Feature

Arlington Pet of the Week: Shytakee

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week is Shytakee, a 16 year old cat who loves nap time and cuddling.

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

Meet Shytakee,

He was adopted from the Miami Humane Society at 4 months old and has been a love bug from the second I met him.  They say pets select us and that’s true.  Shytakee was one of 4 kittens I was evaluating and when I picked him up, he put his paw on my cheek and licked my nose.  It was from that moment, I knew he was meant to come home with me.  Today, he is a 16-year-old sweetheart who loves nap time, cuddling up with anyone who will pet him, being kind to foster kittens when we have them and eating.  He also took his role as big brother seriously to Portobello who was with us for 14.5 years.  What’s his favorite food you ask?  Fresh tuna with some water as broth and treats.

Shytakee may be an old man, but he is young at heart.  He still runs around the house, screams at 7am to get dad to play and loves a good laser pointer.  He requires multiple heating pads around the house to ensure he is always warm and soothing his arthritis and every time we get a new blanket it quickly becomes his property.  Shytakee doesn’t understand the concept of personal space and is always touching his dad. He also loves to give kisses on the lips which has sometimes turns to love bites that hurt a bit.

This old man is one cool cat and much like a fine wine, he gets better with age.

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.

On the real estate front, what are we in for in the months ahead?

Well, like many industries in our area and beyond, so much is contingent on a number of factors, including a trusted COVID-19 treatment, vaccine, existing and forthcoming regulations (spanning local, state and federal) and so much more.

Based on just how booming our local market was prior to COVID-19 — fueled in large part by incredibly low unemployment rates, the pending arrival of Amazon’s HQ2 and more — there is surely to be a comparative lull of some sorts in the times ahead. And, we’re starting to see a bit of that now, in the form of a rising influx of Just Reduced homes.

Regardless of where you may find yourself in today’s turbulent times, it has never been more important to have a trusted expert advocating on your behalf. Just as before the pandemic struck, every single buyer/seller/renter/landlord’s scenario is different, and your unique scenario must be carefully examined.

When you’re ready to embark on your real estate journey, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. has your back. Until then, here are this week’s figures.

As of May 4, there are 146 detached homes, 29 townhouses and 102 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 12 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: April Real Estate Market Review

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: How did the April real estate market compare to what you would have expected if we weren’t going through the COVID-19 pandemic?

Answer:

Expectations vs Reality

The 2018 Amazon HQ2 announcement sent demand up and supply down, creating a frenetic real estate market across Arlington and Northern Virginia in 2019 (2019 Review One and Two). The party continued into 2020, with rapid price growth and intense competition amongst buyers, setting the stage for the market to establish new highs.

It also seemed that the volume of new listings would finally go up, after YoY increases in December and January, the first YoY gains since October 2018.

All of those expectations were put on hold when the Coronavirus outbreak shut down the economy two months ago. For the first 4-5 weeks, the market froze up, with buyers and sellers unsure if we were on the verge of a market collapse and how to safely navigate critical real estate activities. Over the last few weeks, demand seems to be coming back and there are signs that sellers are more confident in listing their homes, which should lead to more supply.

April 2020 Market Report

April was our first full month living with Stay-At-Home orders, so let’s take a look at how last month compared to April 2018/2019 and February 2020 (last full month of normalcy).

Extremely Low Supply

Low supply was part of every Arlington real estate conversation in 2018. Then Amazon came and supply got so bad that the County Board launched Housing Arlington, but 2019 felt like the trough. Then COVID-19 hit and April 2020 produced 18% fewer homes for sale than April 2019.

The condo market has been hit the hardest by low supply with an unfathomable 55% decline in condo listings in April 2020 compared to April 2018.

For additional context, new listings in April are usually 25-40% higher than in February, but this year they were only 10% higher and actually lower in the condo market.

(more…)

As Coronavirus Shuts Down Physical Businesses, Local Stock Footage Company Soars

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).

(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) While many Arlington businesses have been struggling, for local startup Storyblocks the pandemic been pushing more customers unable to get their own footage to their tech-enabled stock video service.

Storyblocks is a Courthouse-based startup that allows members to access a large library of royalty-free stock footage with photos, video and audio from contributors. It has proven to be especially popular with content creators stuck at home during the coronavirus crisis.

“The nice thing for us is, amidst the chaos, more people are depending on our service,” TJ Leonard, CEO of Storyblocks said. “People can’t go out and shoot their own content, but need to create content for their jobs.”

Leonard said the virus has forced people who would normally shoot their own video to find other sources, which is where Storyblocks comes in.

“The way we thought about coronavirus is that on a normal day, only so many people who wake up and say ‘I’m going to take a close look at content, expense and performance,’ but when something like this occurs, it forces that consideration,” Leonard said. “When we get a side by side comparison we come out ahead more often than not. Coronavirus has forced more people to think more actively about where they spend their money on.”

The company started in 2009 in Reston as Footage Firm, shipping stock footage through the mail on DVDs, but evolved and changed location as technology progressed. Over the last year, the company has seen continued growth.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Leonard said. “We’ve been investing in content and investing in our product. We’ve seen steady growth over the first part of the year before the pandemic but in general, we’re up about 50%. We’re seeing business growing with website traffic increased by slightly higher percentages.”

Leonard said that Storyblocks is trying to focus around providing the “best first experience” for new customers in hopes that they’ll stick around after the pandemic is over.

On the content generation side, Leonard said Storyblocks hasn’t had any issues with uploading new content to the website, though he credits that mainly to the pandemic giving the company time to sort through its backlog.

“We have six months of a backlog to work through,” Leonard said. “If the stay at home order goes longer than six months that could be an issue.”

As the company continues to grow, Leonard said his sights are on expanding into the international market. On the homefront, Leonard said Arlington remains a solid place for a tech startup headquarters.

“Being in Arlington has been incredible for attracting top talent,” Leonard said. “We put a ton of value on our team and on our culture. It’s a team that’s analytical and understands direct marketing. Being in Arlington has helped. It’s a diverse community and we are able to pull from Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.”

Leonard added that he’s not worried about talent from his team, which is barely over 100 people, being poached by Amazon when the tech giant comes to town.

“Here, you’re not a cog in a machine,” Leonard said. “You have a chance to make a daily impact. We’re very rarely competing for the same type of individual.”

Photo courtesy Storyblocks

Legal Insider: Filing a Sexual Harassment Claim in Virginia

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.

Employees in the Commonwealth of Virginia have a number of forums for potentially filing a sexual harassment complaint.

First, employees must determine whether the facts in their case constitute sexual harassment. The general definition of sexual harassment, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), is that it includes “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”

The harassment victim can be either a woman or a man. Additionally, the harassment victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. That being said, sexual harassment does not always have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s gender/sex. Harassing an individual by making offensive comments about his or her gender can constitute sexual harassment.

Additionally, when more minor comments or teasing are made on a continuing basis, a hostile work environment based on sexual harassment can arise. Additional EEOC regulations and guidance on sexual harassment can be viewed here.

Harassment Complaints for Federal Employees in Virginia

For federal employees in Virginia, the usual method of filing an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint alleging sexual harassment is to go through their federal agency’s EEO office within 45 days of the date of the harassment. This very short deadline can usually be satisfied by initiating contact directly with a federal EEO counselor. Federal agencies will provide contact information for federal EEO complaint counselors to federal employees.

The formal complaint process involving the claims of sexual harassment will follow thereafter if the matter is not resolved. There are also other less common routes for filing a federal employee sexual harassment complaint, such as filing a grievance (where permitted, but not usually recommended) and/or a complaint though the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), but these are usually not effective when compared to a federal employee’s options for filing an EEO complaint.

Harassment Complaints for Private Sector Employees in Virginia

For employees who are employed by private companies in Virginia, there are a number of potential options for filing a sexual harassment complaint depending on where they live and the size of their employer. A private sector employee employed by a company with 15 employees or more may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is the most common route for those employed by private companies.

The deadline for doing so in Virginia is generally 180 days, which can be extended to 300 days due to a work-sharing agreement between Virginia and the EEOC.

A private sector employee can also usually file a sexual harassment complaint with the Virginia Division of Human Rights (DHR) if their employer has 6 to 14 employees, but less than 15. Additionally, if the matter involves a government contractor, a private sector employee can also file a harassment complaint with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), but this complaint process is rarely used.

Lastly, some counties and municipalities in Virginia have enacted harassment ordinances, such as Fairfax County and Arlington County, which also have procedures for filing complaints against employers. The deadlines for county filings can vary between 180 and 365 days depending on the county. In sum, it is important to figure out the correct forum and to file a claim well in advance of any deadlines.

Harassment Complaints for State Employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia

State employees who are employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia have somewhat different sexual harassment complaint options.

These include the possibility of filing a complaint with the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Services (OEES) or the EEOC. The current Executive Order governing state employees was issued in 2014.  State employees should consult with an attorney before deciding which forum is best for their sexual harassment complaint.

Harassment Complaints for County and Local Employees in Virginia

Finally, employees of Virginia’s various counties and municipalities also have options for filing a sexual harassment complaint. They may typically file harassment complaints with the EEOC, or if covered by their county or municipality, a local claim. By far, the majority of county employees take their cases to the EEOC and then to the court, if their matter is not resolved.

Talk to an Attorney to Determine the Best Forum

It is very important to speak with an attorney before choosing a forum in which to file a sexual harassment complaint since the correct forum for filing complaints can vary based on the facts of the claim, location and size of the employer, and nature of the employer.

If you need assistance with filing a sexual harassment complaint, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook.

Small Business Shoutout: Thank You to ARLnow’s Legal Sponsors

By ARLnow.com

It’s a new week, and we have lots of local news to cover already. We’re able to bring you that coverage, free of charge, thanks in large part to the support of our sponsors.

Continuing an ongoing series, ARLnow is giving special shoutouts today to the sponsors that are sticking with us during these tough times. Today we’re recognizing three legal practices that advertise with us:

Thank you to all of our sponsors for supporting ARLnow and helping to keep our readers informed.

Flickr photo by Joe Gratz

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:

2330 N. Vermont Street
6 BD/6 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Compass
Listed: $2,100,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3425 N. Randolph Street
5 BD/5 BA single-family home
Agent: Avery-Hess Realtors
Listed: $1,485,000
Open: Virtual Tour

 

5638 19th Street N.
4 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $924,900
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3704 Arlington Boulevard
3 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent: McEnearney Associates, Inc
Listed: $744,000
Open: Virtual Tour

 

3409 Wilson Boulevard #206
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Realty One Group Capital Properties
Listed: $650,000
Open: Virtual Tour

 

1001 N. Vermont Street #307
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Maram Realty, Llc
Listed: $575,000
Open: Virtual Tour

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.

Sellers — It’s time to list your home! Seriously, the buyers are still out there and continue to clamor for inventory.

The hottest price sector is still those below $1 million, but there is still excellent movement up to $1.5M. Condos continue to sell at the most aggressive pace due to their relative affordability when compared with single family properties.

Mortgage interest rates have dropped again and are now lower than the all-time lows of February and March. 30-year fixed is a flat 3% and we’re seeing some buyers lock in rates that begin with a 2…

We should talk about virtual showings for a moment. The vast majority of buyers will not buy a home they have not actually stepped foot in. Despite great technology making it easier to visualize the property without being there, most simply will not spend near $1M without visiting in person. I am seeing the properties offering only virtual showings sit on the market despite being priced properly. If you’re getting ready to sell, expect the buyers will want to come tour in person.

You’re probably inundated with national news, mostly mentioning how COVID-19 is negatively affecting markets, consumer spending is down, and home builders aren’t starting new projects. I’ve said it before, but I’ve got to say it again — that just isn’t our reality in Arlington! Lines at the coffee shop, Amazon delivery drivers on every block all day long, and showings piling up at fresh new inventory for Arlington listings is our continued normal.

PICK OF THE WEEK — The Andors Real Estate Group is proud to have JUST LISTED 923 N. Barton Street, Arlington, VA 22201 — $1,100,000! This awesome Lyon Park home sits on a 7,200 sq. ft. lot, backs to an alley with a detached 2-car garage and has space to grow! 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and 2,800 sq. ft. of finished space just blocks to Clarendon. Built 28 years ago, it has the generous proportions of a newer vintage home without the absurd price tag. Give me a call to arrange a private tour — (703) 203-1117.

There are currently 242 homes for sale in Arlington. 125 are detached homes, 26 are townhouses/semi-detached, and 91 are condos. Average days on market (DOM) is 56 and median DOM is 35. Median is creeping up a few days per week, while average is holding quite steady.

Sellers listed some 54 properties for sale this week, down from 60 last week. Buyers ratified 47 contracts, 26 of which were homes that had been on the market one week or less.

The median list price of available properties is $981,950, while the average is $1,126,855. Last year for the same week, sellers listed 67 homes and buyers ratified 65 contracts.

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: The 60-Day Immigration Ban and What It May Bring

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.

You may have read that the President of the United States has banned all green card issuance for sixty days. Fake news.

On April 21, President Trump promulgated an Executive Order which banned the issuance of immigrant visas at U.S. Embassies abroad, with broad exceptions for spouses and children of U.S. Citizens.

Who was covered by the Order? Well, again, spouses and children of US citizens — who make up the bulk of immigrant visa applicants — were exempt. Parents of U.S. citizens, spouses and children of U.S. permanent residents, and siblings of U.S. citizens are subject to the order. Employer-sponsored green cards are also subject to the order. Folks in those categories are stuck, and will be stuck for at least the two months covered by the Order.

That sounds like a big deal, and, for the people affected by the Order, it is a serious hardship. But, as supporters and detractors of legal migration quickly noted, the Order is more bark than bite. Due to COVID-19, U.S. Embassies and consulates abroad were already closed for visa issuance, so the order changed nothing in the short run. And, perhaps more importantly, the Order changed nothing for the following categories of people:

  1. People inside the United States applying for green cards. Most green cards are awarded to people already inside the United States.
  2. Temporary workers, like H-1B tech workers and H-2A agricultural workers. Hundreds of thousands of such workers come to the United States legally each year.
  3. Asylees and refugees, who are specifically exempt from the Order.

So, when the text of the order was released, immigration restrictionists yawned with disappointment and immigration boosters cheered. Our view is that both sides should wait and see. The Order contains a little-discussed provision which instructs the relevant federal departments to prepare recommendations to further implement the goals of the Order.

Stephen Miller, whose role in the Trump Administration’s immigration apparatus has been a matter of widespread public discussion, has been quite open about the benefits of this “further recommendations” clause. His view, reportedly, is that the Order is a first step towards a broader reform of the U.S. immigration system: turning off the taps of what restrictionists call “chain migration.”

Mark Krikorian, the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, advocates using the Order as a stepping stone toward ending the H-1B program altogether, and restricting other types of guest worker program as well.

Whether these proposals are implemented by the Administration will determine whether the Executive Order is a meaningless footnote or a bellwether. Our bet is that the Executive Order will be a footnote, but that’s a political prediction, not a legal judgment.

For now, the important legal facts are these: if you are inside the United States, and you want to apply for a green card, you still can; if you are outside the United States, and you want to apply for a green card, you still can’t. If you already have a green card and want to apply for U.S. citizenship, the Order changes nothing for you: you should apply to become a citizen if you qualify.

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

Small Biz Focus: Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/4

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

Recently, the Arlington County Board approved the creation of the special Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT Program.

In Arlington Economic Development, we’ve been reaching out to the business community since this pandemic began, and what we heard was needed most was access to capital. We wanted to do something to help. And now, with additional contributions from the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) as well as the Rosslyn and Crystal City BIDs, the fund is at more than $1 million.

It’s a countywide effort for a good cause — supporting the small businesses that make up the character of Arlington County.

The Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT (Giving Resiliency Assets Near Term) Program will offer competitive grants of up to $10K to Arlington companies that have been directly affected by COVID-19. To be eligible, businesses must have an Arlington County business license, be in good standing on Arlington County taxes and have fewer than 50 employees.

To apply, businesses also need to demonstrate that they’ve experienced at least 35% of revenue decline because of the pandemic and provide details on how grant funds will be used to support employee salary and benefits and other business capital and operating expenses directly related to the immediate impacts of COVID-19. A diverse panel will review the grant proposals and consider a variety of criteria, including need, business sustainability, and level of business disruption from the pandemic to ensure we can assist as many businesses as possible.

Applications will open in early May, and the application process will be open for two weeks. In the meantime, individuals can sign up to be notified as soon as the application goes live online.

Arlington Economic Development’s outreach has shown that more than 90% of Arlington’s small businesses have reported that the closures and modifications associated with the pandemic have been significantly disruptive to their businesses, and the GRANT program is just one way Arlington Economic Development and its BizLaunch team are working to help Arlington’s business community weather this crisis.

In the coming week, additional Information will be available regarding the GRANT in English, Spanish and Amharic with the application itself also available in multiple languages. We have counselors available for one-on-one virtual sessions.

More information is available on the COVID-19 Support section of the AED website, or those with questions can call us at 703-228-0808.

We’ve all learned a lot in the last few weeks, but what this pandemic has shown us more than ever is that Arlington’s business community is innovative, resilient and above all, ready to do whatever it takes to remain strong. We’re going to be here to do all we can to help make that happen.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Louie

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Meet Louie who was brought to Arlington from Maryland 4.5 years ago and now enjoys his life of retirement.

Here is what Louie’s owner had to say on his behalf:

Hello, my name is Louie.

I was born in Maryland but was scooped up by my parents about 4.5 years ago and haven’t looked back. After my parents brought me home to Washington, DC, I spent most of my young years roaming the hallways of the Opower office in Arlington. It was a very special place and I was lucky to receive many walks, pets and treats daily. I even met the Governor of Virginia at the time, Governor McAuliffe.

I’ve now been retired for about 3 years and while I miss Opower a lot, I enjoy sleeping on the couch, looking at the birds from the window and sailing with my pack. Follow me on instagram – hi_im_louie!

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