Feature

Small Biz Focus: The SWaMmy Honors Recap

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

By Alex Held, Small Business Manager

As one of our inaugural SWaMmy Honorees, Dana Mitchell, Founder of ButtarCup Fancy Face Painting, noted in her recorded speech, livestreamed on October 15 at the inaugural SWaMmy Honors, “COVID-19 and 2020 has been quite mean.”

Many businesses across Virginia have gone to extraordinary lengths to pivot but remaining consistent and apparent in many video submissions submitted by small businesses from across the commonwealth was their passion for their business and the perseverance to succeed.

The SWaMmy Honors was originally envisioned as an in-person awards celebration to be held in May in Richmond. However, like many of the small businesses we serve, we ourselves had to pivot and reimagine the program, but one aspect of the program that remained constant was our desire to promote and recognize Arlington’s and Virginia’s inclusive business community.

Along with our partners, BizLaunch and the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, sprang into action to reimagine The SWaMmy Honors, coming up with the idea to have SWaM certified businesses who had originally submitted a nomination before we were forced to cancel the May celebration and businesses from across the commonwealth the opportunity to submit a short video talking about their passion, how they pivoted and their small business story. The best videos would be included as part of the livestreamed program.

We were touched and inspired by the stories many small businesses shared in their video submissions, that we felt it was wrong to keep it a secret. Therefore to celebrate Virginia’s diverse and passionate small business community, we compiled all the videos which included over 60 minutes of recorded content submitted by businesses into a YouTube playlist to share their stories with the world.

We hope you are inspired as we were by the passion, compassion and perseverance of Virginia’s small business community.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Troy

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Meet Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week, Troy, a 7 year old Golden Retriever who loves walks and lounging next to the pool.

Here is what Troy’s owner had to say about their life together in Arlington:

Troy is a 7-year-old, exuberant golden retriever who has spent his formative years as an enthusiastic Arlingtonian. Troy is passionate about his household maintaining a strict schedule by emulating his rooster compatriots with 6 o’clock rise and shine wake-up barks and will hit the hay after watching 30 minutes of nightly news. During the summer, he spends his days lounging poolside while sneaking sips of delicious pool water. He has been known to never turn down a spoon of peanut butter, his mother’s home cooking, a tasty sock, or an unattended dish rag.

Troy often fills his days off with DIY projects, which include digging holes underneath the fence and trimming the bills of baseball caps. His favorite activity is walking with his best friend along the beautiful Donaldson Run trail and loop where he sits patiently accepting pets and expecting compliments from all who pass. New and exciting developments in his life include supervised access to the upstairs bedrooms and spending more time with his family while they telework from home. Troy is looks forward to cheering on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturdays and crunching around in the colorful Virginia fall leaves. He is deeply loved by his family and brings so much joy to their lives.

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.

There are plenty of ways that folks volunteer and make a difference in Arlington County each and every day.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect day to try out something new, this Saturday (October 24) is Make a Difference Day. Amid the pandemic, some volunteer activities have certainly changed to adhere to the current climate.

But, then again, what hasn’t been changed a little in recent times? The bottom line is that many organizations still need volunteers and, for some, now more than ever.

Among the many awesome tools in our community, Volunteer Arlington has some stellar online resources and tools. On its site, individuals and groups can be matched with volunteer opportunities, nonprofits can post their needs and businesses can sign up to make an impact.

Have fun making a difference this Saturday (and beyond), folks!

For decades, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. has been engrained in the local community. We want to see it thrive. When you’re ready to embark on a real estate journey of your own, we’re excited and ready to help.

Now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures.

As of October 19, there are 170 detached homes, 58 townhouses and 372 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 46 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 Arlington Realty, Inc.

Ask Eli: Starting Your 2021 Home Search

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 are looking forward to buying our first home in 2021. Do you have any recommendations on how we should start the home buying process?

Answer: Google “home buyer tips” or “what to know before buying a home” and you’ll find plenty of advice on the topic, so I’ll include some suggestions I don’t see on most of those lists and also put my own spin on others that you have heard before.

Weighted Criteria

It’s easy to come up with 3-5 things that are most important to you, but challenge yourself early to come up with 12-15 things that are important to you. Then give yourself 100 points and allocate points to each based on how important they are to you and you’ll end up with a weighted criteria list to help you focus your search and objectively compare properties.

If you want to take it to the next level, bring your weighted criteria list with you on showings and score each house out of the total points allocated to it.

Length of Ownership

This is one of the most important conversations to have with yourself/your partner. You should focus on the following:

  1. Likely length of ownership
  2. Difference in criteria for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house
  3. Difference in budget requirements for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house

Appreciation is not guaranteed and difficult to predict, but the value of longer ownership periods is undisputed. One way longer ownership adds value is the potential for eliminating one or more real estate transactions, and the associated costs (fees, taxes, moving expenses, new furniture, etc) and stress that comes with moving, over the course of your lifetime.

If you have an opportunity to significantly increase your length of ownership by stretching your budget, it’s often justifiable. On the other hand, if your budget or future plans restrict you to housing that’s likely to be suitable for just 3-4 years (and buying now still makes sense), it’s generally better to stay under budget.

Influencers (not the Instagram ones)

Family, friends, colleagues… they’re all happy to offer opinions and contribute to your home buying process, but the input can be overwhelming and unproductive if you don’t set boundaries. Try to determine up-front who you want involved in the process and how you’d like them to be involved.

Think about how you’ve made other major decisions in life — what college to attend, what kind of car to buy, where to get married, whether to change jobs — and if you’re the type of person who likes input from your friends and family, you’ll likely do the same when buying a house. Plan ahead with those influencers so their input is productive.

Does Your House Exist?

Before jumping too far into the search process, spend a little bit of time searching For Sale and Sold homes on your favorite real estate search website/app to see if the homes selling in the area you want and within 10% of your upper budget are at least close to what you’re looking for. If not, spend some time adjusting price, location and non-critical criteria to figure out what high-level compromises you’ll need to make and then compare those compromises to your current living situation and/or continuing to rent.

(more…)

Legal Insider: Are You in the Wrong Federal Retirement System?

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

The Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage Corrections Act (FERCCA) was enacted in September, 2000 and designed to provide relief to federal civilian employees who were placed in the wrong federal retirement system for at least three years of service after December 31, 1986.

Typically, FERCCA errors arise when a federal employee experiences a break in service, especially during the mid-1980s when the Federal Employees Retirement Systems (FERS) plan was created. In some cases, FERCCA has provided federal employees and annuitants placed in the wrong federal retirement system with the opportunity to choose between FERS and the offset provisions contained within the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).

In order to determine if you are in the correct federal retirement plan, you need to know the type of appointment you have and your work history. Federal retirement rules governing retirement plan placement are complex and contain many exceptions that are hard to follow. If you find that you fit in any of the situations described below, you could be in the wrong federal retirement system. However, keep in mind that there are exceptions to the general rules.

If you currently have CSRS coverage, then you may be in the wrong plan if:

  • You worked for the federal government before 1984, but not on a permanent basis
  • You left federal employment for more than a year at any time after 1983
  • You have a temporary appointment limited to a year or less, a term appointment, or an emergency indefinite appointment
  • You have no federal civilian employment before 1984
  • You do not have a career or career conditional appointment and you work on an intermittent basis (see the work schedule block on your SF-50)

If you currently have CSRS Offset coverage, then you may be in the wrong plan if:

  • You have a temporary appointment limited to a year or less, a term appointment, or an emergency indefinite appointment
  • You have no federal civilian employment before 1984
  • You do not have a career or career conditional appointment and you work on an intermittent basis (see the work schedule block on your SF-50)
  • You did not work for the federal government for a total of five years before 1987 (not including your military service). Exception: If you worked under CSRS, left the federal government, and your agency placed you in CSRS Offset upon your return, your CSRS Offset coverage is probably correct if you had five years of federal government service when you left.

If you currently have FERS coverage, then you may be in the wrong plan if:

  • You have a temporary appointment limited to a year or less
  • You do not have a career or career conditional appointment and you work on an intermittent basis
  • You have worked for the federal government for at least five years before 1987 (not including military service) unless you elected to transfer to FERS during a FERS Open Season or after a break in service

FERCCA can also provide 1) reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses paid as a result of a coverage error (e.g., attorney’s fees, costs, etc.); 2) an ability to benefit from certain changes in the rules about how some federal service is credited toward retirement; and 3) make-up contributions to the federal employee’s Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and receipt of lost earnings on those contributions, among other provisions.

If you think that you have a FERCCA error, you should notify your agency’s Human Resources department. Pursuant to FERCCA regulations, the federal government — upon its receipt of notice that a potential FERCCA error exists — should review your work history to confirm whether a FERCCA error actually exists and supply you with correspondence confirming the FERCCA error and other pertinent information, including benefit estimates for individuals entitled to an election option.

You should also receive a federal election form and information regarding how to receive reimbursement for your actual out-of-pocket expenses related to your FERCCA error, including attorneys’ fees. For more information, visit the Office of Personnel Management’s web site for frequently asked questions concerning FERCCA.

Contact Us

If you are in need of employment law legal representation or advice, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook or Twitter.

Students Introduce New Dating App in D.C. Area

By Scott Fields

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. Experience a prime location and enjoy being steps from Shirlington Village. Spec suites with bright open plans and modern finishes are under construction and will deliver soon!

Finding a relationship during the pandemic has gotten a little easier.

George Mason University students Cameron Smith and Dennis Nayandin developed and released a new dating app, SpecUdate, which is currently focused on the D.C. area. Devised as “Online Dating’s Real Game,” the app seeks to offer a new experience for users in “a fun way for people to break the ice online in a way that hasn’t been done before,” according to Smith, the CEO for the project.

Smith and Nayandin began work a year and a half ago on the project. The computer science majors — who have completely self-funded the project — went released the app on Friday, Oct. 8, with 1,500 subscribers and 100 active users. SpecUdate is open to anyone interested, but initially has targeted GMU and other area universities.

“Once we’ve made a foothold in the DMV area and the Northern Virginia area, we would like to expand to other areas,” said Smith, an Arlington native who attended Yorktown High School. “We want to be as big as we can, but we also want people to share the idea, share the concept, buy into the app itself.”

The development and direction of the app came as a result of Smith’s personal experiences with online dating apps and after interviews with college students, gauging their experiences with other services. After gathering the insight of students, chief technology officer Nayandin fit Smith’s vision for the app.

“SpecUdate is designed to help find relationships and friendships, but the way it does it is unique,” Smith said. “Unlike other services, we decided to go a route with our app where it’s actually like a real game.”

As a result of the feedback Smith and Nayandin received from their interviews, the primary focal point of SpecUdate is how users interact and develop connections. Before a connection can progress to a conversation, the app requires users to participate in two social games: “two truths and a lie” and a simple true or false question.

The games are meant to be icebreakers that can be used and referenced after a connection has been made and a conversation has opened between users.

The app — which is compatible on iOS and Android devices — has also taken on the challenge of being as inclusive as possible by taking advice from contacts made through George Mason’s LGBTQ office.

“One thing we had to conquer was ‘okay, how can we make this inclusive for everybody,'” Smith said. “I wanted everybody to be able to use the app, no matter gender or orientation.”

While COVID-19 has impacted the app and the marketing for it, Smith and Nayandin have taken the challenge head on. The duo had 1,000 email signups before the pandemic hit and George Mason went to virtual learning, and they’ve added 500 emails as a result of social media marketing. The app has also been adjusted to allow users to increase their search radius from a maximum 100 miles to 300.

“SpecUdate was designed to be a fun icebreaker dating game where people can actually enjoy playing the game more, as well as enjoy the process of dating, which should be a relaxing, enjoyable process,” Smith said.

“There’s a big stigma these days surrounding online dating apps that prevents a lot of people from even trying them just based off of what they’ve heard from other people, that they’re ‘hook-up apps,’ ‘they’re boring.’ We want to be different than that. We want to be the app that people enjoy to play and have fun connecting on, and is less stressful.”

Photo via SpecUdate

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:

1835 N. Kirkwood Place
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $1,995,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1881 N. Nash Street
2 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: Washington Fine Properties, Llc.
Listed: $1,675,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3311 20th Street N.
4 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent: Compass
Listed: $1,129,000
Open: Saturday 2-4 p.m.

 

1418 Rhodes Street N. #115
2 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: Compass
Listed: $980,000
Open: Saturday 3-6 p.m.

 

2126 N. Tazewell Court
3 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Cathedral Realty, Llc.
Listed: $795,000
Open: Sunday 12:30-3:30 p.m.

 

820 N. Pollard Street #603
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Century 21 Redwood Realty
Listed: $669,500
Open: Sunday 11 a.m.-2 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 Andors Real Estate Group.

I’m just going to go ahead and predict it… 2021 is going to be another crazy year for Arlington real estate! Strong demand heading into the fall is unlikely to falter, and the past 10 years seem to be indicative of what is to come.

I know, that’s not much of a prediction… It’s just more of the same. But hey, our real estate market is very strong and that is not a bad thing.

Have you noticed it can be hard to make money in the current environment of available investments?

The stock market has been swinging wildly recently. The potential for inflation is hurting the bond market. Savings accounts aren’t even paying one percent in interest…

Looking for a proven long-term investment?

Buy real estate! While real estate is not considered a very liquid investment, it does perform very well. It performs especially well in our area, and especially over time. If you’re wondering where to park a bunch of cash right now, you should seriously consider buying Arlington real estate. Additionally, Arlington real estate is some of the most liquid in the nation, with the ability to list, go under contract and get to settlement in about a month. The same low interest rates we keep hearing about for 30-year mortgages, these days starting with a 2, are a great way to leverage a difficult playing field when it comes to other investments.

Oh, and by the way, mortgage interest rates just hit their tenth all time low this year… 2.81% for a 30-year fixed rate.

This past week in Arlington, sellers listed some 88 properties for sale while buyers ratified 71 contracts. 34 of the ratified contracts were on homes listed just within the past week.

There are currently 542 homes for sale in Arlington, 13 more than last week. 140 are detached homes, 52 are townhouses/semi-detached and 350 are condos.

Average days on market (DOM) for currently available homes is 48 and median DOM is 29. The median list price of currently available properties is $592,500, while the average is $782,110.

Last year for the same week, sellers listed 62 homes and buyers ratified 45 contracts.

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.

Statutes of Liberty: H-1B Hail Mary — Trump Administration Rushing Through Changes Before January

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.

Most inspiring comment last week: “This column is nerdy and niche AF.”

Our goal, this week, is to live up to those expectations. Fortunately for us, last week the Trump Administration issued a pair of regulations promulgated by the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security concerning the H-1B visa program — two scoops of nerdy niche ice cream topped with litigation sprinkles. Let’s dive in!

TL/DR: The Trump administration is moving, in the last months of its term, to try to tighten the requirements for H-1B visas. We’ll tell you how the new requirements (might) work, and offer our prediction on whether the new requirements will ever take effect. Our prediction is that the new changes won’t stick.

First, a little lawsplainer. The H-1B visa is a temporary work visa available to foreign nationals who want to work in a “specialty occupation” job for which at least a bachelor’s degree is typically required. The U.S. corporation which hires the foreign worker must promise to pay (and actually pay) the worker a competitive wage, as determined by the Department of Labor or by a private wage survey.

About 85,000 H-1B visas are awarded each year, typically through the H-1B lottery each April. (For more info on that, see our prior column on the nuts and bolts of H-1Bs.) Many H-1B visaholders renew their visas and stay in H-1B status for up to six years; some of them then go on to apply for U.S. lawful permanent residency.

How might the new regulations change the landscape? In three ways:

  1. Increase the required wage rate. By making technical changes to the method by which prevailing wages are calculated, the Interim Final Rule increases the required wage rates for all H-1B visaholders. (Unlike the other changes described below, these increases are effective immediately.) The technical changes are complex, but the upshot is that required wages go up across the board — but most especially for entry-level employees.
  2. Tighten the definition of “specialty occupation”. The new regulation insists that a worker who wants a job in a specialty occupation must have a bachelor’s degree or higher which is directly related to the occupation in question. (We doubt that this will be a problem for the vast majority of H-1B beneficiaries, who tend to be computer scientists who majored in computer science.)
  3. Increase inspections. The new regulation clarifies that USCIS has the authority to conduct site visits before, during and after the approval of an H-1B petition, as well as expanding USCIS’s ability to conduct site visits at outside job placement locations.

Will these regulations take effect? We expect that they won’t survive judicial review, for nerdy and niche reasons. The Trump Administration chose to promulgate these changes as a final rule and as an interim final rule, respectively, rather than via a notice of proposed rulemaking.

In plain English, this is a regulatory rush job, designed to go into effect before January. The federal courts generally dislike this sort of move. Remember DHS v. Regents of University of California, in which Justice Roberts overturned the rescission of DACA because DHS didn’t do the regulatory work properly? We do. DHS does. Our prediction is that the federal judiciary will too, and both of these regulations will be quickly enjoined.

As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments and will do our best to respond.

Arts Focus: Workshops By Artists, For Artists in Social Media, Development and Crisis Management

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Amid the many challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses for the arts and culture community, artists are taking the opportunity to strengthen capacity.

Toward that end, Arlington Arts is launching a new series of skill-building sessions: the Arts Enterprise Institute Fall Classes through our Arts Enterprise Institute, from October 27 through November 17 (all classes are virtual).

Dovetailing with our earlier partnership with the Washington Area Lawyers of the Arts (with workshops continuing through October 11), Arlington Arts now offers yet another opportunity for artists to learn and grow. Our Arts Enterprise Institute program exists to provide resources for artists and deepen their skill set to withstand the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workshops, training, seminars and events integrate strong business skills, knowledge, life-long learning, and artistic development with peer-to-peer learning and engagement with the community. A cornerstone of these programs is artists teaching artists.

Mary Briggs is the instructor for: Crisis Management for Artists and Arts Organizations During COVID-19, Where to Find Funding for Individual Artists During COVID-19, and Where to Find Funding for Arts Organizations During COVID-19.

The co-founder and director of the You Are Here community arts non-profit in Jeanette, Pennsylvania and an adjunct lecturer at Goucher College, Towson, MD in the Masters in Cultural Sustainability program, Mary Briggs is also deeply knowledgeable about our community. From 1989 until 2011, Ms. Briggs served in a variety of positions on the staff of Arlington Cultural Affairs Division, ranging from Grants Manager to working with an array of Multi-Cultural organizations. She has been a presenter at numerous national and regional conferences and meetings including Americans for the Arts, Grantmakers in the Arts and American Folklore Society. Ms. Briggs also was an Arlington resident for several decades.

Caroline Weinroth is the instructor for: Tips Tricks and Hacks for Creating Better Virtual Experiences, and Social Media Strategies 1 and 2.

Caroline Weinroth is a musician, writer and artist. At George Mason University, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with a concentration in Poetry, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater & Audio Engineering. She is the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Cinema Hearts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has performed livestream concerts for Center for the Arts GMU, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Alexandria Office of the Arts and others.

These virtual classes are offered at a special rate: $30 for the first class and up to all-five additional classes in the series for free! See below for details on each class and information on how to register!

Arlington Pet of the Week: Mini

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Meet the new Arlington Pet of the Week, Mini, a 9 year old Calico who enjoys sitting in the sun.

Here is what Mini’s owner had to say about her life here in Arlington:

Mini’s been an Arlington resident since 2012, after being adopted from Washington Animal Rescue League during an adopt-a-thon event that stressed out her soon-to-be human Dad. After narrowing choices to 2-3 of her shelter-mates, Mini was chosen–at least in part–because he couldn’t bear to continue looking at the many cats that needed a home. After settling in to the Commonwealth, she spent a few months in Ballston before moving to a deluxe apartment in the sky in Clarendon.

Mini is a nine-year old Calico who loves her humans and any other humans hands that visit. Additional loves include acting like a sundial by laying in sun spots as they move across the floor every day; reminding her humans of the importance of daily treats; hanging out on the balcony with her faux furry buddies; “helping” her humans while they work; watching sports matches; and visiting in the hallway with neighbors and former Pets of the Week Chip and Queso. She also has the broad feline interests of sitting in boxes, destroying leather furniture (an expensive lesson for her humans), and insisting on laying in any suitcase that is ever opened.  Ever.

While Mini’s favorite humans live with her (presumably), she has many friends across the country who ask about her welfare, request photos, or set up Zoom/FaceTime calls with her humans clearly to only see her. She is well cared for and loved. Mini but mighty.

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!

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