Feature

Cents of Community: Managing and Paying Down Your Debt

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.*

During this challenging time for our community, many have taken on debt to support themselves and their family. Here are tips for managing and paying down debt:

  • Understand your household expenses: Make a list of your fixed expenses such as rent or mortgage, utilities and loan payments. Add the due dates to your calendar to pay on time and set up autopay options when possible.
  • Prioritize your debts: Make at least the minimum payments on all of your debts. Use any extra funds to pay down debts with the highest interest rate (usually credit cards). Every little bit makes a difference and will help you save money on interest.
  • Set spending limits: It’s easy to overspend when you don’t set boundaries. Once you’re clear on how much is coming in and going out, set spending limits.
  • Put your credit cards away: Sometimes, the key to preventing excessive debt is making it difficult to use your credit cards. Consider locking away your highest interest credit cards and moving a debit card or lower interest credit card to the top of your wallet.
  • Shop for the best rates: Compare rates both when you are taking on and managing debt. Look for lower interest options and ask your financial institution to match the lower rate offered to you. You can also explore refinancing high interest debt.
  • Build up your emergency savings account: Build your emergency savings account with a goal of saving three to six months’ worth of expenses. Having a savings buffer will reduce your need to take on additional debt later.

We are proud to be part of this resilient community. As Arlington’s credit union, we support our members throughout their financial journey and are here to support our neighbors as they explore options for financial success.

*Membership eligibility requirements apply. Federally insured by NCUA.

Legal Insider: Businesses Face COVID-19 Lawsuits from Employees and Customers

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.

Employers have started to see the first lawsuits by employees and customers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The numbers of these types of cases will only continue to increase, given the lack of a cohesive strategy by federal and state governments in dealing with the reopening of businesses and the potential for liability. Hopefully, Congress will deal with this problem quickly and compromise. As of June 12, 2020, according to a tracker of COVID-19 cases, approximately 2,700 COVID-19 lawsuits have been filed.

The First Lawsuits Have Started

The first COVID-19 related lawsuits seen thus far include a class action by McDonald’s workers and a wrongful death action filed by a Safeway employee’s family. Many other lawsuits have been filed, both small and large, and we are starting to see employers require employees to sign waivers in order to return to work, and other businesses and events requiring individuals to sign waivers before entering.

For instance, some businesses have required individuals to sign waivers of legal rights to enter gyms or salons or to attend other events. For example, at the President’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma attendees were required to waive their right to sue the campaign in the event they contracted COVID-19 at the President’s campaign rally.

Employers are Seeking Liability Protections

The question of whether a business is liable if their employees or customers catch COVID-19 has become a critical issue as many states reopen retail, foodservice and other businesses. Businesses contend that they are subject to numerous lawsuits without any liability protections and are seeking legal protections from Congress, or even individual states, as the pandemic subsides. On the other side, opponents of liability protections argue that limiting liability for businesses could cause them to ignore safety rules, endangering both employees and customers.

A Compromise is Very Likely

It is likely that a compromise will be found, through congressional action, or worst case, on a state-by-state basis. There will need to be a balance between the protection of employees and customers and in ensuring that businesses do not go bankrupt through needless and often frivolous litigation. It is likely that these liability protections may find themselves in pending congressional bills which provide additional financial relief to individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic. In the end, businesses and employers that act reasonably will likely be mostly safe from litigation.

Contact Us

If you are in need of 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.

Crystal City Startup Secures $6 Million to Expand Defense Contract Search Platform

By Vernon Miles

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Tower).

Crystal City-based Second Front Systems, a startup that helps connect government agencies to commercially-developed technologies, recently received $6 million in seed funding to boost its startup technology assessment program.

Atlas Fulcrum is Second Front Systems’ platform that helps to catalog and organize venture capital-backed technologies and track market trends. The goal is to make it easier for the national security organizations to identify the latest new technological advances from startups in the private sector rather than relying on sometimes outdated technology from larger companies.

“I came back from combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan where my men and I were hamstrung by outdated technology that negated what should have been an advantage against insurgent adversaries,” said Second Front CEO Peter Dixon in a statement. “Subsequently, at the Pentagon, I watched as billions of dollars were awarded to traditional defense companies, many of whom were unable to deliver usable technology to front-line troops.”

“This venture financing and initial partnerships gives Second Front the velocity to build a new type of ‘lean systems integrator’ that can harness the innovations of the American entrepreneurial ecosystem where the traditional defense firms have failed,” Dixon said of the new round of investment.

Second Front Systems is a veteran-owned business with a Board of Directors boasting former Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace and former Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

The new funding was led by Artis Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that invested in YouTube in 2006 and has partnered with controversial defense contractor Palantir since 2014.

“The venture funding will be used to expand the capabilities of Second Front’s software platform, Atlas Fulcrum, which has recently received a major contract award from the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Air Force’s AFWERX,” the company said in a press release. “The U.S. military recognizes that commercially driven tech, such as autonomy, cyber, biotech, and AI, has surpassed the defense base in relevance to national security in the 21st century.”

Image via Second Front Systems

Rethink Energy: Are You Ready?

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored column is written by the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy team (AIRE). This county program helps you make smart energy decisions that save you money and leaves a lighter footprint on the environment.

A major storm has hit our area and your neighborhood just lost power. Your refrigerator stopped humming, your air conditioner ceased and the clock on your stove just went black.

What’s more, you don’t know when the power will be restored. An hour? Tomorrow? What if it’s longer? When the power goes out nothing works (unless you have solar and batteries from Arlington’s Solar Co-op).

If these questions make you uncomfortable, chances are that you don’t have an emergency plan or kit on hand.

This scenario is only hypothetical but we’ve seen it here in Arlington time and time again. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes — all natural disasters are inevitable. This weekend hurricane Fay is going to narrowly miss Arlington. The key is being prepared. Having an emergency plan and kit can make all the difference.

Since COVID-19 appeared we can’t necessarily bunk up with family, neighbors, or even in a hotel during an emergency without risk.

Below are links to a family-friendly emergency scavenger hunt from Dominion Virginia Power, additional preparedness tips, a link to Arlington’s Solar Co-op and emergency planning resources from Arlington County.

Make a plan and kit today — they could be a real life saver.

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:

2538 N. Greenbrier Street
5 BD/6 BA single-family home
Agent: Exp Realty, Llc
Listed: $1,745,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3801 Washington Boulevard
4 BD/4 BA single-family home
Agent: Weichert Realtors
Listed: $1,450,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

6325 19th Street N.
5 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Avery-Hess Realtors
Listed: $1,075,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

5072 37th Street N.
4 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Compass
Listed: $949,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

6227 19th Street N.
4 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Condo 1, Inc
Listed: $825,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1111 19th Street N. #1503
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc
Listed: $725,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

3600 S. Glebe Road #428W
1 BD/1 BA Condo
Agent: Weichert Realtors
Listed: $499,900
Open: Sunday 2-4 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.

Good morning Arlington! I hope you had a fantastic Fourth of July weekend. Perhaps you heard many more ‘private’ fireworks this year than in years past just as I did. We thoroughly enjoyed the flyovers — what a treat!

As anticipated, it was a slow week for Arlington real estate — one of just a few weeks each year where we can expect volume to decrease significantly — this year it was down about 50% from the week prior.

Sellers listed some 79 properties for sale this week while buyers ratified just 47 contracts, 20 of which were on properties listed since just last week. This leads to a bit of extra inventory this week, but rest assured, buyers will do their part this week and we’ll see new contracts up a good bit next week. We may also see more price reductions than usual as a result of days on market creeping up a bit in the short term.

That could spell opportunity for some on the buy side — my recommendation: Try to scoop it up before the price reduction; reductions can result in a renewed interest and even spark bidding wars on a not-so-new property. If you see a property that’s been on the market for 14-21 days, there’s a good chance it’s due for a price reduction to stay relevant, especially if sellers keep adding 70+ listings per week.

There are currently 309 homes for sale in Arlington, 30 more than last week. 136 are detached homes, 24 are townhouses/semi-detached and 149 are condos. Average days on market (DOM) is 49 and median DOM is 28.

The median list price of currently available properties is $899,900, while the average is $1,078,621. This is now the third week in a row that median price has stayed below $1M! Median price keeps moving lower as the homes priced below $1M continue to sell at a much brisker pace than those priced above.

Last year for the same week, sellers listed 34 homes and buyers ratified 38 contracts — historically a slow week for real estate. This year though, we had twice the amount of new inventory come online.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. 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: Election 2020 — President Trump’s Immigration Proposals

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.

Immigration law and policy depend heavily on who occupies the White House. With that in mind, we think it’s important for our fellow citizens to know what the major candidates propose to do about an important issue. In this column, we’ll discuss President Trump’s immigration platform. (We previously discussed former Vice President Joe Biden’s immigration platform, which differs greatly.)

Unlike former Vice President Joe Biden, President Trump’s campaign has not — as far as we can tell — published a platform on immigration. But President Trump’s future policies are likely to be largely a continuation of his current approach, with possible inflections based on the balance of power in the Senate and the differing political environment of a second-term President.

President Trump has changed U.S. immigration policy in deep and consequential ways throughout his first term. It’s worth recalling the full set of his major moves:

  1. The Administration imposed, and then defended with increasing success, a series of Travel Bans on countries which do not, in the opinion of the Administration, meet appropriate screening and security requirements. The most recent Travel Ban is still in effect.
  2. The so-called Family Separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, designed to discourage family group migration from Central America.
  3. Tightening the rules for asylum applications, both by additional evidentiary burdens on victims of gang violence and domestic violence seeking asylum and — in a recent move — by increasing the wait time for asylum-based work permits.
  4. The “Remain in Mexico” policy for Central American asylum seekers, which prevents many asylum applicants from applying for asylum in the United States.
  5. The addition of the new Public Charge Rule, which prevents potential green card holders from immigrating to the United States unless they can provide a great deal of evidence of future financial self-sufficiency.
  6. Border wall construction. As immigration restrictionists have noted, border wall construction has been… unimpressive in the terms that matter, namely new physical walls. Pre-pandemic, about one mile of new wall had been built, with just under a hundred miles of wall rebuilt. Those rebuilt walls are much more robust than the chain-link fencing that they replaced, so this is an impressive piece of construction.

So, what could we expect from a second term? The conventional wisdom is more of the same, and, as usual, the conventional wisdom is probably right. But there are a few things that we think would differ about a second Trump term.

  1. We believe that the asylum system is likely to become more bifurcated, between ‘ordinary’ claims (say, a Cameroonian political dissent who flies into JFK and applies for asylum in New York) and border claims. The Administration has begun two pilot programs, the Prompt Asylum Claim Review (PACR) and Humanitarian Asylum Review Process (HARP), which have the goal of adjudicating asylum claims at the border within ten days. These programs are under legal challenge now, but, if President Trump is reelected, you can expect them to have a chance of survival.
  2. We believe that prospects of comprehensive immigration legislation would be more or less nil. All projections show that Democrats will continue to control the House of Representatives, and it is unlikely that a Democratic House would be able to work with the Trump Administration to pass a mutually agreeable bill. Trust between the parties is at a low ebb, and on no issue as much as immigration. (Trump skeptics should note that the Administration did propose a limited deal in 2018; its failure suggests, a forteriori, that a more comprehensive deal would fail in a second term.)
  3. We believe that the Administration will move to rescind DACA, again, but this time successfully. Our recent article on DACA rescission described how the Trump Administration failed — in the opinion of the Supreme Court — to comply with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision lays out a road map for the Administration to succeed a second time.

Trump’s immigration policies in a second term are likely to be quite expansive, and we were only able to hit the highlights in this space. We’re glad to answer any questions that you have about these proposals. As always, we welcome any comments and will do our best to respond.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Franco

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Meet Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week, Franco, a rescue cat who enjoys sleeping and snacks.

Here is what Franco’s owner had to say about his life here in Arlington:

Franco, named after James Franco by our now-living-in-Brooklyn daughter, is a huge, obnoxious, grouchy – but extremely handsome – ginger cat. (Some may ascribe some of those same traits to the actor, but…) He is a a rescue cat who, according to his microchip info, is originally from Dade County Florida (which explains a lot). When the people at PetSmart said this kitten was “a biter,” we thought meh, he’s just a kitten, he’s just playing. Ahem. Personality-wise, he is basically every cat meme on Facebook. Extremely lazy, aloof, bossy, patronizing and bullying (he is Christmas Story’s Skut Farkus to our small female tiger cat’s Ralphie – and she may yet let loose on Franco the same way Ralphie did; we are waiting…). His favorite pastimes include sleeping, eating, naps, snacks, having a resting grumpy face and…occasionally…inexplicably…jumping in your lap at odd times and purring. When this happens you’re so overjoyed you begin petting him and cooing at him, which basically makes him jump down after rolling his eyes. He also enjoys hiding out behind doors patiently waiting to leap out at the aforementioned small female tiger cat and making her jump a mile in the air in fright.

He is basically a handsome male model and knows it.  He has little patience and is completely annoyed with being hugged, kissed and petted on the regular by the female resident of the household and the daughter-from-Brooklyn when she comes for a visit. He has been known to inflict scar-making wounds on these ladies, who never seem know when to quit. In his defense, he usually gives out a weird guttural meow when he has had enough, indicating that you must stop what you are doing and back away. These warnings are frequently ignored. (“Please LOVE me” goes the popular meme of a female holding a cat who has unmercifully scratched her).

Oddly, given his disdain for humans, he seems to hang around whenever we have friends over, but this has been attributed to his knowing these social occasions frequently involve unattended food. His other adorable trait is  incessantly sharpening his claws on all the furniture, so that the decor resembles shredded cheese. It is obvious why we love this cat, who we’ve had for….no one remembers how many years. Seems like he’s always been here – spoiled, lazy, rotten but oh-so-lovable.

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.

How will the D.C. area housing market respond to the pandemic?

There are certainly a variety of opinions and theories emerging, but some key facts remain intact.

Whereas some cities are heavily reliant on specific industries (e.g. Las Vegas with hospitality), the D.C. area is anchored by jobs in a variety of industries. In addition to comparitively high salaries and low unemployment rates, this will help the D.C. area market in the long run.

According to the recent Resilient and Vulnerable Cities Report by Unison, D.C. is listed among the most resilient cities in the United States, in addition to Boston and New York, in terms of being poised to weather the COVID-19 storm.

Amid this broader optimism, it’s still important to weigh the individual factors that may influence or impact a transaction. When you’re ready to chat through your scenario(s), the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is open ears.

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

As of July 6, there are 154 detached homes, 30 townhouses and 164 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 23 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: Will You Be in Arlington in Five Years?

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: Do you expect Arlington to suffer from an urban migration to less populous areas due to COVID-19?

Answer: There has been no shortage of articles written about COVID’s impact on desirability of urban living and areas like NYC and SF have already seen drops in demand. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that demand (measured by absorption rate) in Arlington seemed to be tapering slightly, while increasing across Northern Virginia. This could be a sign that some buyers are choosing more distant/less populous communities, but it could also be a result of how little inventory there is and how quickly prices have gone up.

I don’t think we’ll know how COVID will impact long-term demand in Arlington until we see whether or not it results in substantial changes to where/how people work. Most people I’ve spoken to don’t know whether their employers will make permanent changes to telework schedules or flex hours, or whether they will return to their pre-COVID work routines once life returns to normal.

Commute times are a top-three consideration for most Arlington residents so it’s hard to argue that a trend towards 50% or more telework days per month won’t reduce housing demand in Arlington. The next decade is also likely to bring major improvements to autonomous driving and the commuting experience which will allow some to bear longer commutes by increasing productivity during the drive.

But just how much would net demand change? I can also see a scenario where Arlington residents who leave for more space and/or less expensive housing are replaced by new residents from cities like D.C., NYC, or SF looking for a better balance of urban and suburban life.

Major shifts in telework and commuting may reduce long-term demand for Arlington housing, but I think it’s far from a doomsday scenario where the bottom drops out of the market. Commuting is still just one factor of a much larger set of needs and wants that Arlington offers its residents so it’s more likely to result in tapered housing appreciation over the long-term, rather than negative growth.

Let’s check back in on this in 2025 to see how we’re doing…

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to set-up an in-person meeting to discuss local real estate, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at www.EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. #10C Arlington, VA 22203, (703) 390-9460.

Rosslyn Startup Shifts from Travel App Developer to Online Identity Verifier

By Vernon Miles

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Towers).

Rosslyn startup Airside Mobile is rebranding to just Airside as part of a pivot from being a travel app developer to a company focused on securing data and privacy in online interactions.

“Airside was founded shortly after the first generation iPhone was launched,” the company said in its blog. “We hopped at the opportunity to develop ultra-secure mobile technology, including the award-winning Mobile Passport App. However, the ‘Airside Mobile’ label no longer applies to our broader set of capabilities and offerings that extend beyond mobile apps to SDKs, APIs, and more. Our new name maintains the continuity of our brand while also allowing more breadth and depth for our products and services.”

In an interview with the podcast State of Identity, Chief Commercial Officer Jessica Patel said that international changes brought about by COVID-19 have emphasized the need for secure online interactions.

“The world has changed so much in these last couple of months,” Patel said. “There are some industries in the short term that have gone fully virtual that people might not have expected, like technology supporting fully virtual education. Obviously virtual healthcare and the overall health-tech space has evolved and become a bigger need in these more recent weeks… There are some of these industries that were not nearly as virtual as they are today [and there is] a need for digital identity to play a major role.”

Patel said she doubted that many of the industries that had to shift to virtual interactions will ever go back to the level of in-person interaction before the pandemic.

“When I think about changes all kinds of industries will have to make there’s going to be moves to offering digital interactions instead of physical,” Patel said. “There’s going to be a real push to implement more contactless solutions. I think that’s where leveraging digital ID and biometric technologies are going to play a huge role in a lot of these verticals.”

Over the last few months, the company has offered its digital suite of products to organizations on the front lines of fighting the pandemic, free of charge.

“If your organization is on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 and you believe that a digital identity solution would support your cause, please contact us,” the company said in a press release. “We’re here to help. Airside is uniquely positioned to respond to this need because we can protect the data with best-in-class encryption, ensure a high level of privacy for the individual and the organization, and utilize our FedRAMP-certified environment to handle increased transactions for your fundamentally important cause.”

Patel said the company’s experience in verifying identities while maintaining privacy is opening doors to expanding into a variety of financial, retail, and travel interactions. The company offers products like software development kits businesses can use for their own products or document scanning and chip reading products. Some of those, Patel said, are sold as monthly or annual licenses, while others are product sales.

“As we look to grow how we’re supporting consumers, we’ve grown beyond a customs application into a broader digital identity solution,” Patel said, “whether in banking, travel, insurance, education technology… we’re seeking to a be a ubiquitous form of digital identity that continues to put the control of sensitive information in the consumer’s hands.”

It’s a message that seems to have resonated with investors, with the Washington Business Journal reporting last week that Airside has raised $13.6 million in new funding.

Photo via Airside/Facebook

View More Stories