Feature

Rethink Energy: Holiday Shopping Picks

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.

The stuff we consume — from snacks to knick-knacks — are responsible for up to 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and between 50 and 80 percent of total land, material and water use.

New Zealand recently started a Gen Less campaign and this touching video has all the feels. It is a campaign focused on less = more. Gen Less is a decision to start getting more out of life by using less energy. It’s the first generation anyone can join, regardless of age. Interesting food for thought this holiday season.

Buildings and transportation often get the most focus when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That said, 60-80 percent of the impacts on the planet come from household consumption. If we change our consumption habits, this would have a drastic effect on our environmental footprint as well.

As you swing into the holiday buying season, here are the Rethink Energy Team’s top shopping picks:

Massage or Spa Gift Certificates: Giving the gift of self-care is one of the most thoughtful. Consider a gift certificate for a massage, facial, manicure or other relaxing treatment. Particularly after the rush of the holiday season, any means of stress relief is likely to be a very welcome gift!

Yoga or Workout Classes/Membership: Help your loved ones explore a new class or buy them a month at a gym they already belong to. Buy a punch card to a yoga class, golf lessons or tennis lessons. Even better, sign up for classes together!

A Class to Learn Something New: Turning interests into skills feels good, and whether the person on your list is interested in cooking, knitting, writing, ballroom dancing or juggling, there’s probably a class available to learn more about it.

Go Homemade: Whether or not you consider yourself crafty, you can make a variety or relatively simple homemade items to give as gifts. Everyone appreciates a creative homemade gift, and the possibilities are endless.

The Gift of Time: The gift of time is not only one of the most meaningful gifts, but it can be one of the most helpful. Everyone could use additional help in some area of their life — whether it’s a house cleaning, organizing, cleaning up the lawn or a special project.

Movie or Restaurant Gift Certificates: If gift cards are on your shopping list, consider local restaurants and movies. Dinner and a movie will always be a timeless gift.

Arlington’s Secret Santa Program: You can make the holiday season a little happier for some of Arlington’s most vulnerable residents by taking part in the Department of Human Services’ Secret Santa Program.

Start a Savings Account: For anyone with children in your family, consider starting a savings account. Instead of spending money on gifts, put a few dollars into a savings account to give them when they graduate high school.

New Homes in Arlington: December 13

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Welcome to New Homes, a biweekly column highlighting the new construction real estate market, written by Conor Sullivan and Dave Moya of Three Stones Residential at Keller Williams Realty. We are here to share our experience and expertise in lot acquisition, financing and construction of custom homes. 

It has been 13 months since Amazon made their announcement that they had selected Arlington as the location for its second headquarters, or HQ2. The impact that this has had on Arlington County and Northern Virginia as a whole has been felt by all in the housing market.

In a recent article, Realtor.com reported that the median listing price in Arlington County reached $863,000 in October, up almost 33% year over year. While listing prices increase, the number of Active listings is falling, down 49% year over year in October. Some of this is likely due to homeowners holding out on selling their home in anticipation that prices will only continue to rise, contributing to the low inventory issues.

Additionally, we are seeing the days on market timelines drop, making it difficult for potential buyers to even get in line to get their offer in. October’s average days on market in Arlington was around 19, down almost 39% from October 2018.

We live in one of the nation’s hottest and competitive housing markets right now. Investors have already and continue to swoop in to purchase homes quickly, putting local potential buyers in a tough position, especially first-time home buyers. So what does this mean for you if you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Arlington or the surrounding counties? We are here to help! Contact us today for a free buyer consultation or to set up a listing appointment, 571-429-7670 or [email protected].

Below is a list of new homes in the Arlington area:

Want to learn more about financing a New Home build? McLean Mortgage (NMLS ID: 99665) can handle all of your construction financing needs. You can build your new home with as little as 5% down. Contact construction loan expert Troy Toureau (NMLS ID: 5618) at 301-440-4261 or AnyHomeLoans.com to learn more.

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:

314 N. Barton Street
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: D.S.A. Properties & Investments Llc
Listed: $1,399,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

5702 7th Street N.
5 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $1,275,000
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

1501 23rd Street S.
4 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent: Real Living Reserve Realtors
Listed: $975,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

5720 3rd Street S.
5 BD/3 BA single-family home
Agent:Kw Metro Center
Listed: $795,000
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

3600 S. Glebe Road, 223W
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Compass
Listed: $649,990
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

1024 N. Utah Street, #721
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $550,000
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

3800 Lee Highway, #206
1 BD/1 BA condo
Agent: Samson Properties
Listed: $434,900
Open: Sunday1-4 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 Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

You know it’s holiday shopping season when there’s total gridlock on the roads within five miles of any shopping center.

Us consumers are doing our part to keep the economy humming along. Buying and selling homes is not typically a priority for most people this time of year. But homes must be on their shopping list.

Buyers ratified an amazing 44 contracts this week, and sellers listed 33 homes. Those are good numbers this close to the holidays.

Not to put any pressure on you buyers out there, but the spring real estate market starts the second week of January. Check the calendar. That’s only three weeks away. That means you have a window of opportunity of just three weeks to find the right home, negotiate relatively aggressively and ratify a contract. In three weeks, buyers will be out in volume with limited inventory and the battles will begin. So quickly finish your holiday shopping and find the right house.

Realtor.com just issued its housing market forecast for 2020, and it’s mostly not good. Here are some key projections:

  • A relatively stagnant market with 1.8% fewer sales of existing home
  • A national median price increase of only 0.8%
  • 25 of 100 top US cities will experience a drop in average home prices
  • Weakened buyer affordability, and even lower inventory levels than today
  • Millennials will account for over 50% of home purchases for the first time ever
  • Gen Xers will follow with 38% of purchases, trailed by Boomers at 17%
  • About the only good news is mortgage rates will remain steady peaking at 3.85%

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

Statutes of Liberty: Why are Immigration Fees Skyrocketing?

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.

It is an underappreciated fact that immigrants, not taxpayers, foot the bill for the bureaucratic machinery of the U.S. immigration system. And it is a big bill. The annual budget of US Citizenship and Immigration Services is $4.8 billion. Ninety-seven percent of that is funded by immigrants themselves.

The Department of Homeland Security periodically reviews USCIS fees to make sure that its income keeps up with its costs. The newest review, which is up for public comment until December 16, imposes large increases on the most common types of immigration applications. For example, an ordinary green card application packet, with applications for interim benefits, currently costs $1,225. The new price is $2,195. An ordinary application for citizenship currently costs $725. The new price is $1,170.

On the whole, prices are set to increase by about twenty percent across all application types, but the pain will be concentrated, for reasons unclear to us, on ordinary individuals applying for benefits. Businesses face much smaller price increases. In addition, applicants for asylum will be required to pay a fee — for the first time in U.S. history — and the government will demand that asylum seekers pay $490 for their first work permit. How to pay for a work permit without working legally is unclear to us; in practical terms, the government is simply demanding that asylum seekers work without permits.

The why of government action is not always easy to discern. USCIS’s own report suggests that the reason for the fee increases is threefold:

  1. Transfer of funding from USCIS to ICE. In short, green card application fees are being used to pay for immigration enforcement, including detention and removal operations.
  2. Pay increases for existing USCIS staff and additional hiring.
  3. Increased administrative overhead and vetting costs.

These justifications aren’t particularly persuasive. Fees increased by twenty percent in 2017 and are set to increase by another twenty percent in 2020. The USCIS budget was $3.3B in 2017. The USCIS cost projection for fiscal year 2020 is $4.6B. During this period of lavish budget increases and moderate workload growth, USCIS has, by its own admission, gotten worse and worse at processing applications in a timely way. Year-long backlogs have become the new norm.

There are plenty of conscientious public servants at USCIS. We want them to have the resources they need to adjudicate requests fairly, quickly and securely. But the burden of paying for it should be more evenly distributed, and immigrants should be able to get answers in months, not years, for ordinary benefits requests.

In these challenging times, even minor mistakes on immigration applications can have expensive consequences and cause a long process to be delayed even further. We’re here to help.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Coco

By ARLnow.com
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Meet Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week, Coco, a 12 year old Bichon-Poodle mix who loves to nap.

Here’s what her owner, Janet, said Coco had to say:

My name is Coco and I live in Lyon Village.  I am a 12 year old Bichon-Poodle mix and came to live with my family when I was a puppy.  I had a lot of energy when I was little, but now I really like to nap – on the floor, on the couch, in my bed. Well, really I like to nap anywhere!  The one thing that wakes me up is when a friend walks by.  I run to the front door so that my mom will let me out to say hello.  Sometimes I like to sit on the front sidewalk so I can greet my doggie friends on their walks. My mom says I am part cat because I like to lay in the sun.

Although I enjoy walks around the neighborhood, my favorite places are hiking trails.  I might look like a princess, but I love nothing more than to run in the woods and get really dirty.  For shorter walks, my favorite place is Fort CF Smith.  When I am feeling my age, this short loop is perfect for me.  I have always loved toys, especially the squeaky ones.  I still like to play fetch and tug of war every day!  Afterwards, you guessed it – time for a nap!

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 preparedness.

Small Biz Focus: BizLaunch Goes Global

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

By Tara Palacios

Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine. 

Since 2006, I volunteered and worked with leaders from former Soviet countries through the tremendous efforts of the Open World Leadership Center and the American Councils for International Education. Through the years we discussed best practices in local government and how to best design and encourage an entrepreneurial ecosystem even in the toughest of circumstances.  My case studies came directly from the economic development work we do in Arlington.

Through my work over the years, I was completely honored to be invited recently to travel to Ukraine during Global Entrepreneurship Week to present at the America House through the US Embassy in Ukraine and the efforts of the State Department. This would be an amazing opportunity to directly interact with individuals representing universities, government entities, youth leaders and entrepreneurs.

I conducted 12 presentations in 8 days in the Capital City of Kyiv and the City of Lviv. With Ukraine being in the news every day, I was determined to make a positive impact through our exchange.

I had the pleasure of conducting a Facebook live event in Kyiv where we discussed the intricacies of starting a business and resources for small businesses and how to access information effectively. We also conducted two Starting a Business workshops at the America House.

After reflecting on my work and time in Ukraine I developed the following observations:

  • Globally, small businesses face challenges with access to capital. Finding investors and successfully building cash resources to launch or grow your business is a tremendous hurdle for many entrepreneurs.
  • Globally, the percentage of women starting businesses is growing at a fast pace.
  • Entrepreneurship can be a lonely enterprise; however, there is strength and empowerment in reaching out for help and/or mentorship.
  • Favorable policies and regulations are key to fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Understanding how to navigate the intricacies of regulations are paramount to small businesses and if a jurisdiction can make the process simple and transparent it will encourage the successful growth of business.
  • Creating programming that is reflective of the people who make up your community is key.
  • Never give up hope.

Small business needs are global. If we design and develop specific programming to foster growth we build community, and through our efforts we will have a positive impact on future generations.

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.

Count this as your official two-week heads-up… Christmas will be here in two weeks, y’all!

So, how is that shopping coming along?

More specifically, how many Nintendo Switches have you purchased? Any Instant Pots for the stragglers that didn’t get on board last year? Or, perhaps a Razor scooter or two (P.S., those were super-cool like a decade ago, too)?

Regardless, our team wishes you the best of luck with your holiday-related endeavors.

And, if a real estate gift is at the top of your wish list this year — whether buying or selling — we’re ready to jump into action on your behalf. While we’re certainly on the homestretch of 2019, it’s never too late to achieve those goals of yours.

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

As of December 9, there are 112 detached homes, 22 townhouses and 78 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 10 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: Tips to Start Your Home Search

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: We are looking forward to buying our first home in 2020. Do you have any recommendations on how we should start the home buying process?

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

Weighted Criteria

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

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

Length of Ownership

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

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

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

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

Influencers (not the Instagram ones)

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

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

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Arlington-Based Government Contracting Incubator ‘Eastern Foundry’ Expands to North Carolina

By Kalina Newman

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

After five years in Arlington, Eastern Foundry — a co-working incubator focused on government contractors as tenants — has expanded outside of Virginia.

In September, the company opened its third location in Fayetteville, North Caroline, ten minutes way from Fort Bragg — the largest Army installation in the world.

“When we were thinking about our next expansion, we were looking at places that would be both affordable and expand our network access, and Fort Bragg was perfect,” said Regina Burke, director of client operations and development for the company.

“In Fayetteville, we can still have a strong reach from other North Carolina cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greenville, so in addition to soldiers who choose to stay in the area after being stationed in Fort Bragg, we get government workers from all over,” Burke said.

The Fayetteville campus features three conference rooms for up to fifty people, a rooftop deck, and flexible space for both private offices and single workers.

“As an Army veteran, I know how important the units and contractors in and around Ft. Bragg are to our nation, so I’ve wanted to open a location here for years,” said Eastern Foundry co-founder Andrew Chang, in a statement. “The access to government tailored business support services can act as a major catalyst to any business looking to grow.”

In addition to their latest outpost, Eastern Foundry has also expanded both of its Rosslyn and Crystal City offices by about 15,000 square feet each, according to Burke. 

“We still have a few vacancies left in our Rosslyn space, but that’s about it,” Burke said.

By solely leasing office space to government contractors, Eastern Foundry creates a unique, collaborative ecosystem for people to share ideas and have an open discussion.

“There’s a stereotype that government contracting is dog-eat-dog– which is not true,” Burke said. “When companies come to our space, that wall that they have kind of comes down.”

Going forward, the company is still easing into their its space, but is now looking to continue to expand nationwide.

“We would love to find a place in Tampa, Florida, or Huntsville, Alabama, these cities where there’s a need for both government contractors and co-working spaces,” said Burke.

Neighborhood Spotlight: The Top Places to Live in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Have you seen the heights of luxury living in Arlington? Let us show you the top places to live in Clarendon!

All of these condos offer the unique blend of urban and suburban living that comes with living in the D.C. area — it’s truly an environment unlike any other!

When you’re looking for a home, what are your “must-haves”? We’d love to hear from you, so let us know in the comments below!

Want to learn more about the best places to eat, play and live in Arlington? Check out the Keri Shull Team on YouTube to get the latest neighborhood guides!

Are you interested in moving to Clarendon, or any other unique neighborhood in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia? Contact The Keri Shull Team today to learn how we can help you find and win your dream home — for a price that you’ll love!

Do you know anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the DMV? We’d love for you to introduce us! Click here to contact us today.

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