Feature

Ask Eli: Is Arlington Too Expensive?

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 do prices in the Arlington housing market compare to prices in neighboring communities?

Answer: I hope everybody had a great Memorial Day Weekend! You may have read ARLnow’s post last week that the median price of a home in Arlington is up by $100,000 or 17% this year and if you’re in the market to buy a home, this is alarming news.

Arlington and Alexandria have quickly gotten too expensive for many buyers since Amazon announced plans to move its second headquarters to National Landing, so I thought I’d share how prices in other nearby communities compare to Arlington’s prices.

The following data is based on sales going back to January 2018.

Annandale: I think Annandale is one of the best investments in Northern Virginia over the next 5-10 years and I encourage buyers who don’t need easy Metro access and who are looking for value, proximity to D.C. and appreciation potential to strongly consider it.

Arlington: I don’t think we’ll see double-digit appreciation in Arlington after this year, but I do expect steady growth over the next 8-10 years, with the exception of any years slowed down by a market downturn.

Burke: Burke is popular for its combination of highly rated schools, VRE access, quiet residential neighborhoods and much home lower prices. Despite its distance from Arlington, the Amazon-effect is being felt here too; I’ve run into multiple offers and escalating prices over the last couple of months on properties that normally would have sat on the market for weeks or months.

Mclean: Host to many of Northern Virginia’s most expensive homes as well as its top-rated public schools, the average price of a townhouse or single-family home in Mclean is higher than Arlington, but with a lower $/sq. ft. your dollar usually goes further. Lot sizes also increase significantly over the average Arlington lot.

Vienna: Vienna is more Metro accessible than Mclean, Burke and Annandale, most of the schools have above-average ratings, and there’s a great downtown area along Maple Avenue. The downside for many commuters is the traffic along 66. Like Arlington, Vienna has a diverse housing inventory so there’s a good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for at a significant discount from Arlington and Mclean.

If you’re in the market for a home and struggling with the recent double-digit increase in prices in Arlington and Alexandria, I’d be happy to help you find other communities in Northern VA, D.C., or MD that will fit your budget. Send me an email to [email protected] to schedule time to meet.

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 Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.

Stay Fresh with a Haircut and Lather Shave at Bearded Goat Barber

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

In this Arlington Spotlight video, Hiwa Sheikh of The Keri Shull Team takes us inside Bearded Goat Barber.

Bearded Goat Barber is a full-service barbershop in Arlington, located one block from the Ballston Metro station. Bearded Goat Barber offers classic cuts as well as current styles in a relaxing atmosphere. Kick back and chat as the team’s razors, clippers, and scissors do their work.

At Bearded Goat Barber you can get fresh with a shampoo/scalp massage, beard sculpting, grey blending, hot lather neck shave, relaxing hot towel treatment, and more.

Bearded Goat also sells branded merchandise and gear, including a spread of handmade beard oils and balms made from scratch by co-owner Jon Dodson. The olive oil in Jon’s creations comes from his family’s olive groves in Greece.

Co-owners Jon Dodson and Eric Renfro have been cutting hair and sculpting beards in Arlington for almost 20 combined years. They joined forces with co-owner Scott Parker, a serial small business entrepreneur, to open Bearded Goat Barber in early 2019.

Other ventures Scott Parker is partnering on in Ballston this year include another Bash Boxing location in Ballston mall and the opening of German-inspired Bronson Beer Hall (formerly known as A-Town Bar and Grill). Scott’s first restaurant in D.C. – Roy Boys – has grown so popular in its first three months that it will open a second location in Navy Yard by the end of this summer.

Next time you need a haircut, stop by Bearded Goat Barber in Arlington.

Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to watch for our upcoming features as we explore the best entertainment venues Arlington has to offer. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the DMV area, The Keri Shull Team is here to help.

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.”

The last week of the Spring market has ended on high notes. The real estate market in Arlington continues at a near record pace this week with 81 sellers listing their homes and 71 buyers ratifying contracts. Over half (39) of the homes sold were gone within seven days. The higher end market also continues at a strong pace with nine of those sales over $1 million.

Low inventory continues to be a huge problem, and this week was one of the worst. At the current rate of absorption, there is only 0.87 months of inventory. You saw it correctly, less than a month. A market is considered in equilibrium when there’s 5.5 months of inventory.

It will be very interesting to see how well this hot spring market performs as we enter summer after the Memorial Day weekend holiday. Data by mid-June should provide a big clue.

You know home prices have overheated when 25% of techies surveyed say they are leaving the San Francisco Bay area to seek lower housing costs in other cities.

They cite five favorite “home” alternatives: New York area, Austin, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles. The median home price in San Fran/Oakland/Hayward is $815,000. The New York/New Jersey area median price is $515,000.

A favorite location for many techies is Austin at just $400,000 median price. And windy city Chicago is just $350,000. It’s not clear why some prefer Los Angeles at a higher price, at $829,000, but maybe it’s just because they can’t bear to leave California.

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

Your Beermonger: Memorial Day Beers to Kick Off Summer

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.

Before we get into it: yes, the Dogfish Head/Boston Beer Company deal is, well, a big deal. I don’t really have anything of substance to add so I’ve just been recommending Bryan Roth’s great piece for Good Beer Hunting.

So, Memorial Day. Unofficial kickoff of summer. Three-day weekend for all you non-retail-working types. What should you have to drink if you’re spending time by the pool, or the grill, or just enjoying the outdoors over this long weekend? Well, you can go Big Beer — and nothing wrong with that, I probably will at some point too. But if you’re looking for alternatives, I’ve got some suggestions:

German. Pilsener. Cans.

I don’t know what’s gotten into Deutschland, but we’ve been seeing some wonderful canned Pilseners coming over this year, and at wonderful prices to boot. Veltins Pilsener has already become a go-to for me, and this week we’ll see the arrival of Wolters Pilsener in the same half-liter, 4-pack can format. Super-clean and crisp, these beers are hard to beat for a refreshment on a hot day, and when you see the pricing on the Wolters especially, you’ll flip — I did.

Session IPA Ales of all types.

Charlottesville’s Reason Beer alone could get an entire column devoted to its core lineup of 6-pack cans: the Hoppy Blonde (4% ABV), Saison (4.5% ABV), and Pale Ale (5% ABV) are all stunners that you can enjoy more than a couple of without too much worry.

Even the recently released Collaboration 29 IPA clocks in at only 5.5% ABV. I’m also personally a fan of The Trooper and Trooper Light Brigade, made by Cheshire, England’s Robinsons Brewery with the crew from Iron Maiden. At 4.7% and 4.1% respectively, I can get my all-purpose UK fix on easily.

Shameless plug but also a really good option: Three Notch’d Firefly Nights

Charlottesville gets more run in this week’s column. The “Summertime Ale” from Three Notch’d is a lighter-bodied 5.2% Ale with honeysuckle. Good for warm summer evenings; great for Mid-Atlantic nostalgia, and a lovely option for those who want something “different” but not too far outside of the box. Also, Arrowine will be hosting the Firefly Nights Release Event this Friday (hey, that’s today!) from 4:00-7:00pm. Gotta get the most for that Sponsord Content dollar, people.

There Gose the weekend.

There’s a Gose for every Sour Ale fan these days, which would’ve been crazy to imagine ten years ago. Union Old Pro is a favorite, and relatively easy to find. Commonwealth Brewing has a plethora of Goses in the market right now, inspired by everything from sangria to mezcal margaritas to limoncello. Modern Times Fruitlands being available in the area now is awesome.

If you’re looking more local-ish, Vasen Guava Otter Gose is newly available in cans and very tasty.

No matter what you decide to knock back, I hope everyone has a fun, safe Memorial Day. I’ll see you back here in a couple of weeks.

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:

3606 N. Vernon Street
4 BR/5 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $2,39500
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

2742 N. Lexington Street
5 BR/4 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Mcenearney Associates, Inc.
Listed: $1,700,000
Open: Saturday/Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

27 N. Fenwick Street
5 BR/3 BA single-family home
Agent: Washington Fine Properties, LLC
Listed: $929,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

3800 Lee Highway #301
2 BR/2 BA condo
Agent: Keller Williams Capital Properties
Listed: $649,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

 4117 S. Four Mile Run Drive B
3 BR/2 BA condo
Agent: KW Metro Center
Listed: $515,000
Open: Saturday/Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

2200 N. Westmoreland Street N. #426
1 BR/1 BA condo
Agent: Russell Baum
Listed: $395,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

 2904 13th Road S. #404-2
2 BR/1 BA condo
Agent: Redfin Corporation
Listed: $299,900
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

Boring Title: 3 Tips That Will Help Anyone in Any Industry Sell More

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 episode of Boring Title, Allied Title’s CEO Latane Meade gives 3 tips that will help ANYONE in ANY INDUSTRY sell more!

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!

Arlington Pet of the Week: Apple

By Airey
1/3

This week’s honorary pet is Apple, an 11-year-old Golden Retriever who lives for people, according to her owner Lauren.

Here’s what Lauren has to say about the sporty pup some say is a good luck charm:

Apple joined our family when she was four, and has been a joyful addition ever since. Apple was born in Taiwan but was abandoned by her original owner. Fortunately for us and for her, a wonderful rescue group based in Delaware brought her to America so she could be adopted!

Apple is a fixture at local Arlington Babe Ruth and Arlington Little League baseball games. She loves hanging out at our local parks and getting lots of attention from the players and their families. Many players and teams have even said that Apple is a good luck charm!

Aside from watching baseball, Apple loves children, treats, snuggling, naps, and taking short walks around Lyon Village. Halloween is her favorite when she gets lots of visitors, even if she has to wear a silly costume!

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 six 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: Business Appreciation Month Recap

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/3

This article was written by Marian Marquez, Director for Global Markets & Retention at Arlington Economic Development.

Earlier this month we introduced Arlington Economic Development’s (AED) business engagement program and reviewed the many activities that will be taking place in May for Business Appreciation Month.

A number of these efforts have focused on shining a light on local companies with ceremonies, and we have been so pleased to see the many Arlington businesses who have been honored with prestigious awards and recognition this month.

Each year, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce holds its Fantastic 50 awards, honoring the fifty fastest-growing companies for their entrepreneurial success and contribution to Virginia’s economic vitality. At this year’s awards ceremony, 22% of the winners were Arlington companies, including the winner of the prestigious Vanguard Award for service, which went to U.Group (formerly ByteCubed).

We were not surprised to see many of these names, as we have watched these companies blaze trails in recent years to win many local, state and national awards. For example, Enterprise Knowledge, a first time Fantastic 50 winner, has won Arlington’s Fast Four award and many others since then, as have Convoke, Eagle Hill Consulting and ByteCubed.

Among the 11 Arlington awardees were some repeat Fantastic 50 winners, including Firebird AST, Eagle Hill, Neostek and Convoke. Firebird also won a prestigious SECAF award the very same evening.

Last week at AED’s Arlington Premiere, we turned our attention to our legacy businesses and honored three of Arlington’s longest-standing retail businesses with a Legacy Award, presented by Arlington County Board Chair, Christian Dorsey. Each of these businesses has been operating in Arlington for 35+ years, which is no small feat in our competitive market.

The 2019 Legacy Awards went to Papillon Cycles, a bike shop located on Columbia Pike for 35 years; Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe, located in Arlington for 44 years; and Crystal Boutique which has been serving clients in Crystal City for 49 years!

It was truly an honor to recognize these legacy business owners who have kept their businesses in Arlington through thick and thin; we truly appreciate the impact they have had on our community.

There is more to come in the final days of Business Appreciation Month; this week AED is hosting seven Arlington startups at Virginia’s booth at Collision, North America’s fastest-growing tech conference.

We also have a great line up of companies vying for the Arlington Chamber’s Best Business Awards tonight. Last, but not least, follow us on Twitter for the rest of this month to learn some fun facts about Arlington businesses, both legacy and nascent.

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 licensed broker Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty, Inc. GET MORE out of your real estate investment with Aaron and his team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6116 today!

Please note: While Aaron Seekford provides this information for the community, he may not be the listing agent of these homes.

We see you flexing there, Arlington.

The American College of Sports Medicine just released its annual American Fitness Index and… Arlington is the fittest city in the nation. That’s right. Number one, numero uno, the best!

A number of factors went into the ranking, including personal aspects (such as the percentage of folks that bike to work, have exercised in the last 30 days or smoke), environmental components (such as the number of parks per 10,000 residents, bike score and air quality index), recreational facilities and policies/funding supporting a healthy lifestyle.

This ranking is icing on the cake (okay, maybe not the healthiest-sounding analogy) for what we know already: Arlington is an amazing place to call home with the amenities to back it up.

When you’re ready to settle in to a home of your own in our No. 1 ranked community, our team is always ready to help you GET MORE out of your transaction.

As of May 20, there are 170 detached homes, 17 townhouses and 96 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 22 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 Aaron Seekford.

Ask Eli: Arlington Housing Market Trends

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 has this year’s spring market compared to previous years?

Answer: I’ll provide an in-depth mid-year market analysis in July, but since we’re in the final weeks of the historically strong “spring market,” I thought it would be a good time to share County-wide market trends that represent what I’m seeing on the buying and listing side these days.

Hint: Great for sellers, frustrating for buyers.

Owners Holding Out For Amazon

One of the big questions I had post-Amazon HQ2 announcement was whether owners would decide to hold onto their homes longer in hopes of higher long-term returns from Amazon or whether they’d accelerate their plans to sell to take advantage of a quick bump in prices and a faster sale cycle.

The answer so far is that more owners are holding off on selling because new inventory is down significantly from last year, highlighted by a nearly 30% YoY decrease in new listings in April.

Low Supply Is Driving Prices To Record Highs

There has been a YoY increase in the average sold price since the Amazon announcement was released in November, highlighted by a 11.2% increase in April (chart #1). That increase led to an average sold price in Arlington over $742,000 which is the first time the average sold price broke $700,000 in 10+ years (chart #2).

The Average Buyer Is Paying Over Asking Price

For the first time in over 10 years, the average buyer is paying more than the asking price to secure a home in Arlington. In April, the average purchase price was .3% higher than the seller’s asking price.

Sales Are Going Through Much Faster

It is taking less and less time for a seller to find a buyer, with a YoY decrease in days on market each of the last six months, highlighted by decreases of 73% and 74.3% in March (median 10 days) and April (median 9 days), respectively.

If you’re interested in an analysis of how the current has impacted the value of your home or the value of the home you’re trying to buy, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] to schedule a meeting.

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 Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.

Ballston-Based Startup Turns Memorable Sports Moments into Merchandise

By Vernon Miles

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.

In a shocking playoff game, Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard won the series against the 76ers with a buzzer-beating three-point shot.

The tense moment of the ball bouncing precariously around the rim of the basket kept viewers glued to their screens and sharing the moment across social media.

Within moments, Ballston-based company BreakingT was turning it into a t-shirt.

BreakingT turns popular sports moments into authorized fan paraphernalia produced with a rapid turnaround, cofounder and CEO Alex Welsh said.

“The sports fan apparel market is a massive market,” Welsh said. “You can look it up, it’s between $25-$30 billion globally. It’s a global industry. We have found with our data-driven, real-time approach that there’s absolutely a demand.”

The company recently celebrated its five-year anniversary and Welsh has ambitions to keep growing. The company raised $400,000 in angel investments in 2017 and hired its first full-time employee. Now, Welsh said his goal is to raise $2 million to expand licensing and marketing.

“One of our biggest corporate objectives is to make our service and company indispensable,” Welsh said. “We have deals now with 30 pro sports teams. They see the value in what we do — the social value in these big moments.”

Beyond just tracking trending sports moments on social media, the company also has a revenue-sharing agreement with SB Nation — a blogging network owned by D.C.-based Vox Media — where team blogs promote those viral moments and BreakingT’s associated paraphernalia.

Welsh said the NBA playoffs have been a big focus lately. The group has a license from the NBA Players Association that allows them to make official merchandise.

“We’re looking for the very specific moments in these games and what the fans are talking about,” Welsh said. “When he shot the ball at the buzzard, the basketball bounced four times on the rim before it went in. Everybody was holding their breath. It was a massive moment for Toronto fans.”

Welsh said the company’s proximity to D.C. let it build a relationship with the Washington Nationals, which Welsh credits for helping to put BreakingT on the map. From there, the company was able to expand into partnerships in other locations and sports, like a partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Welsh said one of his favorite sports moments captured on BreakingT apparel was when a team leaned into being called a “bunch of jerks.”

“A sports broadcaster called the [Carolina] Hurricanes players a bunch of jerks because they started doing choreographed celebrations on the ice,” Welsh said. “It was breaking with the tradition of hockey, but fans loved it. Our social data monitors were going off about this moment. The team leaned into that, and that’s been one of our biggest hits of all time. We sold over 20,000 units of that one shirt.”

Photo via Facebook

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