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.
Who needs words? Here is a quick 1 minute video about Allied Title & Escrow and why they are different than other settlement companies.
This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Sam, a mini dachshund in Courthouse who can rock a jacket.
Here’s what his owner, Irene, had to say on his behalf:
Hi, my name is Sam! I am a mini dachshund and about 5 years old. I found my forever home thanks to the Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. I live near Courthouse, and my favorite things are: chasing squirrels and rabbits, watching guard at my house, cuddling under the covers in bed, and playing with my abundance of toys. I also love to climb on the backs of couches to check things out and use chairs to climb on dining tables and finish any dinner scraps! But trust me, I am not a cat.
Because my fur is so short, my grandma loves to make me jackets to keep me warm in the cooler Arlington months (as seen in the photos). If you see me walking around in the neighborhood, feel free to stop and say hi!
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.
Supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and creatives is all part of Arlington’s Creative Economy initiative. With public/private partnerships, growth of these endeavors is an important part of business sector diversity and economic sustainability.
What better way to stir up an appetite for holiday shopping than sampling handmade pies? And stocking up on artist created greeting cards? And heavenly chocolate?
The Made in Arlington pop-up shop at Courthouse Plaza is back in 2018 with even more weekly artisans and entrepreneurs starting Thursday, November 1 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Find your favorites and welcome newcomers who will make this your go-to for gift giving and indulgence.
Opening day on November 1 features ‘Livin the Pie Life’, rated by Sports Illustrated as the BEST game day Thanksgiving Pie. The 2017 sell-out pie shop pop-up means that showing up early is a must this year! Line up for samples, purchases and info on how to order your holiday favorites. Don’t be left with crumbs!
Right along-side Pie Life will be FastSnail creative greetings and design with cards and prints that both amuse and amaze. Featured in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Marketplace, Fast Snail’s Liz Hutcheson designs cards with local flavor, seasonal character and all occasion whimsical greetings.
Don’t miss these weekly pop-up vendors throughout November:
November 1
Living the Pie Life
FastSnail creative greetings and designs
November 8
Denison Lane
Bakeshop
November 15
Kingsbury Chocolates
Tracy Wilkerson
November 29
Melanie Lee
District Line Clothing
Full Pop-Up Schedule throughout December can be found here.
Supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and creatives is all part of Arlington’s Creative Economy initiative. With public/private partnerships, growth of these endeavors is an important part of business sector diversity and economic sustainability.
Check here for ongoing Creative Economy listings and opportunities. More Creative economy stories on the blog.
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.
As an avid biker, I already know that Arlington is awesome place to take a spin. And, Bicycling Magazine just confirmed it, too.
On October 10, Arlington was named the No. 17 city in the U.S. on the magazine’s “Best Bike Cities in America” list. Arlington has risen eight spots on the list since 2016. Right up there within this year’s rankings are our friends in D.C. at No. 11.
What makes Arlington such a great spot for biking, according to the peeps are Bicycling Magazine? Our friendly confines ranked high in biker safety and culture, noting ongoing projects to build buffers for bike lanes and initiatives incentivizing County employees to ride their bikes to work.
So, if you haven’t hopped on a bike lately in Arlington, there’s no time like the present.
And, whenever you’re ready to talk real estate, we’re always up for a pit stop to help you get more out of your transaction.
As of October 22, there are 212 detached homes, 65 townhouses and 248 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 66 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week.
Here is this week’s selection of Just Reduced properties:
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.
This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Rosslyn resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!
Question: I’m the Treasurer for my condo association and we’re working on the 2019 budget. What’s a good way for us to save money in the budget without compromising the health and maintenance of the building?
Answer: As a former Condo Board Treasurer, I feel the pain that this time of year brings, so I’m happy to offer some advice that helped me finding savings while I oversaw the budget and has helped other associations do the same… review your master insurance policy.
I know, it’s not the most exciting answer, but your insurance policy is likely a top three expense on your balance sheet every year and if you haven’t reviewed it lately, there’s a good chance you can cut the cost by 5% or more and probably improve your coverage at the same time.
I’m not an expert in insurance so, I asked Andrew Schlaffer, Vice President at USI Insurance Service’s Community Association Practice to provide some details on what Board’s should look for when they do a review of their Master Policy. If you’d like to discuss a review with Andrew directly, you can reach him at 703-205-8764 or [email protected].
Take it away Andrew…
Pillars Of Insurance Reviews
Condo insurance reviews require a holistic approach, so it’s important to break the cost into a few distinct categories: insurance premium, deductible expense and out-of-pocket costs. To effectively accomplish long-term savings, all three of these categories need to be considered and addressed with a qualified insurance professional.
Adjust Coverage Responsibly To Save On Premium
Premium is certainly a factor to consider during the insurance selection process; however, available insurance products differ significantly.
Coverages and services should be very carefully analyzed and compared. While omitting various coverages will save premium dollars, it might also result in substantially increased costs to the association for out-of-pocket expenses related to uncovered claims.
It is critical to work with a professional who understands local insurance needs and can adjust your insurance program in a way that maximizes premium savings while maintaining adequate insurance coverage. Some coverages may be required by statute and/or association documents, so cutting required coverage exposes the Board to unwanted risk.
Deductibles Based On Loss History
Associations with strong financials often choose to increase their property deductibles which can provide immediate savings of 2-5%. Deductibles range from $2,500 to $25,000+.
When considering deductibles, it is important for the association to review their loss history and the loss history of comparable buildings in an effort to obtain an accurate estimate for deductible expenses.
Rate Shopping
The most common strategy employed by associations seeking lower insurance costs is to shop their carrier.
An association can accomplish this in several ways but generally their appointed broker can offer alternative carriers in an effort to obtain the most competitive rates possible. Make sure your broker has access to all of the competitive markets in order to maximize the likelihood of finding savings.
Secondly, and more importantly, if savings is found, your broker should verify that all required coverages are included to secure the association’s long-term financial security and lender approval. Additional savings can be realized by a thorough coverage analysis to verify the association is not being over-insured by paying for coverage it won’t use.
We are in a relatively soft insurance market, so an association can expect savings of 2-5% from a simple review, depending on the number of claims that have occurred during the previous policy period.
To insure cost savings and long-term health of your property, make sure your insurance broker specializes in condominium or homeowners associations. To maximize your savings, the association, insurance broker and insurance carrier need to work in harmony in an effort to identify and reduce threats to the financial health of the community.
Help Reducing Claims
One of the best ways to keep insurance costs down is to avoid claims altogether.
Some examples of how insurance brokers can help reduce claims and the impact claims have on your future premium costs include coverage reviews/benchmarking, claims management services, site inspections, building upgrade recommendations, life safety planning, vendor contract reviews, discrimination/harassment training and hiring/firing best practices.
Thank You
Andrew, thank you very much for providing your insight. I know from experience how much of an impact an insurance review can have on a condo budget, but also how important the right coverage can be when there’s an unexpected claim.
One thing board’s often overlook when they’re solely focused on price is the quality and speed of service when a claim in filed. For example, if a pipe bursts and floods the gym and lobby, a board should be confident that the work orders will be executed quickly so the building can be back on its feet without delay or headache.
Unfortunately, most boards don’t think about this until they’re dealing with it, and it’s too late. I encourage any board/treasurer to reach out to Andrew to review their policy. He does fantastic work and USI is a leader in condo/HOA insurance policies in Northern Virginia. His contact info is:
Andrew Schlaffer, Vice President
USI Community Association Practice
www.usi.com
Direct: 703-205-8764
Email: [email protected]
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column, 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.
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.
One of the most evolving areas of employment law today is how off-duty social media use is increasingly affecting employees and their employment. One of the most common misconceptions about employee off-duty social media use is that it is somehow protected by law and cannot subject an employee to discipline. In particular, there is a belief that the First Amendment protects speech made outside of work on social media.
This isn’t the case. The First Amendment generally does not protect this type of speech for private sector employees and only rarely does for public sector employees.
Recent Examples in the News
Some recent examples of the connection between social media and employment have made the news recently. In one example, a private school administrator was placed on suspension for making inappropriate comments to Attorney Michael Avenatti on Twitter. A second example involved a Dean at Catholic University who this week was suspended for making comments about a female complainant related to the Kavanaugh U.S. Senate Supreme Court proceedings on social media.
Few Protections for Employee Use of Social Media
We have seen similar kinds of social media use issues arise in workplace termination cases far more frequently these days. The use of social media by employees is generally not protected by the First Amendment which only protects individuals from government action, not actions of private employers.
Employees can be terminated for social media speech even if it was created with their private accounts and prepared after work hours. Many companies are increasingly receiving complaints about employees who make threatening or inappropriate comments on Facebook, Twitter or other social media outlets.
As a result, many employers are then taking disciplinary action against these same employees. As the law on social media evolves we may see some protections develop where an employer takes discriminatory action for a post or violates other state and federal laws.
However, right now there is little in the way of protections for employment actions taken due to social media postings.
As easy as it is for an individual to express an inappropriate comment on social media in a moment of frustration it is just as easy for someone who sees the comment to report it to an employer.
In this evolving world of social media and employment law, it is generally a good idea for employees to understand the thin line that exists between posting on social media in a moment of frustration and an employer taking disciplinary action against them.
Conclusion
When facing employment or wrongful termination issues in Virginia it is important to obtain the advice of and representation of an attorney. Our law firm advises and represents individuals in wrongful termination matters in Virginia and other jurisdictions. We can be contacted at www.berrylegal.com or by telephone at 703-668-0070.
Please also visit and like us on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
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.
While most Startup Monday articles profile a local business getting off the ground, today’s feature highlights Startup Arlington: an initiative aimed at bringing those businesses to Arlington.
Startup Arlington is an annual competition hosted by Arlington Economic Development that invites applications from promising startups that would be interested in moving to Arlington County. Applications for the latest round are available online and due Nov. 2.
The application consists of basic personal and company information, assessment of company growth/financial traction and the submission of a business plan and pitch deck.
Judges will review applications based on the overall strength of the team and the team’s knowledge of the market. The viability of the product, service, or technology will also be rated alongside an assessment of the company’s revenue and financing plans.
The winner of Startup Arlington will receive:
A full list of rules is available online, but in general applicants to Startup Arlington must be:
Winners of the competition must relocate to Arlington for at least four months. The startup also cannot be a business that is already located in Arlington or the Washington, D.C. region.
The previous year’s winner was GreenSight Agronomics, a system that converts drone imagery into actionable information.
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:
4005 N. Richmond Street
5 bed/4 bath, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: McEnearney Associates
Listed: $1,758,333
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.
6006 20th Street N.
4 bed/2 bath, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Listed: $899,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
3417 17th Street S.
3 bed/2 bath, 1 half bath single-family
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $719,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
1805 S. Crystal Drive #613S
3 bed/2 bath condo
Agent: Keller Williams Capital Properties
Listed: $619,999
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.
3503 S. Stafford Street
2 bed/2 bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $479,000
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m.
2700 13th Road S.
2 bed/1 bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Compass
Listed: $385,000
Open: Saturday 2-4 p.m.
1300 Army Navy Drive #812
1 bed/1 bath condo
Agent: Main Street Properties
Listed: $229,000
Open: Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.
New beers include Solace Brewing Company Buzz Magic Double IPA, @birds fly Birds Fly South Ale Project Radio Silence Pale Ale, Mast Landing Brewing Company Little Choppy Hoppy Session Ale, and many more! Full list of arrivals in the link below.
This week’s featured brewery is Aslin Beer Company!
On Tap Now
And last but not least, tapping soon: ‘The Implication’ Double IPA, loaded with Nelson Sauvin, Hallertau Blanc and Lemon Drop. Pours only on all Aslin beers.
Download the DigitalPour mobile app to view all 36 of our taps in real time with pricing and crowler availability!
Stop by Saturday from 1-5 p.m. for our weekly wine tasting! This week we are featuring Rasa Vineyards Occam’s Razor Red, Weingut Köster Wolf Müller-Thurgau, Domaine Pillot Jean-Michel et Laurent Bourgogne Rouge and Eden Ciders Heritage Cider!
Full list of new beer arrivals, wine sales, and more details click this link.
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.”
Buyers picked up the pace a bit this week by ratifying 58 contracts, while sellers also appeared motivated by listing 61 homes. This is so far the busiest week this fall for Arlington’s real estate market.
The days on market climbed somewhat to 43, reflecting many sales of properties long on the market. One home had been for sale nearly two years.
Buyers should be motivated in this market as time is not on their side. Home values in Arlington keep trending ever so slightly upward at about 2.2% so far this year, and purchasing power continues to be eroded by rising interest rates. The sooner buyers ratify a contract, the sooner they lock in a price and interest rate.
This week rates dropped about five basis points, but then regained that yesterday. The 30-yr fixed rate with no points is now at 5% and could go to 6% by the middle of next year.
In order to sell more 10-yr bonds to pay for the US budget deficit, the Treasury has had to raise the yield which influences long term rates like mortgages.
Click here to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.
Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a column sponsored and written by the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, a full-service, general practice veterinary clinic and winner of a 2017 Arlington Chamber of Commerce Best Business Award. The clinic is located 3000 10th Street N., Suite B. and can be reached at 703-997-9776.
A study conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity and Prevention found that 56% of dogs and 60% of cats in the United States were classified as overweight by their veterinarians in 2017.
Given that the average dog encountered at the park and the average cat seen peaking out through a window is more likely to be overweight than not, pet owners are developing a skewed perception of a healthy body weight.
Your dog or cat’s annual physical exam includes a standardized body condition score. Your veterinarian certainly isn’t trying to body shame your furry friend — we think they are just as cute with a few extra pounds and a set of love handles!
However, when you take into account all of the impacts obesity can have on your pet’s health, and the added cost to your pet’s health care as a result, those extra pounds are far from “cute.” If you are looking for the absolute best way to keep your dog or cat happy and healthy for as long as possible, the answer is to keep them lean.
Not only is a lean body weight what is best for your pet’s health, it is also what is best for your wallet — it is guaranteed to save you money on the cost of pet food and veterinary care in the long run.
The most effective way to get your pet to lose weight is to feed fewer calories. This means that you’ll buy fewer bags per year of that expensive pet food you’ve been budgeting for.
Also consider that obesity leads to diseases that decrease your pet’s quality of life and increase your cost of veterinary care. Arthritis, cruciate ligament rupture, intervertebral disk disease, respiratory disease, liver disease, diabetes and heat stroke are all more likely to occur in overweight patients.
All of these diseases can require pricey medications, surgeries and treatments to manage, and can cause a lot of stress for both you and your pet.
The consequences of obesity may sound daunting, but the good news is that your pet’s body condition is entirely within your control. Your dog or cat (hopefully) can’t open the pantry or fridge door themselves, and they rely on you to control their food intake.
Think twice before you share your snack with your pet — what is considered a “snack” for you could be more than their total daily caloric requirement.
A helpful comparison provided by Hill’s shows that one ounce of cheddar cheese for your 20 pound dog is the equivalent of the average woman eating one and half hamburgers. For a 10 pound cat, this would be the equivalent of a woman eating two and a half hamburgers.
The best way to have control over your pet’s body weight is to avoid table scraps altogether and stick to food and treats that have a known caloric content. The packaging of any reputable brand of food or treat will provide the number of kilocalories per cup of food or per treat, which makes it easier to stick to the caloric intake recommended by your veterinarian.
If you are the type of person who just can’t help but slip treats to your best bud when he is being extra adorable (which happens a lot), try measuring out a daily allotment and drawing from this pile throughout the day when you’re feeling inspired to do so. Using some self control will help keep your pets slim and trim, which will keep them happy, healthy and by your side for many more years to come.
