Feature

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 Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

Perhaps the historic events unfolding on Capitol Hill this week have raised uncertainty about our nation’s direction and caused home buyers to hesitate a bit as home sales dropped this week to only 33 from 43 last week.

Sellers did their part by listing 50 homes, so the drop in sales wasn’t an inventory issue. Our market’s few weaknesses include linkage to Federal government activity as our economy is primarily driven by the U.S government across the Potomac. For example, every presidential election year our real estate market just gets weird with erratic shifts of high volatility to dormancy over short periods. Something spooked buyers this week, and it wasn’t the weather.

Nationally, the housing market is hot in most places. A report released this week by the National Association of Realtors indicates that the median home price from a year ago increased 7.8% to $274,500. In the northeast region, the number of existing home sales is up 8.8% from a year ago, which has helped to drive down inventory levels by 8.5%, as if inventory wasn’t bad enough.

Currently Arlington has only 150 homes actively for sale. At the current rate of absorption, that’s only 1.1 months of inventory. Nationally, inventory has dropped to only 3 months, the lowest level since before the great recession of 2008.

Wage growth has picked up by 3% and that’s a big help for home buyer’s affordability, but when prices go up 7.8% it still puts buyers farther behind. Economists believe the affordability factor will eventually slow home sales and bring down price growth. But if I were a buyer right now, I wouldn’t bet on it happening soon enough. I’d get out there, compete in the bidding wars, and ratify a contract as soon as possible so I could enjoy the ride of equity growth while it lasts.

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

Small Biz Focus: Arlington Native Strengthening Arlington Businesses

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

By BizLaunch Team

In addition to the many tools at BizLaunch’s disposal such as Score, one on one consultations and innovative programming, BizLaunch has another resource for businesses with a unique partnership with Latino Economic Development Center. Here is a little about one of the newest members of Arlington’s small business ecosystem.

As a native Arlingtonian, Eddy Campos-Molina is excited to start working with small businesses in the area. Having been raised in a family of entrepreneurs, Eddy has seen firsthand many of the challenges that small businesses face, particularly in the Latino community.

As a Loan Officer & Small Business Coach for LEDC (Latino Economic Development Center), Eddy’s goal is to provide support to Arlington’s existing small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in three main ways. Through business loans, business advice and credit building.

Business Loans

As a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), LEDC provides alternative micro loan options to start-ups and existing businesses that have difficulty obtaining credit from mainstream financial institutions.

Business Advice

As a Small Business Coach Eddy will be providing hands-on workshops and one-on-one business coaching. LEDC helps launch new enterprises and support existing businesses with business planning, financial projections and marketing support etc.

Credit Building

LEDC also provides access to financial products specifically tailored to build one’s personal credit, along with knowledge of what goes into a credit score and how it impacts one’s financial goals.

Make an appointment with Eddy today! Eddy will also be available to take appointments on Fridays at the Bizlaunch office 1100 N. Glebe Rd. Suite 1500.

You can reach Eddy through his direct number and email listed below:

Eddy Campos-Molina
478-324-2839 
[email protected]

Además de los múltiples recursos que BizLaunch ofrece como consultoría uno a uno con asesores de SCORE y programas innovadores BizLaunch tendrá otro recurso para negocios a través de nuestra asociación con El Centro Latino de Desarrollo Económico (LEDC).  A continuación encontrará más información sobre uno de los nuevos miembros del ecosistema de pequeños negocios de Arlington.

Como nativo de Arlington, Eddy Campos-Molina está entusiasmado de comenzar a trabajar con pequeñas empresas en el área. Siendo hijo de una pequeña empresaria, Eddy ha visto de primera mano muchos de los desafíos que enfrentan las pequeñas empresas, particularmente en la comunidad latina.

Como Oficial de Préstamo y Coach de Pequeñas Empresas para LEDC (Centro Latino de Desarrollo Económico), el objetivo de Eddy es brindar apoyo a las pequeñas empresas existentes y a los emprendedores mediante tres formas principales. A través de préstamos comerciales, asesoramiento empresarial y mejoramiento del puntaje de crédito.

Préstamos comerciales

Como una Institución Financiera de Desarrollo Comunitario Certificada (CDFI), LEDC ofrece opciones alternativas de microcrédito para empresas nuevas y existentes que tienen dificultades para obtener crédito de las instituciones financieras convencionales.

Asesoramiento empresarial

Como entrenador de pequeñas empresas, Eddy ofrecerá talleres de capacitación y asesoramiento individual. LEDC ayuda a lanzar nuevas empresas y a apoya a las empresas existentes con asesoría en planificación comercial, proyecciones financieras y soporte de marketing, etc.

Construcción de historial crediticio

LEDC también proporciona acceso a productos financieros específicamente diseñados para mejorar el puntaje de crédito y brinda conocimiento acerca de cómo construir crédito y lograr sus objetivos financieros.

Haga una cita con Eddy hoy! Eddy también estará disponible para tomar citas los viernes en la oficina de Bizlaunch.

Puede comunicarse con Eddy a través de su número directo y correo electrónico que se enumeran a continuación:

Eddy Campos-Molina
478-324-2839
[email protected]

Arlington Pet of the Week: Heidi

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Meet Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week Heidi,  an 8 year old Mastiff who loves getting her nails painted.

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

Heidi is an 8 year old mastiff who hails from the beaches of Southern California. She misses swimming at the dog beach year round, but is very impressed by Westover’s squirrel population. When Heidi isn’t getting her nails painted her signature pink or grabbing a puppuccino from Starbucks, she can be found sleeping on her humans’ bed or sofa.

Heidi was 25 lbs overweight when she was rescued six years ago. The vet ran lots of tests, but ultimately diagnosed her as clinically fat and lazy. She loves belly rubs, and will eat anything that remotely resembles food. She currently holds the unofficial title of world’s largest lapdog.

If you see Heidi around town, please stop her and say hello. Heidi is the center of her humans’ world, but she has no sense of loyalty and will love you just as much as she loves them. Or more if you have treats.

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!

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care is the winner of eight consecutive Angie’s List Super Service Awards, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year and a proud supporter of the Arlington County Pawsitively Prepared Campaign.

Becky’s Pet Care provides professional dog walking and pet sitting in Arlington and all of Northern Virginia, as well as PetPrep training courses for Pet Care, CPR and emergency

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 throw quite a few stats, facts and figures at you each week with “Just Reduced.”

In addition to the figures on the surface — which certainly include listing price and possible reductions — there are some big-time figures that may not be quite as immediately publicized that you’ll certainly want to figure out before signing on the dotted line.

Among them are closing costs, insurance costs, taxes, prospective renovations, maintenance fees, inspection costs and potential homeowner association fees.

Entering any transaction, you’ll want to dissect everything that may be involved with the property. A detailed statement with line-by-line costs and fees will be imperative to determine the true value of your investment up-front.

There is quite a bit involved and, when entering unchartered waters and related lingo, it can certainly be stressful.

We’re here to help. When you’re ready to pull the trigger on an Arlington real estate investment, we’ve been navigating the local market for more than 30 years have the local expertise needed to get the most bang for your buck.

And now on to this week’s numbers.

As of January 20, there are 106 detached homes, 15 townhouses and 53 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 5 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: 2019 Arlington Real Estate Market Review — Condos

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 Arlington real estate market do in 2019?

Answer: Arlington’s real estate market made the national news cycle more than a few times in 2019 with some pretty extraordinary references to rapid appreciation — some accurate and some not. I’ve seen prices in some pockets of the market surge 15-20% in 2019, but for most of the market, appreciation was strong but not eye-popping.

Overall, the average and median price of a home sold in Arlington in 2019 was $705k and $610k, a 6.3% and 8.9% increase over 2018, respectively. Average days on market dropped by one week and an incredible 61.4% of buyers paid at or above the seller’s original asking price. The number of homes listed for sale in 2019 dropped about 17% compared to 2018 and demand surged, with buyers absorbing about 67% more inventory in 2019 than in 2018.

This week I will dig into how Arlington’s condo market performed in 2019 and next week I’ll do the same for the detached single-family home and townhouse market. I did separate write-ups on the 22202 (Amazon zip code) condo and detached home markets last month.

Arlington Condo Market Performance

First we’ll take a look at some of the key measures for market performance across Arlington and within North and South Arlington. This data excludes age-restricted housing (The Jefferson), Cooperatives (River Place) and townhouse-style condos (Fairlington).

  • The condo market seems to have appreciated 7-8% in 2019, after experiencing barely any growth from 2013-2017 and modest growth in 2018
  • South Arlington beat out North Arlington in every key category, which makes sense because it’s an easier price point for homeowners and investors who wanted some sort of real estate position in Arlington before Amazon’s hiring picks up
  • The average condo buyer in South Arlington paid .8% over the seller’s asking price

Condos in North Arlington sold twice as fast as they did from 2015-2017. In South Arlington they sold more than three times faster than 2015-2016.

Performance of Different Sub-Markets

I took a look at some of the sub-markets that make up large cross-sections of Arlington’s condo market to see how they performed compared to the overall market.

For “standard” 1 BR and 2 BR condos in the Rosslyn-Ballston (R-B) Corridor I specifically looked at condos in buildings constructed during the 2000s condo boom with 650-800 sq. ft. (1 BR) and 950-1,200 sq. ft. (2 BR).

  • “Standard” R-B 1 BRs appreciated 4% in 2019
  • “Standard” R-B 2 BRs appreciated 5% in 2019

For “older” 1 BR and 2 BR condos, I looked at those constructed in the 1940s-1960s. This category of condos had been slow to appreciate and as of 2018, a lot of owners were still trying to dig out from 2005-2007 prices.

  • Older 1 BRs appreciated 7.4% in 2019
  • Older 2 BRs appreciated 10.5% in 2019

(more…)

Neighborhood Spotlight: What to do in Ballston, 2020

By ARLnow.com Sponsor


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

With their busy schedules of helping buyers and sellers get great prices on homes, our agents need the chance to blow off some steam — so why don’t you join them? They wanted to take some time today to show you two of our favorite places to have fun in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia.

Ballston is full of hidden gems and amazing spots for revelers of all ages, and we wanted to take the chance to talk about a couple of them today!

What’s your favorite place to go for fun in Ballston? Let us know in the comments below — we’d love to check it out!!

Are you interested in moving to Ballston, another neighborhood in Arlington, or anywhere else in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia? The Keri Shull Team can help make sure you get a great price for the perfect home!

If you want to learn more about how we can help you find AND WIN your dream home, contact The Keri Shull Team today!

Your Beermonger: Know When to Hold ’em, Part 1

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway). Sign up for Nick’s email newsletter and also receive exclusive discounts and offers.

I’m currently living an odd, opposite-day version of Dry January; let’s call it “Oh wow, there’s a lot of beer in the cellar and beer fridge I should get rid of some of those” January.

Pictured is the first round of culling, from a nice, dry, cold-year-round spot in my basement at home. They were kept exactly how you want to keep your beer, if you’re not going to put them in a fridge. I’ll give some praise to a couple standouts:

Brothers Brewing Mezcal Milkshake and Fütnote Boysenberry (2015) — I got these during the year I was a member of the Brothers Brewing Horizon Society. The Fütnote beers were a rotating series of pale Sours with a different fruit addition for each release. This Boysenberry bottle was a little flat, but flavor-wise much more put-together and mature than I’d expected.

Mezcal Milkshake is an Imperial Milk Stout with orange peel and aged in Tequila barrels. I’d been planning to bring it to a bottle share as I’m not much of a Tequila guy but obviously that never happened. It’s still not my thing but if it were, I would’ve been happy at how well it held up.

Surly Smoke (2012) — If I’d been up for taking down a 750mL bottle of 8.4% smoked Lager, I would’ve gone for it with this one. Using smoked malt from Bamberg and aged on oak, Smoke lived up to its name while allowing the richness of the non-smoked malt to come through and was deadly drinkable for its ABV. Impressive.

I’m not going call out the rest beer by beer, but among them I found multiple Brettanomyces (wild yeast) infections: One beer that wasn’t supposed to have Brett in it, for example, I would’ve sworn in a blind tasting to be a Sour. I started taking a video of one beer steadily gushing foam out of its top for some 30-45 seconds after having watched it steadily gush foam from its top for 30-45 seconds.

Some beers were overrun by the Brett that was there originally. One was an entirely undrinkable mess of a beverage. A couple had gone flat, and a couple had lost some of the characteristics that made me want them in the first place. Here’s the thing, though, and this is why I’m not calling all of these beers out for whatever flaws they had: The majority of my experiences with these beers is my fault.

I’ve never really been one to cellar a lot of beer, but there was a moment somewhere during 2014-2015 where I was reveling a bit in the access I had to new and different things, and it made a bit of a “that guy” out of me. I kept putting off opening beers for bottle shares that didn’t happen or nights where I’d want to get to them that never came around. That Sour that shouldn’t have been? If I’d opened it within a year of buying it, it would’ve been fine. It would’ve been what I wanted.

In mostly unrelated news, our draft station is now up and running at Arrowine for growler fills, and I’m hoping to have our can seamer working in the next few days for crowlers. You can follow our draft board in real-time on our Untappd page or on Arrowine.com.

Next time: I raid the beer fridge. Did the old stuff in there hold up any better?

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:

4611 36th Street N.
6 BD/5 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Washington Fine Properties
Listed: $2,675,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

6300 28th Street N.
6 BD/5 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Pearson Smith Realty, Llc
Listed: $1,799,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

4118 Lee Highway
5 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc
Listed: $1,200,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

730 N. Tazewell Street
3 BD/2 BA, 2 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc
Listed: $958,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

4080 Lee Highway
2 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Ttr Sothebys International Realty
Listed: $769,900
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

1609 S. Hayes Street #1
3 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $630,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3238 9th Street S.
2 BD/1 BA villa/townhouse
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $499,900
Open: Sunday 1-3 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 Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

Hello springtime!

While the weather can’t decide if its winter or spring, home buyers this week have screamed from the rooftops that the spring real estate market has launched. Sellers stepped up and listed 54 homes in Arlington while buyers ratified 43 contracts this week. And some 27 of those sold within seven days. These are March numbers, and its only mid-January. The bidding wars have begun.

Loan applications for existing homes jumped 30% last week over the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. And new home loan applications are up 39% from a year ago.

Higher demand and low inventory makes it really hard on home buyers, especially new home buyers who are going through the nerve-wracking process for the first time. Here are a few tips:

  1. Work with an experienced agent with proven track record of winning in competitive bidding
  2. Work with a reputable local hybrid lender that underwrites in their own shop, also with proven track record (ask your rock star agent for referrals for lenders, they know who is good)
  3. Look at homes listed below your maximum purchase range so you have room to escalate your bid upward to win
  4. Go big just once to get ahead of the market to win. You may FEEL like you’re over-paying, but in six months you’ll look like the genius in the room when others are still making offers while prices have jumped three percent and you’ve already built equity

Buyers, here’s some good news: interest rates dropped this week by about 1/8% to 3.625% for a 30-yr fixed rate. Make the commitment to own and start building equity and wealth.

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

Boring Title: Year in Review and 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, Latane Meade, CEO of Allied Title & Escrow, gives a brief market update, talks about our year in review and announces our next home buying workshop this Saturday (it involves free beer!).

To check out our year in review, click here.

To sign up for our home buying workshop on Saturday, click here.

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!

Arts Focus: Grant Writing and Other Workshops for Artists

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Capacity building frequently tops our list of New Year’s Resolutions, and Arlington Arts has a great way for artists to take your work to the next level!

Learn the essentials of grant writing along with resources for searching and structuring your proposals in the first of a new season of capacity building workshops. There are separate sessions geared toward both Individual Artists (January 16) and Organizations (January 18).

Part of the Springboard for the Arts “The Work of Art Toolkit: Business Skills for Artists” curriculum, the workshops are presented by the Arts Enterprise Institute, a program of Arlington Arts.

Springboard for the Arts is a nationally recognized economic and community development organization for artists by artists. Its mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, information and services they need to make a living and a life. Springboard for the Arts has a goal of distributing 10,000 “Work of Art Toolkits.”

The instructor for the initial offering, Mary Briggs has comprehensive experience working with multidisciplinary artists and diverse communities. As co-founder and director of the community arts non-profit You Are Here in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, she researches and authors grants to procure general operating and project funding from government agencies and foundations.

Briggs also is an adjunct lecturer at Goucher College, Towson, MD in the Masters in Cultural Sustainability program. From 1989 until 2011 she was on staff of the Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington County, Virginia, where among other duties, she authored and managed grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other state and local agencies to fund community arts and folklore projects.

Registration for this workshop will close Friday, January 15. The Cultural Affairs offices are located between S. Oakland and S. Nelson Streets on S. Four Mile Run Drive. Parking is limited. Additional parking may be found in Shirlington Village, a 10 minute walk from Cultural Affairs.

Additional Opportunities:

In addition to the Arts Enterprise Institute’s offerings, Arlington Arts also is partnering with two literary organizations to bring a broad range of workshops to the community. Here’s just a sampling of offerings through February:

The Writer’s Passage Workshops:
January 11  Romancing the Story
February 4  Introduction to Screenwriting
February 29  Building a Writing Routine

The Writer’s Center Workshops:
January 21-February 18  Conflict & Tension
February 1-15  Whole Brain Poetry
February 5  How to Write a Novel
February 5  PLAYWRITING: Dialogue
February 8  From Novel to Novelist
February 12  PLAYWRITING: Exposition & Process
February 20-March 12  Thursday Night Writing Prompts!
February 22  Meter Crash Course
February 26  PLAYWRITING: Character

Click here for more information about all upcoming workshop opportunities

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