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Ask Eli: Expect listing activity to spike, fade quickly

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. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Enjoy!

Question: I’ve noticed a lot less homes being listed lately, will that continue for the rest of the year?

Answer: I hope everybody had a great holiday weekend! For those in the market to purchase, you’ll want to quickly shift out of vacation-mode and into house-hunting mode this week because you’ll see a lot more homes being listed for sale in the coming week(s) than you have over the last couple of months.

Historically, September comes in just behind March and June for new listing activity, with much of that front-loaded in the week or two following Labor Day weekend.

This follows a similar trend on the demand side where we see peak demand from roughly mid-March to early June, with a slowdown during the summer vacation months, followed by a brief spike in buying activity following Labor Day weekend with dwindling buyer interest through the remainder of the year.

However, the seasonal increase in September demand generally lags the pace of new inventory and thus results in the most average available listings for sale in September and October, before falling rapidly in November and December because the volume of new inventory drops by over 50%. For buyers, that means that the next 4-8 weeks will be your last chance at a wide variety of homes for sale until March.

Projected Surge in Available Inventory

As of 10 a.m. Monday, September 5, there are 369 homes listed for sales in Arlington and a whopping 42 homes in Coming Soon status, 34 of which are scheduled to hit the market within the next week. The homes in Coming Soon status will boost total inventory by nearly 10% and there are sure to be plenty of homes listed for sale over the next week that are not showing in Coming Soon.

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Listing of the Day: 4600 S. Four Mile Run Drive #141

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Address: 4600 S. Four Mile Run Drive #141
Neighborhood: South Arlington
Listed: $214,900
Open: Saturday and Sunday 12-3 p.m.

This is the best 2-bedroom deal in Arlington! All utilities included! This two-bedroom layout spans 1,084 square feet and features a spacious living area, a private balcony and a separate dining area.

Enter the unit to a welcoming foyer area that leads into the living bright and open living area. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows have been upgraded and lead out onto your own balcony. The balcony overlooks Four Mile Run on the quiet side of the building. The dining area is off of the living room and is large enough for your dining space or for a home office area. The kitchen features plenty of cabinet and counter space to go along with its own pantry.

Both bedrooms are located down the hall for additional privacy. The first bedroom features a walk-in closet and access to the balcony directly from the bedroom. The second bedroom comes with a wall of closets and a Juliet balcony. The bathroom is located at the end of the hallway, convenient to both bedrooms.

Residents enjoy a fully equipped gym, an outdoor Olympic-sized pool and many other amenities. The Carlton is conveniently located near the W&OD Trail, Shirlington, The Pentagon, Amazon HQ2 and everything the area has to offer!

Listed by:
Matt Leighton
The Battle Group | Century 21 Redwood Realty
703-472-0574
[email protected]

The Nose That Knows: Dirty little secrets

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This column is written by the team at Arrowine & Cheese (4508 Cherry Hill Road). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Order from Arrowine’s expanding online store for curbside pickup or in-store shopping. Have a question? Email thenose@arrowine.com.

Hello again! So, many of you participated in our cleaning the glass experiment? Shocking, isn’t it?

Now you are on your way to better-tasting, terrior-driven wine. And what do I mean by that?

Well, it’s a little complicated, but I do my best. The only reason to drink wine is for pleasure, period! And that means more than just “it tastes good.” A well-made wine is a companion, a friend, sometimes an antagonist, but always a good conversationalist. So it must speak eloquently of its birthplace. When tasting it, I need to recognize the lineage, that exact spot on the globe.

Unlike our ancestors, drinking wine today is an option, not a necessity. We don’t need wine anymore to survive. Fresh water is abundant, so wine is now optional. We don’t drink wine to live. Instead, we drink fermented beverages because they enhance our culinary experiences and please us.

What gets to me is no one talks about wines’ dirty little secrets. Sometimes, I feel like Frank Serpico; I just dated myself, but I love classic movies, so who cares? It’s a good analogy. When did speaking the truth become a liability? We are talking about wine, not national security. I don’t tolerate lazy, sloppy, or greedy winemakers. If you care, you are vigilant and proactive. We deserve a clean wine that speaks to us.

Today’s wines are cleaner and fresher than we drank forty years ago. And they should be. When you embrace science, you preserve terroir, which means uniqueness. Modern science allows a bottle of wine to reflect the exact spot it came from. So a well-made wine speaks to and talks to you like you have been there.

If a wine doesn’t smell and taste like fermented pure grape juice, meaning “grapey,” you have a problem! Wine is NOT supposed to smell like leather, mushrooms, wet-basement, barnyard, burnt tire, green pepper, bandaid, cloves, nail polish, green peppers, or dirt! But, if it does run, I will expand on the causes of faults in a future column.

There are tricks of the trade that remain “trade secrets,” and that’s a problem. For example, did you know your California Cabernet, Chardonnay, or Zinfandel can be technically sweet? The question I’m most frequently asked is, is it “dry?” Well, that depends, and it’s not as simple a question as you think.

Table wine should be dry unless the cuisine has a note of sweetness, which I’m sad to say is far too prevalent today. A winemaker can leave unfermented sugar in the wine to make it easier to drink — think Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, it was deliberately bottled with a slight but perceptible amount of residual sugar to make it appealing to the masses.

Classic European cooking has little, if any, sweetness. Therefore a dry wine is needed. A New World wine is in order if there is any hint of sweetness. Wines from the New World tend to be higher in alcohol from all the sun. Thus energy the vines receive. In the New World, we plant for “commercial” reasons and ensure success, so we grow grapes where we know they will ripen. If not, over-ripen.

Our ancestors weren’t so lucky. So they planted where they stood and had to figure the rest out. Unless you had well water, you couldn’t be sure the water floating downhill was pure enough to drink. Fermented beverages were necessary for survival, lucky us.

Cheers,
Doug

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Andors Real Estate Group.

Welcome to JUST LISTED, Arlingtonians!

Mortgage rates continue to rise, averaging 5.66% over the past seven days. This is due to the continued aggressive monetary policies the Fed is taking as they contend with consistent, high inflation.

It’s anyone’s guess just how high rates will go, but expect that they have not peaked yet. The Fed keeps moving the goalposts, and banks, consumers and markets will continue to tumble and seek shelter until we receive more clarity. This unpredictability translates into a tumultuous fall for the housing market.

The inventory slide continues for the seventh straight week, indicating that despite interest rates, demand in Arlington remains strong overall. This resilience in Arlington is nothing new, it played out in 2008 and has for many decades, but the market is not irrational either. Most of the exuberance we witnessed over the past two years had to slow at some point, and the market does continue to slow now.

Open houses are slow, private agent showings are dwindling and sellers continue to make price adjustments to find the current market. Price growth trajectory is predicted to slow significantly for the next 6-9 months and possibly beyond.

This week in Arlington, sellers listed 46 homes for sale (10 more than last week), while buyers ratified 42 contracts, nine of which were on homes just listed in the last seven days.

Of the 358 homes currently available for sale (six less than last week), 120 are detached homes, 54 are semi-detached/town houses and 184 are condos.

Of those currently available properties, the average asking price is $919,219 and the median is $730,000. These properties have been sitting on the market for 61 days on average, while the median is 43.

This week last year, there were 483 properties available for sale, sellers listed 63 homes and buyers ratified 56 contracts. Mortgage rates were 2.87%!

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. If you see a home that you’re interested in purchasing, give us a call! Our team are experts at WINNING when it comes to Arlington real estate — our agents routinely outmaneuver others when it comes to multiple offer scenarios — call us to find out how!

Call the Andors Real Estate Group today at (703) 203-1117 to talk more about buying or selling Arlington real estate. Below are eight properties I think you might light to check out!

812 S. Wakefield Street

Statutes of Liberty: DACA redivivus, regulation finally issued!

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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 Arlington, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

Congress had passed no law — indeed, the Obama Administration argued that DACA was an attempt to fix a situation where Congress had refused to act — and so DACA did not have the same permanence as ordinary legislation. The Trump Administration attempted to rescind DACA, and only failed to do so due to technical errors. (There are technical errors, and then there are technical errors that quietly enrage Justice Roberts. These were the latter kind.)

Until this week, DACA remained a purely executive action. This week — finally — the Department of Homeland Security published a Final Regulation codifying DACA.

Does this make a difference? The correct answer is: We’ll see. Explaining why requires a bit of background on modern American legislative practice.

“I’m Just a Bill” sets out the platonic form of legislation. (A classic, by the way, and if you can get away with it at work, watch it again. Try not to smile.)

The process of regulatory issuance is even longer!

The New Deal greatly expanded the role of the Federal government in American life. New federal agencies regulated prices, built infrastructure and set regulatory standards in ways which were previously the province of state and local governments. After World War II, Congress, in reaction to the vast quasi-legislative power of New Deal agencies, passed the Administration Procedure Act, which established standard processes for promulgating and evaluating federal regulations.

In our current system, regulations have the force of law. You can be arrested, fined and jailed for regulatory violations. Other than a bit of (relatively mild) judicial scrutiny, regulations are coequal in dignity to I’m Just a Bill.

Executive Actions — or Presidential Proclamations, or Executive Orders, all of which are subtly different — are neither laws nor regulation. Instead, these steps announce policies which — in the opinion of the Executive — the Executive has the Constitutional authority to enact without either a legislative act or regulatory promulgation.

DACA was an Executive Action. As of this week, the exact standards of DACA have been promulgated, via the ordinary processes, as a regulation.

Meanwhile, litigation over the Constitutionality of DACA continues in the federal courts. Plaintiff states — led by Texas — still seek to have DACA declared unlawful, on the grounds that DACA was — among other things — improperly promulgated as an Executive Action, when it should have gone through the ordinary regulatory process.

By issuing these regulations, the Biden Administration has removed that argument from play. However, the plaintiffs can (and, in our judgment, probably will) continue to argue that the new DACA regulation violates the Constitutional separation of powers, and, perhaps, the Supreme Court’s latest addition to American constitutional law, the Major Questions Doctrine.

We’re here to answer all questions, major and minor. Ask them in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

Building your dream home: New Construction Seminar

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Building a new home should be a rewarding and memorable experience. That’s why a custom-built home requires personalized service!

Here’s your chance to learn everything you need to know about new construction properties from successful agents on the top-selling real estate team in the D.C. metro area.

Bridget Mendes, one of Keri Shull Team’s most experienced Buyer Success Agents, is leading this seminar at our Rosslyn office.

You’ll learn:

  • Advantages of New Construction — We’ll take an in-depth look at how you can design the exact home you are dreaming of!
  • Buying a Builder-Owned Lot vs. Finding Your Own — Which solution is best when finding a lot? In the D.C. metro area, land can be rare, we’ll show you how to find it.
  • Choosing the Right Agents and Specialists — Don’t risk costly problems or losing your dream home! A good agent will help you close faster and pay less.

Join us on Thursday, September 8 at 6 p.m. for this FREE in-person seminar. Make your new construction dream home a reality with experts by your side!

Register for this event today!

Biz Talk: 25 Arlington companies named to the Inc. 5000

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

Inc. magazine named 25 Arlington companies to its annual list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing companies, the Inc. 5000.

Piedmont Global Language Solutions tops the list of Arlington companies with an impressive 1,353% growth rate. MarginEdge, HUNGRY, Sweatworks and Hyperion Technologies are the top five Arlington companies.

“We are honored to have made it onto the Inc 5000 list for 2022,” said Bo Davis, CEO of MarginEdge. “This is no doubt thanks to the diligence and dedication of our team and support from clients who believe in us and our product. Our growth over the last year is a testament to this and we are thrilled our team is getting the recognition it deserves for those accomplishments.”

Several Arlington companies have made the Inc. 5000 list more than five times. Fors Marsh Group has been named to the list an impressive nine times. Changeis and 540.co have been recognized six times, and Enterprise Knowledge has earned their spot five times.

“We’re thrilled to be included among the Inc5000,” said Ben Garthwaite, CEO of Fors Marsh Group. “This is our 9th time on the list, reinforcing the notion that operating our business to be a force for good, is also good for business. Community has always been essential to our growth and we are incredibly grateful to be part of the local community in Arlington as well as the international community of Certified B Corps.”

To qualify for the Inc. 5000, companies must show the past three calendar years of sales to prove their revenue. Additionally, they must be U.S.-based, privately held and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. Revenue in the initial year must have been at least $100,000, and revenue in the most recent year must have been at least $2 million.

See the complete list of Arlington companies that made the cut and their ranking:

461.  PGLS  (Piedmont Global Language Solutions)
1051. MarginEdge
1218. HUNGRY
1219. SweatWorks
1294. Hyperion Technologies
1321. Grey Market Labs
1486. Kamsa
1544. C3 Integrated Solutions
1651. DonorBureau
1879. Blake Willson Group, LLC
2148. Competitive Innovations, LLC
2227. Axios
2294. ITC Defense Corp.
2296. Fors Marsh Group
2450. PhoenixTeam
3092. iTech AG
3094. Association Analytics
3292. Web Development Group
3364. Ostendio
3422. Nuvitek
3541. Changeis, Inc.
4020. 540.co
4199. Quantum Search Partners
4353. DWBH, LLC
4898. Enterprise Knowledge, LLC

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. 

As of August 29, there are 144 detached homes, 55 townhouses and 207 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 38 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

134 S. Fenwick Street

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.

Listing of the Day: 2427 N. Roosevelt Street

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/5

Address: 2427 N. Roosevelt Street
Neighborhood: Berkshire Oakwood
Listed: $965,000

Beautifully updated 4 bedroom, 1.5 bath colonial located on a desirable cul de sac in North Arlington. You will fall in love with this home’s character and charm while enjoying the modern comforts it has to offer.

The main level features hardwood floors throughout and includes a living room with a cozy wood-burning fireplace, a separate dining room and a lovely sunroom surrounded by windows with views of the serene backyard — perfect for a home office, a playroom or a reading nook. The home chef will enjoy cooking in the updated kitchen with modern white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and direct access to the fully-fenced backyard. There is a half bath located on this level.

The upper level, with hardwood flooring throughout, hosts three bedrooms with ample closet space, custom built-ins and an updated full bath. The finished lower level with a rear walk-up has a wonderful sitting room that can be used as an office or playroom, the fourth bedroom, and a beautiful updated laundry room.

The rear yard is fully fenced with a patio, a professionally landscaped yard with raised garden beds and a beautiful shed for extra storage or workshop.

Ideally located just half a mile from East Falls Church Metro and I-66! Close proximity to Westover and Falls Church City with the farmer’s market, playground, restaurants and upcoming Whole Foods.

Listed by:
Steve Wydler
wydlerbrothers.com
Wydler Brothers of Compass
(703) 348-6326
[email protected]

Ask Eli: Pay closer attention to your condo homeowners insurance (HO-6)

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. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Enjoy!

Question: What is the difference between my individual condo insurance and the Association’s master insurance policy and do I need my own insurance?

Answer: Every condo association has its own (expensive) Master Insurance policy to cover the common elements and limited common elements, but there are substantial gaps between the association’s policy and what you’re personally liable for without an individual HO-6 policy. Most people shop for the cheapest, fastest individual insurance policy and apply just enough coverage to meet the lender’s requirements, but that may put you at financial risk.

To explain common gaps between master policies and HO-6 (individual condo) policies, I’d like to re-introduce Andrew Schlaffer, Owner and President of ACO Insurance Group. Andrew is an expert in Master Insurance policies and has helped multiple local condo association’s reduce their cost and improve their coverage since writing a column on the topic last year. If you’d like to contact Andrew directly to review your association’s master policy, you can reach him at (703) 595-9760 or [email protected].

Take it away Andrew…

Master Insurance vs Individual Insurance Policy

Nearly all master insurance policies in this area are written on a Single Entity basis which means coverage extends to general and limited common elements but also extends within individual units to fixtures, appliances, walls, floor coverings and cabinetry, but only for like kind and quality to that conveyed by the developer to the original owner.

Items not covered by the master insurance policy and are generally not the association’s responsibility include:

  • Personal Property (clothes, electronics, furniture, money, artwork, jewelry)
  • Betterments and Improvements (demonstrable upgrades completed after the initial conveyance)
  • Additional Living Expenses (the cost to live at a temporary location, storage fees, loss of rents)
  • Personal Liability (provides protection for bodily injury or property damage claims arising from your unit)
  • Loss Assessment (triggered only if there is a covered cause of loss and the master insurance policy limits are exhausted; this assessment would apply collectively to all unit owners)
  • Medical Payments (no fault coverage available for injured guests within your unit)

Condo owners should purchase an individual condo insurance policy (HO-6), which is also required by lenders. This policy can provide coverage for the items listed above.

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“Let me tell you! This is the best service I have ever received…”

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/4

I was going to write an article about CarCare To Go, a new local car repair service bringing trust, transparency and convenience to an industry not known for these traits. Among other things, they provide free valet pick-up and return from home, 12-month/12k mile warranty on all work, and $20.22 oil changes for new clients. But then I realized that much better than me writing would be to hear a review from an actual client recently posted on Google.

I recently was searching online for a car repair shop as I needed an oil change, and my car was making a weird noise that I could not identify.

Every place I had come across, of course their next available appointment was during the time I would be at work. Working hours and these places operating hours are always the same and I could not drop off before I went to work.

I came across CarCare To Go and noticed they offer a pickup service. I booked their next available appointment for pickup. Received my confirmation email immediately, as well as an email a day prior confirming. The night before I start to freak out thinking it’s a scam. I got online and started reading every review and did a google search for CarCare to go scam. Nothing, so I went on faith.

LET ME TELL YOU! This is the best service I have EVER received. My pick up was 10:30-11, around 9:45 I got a text with a link allowing me [to] track as they were on their way.

I met the young lady outside; she takes pictures of my car and reviewed my service request and also made note of my oil preference for the oil change. BEFORE I got back in the house, another text with another link allowing me to track her as she took my car to be serviced.

WITHIN seconds of her arriving at the repair shop, I get a text from ROXY (who is the bomb) letting me know my car had arrived and she would be my point of contact. She understood I was at work and agreed to text me throughout the day to keep me updated.

She texted me when the technician started working on my car. She texted me when the oil change was completed as well as a link to a full diagnostic of other “suggested” repairs needed (and no, she did not pressure me into making any decision on agreeing to the suggested repairs). The link to the full diagnostic included the cost of each repair, photos showing me the repair needed and the option to opt in or out of the additional repair.

The awkward noise was the back brakes and rotors which I agreed to be serviced. The part was not in, and she had to order it (this is now the end of the day about 4 p.m.) and she says, ” I can have it here early tomorrow morning”. Without hesitation, the next morning I get a morning text from Roxy stating the repair was in and my car was being serviced. Once complete I got a link to an invoice to pay and BOOM another link to a text so that I could track them returning my car to me. They picked me up at my home and dropped off the next day at my job. I did not expect to see they also washed my car and vacuumed the inside. — Andre W

You can see loads more 5-star reviews on their site. You’ll wonder why you ever took care of your car any other way.

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