Ask Eli

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: Have you already seen interest rates increase since last week’s announcement that the Federal Reserve is increasing rates by .75%?

Answer: Contrary to popular belief, the news you read about the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates does not directly result in changes to the interest rates you get on your mortgage. The Federal Funds Rate is the rate that large banks charge each other for short-term, overnight loans and is one of the many market factors that influence the interest rate you get on a mortgage.

Fed Rate Up, Mortgage Rates Down

Last week, on Wednesday July 27, the Federal Reserve announced they were increasing the Federal Funds Rate by .75%. Many people I spoke with thought this meant that mortgage rates would immediately or quickly increase by a similar amount, however, the reality was that the average 30yr fixed mortgage rate, per Mortgage News Daily, decreased from 5.54% on Wednesday July 27 to 5.22% on Thursday July 28, one day after the announcement.

As of yesterday, MND’s research showed that the average 30yr fixed rate had dropped even more to 5.05%.

Mortgage Rates Are Market-Driven, Like Stocks

Mortgage rates operate like stocks in that they are constantly (daily) moving up and down as they react to changes in the domestic and global markets. In theory, mortgage rates, like stocks, are supposed to reflect the valuation of all current and future market information to determine the cost of borrowing money each day.

What the Fed Rate Means for Your Mortgage Rate

What does that mean in relation to your mortgage rate and the highly publicized Fed Funds Rate?

The Federal Reserve meets eight times per year to set monetary policy, including making any changes to their target Fed Funds Rate.

Prior to those meetings, financial experts are constantly adjusting their expectations of the Federal Reserve’s rate announcements and those expectations are embedded on a daily basis into mortgage borrowing rates, so the most significant rate changes occur when expectations aren’t met or surprising guidance is issued by the Fed during these meetings (keep in mind, this isn’t the only information banks use to determine mortgage rates).

Heading into last week’s announcement, I read that mortgage rates, stocks and other market instruments were priced with a roughly 80% expectation of a .75% increase in the Fed Funds Rates and a roughly 20% expectation of a 1% increase, so when the announcement was made confirming a .75% increase and guidance was given suggesting the Fed will soon be able to slow their rate increases, market instruments reacted in a mostly positive way, which resulted in mortgage rates decreasing because the outcome was weighted towards expectations for lower future rate increases (.75% instead of 1% and slowing future increases).

The next scheduled Federal Reserve announcement on the Federal Funds Rate is scheduled for September 21, you’ll see mortgage rates react daily based on new economic data on inflation, growth, unemployment, global threats, etc that will all influence how the Federal Reserve responds during their next meeting.

Mortgage Rate Forecasts

There’s one thing I’ve learned over the years about mortgage rate forecasts… they’re always wrong. You can see how much of a difference there is in forecasts from the experts in this recent Forbes article, with expectations for 2022 rates ranging from ~5-7% to a technical version of a shoulder shrug.

With that said, if you’re seeing news about inflation coming under control and we avoid new major global supply chain disruptions, odds are that mortgage rates will gradually come down through the end of the year.

However, none of that is guaranteed as we find ourselves in a constant state of global and economic volatility and disruption, factors that generally cause instability and increases in mortgage rates.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

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

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460

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: How did the Arlington single-family home market perform in the first half of 2022?

Answer: We have reached two years of the average single-family home (SFH) in Arlington selling for over the asking price, but like the rest of the economy, things are finally cooling down. However, the “cool-down” data won’t start showing up for another month or two and the data you’ll see here, a review of the first half of 2022, reflects what was mostly a red-hot market.

More Competitive, Less Price Growth?

By nearly all measures, the first half of 2022 was more competitive than the first half of 2021, yet we got lower average and median price growth in ’22 than in ’21, compared to the first half of the year prior.

The competition in the first half of 2022 was unlike anything we’ve seen in Arlington before with the average SFH selling for 4.2% more than the asking price, compared to an average of 1.8% over ask in the first half of 2021. In 2022, an insane 79% of homes sold within the first 10 days on market, compared to 70% in 2021 and 73% of homes sold at or above asking price in 2022, compared to 66% in 2021.

With such intense demand, one would expect to see higher price growth in 2022 than in 2021, but that’s not the case. The average and median price change in the first half of 2022 was 7.1% and 5.6%, respectively, compared to the first half of 2021. From 2020 to 2021, the average and median price change was 9.6% and 16.6%, respectively.

I think the reason for conflicting demand and appreciation data is two-fold. First, the 2021 appreciation is based on the first half of 2020, which included the first few months of COVID lockdowns when the market basically froze, so those prices may have been somewhat artificially deflated. However, the counter argument to that is comparing the first half 2020 prices to 2019 prices, we got a healthy 5% appreciation in average price.

The second reason, and this is just a theory, is that by 2022 the market (sellers and listing agents) knew that buyers were accustomed to paying significantly over the asking price and thus set more conservative (lower) asking prices to ensure competition instead of setting prices that were more reflective of actual/likely market values. Doing so would artificially inflate some demand measures without causing a coinciding explosion in prices.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in the first half of 2020, the market has experienced the following:

• Median price increased by $225,000 or 23%
• Average price increased $197,000 or 17.5%
• Average seller credit (towards buyer closing costs) decreased by 75%
• The number of homes sold for $2M+ increased from 5% to 11% of total sales
• The number of homes sold for under $1M decreased from 53% to 31% of total sales

22205 Leads Growth, 22201 Still Most Expensive

The 22201 and 22207 zip codes remain significantly more expensive than other Arlington zip codes as the only two with an average price higher than the county-wide average. The 22205 zip code has benefitted from tremendous growth over the past five years and led the way in the first half of 2022 price growth, adding 12.7% to its 2021 first half average.

After gaining 19.8% in 2021, 22204 settled back down to a 5.1% increase on average price in 2022 and remains the only zip code with an average price below $1M, but with more new construction popping up throughout the 22204 neighborhoods, I don’t expect the sub-$1M average price to last much longer.

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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: How did the Arlington condo market perform in the first half of 2022?

Answer: It has been quite a ride for the Arlington condo market over the past four years!

After a long stretch of relatively little appreciation from ~2013-2018, the condo market surged on the November 2018 news of Amazon HQ2 and then flatlined when COVID lockdowns began in the spring of 2020. Beginning in the summer of 2020, condo inventory flooded the market in record volume, causing the market to soften and prices to drop.

Conditions were improving by the summer of 2021 as demand picked up. By early 2022, competition return to the market with more multiple offers and escalations. The competition didn’t last long, as the entire housing market began to slow due to high interest rates and worsening economic conditions.

After much volatility in the condo market since late 2018, I think we are finally seeing signs of the market finding its natural balance — moderately favorable for sellers, while providing buyers with a range of options and the occasional opportunity for a discount.

Let’s look at the stats behind the first half of the 2022 Arlington condo market…

Pace of New Inventory Evens Out

From 2013-2018, the Arlington condo market averaged ~500 and ~700 new listing in the first and second quarter, respectively. Those numbers dropped off a cliff in 2019 and 2020 because people chose to hold properties because of Amazon’s announcement (Q1 2019-Q1 2020) and then held in Q2 2020 because nobody knew what to do when COVID hit. Then the pace of inventory surged at a record-shattering pace from the summer of 2020 through the end of 2021.

Inventory levels finally came down to earth, closer to their 2013-2018 averages, with 576 and 651 new condo listings in the first and second quarters of 2022, respectively.

Supply/Demand Levels Back to Normal-ish

With the easing of new inventory volume and demand coming back to level, Months of Supply (a measure that combines supply levels with the pace of demand) has returned to levels more in-line with pre-Amazon years and what I would consider to be the Arlington condo market’s natural balance.

Housing economists consider six months of supply to be a truly balanced market for buyers and sellers, but we rarely see a sub-market around here that gets close to six months. 1.5-2 months of supply is a favorable market for sellers, but it usually takes less than one month of supply for multiple offers and escalations to become a common occurrence.

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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: Do you think it is a good idea for our condo board to consider setting a cap on the number of units that can be rented at a given time?

Answer: One of the most common debates within condo buildings is whether an Association should limit the number of condo units that can be rented concurrently. There are some benefits of limiting the number of owners who can rent out their unit(s), but I think it’s the wrong decision for most buildings because it can hurt property values and is unnecessary, in most cases.

For the sake of clarity, when I refer to rental/investor units in a building, I am referring to individual unit owners renting their unit(s) out to tenants instead of occupying it themselves (they are considered investors).

Lending Misinformation

There is a lot of misinformation out there about how the number of rental units in a building effect the warrantability of a building (ability of future buyers to secure a mortgage). Here are the limits you need to be aware of:

• Fannie/Freddie Loans: Conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac do not have any rental limits for primary and secondary home loans. They limited the number of rentals in a building to 50% for investor loans only.
• VA (Veterans) Loans: No rental limits. The VA does not like seeing rental caps and may not approve a building for VA loans if they do have rental limits in place.
• FHA Loans: FHA loans are restricted in buildings with more than 50% of units rented. FHA loans represent a small percentage of the loans written in this area.
• Jumbo/Private Loans: High balance loans (over $970,800 loan amount), not insured by Fannie/Freddie, have a wide range of guidelines. Some have rental restrictions and others don’t, but in general jumbo/private loans tend to have more conservative lending guidelines and a higher chance of restricting a loan due to the number of units being rented. However, many banks will make exceptions, especially with higher (30%+) down payments and there are many alternative lending options in the jumbo/private arena a buyer can choose from.

Pro: Better Quality of Living

Owner-occupants generally invest more in their home, take better care of common areas, and take more pride in developing a strong social community. In small associations or those intent on maintaining a certain standard of living, quality of living may prevail over property value.

Cons: Buyer Turn-Off, Forced Sales

Many buyers want to keep their options open to renting a unit out after they are done using it as their primary residence and are turned off by the idea of a rental cap and plenty will not buy in a building if there is a cap, even if it’s unlikely to be reached. By turning otherwise motivated and qualified buyers away, you’re bound to hurt the market value of units in your building.

If a rental cap is reached and enforced, it can hurt market values even more because homeowners are forced to sell if they move out and a forced sale may result in a homeowner agreeing to take a worse deal when they would have otherwise chosen to rent the unit until they can sell into a strong market.

Track Rental Activity in Your Building

Even if you do not have a rental cap, it’s still important to track which units are being rented out. At a minimum, your Board/Management should receive a copy of each lease and keep a basic spreadsheet to be able to report on which units are being rented. In my experience, I have found that most buildings in Arlington settle into a rental percentage of 20-35%. For some buildings, like those in the heart of Clarendon, I see higher rental percentages, sometimes exceeding 50%.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

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

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460

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 are the local laws governing short-term rentals in the D.C. area?

Answer: I hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend! Some of you may have stayed at an Airbnb this weekend and come back with grand plans of buying your own investment property to rent out.

If you’re considering purchasing an investment property for short-term rentals (STR), like Airbnb, one of the most important things to research early on are the local laws governing them. With all the tourism to the D.C. area, a short-term rental property can be quite lucrative, but most local governments in this region have laws in place to prevent properties from being used exclusively for short-term rentals and thus limit your expected returns.

It’s also important to know that short-term rental restrictions from Homeowner, Condo, or Cooperative Associations take precedent over any local laws and it is extremely rare to find an Association that allows for any rental period less than 6 or 12 months.

Short-term rentals are defined as properties rented out for less than 30 consecutive nights to the same renter.

I compiled a list of the local STR laws in the greater D.C. area and summarized them below with links to the government websites where the information is detailed:

• Arlington County: Allowed in units used by the owner as his/her primary residence (the owner occupies the unit at least 185 days of the year). Cannot use detached accessory dwellings for short-term rentals.
• Washington, D.C.: Unlimited rentals if the property is owner-occupied during the rental (rental is for partial use of the home), limited to 90 nights of rentals per calendar year for properties that are not owner-occupied during the rental (renter has full access to the entire property). D.C. also requires an assortment of licenses, certifications and fees.
• City of Alexandria: Unlimited rentals during a calendar year and no restrictions on owner occupancy. Properties can be owned and used solely for short-term rentals. City of Alexandria charges an additional 8.5% Transient Lodging Tax for properties that sleep 4+.
• City of Falls Church: I could not find any official guidance from the City of Falls Church on short-term rentals and am led to believe there are not currently any restrictions or additional taxes
• Fairfax County: Limited to 60 nights of rental bookings per calendar year, with no reference to owner occupied vs unoccupied. Detached accessory dwellings cannot be used as STRs. No more than six adults can stay in a single property. Additional Transient Tax charges apply.
• Loudoun County: It seems that Loudoun County is still drafting their short-term rental policies, with the last official write-up I found referencing a February 2022 public hearing and draft amendment. The County’s zoning currently does not allow short-term rentals, but a hold has been put on enforcement until a policy can be finalized.
• Montgomery County: Limited to 120 nights of rentals if the home is not occupied by the owner during the rental and unlimited rentals if the home is owner-occupied during the rental. No more than six adults can stay in a single property.
• Prince Georges County: Limited to 90 rental nights per calendar year if the property is not owner-occupied during the rental and limited to 180 rental nights per calendar year if the property is owner-occupied during the rental.

Owning and operating a short-term rental can be very lucrative, but it’s important to understand that residents and local governments are still in the early stages of defining how their communities want to support or restrict STRs.

Before making a significant investment in a property for STR income, get fully informed on current laws/taxes, research the mood of residents and politicians on STRs, and incorporate the risk of law/tax changes into your investment decision.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

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

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460

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 have seen and heard that homes are sitting on the market and reducing prices lately, is it still a good time to sell?

Answer: I’ve noted in some recent articles (example) that we’ve seen a shift in market conditions; beginning around late April/early May when rates started hitting 5%+, the stock market struggles became more serious, and more banks and economists indicated higher risks of a recession. If you’ve followed national news, you’ve also likely read about cooling across the country, including some of the markets that led the market boom over the last ~18-22 months.

For the first time in a long time, homeowners are asking if now is a good or bad time to sell. There’s not one answer for everybody, but here are some things that everybody should consider.

It’s a Seller Market, Concerns are (Mostly) Relative

We are still very much in a seller’s market, but it seems worrisome because we are transitioning out of a historically insane seller’s market that we may not see again for a long time. So, the perception that the market is struggling is relative to what we’ve seen the last ~18-22 months, but still looks quite favorable relative to a longer-term view.

The chart below shows Months of Supply (the lower it is, the stronger the market is for sellers) in Northern Virginia for detached (single family) and attached (townhouse/condo) homes. MoS is increasing (and I expect to see a sharper increase in the chart in future months) but still very low relative to historical standards with quite a ways to go before it even reaches 5-10 year averages.

But what about the price reductions? It is accurate that more properties (including single-family homes in good condition) are going through price reductions to attract buyers, but that can be expected during a transition period as sellers and buyers adjust to new market conditions. A lot of the price reductions I’m seeing are to properties that overshot their asking price because they likely expected momentum to continue from earlier this year.

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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: Are there any good ways to lower my interest rate?

Answer: I probably don’t need to spend time educating you on how high interest rates have gotten over the last 6 months (they’ve more than doubled in most cases), but we’re now seeing rates in the upper 5% to mid-6% range on most loans. Unfortunately, the current economic environment makes it more likely that rates continue to climb and most lenders I speak to tell me they’re expecting rates in the 7-8% range later this year.

While there isn’t much you can do to change your rate in a significant way, just like you can’t do much about the price of gas, there are some strategies you can use to help. I spoke with Jake Ryon ([email protected]) of First Home Mortgage about things he recommends to help bring down your rate.

Consider ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgage)

ARMs got a terrible reputation during the housing crisis because many borrowers didn’t understand the terms of their loan. Some of these options allowed for negative amortization so borrowers opting for the lowest rate ended up owing more on their loan than when they started. Many of these options, and the sometimes predatory approach to lending, have been outlawed so the ARMs you see today are a distant relative of the ARMs of the housing crisis.

What is an ARM?

Simply put, an ARM is a loan with an interest rate that is locked for a set period of time (usually 5, 7, or 10 years) that can adjust (up or down) after that set period, based on market rates. The rate will continue to adjust up or down based on market rates with limits on how much a rate can change each year and throughout the life of the loan.

Why should you consider it?

In the current interest rate environment, you’ll usually see lower interest rates on an ARM than on a standard 30-year fixed mortgage. The difference can be roughly .5-1%, which is a significant savings on interest payments.

What about the risk?

The risk of an ARM is that if rates remain high or end up higher at the end of your lock period, your rate will adjust upwards. The gamble you’re taking (based on historical rate trends, it’s a good bet) is that rates will drop enough to justify refinancing into a lower 30yr fixed rate before your ARM lock period expires.

Over the last few years when rates were so low, ARMs didn’t make sense because they were so close to a 30yr fixed rate (sometimes higher), so you haven’t heard people talk much about their benefit until more recently when the spread between the two has increased.

Buy Origination Points

In most cases, you can buy “points” on your loan to decrease the interest rate. One point equals 1% of your loan amount and for a while, you were seeing a reduction of around .25% in rate for a point. In the current interest rate environment, buying a point may lower your rate by as much as .5-.75%.

Discuss this with your lender up-front so you’ll know if you should budget additional cash to lower your interest rate. Your lender can also calculate the break-even point on this investment, which is essentially calculating how long you need to be in the loan (own the property) for the money saved in interest payments to exceed the amount you paid for the point.

Increase Down Payment

Sorry if this seems obvious, but for years when rates were so low, many buyers were choosing to put less money down, even if they had more funds available, because the cost of borrowing was so low, they felt they could use the extra cash more effectively in other savings/investment vehicles.

That financial strategy is no longer as attractive and using as much down payment as you can muster is gaining favor in financial advisory circles. In general, you achieve the best interest rates with a 20-25% down payment, with little improvement beyond that. However, putting more money down can still make a lot of financial sense even if it doesn’t lower your rate because the interest payments on borrowed money are so high now.

There are still plenty of loan options for buyers with less (3-5%) to put down, but those rates have shot up and carry higher mortgage insurance premiums.

It’s now even more important to get pre-approved and open discussions with a trusted lender at the beginning of your home search (here’s a link to an article I wrote about picking a good lender). If you have any questions about finding a lender or want recommendations, don’t hesitate to email me.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

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

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460

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: How have rental rates on condos compared to appreciation in resale market value?

Answer: Last week, I compared the historical appreciation rate of different property types (tl;dr… single-family > townhouse > condo) so this week, I thought it would be interesting to drill into what a condo investment looks like in Arlington by comparing historical market value appreciation against historical rental rate appreciation.

1 BR vs 2 BR Condos, North vs South Arlington

Last week we learned that, since 2012, condos in South Arlington have appreciated faster than similar condos in North Arlington and in both areas, a two-bedroom condo has performed better than a one-bedroom condo.

North Arlington Rental Rates Frozen, Moderately Higher in South Arlington

Incredibly, the average rent for a one- or two-bedroom condo in North Arlington has barely changed since 2012, while increasing about 18% and 15%, respectively, in South Arlington. I believe that is due to the high volume of new apartment buildings delivered over the last 10+ years, significantly increasing the supply of rents and delivering more modern finishes and amenities than most condo buildings offer, causing condo buildings, mostly built 15+ years ago, to become less desirable for renters.

It’s important to note that the rental data below is limited to what is in the MLS, which is mostly condo rentals, and does not reflect the commercial rental market, which has seen average rental prices increase since 2012.

*Calculated using that year’s average 30yr fixed interest rate (5.5% for 2022), 20% down, and $50 per month on homeowner’s insurance
**Approximate first year return on an all-cash purchase

Expect Low Return, Potentially Negative Cashflow

In most cases, real estate investments follow similar principles as other investments — more risk for higher return and lower expected returns for more stable investments. Arlington is one of the most stable, lowest risk real estate markets in the country/world and condos tend to have the lowest risk of all property types because they’re generally easy to rent with less exposure to costly repairs and maintenance oversights. Thus, you can expect shockingly (for some) low return on a condo investment in Arlington.

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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 type of property appreciates faster — condo, townhouse, or single-family?

Answer: Since 2012, the data is clear — single-family homes appreciate the fastest, followed by townhouses/duplexes, and then condos. Since 2012, the average single-family home has appreciated 69% compared to 27% for condos.

This pattern was true before the pandemic market sent single-family home prices through the roof (see 2016/2018 numbers below), but was amplified over the last two years as demand intensified for single-family homes.

South Arlington Appreciating Faster Than North Arlington

Based on appreciation since 2012, South Arlington has been a better investment than North Arlington for all three property types. I expect that trend to continue as new construction picks up steam in South Arlington, Columbia Pike development continues to thrive, and Amazon HQ2 expands hiring.

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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!

Thank you to all who have served and to their families who have sacrificed or lost loved ones for our freedom. I hope you and yours had a special Memorial Day weekend with friends and family to celebrate our country and those we’ve lost defending it.

The Eli Residential Group is donating to Arlington Virginia-based TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) in honor of Memorial Day. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort and hope 24/7 through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones.

If you are interested in donating to a great charity in remembrance of soldiers who have lost their lives fighting for our country, TAPS is a four-star rated charity on Charity Navigator with excellent financial management, accountability and transparency scores.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

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

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460

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: Have you seen a drop in demand and buyer activity recently?

Answer: There has been a modest, but noticeable drop in the intensity of demand and buyer activity over the last 3-4 weeks. I’m seeing fewer showings/offers and more price reductions and cases of homes lasting through the first week on market. I saw signs of it in the second half of April, but it became most noticeable in May.

But let me be clear, we are still very much in a seller’s market. I expect prices to hold in many cases and continue increasing in some, but the frequency and number of escalations should start to ease (already has) and buyers may find themselves able to secure some contract protections (contingencies) they couldn’t before.

DC Area Demand Index Tapers, Arlington Remains Strongest Market

Below you will see the Bright MLS Home Demand Index for the DC area. From July 2021 through February 2022, demand trailed its year-over-year (YoY) counterpart and even came close to matching the YoY demand reading in February 2022. However, you’ll see a noticeable separation in YoY demand taking place in March and especially April. I expect these lines to separate even further in May.

It’s worth noting that, with a demand reading of 227, Arlington has the highest demand reading in this index amongst the nine jurisdictions included in the Washington DC area index, followed by Alexandria at 190 and Fairfax at 151.

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