisions in a real estate transaction, your willingness to agree to a rent-back is a matter of risk and reward.

The risk of problems like I mentioned is fairly low in most cases and the reward for accommodating a seller’s request for a rent-back can be the difference between them accepting your offer or taking somebody else’s.

Free Rent-Backs?

The fee for a rent-back is usually calculated off of the new owner’s carrying costs (mortgage + taxes + insurance), but in our hyper-competitive market, I’m seeing aggressive buyers offer seller’s a free rent-back as a way to increase the competitiveness of their offer. A free rent-back isn’t worth much if the seller is asking for an extra week, but it certainly adds up if they’re asking to stay for 6-8 weeks past closing.

On both sides of the transaction, the use and structure of a rent-back is one of many important strategic decisions you may face in this market. It’s a good example of an area where an agent who understands the local market and how to maximize your risk/reward position can add real value.

Whether you’re reaching out to me or not, I want to stress the importance of making sure you have the confidence in your agent to truly protect and maximize your interests through the entire transaction lifecycle.

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to set-up an in-person meeting to discuss local real estate, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at www.EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.

Arlington Startup Fighting Customer Attrition More than Triples its Funding

By Vernon Miles

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations

ChurnZero — a Crystal City-based company aimed to specifically combat customer attrition through better software management — recently scored $7 million in Series A funding.

The start up uses software to track how customers use a company’s product and the likelihood of subscribers to renew. The end goal is using this information to allow companies to personalize the customer experience and quickly fix issues that are leading to customer attrition.

In a press release, the company said they would invest in additional product development and more customer support staffing.

You Mon Tsang, co-founder and CEO of ChurnZero noted in the press release that:

Building a customer success platform that integrates data and customer touchpoints from a myriad of sources, generates insights and analytics, and kicks off workflows and communications is a tough technical project and is a proud achievement for our team. But our real achievement is creating a happy and successful customer base. Our growth has been testament to our efforts so far and I am thrilled to have Baird Capital as partners to invest further in the company and in the ecosystem.

The funding was led by Baird Capital, a venture capital investment group.

The new funding was more than triple what ChurnZero had raised since its founding in 2015, increasing the total funding from $3 to $10 million.

Image via Facebook

The Chew: Camping With Your Dog

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

The following bi-weekly column is written and sponsored by Bark + Boarding, which provides a heart-centered and safe environment for your pets. Conveniently located at 5818-C Seminary Road in Bailey’s Crossroads, Bark & Boarding offers doggy daycare, boarding, grooming, walking and training services, plus in-home pet care.

By Chelsea Pennington, Bark + Boarding Writer and Animal Enthusiast

Camping is one of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors during summertime, and bringing along your furry friend makes it even better. Before you load up the tent and head off into the wilderness, it’s important to make sure you’re prepared so that everyone is safe and has fun.

Give Your Dog Time to Adjust

If your dog has never been camping with you before, help your dog prepare for anything new they might encounter. Set up your tent in the backyard and let your dog sniff and explore, giving them treats so that they associate it with good things. Use a flashlight or headlamp on an evening walk so your dog can get used to that as well.

Make Sure the Details Are in Order

Before you bring your dog camping, be sure to stop by the vet first to ensure your dog is healthy enough for camping. It’s also important that their ID tag or microchip has all the correct information, and that you bring any papers you’ll need to verify current vaccinations.

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Long Walks, Fresh Air and Art in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This content was written and sponsored by The Keri Shull Team, Arlington’s top producing residential real estate team.

In this week’s Neighborhood Spotlight Drew Carpenter, Tyler Marrin, and Wilson from The Keri Shull Team explore some of the best artsy and outdoor spaces in Crystal City and National Landing.

Long Bridge Park

Long Bridge Park offers more than 30 acres of open space and recreation. Public greens and playgrounds for children ages 2-5 and 5-12 make the park a great place for family time. Long Bridge Park also offers multipurpose sports fields and a raised walkway with views of the sports fields, capital monuments and Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary.

Don’t miss this great outdoor space in National Landing!

Prism & Radiance Art Wall

The Art Walls program aims to add color and character to public spaces in Crystal City. For this project, artist Anne Marchand worked with 2 muralists and 3 artists to paint “Prism,” a piece about light inspired by quantum physics. 35 colorful rectangular panels, 160 feet long in total, hang along 18th Street in Crystal City. Across the street you’ll also find “Radiance,” a series of mosaic pieces by Valerie Theberge.

FotoWalk Underground

For a break from the heat, head into Crystal City’s famous corridors. FotoWalk Underground brings a rotating gallery of 150 photographs to the bright indoor tunnels that crisscross Crystal City’s offices, residences and retail.

Crystal City Water Park

The name might conjure images of water slides and fountains, but it’s actually a gorgeous sculpture park filled with the sound of rushing water. It’s a great place to eat lunch, take a break or work outdoors. After sunset, romantic lighting makes the sculpture park a perfect date venue.

Around the corner is the Bell Street courtyard which features outdoor chess, ping pong and cornhole.

2121 Courtyard

2121 Courtyard is a plaza surrounded by great restaurants. There are plenty of places here to sit, chat, picnic, mingle… or you can even find a spot to work outside on mild days. The courtyard offers free WiFi, and it hosts live music and other events.

The Landing

The Landing is an indoor plaza with adjacent restaurants and lots of seating. It’s a great spot to eat your lunch, cool off, and rest your feet while you’re walking in Crystal City.

Bell Street Courtyard

This is another great place to take a break, take a picnic or bag lunch, or play games — Bell Street Courtyard offers cornhole and other classics. About 750 multifamily units are expected to begin construction near this site in 2019.

What’s your favorite outdoor hangout in or near Crystal City?

We want to hear about your favorite spots for art, food, and outdoor fun in the Crystal City and National Landing area. Let us know where to visit next in the comments below!

As always, if you know anyone looking to buy or sell a home in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia, The Keri Shull Team is here to help.

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