Feature

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.

We’ve seen the heroes emerge time and time again through the pandemic.

Our doctors on the medical frontlines. Our grocery store folks being there to help provide us with nourishment. Our postal delivery folks, helping keep us connected to the things and people we need most. The list goes on and on.

And, among the vital folks that have been lifesavers — literally — are our emergency nurses. This is their week — it’s Emergency Nurses Week and today, October 14, is Emergency Nurses Day. Our team can only image what they see on a daily basis, let alone in the heart of a global pandemic. So, to those nurses out there, we thank you.

Through normal or wacky times and when you’re ready to embark on your real estate journey, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is here for you, too.

Now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures.

As of October 12, there are 178 detached homes, 55 townhouses and 368 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 61 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: Housing Market Update, Condo Slide Continues

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: Last month you wrote about troubling signs in the condo market. Do you see things leveling off or getting worse?

Answer: The trends I wrote about last month — shifting demand in single-family housing out west and troubling signs in the Arlington/D.C. condo market — continued through September with the developing changes in the condo market being the most noticeable. Let’s take a look at what we’re seeing in the housing market through September…

Arlington/D.C. Condo Inventory Piling Up

The number of condos listed for sale in Arlington during September (261) ranks as the 2nd most in any month over the last 10+ years, trailing a record-setting April 2016 volume (268) by just seven. The last time we had this much active condo inventory on the market in Arlington was September 2017 and you have to go back to September 2016 for a month with higher Months of Supply (measure of supply and demand).

Our neighbors in D.C. blew past all-time highs over the last 10+ years with 969 condos listed for sale, well above the record set this past July (863). Three of the four months with 750+ condo listings in D.C. have taken place in the last three months. You have to go back to June 2011 for a month with more active condo inventory in D.C. and July 2012 for a month with higher Months of Supply.

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Cents of Community: Building Your Credit Score

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This monthly column comes from the Arlington Community Federal Credit Union as part of their mission to financially empower the community. Credit unions are not-for-profit member-owned cooperatives and anyone who lives, works, worships, volunteers, goes to school, or does business in Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, or Fairfax County is eligible to join ACFCU.*

Credit scores are a three-digit scoring system that financial institutions and other lenders use to determine whether you qualify for loans and what your interest rate will be.

Building up your credit score is critical for saving money long term with lower interest rates and insurance premiums. It also helps to ensure that you will be able to access credit when you need it. Most lenders use a FICO score, which ranges from 300-850, and is based on your reported payment history from all your creditors.

Here are some of the key components that make up your credit score and things you can do to bring your score up:

  • Payment history: A history of paying bills on time is the biggest component and accounts for 35% of your score. Set up autopay to ensure your bills are always paid on time.
  • Utilization: 30% of your credit score is determined by how much of your available credit you are using. Pay down credit card and line of credit balances until you are using 30% or less of your available credit (for example 30% of your total credit card balance) to help build a healthy score.
  • Length of credit history: Starting a credit history early is a great way to get a head start on building your credit score for the future. Your total length of history counts for 15% of your score. One way to start building credit is with a secured credit card. Secured credit cards require a deposit and your credit limit is based on the amount that you are willing to deposit. Make sure to use your credit card responsibly!
  • Credit Mix: Credit scores consider the mix of types of credit on your credit report (e.g. mortgage, car loan, credit card). This makes up 10% of your score. Having a few different types diversifies your credit, but secured credit is generally a stronger indicator for your score. Secured credit means that there is collateral associated with your loan. Secured loans include mortgages and auto loans.
  • New Credit: Opening several accounts in a short period of time (e.g. multiple credit card applications within six months) may reduce your credit score, especially if you have a short credit history. New credit accounts for 10% of your score. However, the score will recognize if you are shopping for rates (e.g. applying for a car loan with multiple lenders) within a limited period of time. Applying for credit or opening a new account can have a negative impact on your credit score but this drop is typically small and doesn’t last very long.

If you’re applying for a loan or credit card, consider having a conversation with your lender about your credit history and score. If your score isn’t where you want it to be, they may be able to offer suggestions to help you raise your score.

* Membership eligibility requirements apply. Federally insured by NCUA.

Rosslyn Tech Company LiveSafe Acquired

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. 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!

(Updated on 10/13/20) Rosslyn-based tech company LiveSafe has been purchased by Tampa-based Vector Solutions.

Founded in 2012, the company focused on campus security, as one co-founder survived the Virginia Tech mass shooting. Over the years, it gained footholds in other sectors and got an extra boost in 2018, when it received $11 million in new venture funding.

Today, the app and dashboard help businesses, schools and governments respond to anything ranging from harassment to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The acquisition will take LiveSafe to new heights and expand the company’s reach to new clients, said LiveSafe co-founder Shayan Pahlevani.

“You can’t be happier as a founder or LiveSafe team member see something you worked on for so many  years make it to the next level,” he said.

From its ground-floor office at 1400 Key Blvd, LiveSafe serves more than 400 customers including Hearst, Cox Communications, Brookfield Properties and the Crystal City-based Consumer Technology Association.

“It’s great that they see value in what we created,” Pahlevani said. “They have a number of incredible solutions in their deck, and to have access to their incredible customers is a huge testament to what we built.”

Many of the details are still being finalized, including whether LiveSafe will keep its office. Pahlevani said he could not disclose the cost of the sale, citing a non-disclosure agreement.

Vector Solutions and LiveSafe first partnered in 2019 to bring customized safety and security tools to higher education and K-12 markets.

Vector Solutions CEO Marc Schiepe said in a statement that the acquisition builds on a “longstanding and trusted relationship with LiveSafe and brings dynamic safety and security capabilities into the Vector Solutions product portfolio.”

Pahlevani said Vector became one of LiveSafe’s customers and was “very impressed with our team and the product.”

One product came online this year, inspired by the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on return-to-work plans. LiveSafe launched WorkSafe to help organizations detect potential COVID-19 infections, prevent outbreaks and reduce legal liability, while keeping employee health information private.

The acquisition comes as Vector Solutions — which bills itself as the “leading provider of software solutions for learning, operational readiness, workforce management” — rebrands its platforms to include the Vector name. LiveSafe will take on a new name, but Vector pledges to deliver the same experience.

Bringing LiveSafe into the fold “fits perfectly with Vector’s mission to serve everyday heroes by delivering intelligent software solutions that empower them to make safer, smarter, better decisions,” Schiepe said in his statement.

As for Pahlevani, he said the acquisition will afford him time to focus on Hungry, the buzzy Ballston-based startup he founded that connects businesses to local caterers for lunches and events.

“I get to focus 100 percent on Hungry,” he said.

This article has been updated to remove sensitive staffing information covered by a non-disclosure agreement. 

Neighborhood Spotlight: Top 3 Coffee Shops in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

For many people living in Arlington, coffee is an absolute lifesaver. Java can help perk you up for the traffic-filled commute in or out of Washington D.C., keep you alert through the early morning workflow, or just make your telework video call a bit more lively.

As one might expect for such a versatile bean, there are plenty of spots around Northern Virginia that serve up a fine cup of joe — and on this week’s edition of the Neighborhood Spotlight, we want to share some of the Keri Shull Team’s favorite coffee shops in Arlington! All three of these cafes are open and following appropriate COVID-19 regulations, so you can still enjoy their brews in-house or with takeout options.

Do you know of a cafe, restaurant, or other space for local leisure that you’d like us to highlight next? Make sure to let us know down in the comments — we’d love to check them out!

Compass Coffee

With 12 locations across D.C. and Northern Virginia, Compass Coffee is one of the swiftest-growing coffee companies on the east coast. Compass was originally founded as a single location in the Shaw neighborhood of D.C., but in the 6 years since, it has spread to a dozen cafes in the D.C. area — including a spot right next to the Rosslyn Metro Station!

The Rosslyn cafe, sitting at 1201 Wilson Boulevard, was Compass’s first foray across the Potomac. This warm, cozy coffee shop rests on the ground floor of the CEB tower, the same skyscraper where Arlington residents can enjoy the “View of DC” Observation Deck.

For those that prefer to enjoy a cup at home, Compass also sells their beans in pre-ground, 5 lb bags or as convenient single-serving K-cups for Keurig machines. You can find these for sale in their cafes or on their online store.

Northside Social

Whether you want to get your day started right or want to wind down with a glass of wine at the end of a long day, Northside Social has you covered!

There are two Northside Social locations, both of which are in Northern Virginia. The first is in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, at 3211 Wilson Boulevard. The second is in Falls Church at 205 Park Avenue.

If you want to read a more in-depth exploration of Northside Social’s offerings and atmosphere, make sure to check out the dedicated Northside Social Neighborhood Spotlight that we published early last year!

During the COVID-19 regulations in Virginia, Northside is offering dine-in and takeout options. By the way, here’s a pro tip for taking home food and drink from this stellar cafe: if you fall in love with one of the wines there, you can take a bottle home with you… and get it for $20 less than the listed bottle price at the same time!

East West Coffee Wine

Also in Rosslyn, just a few blocks away from Compass Coffee, is our last cafe for the day. East West Coffee Wine offers — as the name so subtly suggests — both java and vino, in addition to a full menu of savory and sweet foods.

The fine folks at East West focus on turning high-quality beans into high-quality drinks — so no matter whether you’re a NitroBrew newbie or an espresso expert, you’ll be able to appreciate the care and craft that go into your drink!

Like Northside, East West also offers a selection of fine wines. When it comes to both the uppers and the downers, East West Coffee Wine is dedicated to educating their customers. So make sure to come by one of their two Arlington locations and have the most delicious educational experience of your life!

If you just have to have your morning joe, Arlington certainly has you covered. These are just 3 of our favorite coffee shops in Arlington, but there are plenty more around that we haven’t even tried. So, what’s your favorite spot for a shot of espresso or pour over? Let us know down below in the comments!

Are you interested in buying or selling a home now in Arlington or anywhere else in the D.C. area? The Keri Shull Team — the top-selling real estate team in the D.C. area — is standing by to help you, so contact us today! All you need to do is click here to schedule a time for a free, no-pressure Real Estate Consultation with one of our local experts.

Your Beermonger: The Last Reference

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is written by Steve Quartell, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Order from Arrowine’s expanding online store for curbside pickup.

Well folks. It’s been quite a ride.

I always knew (as did the fine folks that hired me) that my time at Arrowine was going to be limited, but I’d always figured I’d go out like Paxton: Hard worker, hits all his marks, trustworthy in clutch moments — replaced by a Steve Kerr.

But, well… It didn’t happen that way did it? As Pearl Jam said:

Do you see the way that tree bends?
Does it inspire?
Leaning out to catch the sun’s rays…
A lesson to be applied…

And here I am saying goodbye almost just as soon as I got to know a lot of you. I knew I’d be stepping away sooner or later, but like many things during these times — hard dates went back and forth and up and down for a while.

So. Now, here we are. One last chance to make a forced reference to — er uhhh, one last column, to say goodbye.

It’s not a binder with the words “The Last Dance” scrawled over it. It’s not Phil Jackson inviting the entire ’98 Bulls team to share their thoughts and feelings and then throw them in a burn bin, and it’s certainly not Jordan’s last season in Chicago. But it’s surely akin to the cigar sitting at Jordan’s right hand at the start of my favorite over referenced ESPN documentary.

It’s time to spark that cigar and say goodbye, but let’s have some beers to go with it — a little music would be nice too.

Mind you, if you don’t enjoy cigars or smoke, I’m not encouraging you to start now, and the opinions below reflect solely my own preferences and not those of ARLnow, Arrowine ownership, or any of the Breweries whose beers I suggest. If you’re looking for a beer that brings the smoke without the cigar — I highly suggest you pick up some Port City Rauch Marzen — in store Saturday.

But sometimes a smoke, a satisfying beer and some fantastic music are the perfect triumvirate to sit back and reflect.

Guinness Dry Irish Stout
Drew Estate Liga 9 Panatella
“If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” — Nas featuring Lauryn Hill

If I ruled the world… Well for starters, I’d have gotten more time working with Nick Anderson and Jace Gonnerman, but I could also settle for seeing more of all this.

Sub 5 percent stouts, small gauge cigars, and much more Nas and Lauryn Hill. The only beer on this list you could finish before the song it is paired with is over — Guinness has an inverse relationship between it’s complexity and its easy drinking nature. Pairing it with a shortie like the panatella allows both of them to really shine without eclipsing the other’s talents — just like a duet between Nas and Miss Hill.

Oftentimes you don’t need a giant cigar and a huge, boozy, BA RIS — sometimes you just need to vibe.

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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:

2001 S. Arlington Ridge Road
5 BD/5 BA, 2 half bath single-family home
Agent: Neighborhood Real Estate, Llc.
Listed: $2,395,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

2324 N. Quebec Street
5 BD/5 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Kw United
Listed: $1,700,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3014 12th Street S.
5 BD/4 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $1,250,000
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m.

 

6224 Lee Highway
5 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Weichert Realtors
Listed: $949,900
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1200 Crystal Drive #312
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Compass
Listed: $829,900
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

4712 Wilson Boulevard
3 BD/1 BA single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $699,000
Open: Saturday 12-2 p.m.

 

4650 31st Street S.
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Samson Properties
Listed: $549,000
Open: Saturday 12-2:30 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.

Every once in a while, I like to remind everyone how crazy Arlington can be when it comes to housing.

This past month, a condo sold for 19% over list price! Listed at $468,000, sold for $558,000. In the same timeframe, another home sold for 92% of list price… Netting the seller $54,000 less than they expected. Sales ranged from $152,000 all the way up to $3,200,000.

While the median and average hang right around 100%, our market certainly can be a bit unpredictable. Some homes sell their first day on the market, and others take a year and a half or more.

How do you navigate these ups and downs when considering buying or selling in Arlington?

Shameless plug? Sure James, let’s hear it!

I’d start by calling the Andors Real Estate Group… In the past year, we’ve gotten our buyer clients under contract many, many times in multiple offer scenarios, and our sellers as much as $56,000 over list price. Our average days on market is 6, and our median is 7. No home took longer than 12 days to sell, and our sellers took home an average of $12,000 more than what they asked for.

The Andors Real Estate Group is ready to help you gain an edge in a complex market!

Thanks James, just give us the numbers…

This past week in Arlington, sellers listed some 89 properties for sale while buyers ratified 62 contracts. 20 of the ratified contracts were on homes listed just within the past week.

There are currently 529 homes for sale in Arlington, 31 more than last week. 151 are detached homes, 48 are townhouses/semi-detached, and 330 are condos.

This week last year, there were only 257 homes available for sale in Arlington. With 529 homes available right now, the marketplace sure does look different. Last year, that was about 1.3 months of inventory. Despite more than double the inventory, we’re selling more homes per week and have just over 2 months of inventory available right now.

Average days on market (DOM) for currently available homes is 47 and median DOM is 29. The median list price of currently available properties is $615,000, while the average is $806,681.

Last year for the same week, sellers listed 46 homes and buyers ratified 48 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.

Boring Title: September and October Market Update

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.

For this week’s edition of Boring Title, we give our market update from what we’ve seen in September and the beginning of October.

The housing market remains a seller’s market through September. This has been consistent throughout the pandemic. While a high demand for new homes carries on, it has driven active listings down and home prices up.

However, the strong demand was met with the most new listings since the start of the pandemic. This could be an indication of the housing market normalizing as the holidays approach. As for now, expect selling prices to remain high.

If you are looking to potentially refinance, it could be a great time to lock in a rate as they have stayed close to historic lows. Just make sure you shop around first. If you ever need a recommendation for a lender, feel free to reach out to us and we can give some recommendations!

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!

Biz Talk: Arlington’s Bold Future — Ballston’s Innovation Hub

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/2

This article was written by Alex Taylor, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

Arlington Economic Development recently hosted a webinar on the future of Ballston, Arlington’s Bold Future: Innovating Ballston, featuring panelists from Shooshan Companies, George Mason University, Cushman & Wakefield, the Ballston BID and Arlington County. This was the first in a series of webinars focused on the future of Arlington’s economy and placemaking.

As home to DARPA, the Office of Naval Research and the Virginia Tech Research Center, Ballston has historically been a hub of innovation. Funded by federal research grants and commercialized spinoffs, the cutting-edge research happening in Ballston has led to technological advancements around the world as well as an influx of talent, ranking Arlington County amongst the most educated and hardest working populations in the country.

While companies have long been drawn to Ballston for its high-quality office space, prominent federal research institutions, university presence and access to tech and professional talent, the major transformation in Ballston has created a bustling 18/7 environment despite the ongoing pandemic.

The neighborhood has emerged as a more vibrant residential neighborhood with the addition of 2,000 new residential units over the last three years. These developments sit among thousands of existing residential properties, millions of square feet of high-end office space, and the experiential entertainment derived from over $300 million in investments between Ballston Quarter and Ballston Exchange.

Ballston also sits on top of one of the busiest metro stations in the region, with rail access on the Silver and Orange lines connecting workers and residents to D.C., Maryland and western suburban nodes like Ashburn, Reston and Vienna in Virginia. It will soon have direct access to two major airports (Reagan National and Dulles, coming in 2021), making domestic and international connections seamless.

Hundreds of miles of pedestrian and bicycle paths stretch across the region and allow for active commuters to run, bike or walk to the office. This combination of assets gives Ballston and Arlington a truly unmatched environment compared to other commercial districts around the country.

While Ballston is already a top-tier commercial district, it has experienced significant change over the last few years with many exciting new projects in the pipeline. The neighborhood will be welcoming George Mason University’s new Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA), and the $250 million state and University investment in the IDIA will serve as a critical catalyst in accelerating the growing innovation district and high-tech ecosystem along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

The 460,000 square foot facility will help support GMU’s new School of Computing, part of the University’s commitment to educate thousands of students in high-tech fields over the next decade. The building will incorporate cyber infrastructure and green technologies, and will support a mix of research, educational programs, corporate innovation labs, coworking and innovation programs for high-growth ventures.

This is all in addition to the $1 billion Virginia Tech Innovation Campus being simultaneously developed in Alexandria. Silicon Valley has Stanford, Atlanta has Georgia Tech, Boston has MIT and Harvard, and Arlington has GMU and neighboring Virginia Tech; the future for Ballston’s tech ecosystem is certainly bright.

Federal innovation has attracted talent to the D.C. metro region for decades, but the emergence of these high-tech university research facilities along with Amazon’s HQ2 project will create a tech talent pipeline that will bolster the region’s image as a tech hub and further place Arlington on the map as a preeminent global tech and innovation hub.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Ford

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Meet Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week, Ford, an 11 year old cat who just moved to Virginia from Maryland.

Here is what Ford had to say about his life here in Arlington since the move:

Hello humans, my name is Ford the Cat. I am 11 in your silly human years; I personally don’t believe in aging, just look at me. The simpletons at the shelter from which I was “rescued” gave me that name and my new subject Caitlin (you would say owner) decided to keep it. It’s unclear if I was named after the car or president; I believe it was just a typo of Lord the Cat.

I allowed Caitlin to move me from Maryland to Virginia during this coronavirus I keep hearing about. So far I must say I love it here; I have three enormous windows to look out (Caitlin calls it kitty TV) and for the first time I have a staircase to randomly run up and down in the middle of the night.

Those who have the privilege of knowing me best remember my charming personality, resting happy face (my humans put pictures of me online under “Ford_Isnt_Angry”) and my one big snaggletooth. Looks aren’t everything but they certainly help.

When I’m not crushing photo shoots I’m quite fond of chasing that glowing red spot that randomly appears on the walls (I’ll catch you one day!), napping in various food shapes, including “shrimp”, “loaf” and “banana” and throwing up in the car. That’ll teach Caitlin to remove the king from his castle.

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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