Say “hi” to Kona, Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week. Kona is a 5-year-old rescue who enjoys napping on shoes and eating tuna paste.
Here’s what Kona had to say about her life in Arlington:
My name is Kona, and I’ve lived in Arlington for over four years now! My humans adopted me from the Prince William County Animal Shelter back in 2016. I wasn’t even a year old, and I had been found as a stray in the woods. Lucky for my humans, they found me on Petfinder, and I impressed them with my beautiful eyes and sweet purrsonality.
In order to earn my kibble around this place, I hold various jobs. I am the resident bug hunter, the welcome committee, inspector of all things, head bathroom buddy, fur clothing maker and, most recently, I have been promoted to Chief Supurrvisor. The humans decided they wanted me to manage them and started working from home in March. As a result, I monitor their daily activity and let them know when their work is completed by sitting on top of their computers.
In my free time, I enjoy playing hide-and-seek in my tunnel, napping on shoes, eating tuna paste and cuddling with my humans. They learned early on that I won’t tolerate being separated from them, so now we have an open-door policy at home (my supurrvisor skills hard at work!).
I might appear cool and confident, but I actually get a bit anxious when I smell or see other animals in real life. Luckily, I have my online cat furriends to keep me social! If any other cats on Instagram want to hang out for the Friday Night Box Pawty, feel free to join me @kona.kitty. And don’t forget, every day is Caturday when you’re a cat!
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, “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.
It’s Inauguration Day in America. Wherever you are on the political spectrum, it’s always a day to reflect on the start of something new or the next chapter.
On this day, let’s look at the definition of inaugurate and apply it to the real estate realm: “to begin or introduce a system, policy or period.” For so many folks in and around Arlington County, they may be stuck in a routine or system that just doesn’t work for them.
The team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is here to inspire you to inaugurate a new living situation for yourselves. Whether it’s selling a residence you’ve had on your hands for years, embarking on a new rental journey or finding the home of your dreams, you can make it happen.
You just need to take that first step.
When you’re ready to chat about your aspirations, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is always here for you.
And now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures…
As of January 18, there are 107 detached homes, 39 townhouses and 283 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 27 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:
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. Enjoy!
Question: How did Arlington’s single-family housing market perform in 2020?
Answer: Despite the pandemic, the single-family housing market produced strong growth locally and nationally, primarily due to interest rates setting record lows throughout the year and a sharp change in housing criteria due to ongoing work/school-from-home demands. While Arlington experienced strong growth, less expensive markets farther from D.C. saw sharp increases in demand and explosive growth.
More Expensive…
In Arlington, the average and median price for a single-family home increased by 4.9% and 5.7%, respectively, after similar increases in 2019. The growth showed up in all ends of the market, including Arlington’s most expensive homes, with another record-shattering year for the number of $2 million to $3 million homes sold. Only 17% of single-family homes sold for less than $800,000 and about half of those were tear-downs or required major renovations.
Volume Still Down…
Despite a very slow rollout of homes for sale in the first half of the year due to lockdown measures and pandemic fears, market volume caught up quickly in the second half of the year, ending up with 13 more homes sold in 2020 than in 2019, but still approximately 10% lower than 2015 to 2018.
Faster Pace Sales…
Average and median days on market dropped for the fifth year in a row to 7 and 22.2 days, respectively, and the percentage of homes selling in the first week increased for the fifth year in a row, hitting the 50% mark in 2020. The average and median price for a home purchase within the first week on the market was 1.1% and 2% over the asking price, respectively. The takeaway? If you’re searching for a home, be prepared to act quickly and pay above the asking price for something new-to-market.
Six Interesting Charts
Below, I put together a series of charts to visualize how the Arlington housing market performed in 2020 and how that performance compares to the 2015 to 2019 markets.
There’s far more to this neighborhood than meets the eye… both literally and figuratively. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about Amazon’s new home in Northern Virginia.
In this week’s Neighborhood Spotlight, please join us as we give you a full breakdown of Crystal City!
No matter where you live in Arlington, there’s something unique to fall in love with. What do you love about your community? Let us know down in the comments below, so we can highlight them in a future Neighborhood Spotlight.
And, as always, if you have any questions about Arlington real estate, please contact the Keri Shull Team, the No. 1 top-selling real estate team in the Washington, D.C. area.
Crystal City is an urban village on the eastern edge of Arlington, adjacent to the nearby city of Alexandria. Like all of Arlington’s urban neighborhoods, Crystal City is a popular and thriving area, with a large base of employers and tons to do for leisure.
The most unique thing on offer in Crystal City is Crystal City Shops, a large mall located in an underground city. The underground tunnels at Crystal City feature nearly 200 shops, restaurants and entertainment spots. They also connect directly to many hotels, offices and even condominiums in the neighborhood.
This means that you can enjoy a bite to eat, plenty of shopping or even some avant garde theatre — all without having to ever step above ground!
Getting Above It All
In some of Arlington’s Urban Villages, there are a diverse selection of houses for sale, including both detached homes and apartment-style condominiums.
In Crystal City, however, the high-rise remains king.
Crystal City is home to some of the most popular Arlington condo communities, as well as a vast collection of apartments for rent in other high-rise buildings.
When combined with the impending arrival of Amazon’s HQ2 project to National Landing, this means there has never been a better time to invest in Crystal City real estate.
Popular Condos in the Area
There are a lot of excellent condominium communities in Crystal City — here are just a few of our favorites:
Eclipse: Consisting of 476 units spread between two buildings, the Eclipse offers amazing convenience to residents. Not only can owners easily access the D.C. Metro system via the complimentary shuttle, but the complex also features an on-site supermarket and cafe.
Crystal Gateway: Along with Waterford House, Crystal City offers a boutique layout to their condominiums. Residents get access to luxurious features such as a heated pool and 24/7 concierge, while also enjoying one of the best views in Crystal City. Finally, convenient access to the underground tunnels of Crystal City means that owners at Crystal Gateway don’t even have to worry about the weather when making their commute or running errands.
Crystal City has seen a massive surge in popularity over the past few years, and for good reason! The neighborhood features:
Great walkability and transit convenience
High-value employers like the DoD and Amazon’s HQ2 project
A unique underground city with plenty of dining and retail opportunities
Simple commutes to D.C., Alexandria and other parts of Arlington
Because of this, homes are moving very fast in Crystal City right now. If you don’t approach your home search the right way, the chances of finding — and winning — the right home are microscopic.
If you look for a home alone, you might have serious trouble finding the right home now — but there is help out there! At the Keri Shull Team, we have hundreds of off-market properties that you cannot find online or anywhere else… and we want to give you priority access to these homes before they even go on the market!
When selling a house in Arlington, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are taking the proper precautions to protect your investment. The best way to do that is to speak with a top-tier real estate agent and create a completely customized home selling strategy.
So what are you waiting for? Schedule a time for a free, no-pressure Consultation with one of our Real Estate Needs Analysts.
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.
Inventory continues to decline in Arlington, bolstered by strong buyer demand through the second week of January. With just 397 total available properties, we haven’t been this strapped for homes since early August 2020. Ninety of these are single family, 37 are townhouses/semi-detached and 270 are condos. Condo inventory is down 100 from the week of November 22, when it peaked at 370 available units.
Arlington sellers listed some 55 homes this past week, up from 49 the week prior. Buyers really did their part, virtually keeping pace with 54 contracts ratified, 22 of which were homes on the market seven days or less. Last week we had 42 ratified contracts.
Mortgage rates just ticked up about one-eighth of a point in the past week — still historically low but perhaps indicative of a trend upward. We haven’t seen this large of a move in a one-week increment since last March, when Covid-19 and associated lockdown measures were threatening the liquidity of capital. It’s still an amazing time to refinance an existing loan, invest in more real estate to lock in a low fixed payment, or buy a new home for your family.
Currently available homes across all property types have an average list price of $754,824 and median of $544,500.
Southampton is one of the most conveniently located townhome developments in Arlington. Walk across the street to Pentagon City and Metro or to Costco, or take a short stroll to Amazon’s HQ2. This 3 BD/2.5 BA two-level townhome has assigned parking at the front door and is 1,400 square feet plus has a large covered balcony. Find me here on Sunday, from 1-4 p.m. for the in-person open house, or call me at 703-203-1117 to make arrangements to tour privately.
Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. If you see a home 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 I think you might like to check out:
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.
For this week’s edition of Boring Title, we give three reasons why you should consider refinancing your mortgage now.
The first, and most obvious reason, is so you can lower your monthly payment. Depending on when you purchased the property — or even when you last refinanced in the past — you could potentially save hundreds of dollars on your mortgage payment each month.
The second reason you should consider refinancing your property is if you would like to shorten the length of your mortgage. You may pay a slightly higher monthly payment, but your interest will go way down and you can pay off your mortgage sooner.
The third reason why you should consider refinancing is to pull cash out of your equity with a cash-out refinance. With a cash-out refinance, you refinance your mortgage and borrow money at the same time. There are no restrictions on how you use the proceeds, and during these tough times, many people may be able to benefit from freeing up some extra cash.
Are you interested in refinancing but don’t know where to start? We know a ton of the top mortgage lenders around the DMV. Reach out to us at the email below to get connected to a great lender!
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!
As we ease into 2021, Arlington’s real estate market continues to look strong. This past week, 31 properties were reported sold across the county, up slightly from last week.
As of last month, there were 622 homes listed for sale in Arlington, according to Homesnap. This includes 427 condos, 146 detached homes and 49 townhomes.
“The median list price is $549,450 and the median sales price is $615,000,” Homesnap reports. “There have been 136 new listings in the last 4 weeks and 239 sales.”
Here are a few of the properties sold in the past seven days:
BizLaunch is pleased to officially announce its latest initiative to help small businesses during the health pandemic, ReLaunch, which kicks off this month with a webinar on Jan. 27. As part of the ReLaunch efforts, local businesses will have the opportunity to apply for a complimentary suite of business services and technology assistance to help their business in the upcoming months.
If you’d like to be sent a notification about the upcoming initiative or to learn more about what’s happening in the small business community in Arlington, please sign up for our BizLaunch newsletter. We hope you apply!
Paycheck Protection Program Update
On Monday Jan. 11, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) reopened its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for new PPP borrowers. Starting today, small businesses that have received PPP funding previously are able to apply for additional PPP funding accessing what is called a Second Draw PPP Loan.
In order to promote access to capital, only community financial institutions are able to make First Draw and Second Draw PPP loans this week. Community financial institutions include Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs) and Microloan Intermediaries. To help borrowers prepare, sample applications for both the First Draw and Second Draw PPP loans are available on the SBA’s website.
In Arlington, two of our CDFI partners, Latino Economic Development Center and ECDC Enterprise Development Group, are both participating in the program, and businesses that don’t currently have a relationship with a 7(a) lender are able to apply. Shortly thereafter, the program will open to all participating PPP lenders, and all eligible businesses will be able to apply for the program. Businesses should consult with their financial institution, and visit the SBA’s website to learn more about the Paycheck Protection Program in order to take advantage of this resource.
Pet of the Week Riley Finn (Photo courtesy of Tamara)
Pet of the Week Riley Finn (Photo courtesy of Tamara)
Pet of the Week Riley Finn (Photo courtesy of Tamara)
Meet Riley Finn, Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week. He’s a friendly 12-year-old Labrador-Rottweiler mix.
Here’s what Riley Finn had to say about his life in Arlington Highlands:
Hi. My name is Riley Finn. Yes, mom named me after a character in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I am a 12-year-old three-quarters Labrador and one-quarter Rottweiler mix. I have lived in Arlington Highlands since I was 12 weeks old. I was adopted from A Forever Home rescue. Mom couldn’t resist my “dinner plate” sized paws.
My most favorite pastimes are anything having to do with a tennis ball (catching, carrying, retrieving). I also enjoy hanging out on my front porch watching the world go by and scaring the heck out of delivery people.
I am super friendly and really well behaved. I like going to restaurants with mom and dad. One time I was so quiet and good that the waiter didn’t even notice I was there until the end of the meal. (Did I mention I’m 90 pounds and hard to miss?) Everyone comments on how handsome I am and that makes me happy.
My sister, Molly, taught me how to tell time before she went to doggy heaven. Now I know exactly when it’s time for dinner or my 9 p.m. treat, and I make sure everyone knows I am starving.
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, “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.
We’ve made it through one of the slower times of the year.
In the heart of Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year activities and everything in between, folks typically aren’t pushing the gas on their real estate aspirations. Now, nearly two weeks into 2021, we are starting to see things rev up again.
After a few weeks of steady declines on the listings front, we’ve seen our first uptick on detached home, townhouse and condo listings. Additionally, the number of Just Reduced properties has skyrocketed more than 200% over last week (from 12 to 36).
What’s between the numbers, you ask?
With the holidays in the books, folks are resetting and kicking things into high-gear to get properties sold. So, if you are in the market for buying, now is a wonderful time for you.
When you’re ready to embark on your real estate journey, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is ready to advocate and negotiate on your behalf.
And now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures…
As of January 11, there are 104 detached homes, 42 townhouses and 280 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 37 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:
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.
