St. Thomas More Cathedral School will host its annual Open House on Sunday, January 29 at 10:30 a.m.
STM is a faith-centered environment serving students in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade using a spiritual, physical and emotional whole child approach. The program includes daily religious instruction, prayer partner program, classroom visits by priests and attendance at weekly student-led school Mass.
Close proximity to the Arlington Diocese headquarters and Bishop Burbidge provides opportunities to meet and learn from church leadership.
STM is a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School and recently voted Best Private School in Arlington. Students consistently score in the top 25th percentile on standardized assessments — above the national average. STM challenges its students through differentiated instruction to meet individual learning needs. STM actively incorporates STEM into the curriculum and provides a high tech learning environment.
Thirty-percent of students identify as a minority at STM, promoting inclusion and understanding with proven benefits of improving cognitive skills, critical thinking and problem solving. Each year STM grants more than $800,000 in aid and scholarships to 25% of the student body, making Catholic education more attainable for those who seek it.
Click HERE to learn more about STM and to register for the Open House!
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. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Eli Residential channel. Enjoy!
Question: A friend of mine just lost an offer on a house and there were 7 other offers, is the market competitive again?
TL;DR Summary (1:37)
Answer: If you’re letting news outlets, national real estate pundits, and Twitter guide your real estate strategy in the D.C. Metro/Northern Virginia area, you’re likely getting a very different perspective on the real estate market than what we’re seeing locally. Despite 6-8+ months of headwinds, the market did a 180 in the first few weeks of January, compared to the weeks prior (this is a common trend).
Multiple offers, escalations, and limited contingencies have returned to many parts of the market, so this week’s column is chart-heavy to show that the “crash” in the 2nd half of the year was all relative to the breakneck pace of the market in 2021 to mid 2022 and how natural supply/demand economics are keeping the market competitive and prices up, despite how much higher the monthly payments are.
Second Half 2022 was Relatively Bad, Historically Normal
Overall, across the D.C. Metro region, total sales transactions finished the year 3% above the 10-year average. Things seemed a lot worse than they were because of the massive number of sales we experienced in 2021 and 2020.
While prices in most sub-markets did drop from the first to second half of ’22, real estate in the D.C. Metro still appreciated in 2022 above the 10-year average. Even condos, which struggled through the heart of the pandemic, appreciated nicely in 2022.
In Northern Virginia, there’s a clear jump in average prices in Q1/Q2 2022, followed by a very normal drop in average prices for Q3/Q4 (this has more to do with more expensive homes being sold in the spring, not a seasonal drop in home values), but the Q3/Q4 average prices fit nicely within the normal trend line and do not suggest any sort of crash, just a jarring difference from what we experienced in the first half of the year.
Average sale price to original asking price ratios, one of the best demand metrics, fell sharply through December, from all-time highs in the spring. While the speed of the drop shocked the market, it dropped to normal Q4 levels so the “crashing market” feeling was only relative to the extreme demand in early 2022, but not so when compared to historical norms.
Start investing in your financial freedom through homeownership with expert help!
The Keri Shull Team, the top-producing real estate team in Virginia, is hosting a seminar to help aspiring buyers navigate the competitive DMV real estate market and maximize their home search.
In the last two years, our agents helped over 1,600 families with their real estate needs. This is your opportunity to find your dream home and start building long-term wealth, while avoiding costly mistakes.
Bridget Mendes, a Keri Shull Team expert Client Success agent, will be leading this seminar at our office in Rosslyn. She will be joined by local lender, Karl Svendsen, and you will learn the following:
How to find off-market homes — hidden gems that don’t appear on popular home search websites
How to get out of your lease so you can move on your timeline
The “4 C’s” that determine home prices in any market
How to set a realistic budget for your home search
And more!
Join us in-person on Saturday, January 28, from 11a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for this FREE seminar!
Enjoy brunch treats like mimosas, bagels and lox, and more, while you learn how to invest in your future and how to find a place to call your own.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Doran Shemin, Esq., and Laura Lorenzo, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
The Biden Administration’s new policy sends mixed messages to migrants
All Presidential administrations struggle with unauthorized migration, and the Biden Administration is no exception.
The Biden administration has taken a new approach to stymie immigration via the southern border. This approach uses the classic “carrot and stick” to discouraging border crossers. The “stick” is increasing the use of Expedited Removal to discourage illegal border-crossing.
The “carrot” is increasing the use of Advance Parole to encourage migrants to choose legal pathways instead. In this explainer, we’ll provide some background on both of these aspects of the Biden Administration’s new approach.
The increased use of expedited removal — which some advocates have (in our view, correctly) described as reminiscent of Trump-era policy — is targeted at Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Haitian nationals, for now. Under plans announced this month, Mexico has agreed to accept up to 30,000 expelled migrants from those three countries, and any additional migrants from those three countries will be subject to expedited removal directly home.
Expedited removal allows the administration to deport migrants more quickly, because expedited removal proceedings — unlike ordinary removal proceedings — do not occur before an Immigration Judge; instead, a CBP or ICE officer typically issues an order of removal without a hearing.
What, then, are asylum seekers from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua supposed to do? The Biden Administration’s answer is Parole.
Humanitarian parole is a longstanding tool in U.S. immigration law which has, traditionally, been used on a case-by-case basis to permit individuals to enter the United States for exceptional or emergent reasons, like emergency medical treatment.
Under the Biden administration, the use of parole has expanded — in a form reminiscent of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS — to embrace nationalities, rather than individuals.
The first program the Biden Administration announced was Uniting for Ukraine. That program allowed Ukrainians with a supporter in the United States to obtain parole, so that those approved under the program could come to the United States legally and work for two years. The primary purpose behind this program was to assist Ukrainians escape the Russian invasion.
More recently, the government announced a similar program for Venezuelans. Due to the long-term economic and political strife in Venezuela, many of its citizens have been fleeing to search for safety and security in the United States. Again, due to a major influx of Venezuelan nationals at the border, the government created a program like Uniting for Ukraine for Venezuelans.
As of January 6, 2023, the Biden Administration has opened similar programs for citizens of three more countries: Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. Just like the other programs, the noncitizen wishing to come to the United States must have a supporter in the United States who is willing to provide financial support during the time period that the noncitizen is parole into the United States.
Proper tread ensures that your tires can adequately grip surfaces, keeping you safe on slick or uneven terrain. Aside from losing grip, reduced tread depth also makes it easier for objects like nails or construction debris to puncture your tires.
The “penny test” is a time-honored way of checking your tire tread on the go. Safety standards in the U.S. recommend maintaining a tread depth of at least 2/32″. Place a penny — with Lincoln’s head facing you — in the tread of the tire, then gently rotate it so that Lincoln’s head dips down into the tread of your tire. If you can still see the top of his head when the coin image is upside down, it could mean that your tires have worn too thin and it’s time to look at a replacement. Learn more about this and other indicators of your tire’s longevity, including tips on using a quarter instead of a penny.
Another method, which involves less digging in your pocket, is just eyeballing each tire before you consult a professional. Search for signs of uneven wear, a single (or multiple) tire having more wear and reduced tread in a single spot on the wheel may indicate that you’re low on air pressure or need to have your alignment checked.
Replacing tires can be costly, and replacing all four is typically recommended to ensure that they remain balanced and wear evenly. CarCare To Go offers a free comprehensive safety inspection that includes photo and video documentation with every service. We can also help with misalignments, flat tires, and rotations that help prevent the need to replace all four tires at once.
For a limited time, all appointments booking in January, even our $20.23 first-time customer oil change special, will be automatically entered to win a FREE full set of tires (value up to $750, valid for 12-months from the drawing date.)
This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
By Prakriti Deuja
Arlington loves to add sweetness to its nonprofit and small business community, and OpenGrants is the box of chocolates we’ve all been looking for.
And, thanks to BizLaunch, this sweet treat is free of charge to ALL users. With three dominant and dynamic databases already in stock, adding OpenGrants only further candy-coats the data Arlington offers.
OpenGrants, a grant finding database, is an all-in-one platform that helps you find grant opportunities across the nation. A tool that is free easy to use with a simple login you create, the dashboard is user-friendly and catered completely to you. The way it works? Fill out some information about yourself and your nonprofit or business, and grants will come find you!
Once your dashboard is configured and complete, you can easily access unique features of the resource. From finding a grant writer to assist in making the grant writing process easier to creating an organized panel with your projects consolidated into one page, this database is one that was created with you in mind.
Used (and loved!) by more than 12,000 grant-fingers and experts, OpenGrants has created an effective and personable hub for start-ups, small businesses, and nonprofits alike. Access to webinars and news pertaining to grants can also be found across the website, in addition to the many other tools available from the site alone. If you’re looking for access to capital, OpenGrants is free to use and ready to find grants just for you.
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.
As of January 16, there are 116 detached homes, 25 townhouses and 140 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 26 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:
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.
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. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Eli Residential channel. Enjoy!
Question: On social media, I have seen a new loan program advertised called the All in One mortgage. Whom might this program benefit and are there any pitfalls to look out for?
TL;DR Video Summary (3:13)
Answer: With mortgage rates so high, we’re seeing new products or new angles on old products (like the 2-1 Buydown) and lots of mixed information about why rates are high or where rates are likely heading in 2023 and beyond. So in keeping up with my promise to provide relevant, transparent information on the mortgage market, let’s talk about another buzzy product being discussed lately, the All-in-One Mortgage.
It’s a fairly simple product, but cutting through the marketing of it to know if it’s the right product for you isn’t easy.
The rest of this article is a guest column generously written anonymously by a lender at a local bank that offers this product, but wishes to remain anonymous so they could provide an honest review. So enjoy a brutally honest review of a mortgage product that isn’t as great as the marketing makes it seem…
The creators of the AiO claim in their marketing that this loan will pay off a homeowner’s mortgage faster than a traditional mortgage, but we have found this not to be the case and that the AiO may be more expensive than a traditional mortgage, on an apples-to-apples basis.
The goal of this article is to provide a quick overview of this product, as well as discuss which situations the AiO may or may not be a good financial instrument for the purchase or refinance of a home.
Mortgage, Home Equity Line, and Checking Account “All in One”
The All in One (AiO) mortgage combines a mortgage, a home equity line of credit and a checking account, all in one financial instrument. The AiO allows you to purchase a home just like any other mortgage, where you would apply for a pre-approval, shop for a home, and once a home is under contract, the AiO would fund the majority of the home’s purchase price.
In addition, you can deposit your pay into this account, and pay all your bills from this account, just like any other checking or savings account. The account has an ATM card and allows automatic bill pay. Finally, the AiO acts like a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), allowing you to access your home’s equity should you have such life events as paying for a child’s wedding or building an addition to your home.
Whether this product is a good fit for you depends on your goals and priorities, so the following summarizes how the AiO fits with certain personal and financial goals.
AiO Recalculates Interest Daily, Not Monthly
A traditional mortgage charges interest on the outstanding balance as of the date of the last mortgage payment, and you pay interest on this balance for each day of the month until the next mortgage payment. In contrast, the AiO mortgage calculates interest daily, so if you deposit your paycheck in the account, this immediately reduces the balance on which interest is calculated.
Said differently, if you make an additional payment to principal mid-month, the AiO would calculate interest on the lower balance for the remainder of the month, whereas a traditional mortgage would not. The creators of the AiO mortgage share that this feature saves interest, which it does.
However, the AiO mortgage has a higher starting interest rate than a traditional 30-year fixed mortgage and the AiO does not have a permanently fixed rate of interest, so the interest rate on this product may be higher or lower in the future, as it is market-driven.
Hence, any interest savings due to the AiO paying interest daily can be lost due to the higher initial interest rate and/or increases in the program’s interest rate down the road. This does not mean that the AiO would not save on interest; however, there are many instances when the amount of interest you pay may be higher despite the advantages of daily interest recalculations, so be sure to discuss interest rate risk with your financial advisor.
Did you set some lofty fitness goals for 2023 and need some inspiration? Have you ever wondered where the best places are to get fit in Arlington?
Well I’d like to share just a few of my favorites with you. I hope that these places inspire you to crush your New Year’s resolution fitness goals!
W&OD Trail — The W&OD Trail is such a great resource for anyone in Arlington. It starts in Shirlington and runs about 45 miles up to Purcellville, Virginia. You can walk, run, ride your bike, or you even have the option to ride your horse on the horse trail that runs parallel to part of the W&OD. Some of my other favorite trails in Arlington are Donaldson Run, and Lubber Run. We have plenty of great outdoor spaces here in Arlington so you have no excuse to not take advantage of them.
Bash Boxing — If you’re looking for accountability and a great way to step up your fitness goals in 2023 Bash Boxing is in your corner! They do full body workouts mixing boxing with high intensity interval training, so you can learn to box as you get a workout in. Here in Ballston you also have some other great gym options like Vida Fitness which I’m currently a member at or, you also have some group training classes like F45 Training and Orange Theory which I would definitely recommend if you want that team atmosphere.
CorePower Yoga — Just as important as working out your body is working out your mind and a yoga studio is a great place to do that. CorePower Yoga is a great option and it’s located right in the heart of Ballston. Another few other great options in North Arlington are Sun & Moon Yoga Studio and Mind The Mat Pilates & Yoga, but you can find yoga studios all throughout Arlington. If you’re looking for a fantastic place for pilates then I have to tell you about Picot Pilates which is owned by my good friend and colleague Sarah Picot.
For 40 years, McEnearney Associates has been a premiere residential, commercial and property management firm with 11 offices located in the Washington metro region. With service excellence, hyper-local expertise, powerful data insights, innovative technology and cutting-edge marketing, McEnearney Associates have helped their clients make informed decisions on their most valuable real estate investments. There is an important difference at McEnearney: It’s not about us, it’s about you. To learn more, visit us at www.McEnearney.com.
Learn how to get top dollar for your home while minimizing stress and saving time with the help of expert agents on the top-selling real estate team in the D.C. metro area.
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 Kara Osborne, Esq.
On January 5, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule that would ban U.S. employers from imposing non-compete clauses on workers.
The Code of Federal Regulations, Subchapter J, Part 910 (b)(1) defines non-compete clauses as “a contractual term between an employer and a worker that prevents the worker from seeking or accepting employment with a person, or operating a business, after the conclusion of the worker’s employment with the employer.”
This proposed rule not only would prevent employers from entering into non-compete clauses with their employees but also would require employers to rescind existing non-compete clauses within a specified period of time.
The proposal comes after President Biden called for the FTC to ban or limit clauses in employment contracts that restrict workers’ freedom to change jobs. FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement, “The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy,” and “Non-compete block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand.”
The FTC estimates that this proposed ban could dramatically increase wages by almost $300 billion per year.
Prior to this proposed rule the FTC issued new guidance on how it would exercise its authority to regulate “unfair methods of competition” under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
The proposed rules states that the use of non-compete clauses would be an “unfair method of competition for an employer to enter into or attempt to enter into a non-compete clause with a worker; maintain with a worker a non-compete clause; or represent to a worker that the worker is subject to a non-compete clause where the employer has no good faith basis to believe that the worker is subject to an enforceable non-compete clause.”
Employers could argue that non-compete clauses allow for broad protection of their trade secrets and investments, but as shown by the FTC and in comments made by President Biden, the clauses are overused at virtually every level of employment and deprives workers of their ability to grow within their field and pursue a higher salary.
Should the proposed rule pass, it might require employers to shift focus on protecting their innovations with the use of confidentiality clauses and compliance with trade secret laws rather than reliance on overly broad non-compete clauses that stifle competition and economic growth.
With this proposed ban on non-compete clauses, workers would have the ability to change jobs more freely causing employers to become more focused on protecting their employees, their working conditions, and the wages they earn.
It should be noted that within the proposed rule there is one narrow exception that applies to individuals selling a business: their ownership interest in a business or the business’ operating assets in total. These specific non-compete clauses would remain subject to federal antitrust law. Should the proposed rule go into effect it is likely to face many legal challenges.
If you are an employee in need of employment law representation, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook and Twitter.
