real estate

Just Sold in Arlington: March 11, 2021

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This past week, 51 properties were sold in Arlington, including a $3.1 million 6 BD/7.5 BA home in Country Club Hills. An underground tunnel connects the main house to the three-car garage and the guest house.

Overall, as of March 7, there were 556 homes listed for sale in Arlington, according to Homesnap. This includes 402 condos, 123 detached homes and 31 townhomes.

“The median list price is $519,900 and the median sales price is $600,000,” Homesnap reports. “There have been 197 new listings in the last 4 weeks and 276 sales.”

Here’s a look at a few of the properties sold in the past seven days:

In the market? See properties that have been Just Listed and Just Reduced.

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/8

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.

We’re moving right along through 2021 with a major sense of hope.

Of course, we are very much still in the heart of a pandemic, and everyone should be taking the appropriate precautionary measures. But, there is also no denying that there are much brighter days just over the horizon.

Pre-pandemic, Arlington County boasted one of the strongest real estate markets in the country, anchored by low unemployment, high-paying salaries and economic drivers like Amazon’s forthcoming HQ2. While we may find ourselves within different times, these core components — and so much more — still remain.

As we make our way through COVID-19 and all of the wreaked havoc, as Arlingtonians, we should feel hopeful about what’s ahead, particularly when it comes to our historically in-demand housing landscape. When you’re ready to chat about your unique scenario and what may be ahead, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is here for you.

And now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures…

As of March 8, there are 114 detached homes, 39 townhouses and 298 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 38 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week:

Please note this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Arlington Realty, Inc.

Ask Eli: 2021 Home Design 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: What design trends are you seeing this year?

Answer: Over the past few years, home design has turned from neutralized white/grey trends that have been popular for most of the last decade, especially in new construction, to include warmer colors and more natural looks, though these trends have yet to show up in most new construction projects I’ve seen (single-family and condo).

Each year, every design magazine, paint company and furniture store comes out with their annual design trends. I collected some of the most common trends I found across all of them, as well as those that I’m seeing show up more in homes in the D.C. metro, and compiled them into some fun graphics.

The impact of COVID shows up in a big way in many trends, including trying to bring the outside in (plants/indoor gardens and wood-grain kitchens) and getting more out of existing spaces (closet-offices and outdoor kitchens). Let me know what you think and if you’ve introduced any of these colors, designs or improvements to your home recently!

(more…)

Listing of the Day: 1220 N. Fillmore Street #911

By ARLnow.com Sponsor


Address: 1220 N. Fillmore Street #911
Neighborhood: Clarendon | The Residences at Station Square
Listed: $725,000

This is a gorgeous 2 BD/2 BA condo with a wraparound balcony in the heart of Clarendon! The 1,112-square-foot residence features hardwood floors throughout the living area, a separate dining area and an open kitchen. The condo is outfitted with a fresh coat of paint, crown molding and a floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door that leads out to a large wraparound balcony. This is one of the few wraparound balconies at Station Square, and this style balcony is much larger than the normal balconies in the building and in the Clarendon neighborhood.

The dining area has plenty of space for a large dining set to go along with a new light fixture and tray ceiling. The kitchen features granite countertops, maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances and gas cooking. The kitchen has an abundance of counter space, and it overlooks the dining and living areas.

The primary bedroom features a large walk-in closet and an en-suite bathroom with a separate soaking tub, glass shower and vanity with granite countertops. The second bedroom also comes with a walk-in closet and has access to the second full bathroom. One parking spot comes with the property. Station Square features an outdoor pool, on-site management and the best location that Clarendon has to offer.

Contact the Orange Line Condo team or your buyer’s agent for more information or to set up a private showing.

Listed by:
Matt Leighton
Orange Line Condo (Century 21 Redwood Realty)
703-472-0574
[email protected]
TheMattLeighton.com

Listing of the Day: 1708 N. Huntington Street

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/8

Address: 1708 N. Huntington Street
Neighborhood: Tara
Listed: $1,995,000
Open: Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, 1-4 p.m.

Quality built in 2006, this stately home is well sited on one of the prettiest streets in the Tara neighborhood. A wide lawn leads to the front porch, and there’s a welcoming foyer with a traditional living room to the left and dining room to the right. The butler’s pantry opens to a kitchen, which will delight those with a newfound interest in cooking and baking. The adjoining breakfast room flows into the family room featuring a stone, wood-burning fireplace, coffered ceiling, and French doors opening to a deck and the flat yard.

A large bonus room offers many uses for dual offices, distance-learning or Zoom calls. A second large powder room next to it could be converted to a full bathroom. Connect it to the room for an inviting in-law suite or spot for aging in place.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom has two walk-in closets, spa-style bathroom and seating area. The three other bedrooms have private bathrooms, and a den between the second and the bedrooms is ideal for schoolwork, music practice, or TikTok pursuits. The bedrooms are ideal for schoolwork, music practice or TikTok pursuits. The large laundry room and linen closet complete the level.

Tall windows and high ceilings enhance the lower level rec room, gym, fifth bedroom, bath, hobby space and workshop. There is mudroom entry to the oversized two-car garage.

This is a pristine home in an enviable location.

Listed by:
Betsy Twigg
McEnearney Associates
703-967-4391
[email protected]
www.betsytwigg.com

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:

4529 18th Street N.
4 BD/4 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $1,879,000
Open: Saturday and Sunday, 12-3 p.m.

 

4389 Old Dominion Drive
8 BD/6 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: KW United
Listed: $1,799,000
Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

 

4510 8th Street S.
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $1,199,000
Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

 

5712 11th Road N.
3 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath townhouse
Agent: Samson Properties
Listed: $995,000
Open: Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

 

1200 Crystal Drive, #312
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Compass
Listed: $789,900
Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m.

 

3409 Wilson Blvd, #207
2 BD/2 BA, 1 half bath condo
Agent: DC Living Real Estate
Listed: $664,500
Open: Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m.

 

5145 11th Street S.
2 BD/1 BA single-family home
Agent: Compass
Listed: $589,000
Open: Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

 

 

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Good morning, Arlington!

The market is moving fast, as expected! With that in mind, some changes can happen pretty quickly and catch participants off guard. The day-to-day things that come with writing offers, such as pre-inspections becoming almost entirely mandatory in this market, are not a new development. Nor is the waiving of appraisal contingencies or other buyer tactics to stand out amongst the competition. Some less conspicuous things can sneak up on buyers or sellers — today, interest rates get an honorable mention…

Mortgage rates just broke above the 3% mark for the first time since July 2020! It’s important to note that this is still a historically low rate and your buying power is still substantially larger than what was normal, even just a year ago. With that noted, those who are particularly rate-sensitive will wish they bought sooner. This type of movement — almost 50 basis points since just earlier this winter — can decrease buying power by 5% percent or more. It’s hard to understate just how important that is, especially considering escalations frequently exceed 5% in Arlington. If you’re a buyer, you need to check back in with your lender to confirm you’re still shopping in a price range you can afford. With rates rising and prices rising, it’s not hard to get priced out, even just over a week’s timeframe.

Now, to dig into the numbers… and at risk of sounding like a broken record… inventory is low, demand is high, and frustration abounds, mostly on the buyer side of the table (and buyer-agent, as well).

Now, for this week’s Just Listed numbers…

Sellers put 98 homes on the market this past week, a huge uptick from the 75 homes listed last week. Buyers ratified 66 contracts this week, and 35 of those were on homes just listed within the past seven days.

This week, there are 378 available properties for sale, an increase of 15 from the week prior. There are just 72 single-family homes to choose from, and only 32 townhouses/semi-detached. Condos continue to make up a large majority of available inventory, with 274 available condominiums for sale.

A quick comparison to last year, for the same week, sellers listed 68 homes and buyers ratified 46 contracts. There were also only 171 available properties for sale — 203 less than we have today!

The average list price for currently available properties is $733,723 and the median is $495,000.

Pick of the Week — The Andors Real Estate Group is proud to have JUST LISTED 5724 3rd Street S. Arlington, VA 22204 — $774,000. You can find me there this Sunday from 1-4 p.m. for an in-person open house with appropriate COVID protocols in place.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. If you see a home you’re interested in purchasing, give us a call.

Call the Andors Real Estate Group today at 703-203-1117 to talk more about buying or selling Arlington real estate. Below are eight new listings I think you might like to check out:

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/8

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 usual, we’ve perused this week’s quirky holidays. Among them, today — March 3, 2021 — is “I Want You to Be Happy Day.”

The origins of the holiday are disputed, but odds are that Hallmark or some similar company created it. It exists “to make others happy by doing something positive.”

So, we’ll take this fun day and positively encourage all of our Arlington neighbors to not settle for anything less than your optimal living situation. It has been a trying and difficult year for so many. And we’ve heard it directly from so many folks — this pandemic has equated to a strong desire to move, to upgrade and/or to experience something new.

We don’t blame you and, guess what! We want you to be happy.

When the time comes, the time-tested team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is ready and equipped to make your real estate dreams a reality. Until then, here’s to a happy day and a happy week.

And now on to this week’s Just Reduced figures…

As of March 1, there are 99 detached homes, 41 townhouses and 286 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 27 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

Please note 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.

Arlington’s Top Real Estate Agent for First-Time Buyers: Natalie Roy of Bicycling Realty

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Natalie Roy isn’t the type of real estate agent who rolls up to a house showing in a luxury car. Instead, if the weather’s decent, you’ll find her pedaling up on her bicycle.

If you’re in the market to buy a home, she welcomes you to join her to ride along on a bike house-hunting tour. (Though biking isn’t a requirement when working with Roy.)

“The best way to know a community is walking or biking through it,” said Roy, the owner of the aptly named Bicycling Realty of KW Metro Center.

Roy’s unique approach to the house-hunting process is just one of the reasons she was voted the top real estate agent for first-time homebuyers in the 2021 Winter Arlies.

Getting to Know Natalie Roy and Bicycling Realty

Roy has been a member of the Arlington community, specifically the Lyon Park neighborhood, for nearly 30 years. She’s always biked as much as possible when getting around town.

When Roy decided to go into real estate more than eight years ago, she wanted to bring her passion for the environment into her business.

Enter: Bicycling Realty.

If a client opts in to a bike house-hunting tour, Roy builds an itinerary to take buyers through one or two adjacent neighborhoods with a few home stops along the way.

Plus, there’s another perk to house-hunting on a bike. “The experience of looking for a house is stressful,” Roy said. “If you’re biking, I find people are happier.”

Arlington’s Top Real Estate Agent for First-Time Buyers

Not only is Roy a fun real estate tour guide, she’s also a big-time advocate for her clients and is especially protective of first-time homebuyers. She sits down with them to outline the process and the intricacies of contracts.

“What’s really important with first-time homebuyers is to make sure they know what that contract says and what’s really there,” Roy said. “I find there are so many things with the transaction that can be confusing for people, so it’s important to make sure people understand.”

She’s also transparent and sets expectations up front, especially with homes going fast in today’s market.

“You don’t want to push them into anything,” Roy said. “If they lose a property because they weren’t comfortable, go find another one. That’s just my feeling, and I always tell them, if they lose it, there’s something better out there — and it’s true.”

Roy’s Larger Vision: Building Community

Roy is passionate about the Arlington community. She loves giving back to local organizations and also bringing people together. Pre-COVID, her team organized local events and invited their clients, so they could get to know their neighborhoods.

“When you purchase a home, you are not just buying a house but a place in the community,” Roy said.

Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned pro, Natalie and her team at Bicycling Realty are ready to help. Grab your helmet, and schedule a bike house-hunting tour. (But no judgment if you prefer to drive!)

Bicycling Realty
[email protected]
703-819-4915
Facebook | Instagram

Want to Learn More About Natalie Roy?

See below for some fun facts.

(more…)

Ask Eli: Housing Market Performance by Price Point

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: Are you able to tell how much of the appreciation in the overall Arlington housing market is from homes in the upper or lower price ranges?

Answer: I’ve often wondered if the appreciation in Arlington’s housing market is driven more by the lower, middle or upper end of the market. My theory, prior to doing an analysis, was that homes in the lower price ranges were appreciating faster than those in the upper ranges, thus affordability was suffering more than any other category of housing.

To test this theory, I split each year into a lower, middle and upper third and found the median price within each price range. (Note: The numbers for average prices looked very similar.) I split the market into single-family/townhouses and condos for a more accurate picture of actual market behavior.

As it turns out, for the single-family/townhouse and condo markets, the upper third of the market has appreciated more over the past 10 years than the lower and middle thirds. As is usually the case, single-family homes and townhouses appreciated much faster than condos during the same period, with single-family/townhouses practically doubling the rate of condo appreciation over the past 10 years.

Explanation of Charts: Appreciation and Market Speed

Below you will see charts showing the median price of the lower, middle and upper price tiers for single-family/townhouses and condos in Arlington over the past 10 years. I also included a chart showing the cumulative appreciation for each price tier to highlight when each market experienced the greatest price jumps or most price stability.

The last two charts show the same concept but applied to days on market. Specifically, looking at what percentage of homes went under contract within the first seven days on the market. I’ve always felt like this metric is one of the best ways to understand how fast the market is moving and the intensity of demand.

All three price tiers show similar speed/intensity of demand over the years, with the only noticeable difference being the upper third of single-family/townhouses, which is likely skewed by new construction. New construction often has a much higher days on market number because of how often homes are listed before they’re finished.

(more…)

How to Enter the Housing Division’s Drawing for Affordable Housing Units

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Auxmite Village Condos, located at 1100 S. Highland Street, currently has four townhouse-style affordable dwelling units (ADUs) for sale.

Each unit has two bedrooms and ranges from 808 to 948 square feet.

The units are listed for $369,301, and the monthly condo fee is $223, which will vary year to year based on HOA assessments. You can purchase parking separately for $20,000.

Four eligible applicants will be randomly selected by the Arlington Housing Division to purchase a unit. The drawing date is TBD.

Eligibility criteria include:

You must also be a first-time homebuyer with no homeownership or real estate interest within the past three years.

To apply, submit a homebuyer assessment form, complete a Virginia Housing First-Time Buyer Class and get mortgage pre-approval. Email these materials to the Arlington County Housing Division at [email protected] to be entered into the drawing.

Units are chosen based on household size and prioritized through drawing ranking.

For more information on Arlington’s affordable housing units, visit the Arlington County Housing Division website.

View More Stories