Feature

Statutes of Liberty: New DACA Applications and New Travel Permits — File Away!

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is by James Montana, Esq. and Doran Shemin, Esq., practicing attorneys at Steelyard LLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Arlington, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact James for an appointment.

The Trump Administration continues to receive major blows in federal court, both in the election and immigration contexts. On December 4, 2020, Federal District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ordered that the Trump Administration revert the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program back to its original incarnation from 2012.

First, we’ll give you the TL;DR on what Judge Garaufis’ decision means for immigrants right now, and then we’ll give you a summary of how we got here.

New DACA Applications

As of Monday, December 7, 2020, and until further notice, USCIS is accepting new DACA applications. If you qualify for DACA, find a lawyer and apply now. Judge Garaufis’s decision may not last forever, and it’s in your interest to protect your legal rights. If you can’t afford us — and our prices are pretty competitive! — we’ll gladly refer you to a nonprofit that can help you.

To qualify for DACA, you must meet the following criteria:

  1. Born on or after June 15, 1981
  2. Came to the U.S. before the age of 16
  3. Was in the U.S. on June 15, 2012, and is still here
  4. No proper immigration status as of June 15, 2012
  5. High school graduate, enrolled in high school, recipient of GED, enrolled in GED program or honorably discharged from the U.S. military
  6. No significant criminal record

Consult a lawyer for details.

New Travel Permit Applications

As of Monday, December 7, 2020, and until further notice, USCIS is accepting travel permit applications for people who already have DACA. This can be extremely useful both for intrinsic travel purposes — some of our DACA recipients haven’t seen family at home since they were little kids! — and for legal reasons.

To make a long story short, traveling with a permit puts you in a good position to apply for a green card later. So, if you already have DACA, find a lawyer and consider applying for a travel permit now. Again, if you can’t afford us, we’ll gladly refer you to one of the many nonprofits doing great work in our area.

How We Got Here

Our loyal ARLNow readers know there has been a lot of back and forth regarding the Obama Administration’s DACA program. The DACA program allows certain undocumented people who arrived here as children to apply for work permits and avoid deportation, as long as they are in high school or have graduated from high school.

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Biz Talk: A “2020 Welcome” To Arlington’s Newest Businesses — Arlington Premiere, 2020 Edition

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Sandra and Gil Welsford celebrate the opening of their Nicecream Arlington location at the Arlington Premiere.

This article was written by Conor Courtney, Strategic Initiatives Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

This week, Arlington Economic Development (AED) is hosting the fall edition of its Arlington Premiere.

Arlington Premiere is a biannual event welcoming new businesses to Arlington — connecting new business owners with county resources, business improvement districts, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and community leaders and resource partners. And as with just about every other event in 2020, Arlington Premiere is pivoting to the virtual space to recognize more than 500 courageous business owners who started their businesses here in the midst of the pandemic.

A total of 511 new businesses received an Arlington business license in the past six months, up slightly from the 475 business licenses issued between October 2019 and March 2020. While starting a new business during a pandemic may be particularly challenging, the Arlington business community seems confident in the future. We’ve welcomed a diverse range of businesses from nonprofits and consulting companies to restaurants, retail and tech companies developing educational software.

While replicating the in-person experience and energy of the traditional Arlington Premiere is no easy task, AED is celebrating the arrival of these new Arlington businesses by introducing them to the community in a slightly different way. By showcasing them on its various social media channels, AED hopes to gain support and exposure for these businesses that are just finding their footing. Additionally, AED is highlighting local business resources and organizations that can help both new and established businesses thrive in Arlington.

This year’s fall edition of Arlington Premiere is, without question, a memorable one, and we want to give a special shoutout to all of Arlington’s new businesses.

Please be sure to follow Arlington Economic Development on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to ‘meet’ Arlington’s newest businesses.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Moon (aka Mooney)

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/7

This week’s Pet of the Week is Moon, a friendly boy who moved to Arlington back in June.

Here’s what Moon had to say about his life here:

Hi everyone! My name is Moon, but you can call me Mooney. My pawrents couldn’t go on their honeymoon to Australia this summer, so they rescued me instead! I was in North Carolina for the first two years of my life, but as of June 2020 I am officially an Arlingtonian. Boy do I love it here!

Some of my favorite things to do in Arlington is to sniff every single bush I encounter and say hi to every single dog I meet. I’ve never met a dog I didn’t like! If you see me crouched down when you and your dog are walking by, it’s because I want so badly to say hi, but I don’t want to seem too “in your face.” My mom said that’s bad manners.

My absolute favorite places to go are the vet and Courthaus Social. When my pawrents tell me that we’re going to the vet, I cannot contain my excitement! Clarendon Animal Care has the nicest people ever! They always give me treats and give me so much attention. I also love getting attention when I’m at Courthaus Social. What a fun place! The people who work there are sooo friendly, my humans’ food always smells delicious, and I can almost always make new pup friends somewhere on the patio!

I’m so lucky I’m an Arlington dog now. I hope to meet you soon!

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!

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!

Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes.

Consider this your two-week heads up!

Christmas Day is just two weeks and two days away. So if you haven’t (safely and carefully) completed your holiday shopping, now is the time.

In addition to your Amazon sprees, let’s not forget to support our oodles of amazing small businesses this holiday season here in Arlington County. Now, more than ever, they need our love. So whether it’s a tchotchke one of your kids have been wanting or it’s a restaurant gift card for your boo (and, maybe you, too!), let’s shop local. And, as a bonus, there are plenty of stellar deals out there right now, so get moving.

On the real estate front, when you’re ready to embark on your buying or selling journey, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is ready to roll on your behalf.

And now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures…

As of December 7, there are 138 detached homes, 56 townhouses and 342 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 44 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

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

Ask Eli: Condo Values Fall as Inventory Builds

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: Have you seen a decrease in condo values with all the inventory currently on the market?

Answer: Over the past few months, I’ve written about the shift in the condo market, which began around July and can be attributed to a historical number of units listed for sale while demand simultaneously dropped due to COVID. Indicators such as Months of Supply, Absorption Rate, Days on Market and Sold to Ask Price Ratios have shown a more favorable market for buyers for the last four months, but it takes longer to establish changes in pricing (which requires having enough data).

It’s been my experience working in this market over the past few months that prices seem to be down about 2-5% in many sub-markets, compared to late 2019 and the first half of 2020 (after surging since 2018). However, I dug into the data a bit more to see how condos that went under contract after July 15 compare to the sales of condos that went under contract from January 1 to July 14, 2020. I used July 15 because that is when I really start to see changes taking shape in the condo market.

One point I’d like to make prior to sharing the data findings is that the data is based on condos that have sold/closed, and there are many condos still sitting on the market or under contract that won’t show up in this analysis. The market has also worsened (for sellers) each month since July, so properties that went under contract in July/August likely did better than those later on in the year. Therefore, it’s likely that, as the units close that are currently struggling to sell or just now coming to market, the data will get worse (larger decrease in values).

Data Summary

I chose to segment the market in a few different ways to get a sense of how different sub-markets are experiencing the condo shift. When comparing relatively small data sets (like we have here), the best conclusions can be drawn by analyzing market segments that have lot of similarities, such as condos along the R-B Corridor built in the last 20 years or mid-1900s (older) buildings.

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Courthouse-Based Stand Together Ventures Lab Invests in ‘Revolutionary’ Startups

By Jo DeVoe

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Shirlington Gateway. The new 2800 Shirlington recently delivered a brand-new lobby and upgraded fitness center, and is adding spec suites with bright open plans and modern finishes. Experience a prime location and enjoy being steps from Shirlington Village. 

(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) Stand Together Ventures Lab, part of the Arlington-based philanthropic organization Stand Together, is helping launch and fund startups that could help people in transformational ways.

The nonprofit venture capital team invests money from Stand Together Foundation, which gives resources to community-based organizations nationwide to help break cycles of poverty. The umbrella organization for the Lab and the foundation, Stand Together, is located at 1320 N. Courthouse Road in Courthouse and was founded by politically-active businessman Charles Koch.

Koch’s Charles Koch Institute is located in the same building.

But Ventures Lab Managing Director Sihyun Choi will not invest in just any startup that purports to have a social impact. It has to take a revolutionary approach to a problem, not an evolutionary one, he said.

“Evolutionary ideas tend to be less risky,” he said. “We see a lot of solutions that help things the way they exist…That’s an easier thing to solve for than changing the system as a whole.”

Choi joined Ventures Lab this March, and in these last 10 months, he said he has learned how hard it is to find organizations that attack the roots of problems in the spheres of racial justice, criminal justice reform, poverty and immigration. He also joined as Ventures Lab was getting started and as the U.S. was bracing for COVID-19.

The pandemic heightened the urgency around the issues that need solutions, he said.

“My personal view is that expectations before March, and post-March — especially with the social unrest around racial justice and criminal justice reform needs across the country — have become exacerbated,” Choi said. “That certainly accelerated both the clarity of the work and the importance of it, and frankly, how quickly we needed to mobilize our work around that.”

The first group of startups receiving money from Choi and his team of ex-venture capitalists and corporate operations professionals reflect the topics people latched onto in 2020, which the pandemic in part revealed and exacerbated. These issues include criminal justice reform and racial inequality in unemployment.

From 140 startups it looked into this year, the Lab picked four: JusticeText, Risekit, Shift, and a fledgling company Choi cannot yet name. Typical checks range from $100,000 to $1 million, depending on the age of the company and the needs of a founder, he said.

JusticeText uses AI to transcribe audio and visual evidence for public defenders, who often do not have the time to review extensive footage and recordings themselves or the resources to hire a transcription service. Some estimate about 80% of crimes involve video evidence.

RiseKit helps people facing significant employment barriers — such as a criminal record, housing and food insecurity or a non-traditional education — find jobs. Shift helps veterans translate their skills from the military into jobs.

Choi could not name the fourth organization yet because it will launch next year, but he said it shows people in underserved communities — who may have no idea that their interests can align with careers — how to convert a passion into a viable life path.

Soon, Ventures Lab aims to invest in more startups, addressing other realms such as health care and education. The team is not aiming to invest in a certain number of companies, and it will take chances on those that may not generate lots of revenue, Choi said.

“We are exclusively biased toward if it is driving social impact — and if it makes money, great,” he said. “We’ll invest in the things we think are really important. By nature, it’s hard to put a quota on that.”

Asked if the lab will invest in Arlington-based startups, Choi said, “We’d love to continue to see opportunities here in the D.C. area, since the start-up ecosystem here is certainly growing.”

Aging Right at Home: Updating Holiday Traditions With Older Loved Ones

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Aging Right @ Home is a monthly blog series, answering your questions on providing care for individuals with disabilities, loved ones with dementia and older adults aging in place. If you have a question, please submit it to [email protected].  

The holiday season is upon us, and I have no doubt the way we celebrate and interact with loved ones this year will be unlike any other year.

On top of issues related to the pandemic, many families are dealing with new health concerns of a loved one.

Regardless of your religious beliefs or family traditions, if you find yourself in this situation, you are probably looking forward to the holidays and wondering, “What am I going to do this year?” Depending on the care and need of your loved one, here are some things to consider in preparation for the holiday season.

If Your Loved One is Living With Alzheimer’s or Other Dementias

Holiday plans should be modified to accommodate their specific needs, moods and behaviors. Consider who is hosting, where the event will be and if additional help is required leading up to or during the family gathering. Individuals with dementia can become nervous in new environments or paranoid around new people or those they may not recognize.

Host the event at a home they are familiar with and limit guests outside of the direct family. This is a smart idea given the current pandemic as well. Holiday decorations can be festive and fun, but for those with cognitive impairment, they could experience them differently so keep decorative items to a minimum.

If Your Loved One is Living With Hearing Impairments

Individuals with hearing impairments can suffer from isolation in a group setting. Cross table chatter, holiday music playing or holiday movies can cause those with hearing impairments to miss out on the conversation.

Try to limit this background noise as much as possible and identify opportunities to focus and consolidate the conversation. Rather than speaking to the group in general, speak directly to each person and make sure they are aware you are speaking to them by making direct eye contact.

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Clarendon, Much More Than Just a Metro

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This week, in our Neighborhood Spotlight, we are taking a look at the Clarendon area of Arlington. This is one of Arlington’s most popular neighborhoods, with outstanding options for housing, employment and recreation — but does it live up to its reputation? Let’s find out!

What do you love about your community? Let us know down in the comments below — we’d love to highlight them in future Neighborhood Spotlights!

And, as always, if you have any questions about Arlington real estate, please click here to contact the Keri Shull Team, Arlington’s top-selling real estate team.

An Overview of Clarendon

Thanks to its prime location on the Orange Line, Clarendon sees lots of traffic from local and national businesses. Over the years, it has grown into a thriving center for shopping, dining and entertainment.

Clarendon is a highly desirable neighborhood for many people. Not only does this area offer urban conveniences and top-notch dining, but also high walkability and great transit options make it a dream for those living in Arlington. Even better, Clarendon is a bustling business district in its own right, making it a great place to live if you work in Arlington.

Clarendon Real Estate Market

Clarendon has a famously hot real estate market. Homes move quickly, and it’s not uncommon for bidding wars to break out on houses. This is great news for people looking to sell their house now in Clarendon — with the right agent on their side, homeowners can sell their home fast and get a great price due to competing offers.

For people who want to buy a home in Clarendon, the hot market can be somewhat daunting. That’s why, if you are considering moving to Clarendon, it’s a good idea to work with a real estate team who can help you find off market homes and walk you through negotiating the best deal for your new home.

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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:

2411 N. John Marshall Drive
6 BD/6 BA 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $1,725,000
Open: Saturday 2-4 p.m.

 

3115 1st Place N.
4 BD/4 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Optime Realty
Listed: $1,200,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1881 N. Nash Street #409
1 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: KW Metro Center
Listed: $1,049,999
Open: Saturday 2-4 p.m.

 

1174 N. Vernon Street
3 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath townhome
Agent: KW Metro Center
Listed: $965,000
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m.

 

3229 N. Arlington Boulevard 
4 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Distinctive Real Estate Inc.
Listed: $849,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3303 S. Kemper Road
3 BD/3 BA 1 half bath townhome
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $799,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Andors Real Estate Group.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting excited for 2021. While 2020 has been a banner year for real estate and we expect that to continue, I’m looking forward to leaving many other parts of 2020 in the dust.

I hope you ate well on Thanksgiving and enjoyed some time off — and suspect you hit the ground running again this week as I did.

Pick of the Week: The Andors Real Estate Group is pleased to have JUST LISTED 2728 S. Arlington Ridge Road at $924,900. You will fall in love with this updated Tudor’s soaring ceilings and old-world charm. Boasting 3 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 baths plus bonus rooms to meet all your needs, this one is move-in ready. It has a gorgeous yard, garage spaces for 3 cars, freshly refinished hardwood floors, loads of updates and is right in Amazon’s HQ2 backyard. Find me hosting open houses this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

Now, the winter slowdown is here… or maybe it was just a Thanksgiving slowdown. We’ll see next week if we jump back up a bit. Mortgage rates dropped — again — to their 14th all-time low: 2.71% for a fixed-rate 30-year mortgage.

This past week in Arlington, sellers listed some 36 properties for sale while buyers ratified 40 contracts. ONLY four of the ratified contracts were on homes listed just within the past week. This is uncharacteristic but indicative of the low new inventory during the Thanksgiving week. This will revert as soon as more new inventory comes back — buyers clamor for the new properties week over week.

There are currently 518 homes for sale in Arlington, 48 less than last week: 126 are detached homes, 54 are townhouses/semi-detached and 338 are condos.

On the topic of condos, there’s finally a substantial decline in condo inventory. Some went off the market, others received offers and ratified contracts, and we didn’t have many new ones come on the market. This is good for anyone trying to sell a condo in today’s market.

Average days on market (DOM) for currently available homes is 65 and median DOM is 50. These both jumped by over a week — again, it was truly a Thanksgiving break.

The median list price of currently available properties is $565,000, while the average is $770,949.

Last year for the same week, sellers listed about 34 homes and buyers ratified 35 contracts. One more new listing and 5 fewer contracts than last year–one of the few weeks we haven’t outpaced 2019.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate — if you see a home you’re interested in purchasing, we’d love to help!

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

Boring Title: Allied Title & Escrow Has Opened Two New Offices in the DMV

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Happy December, everyone!

For this week’s edition of Boring Title, we have some great news for you. Allied Title & Escrow has opened two new offices in the DMV. 

  • Ashburn, Virginia: 10130 Lakeview Center Plaza, Suite 400
  • Chevy Chase, Maryland: 4500 N Park Ave NW, Suite 804-N

Please continue to schedule all upcoming settlements at whichever office location is the most convenient: 

And, we offer closings at Topgolf Loudoun. Request to have your closing at Topgolf, and your round is on us!

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! 

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