Owner: The Arlington Dirt URL:http://www.TheArlingtonDirt.com Join Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:38:05 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Great hyper-local information for Arlington Virginia and the entire metro Northern Virginia area. Come on by for local market statistics, neighborhood snapshots and MORE! Site statistics:Click here
Is it a Condo? Or is it a Townhouse? BOTH YOU SAY??? 2007-10-30 09:06:58
It’s a condominium? It looks like a townhouse! Could it be both? What’s the difference? This is the #1 question I get asked about consistently -
Today I’d like to help de-mystify what exactly is a townhouse vs. a condominium. Often times buyers come to me and they are in a price range where they are struggling with whether to purchase a condo or a townhome. Well, guess what? It’s possible to find a townhome that’s a condo. Here’s what you have to know… condominium is an ownership definition; townhome is a building structure. So the answer is: it can be both!
What IS a condo?
Most of us, when we think of a condo, we think of a high-rise building with an elevator and a trash chute! Perhaps a nice lobby with mailboxes and a 24 hour concierge. Yes, these are some amenities that are offered in some high-rise style condos. There are Read more:Condo
WOW - VA Loans - Welcome to the 21st Century! 2007-10-29 09:39:29 The VA announced today that they will begin providing financing for eligible military personnel for loan amounts up to $1,000,000 — that’s right, ONE MILLION DOLLARS! This is a bold and impressive step for VA and of course, for a prospective borrower, will require a deeper understanding of the options this opens up for them.
VA Loans
are still limited to $417,000 for 100% financing, but with a calculated down payment, they will now fund loans up to $1,000,000. Additionally, they will now allow the VA funding fee to be added on top of the max loan amount calculation – this is a new option for VA loans.
IF you have VA eligibility, this is a great time to look into what your options are. It’s also a great time to be a buyer, while inventories are high and prices are negotiable.
Call today to discuss it – I have some excellent lending partners who can get you through the VA loan process with ease!
Happy Monday!
Jennifer
Tags: VA+Loan+Limits, Read more:Welcome
, Century
Spooks, Goblins and ….. FEAR…. 2007-10-26 08:35:00 I wanted to write a post about the Halloween holiday and festivities right around the corner - you know, a cute little writeup about the different parades, parties, etc.. but the other day when I walked into my office building something frightened me and I’ve been afraid ever since.
I thought it only fitting to share that with you today. I’m not sure if you can read the sign on the door - but it says
“DANGER - NO SMOKING - NO OPEN FLAMES - NO SPARKS”
Do you know what I saw? A woman was sitting on the yellow and black striped barrier SMOKING A CIGARETTE!!! Now I’m not sure what was behind that door but there is NO WAY I’d want to be blown through that parking garage - there are quite a few large concrete pillars – wouldn’t be too much fun to see one of those coming at you 400 miles/hour.
Anyway, I hurried inside hoping that the building didn’t blow. It’s been on my mind ever since &nda
Keller Williams Makes a Big Splash into the Luxury Home Market 2007-10-19 15:13:44 On October 1, 2007, Keller Williams
launched the highly anticipated Luxury
Homes Division and I, yours truly, is so proud to be a charter member of this great new program. I think it goes without saying that this is a HUGE win for those buying and selling high-end luxury homes across the country. This is a members only program, populated ONLY by those agents who have the expertise in this market segment. The training component of this program will be provided by industry heavyweight The Institute for Luxury Home Market
ing, as part of a new partnership between the Institute and Keller Williams.
As a charter member of this exciting new division, I will be able to bring yet another marketing avenue to the table to successfully market high end homes to the right market, both locally AND around the country. I will also have a top notch referral network of other high-end professionals across the country to help with all of your real estate needs, whether they are here Read more:Splash
One Month Does Not a Trend Make - OR Does It??? 2007-10-18 15:29:44 Most of us, whether we’re in the real estate business or not, everyone is tuned in to what I’ll call the State of the Market. Right? Everywhere I go, once someone realizes I’m an agent, 999 times out of 1000, the question posed to me is “How’s the Market?”
Well, our Multiple Listing Service, MRIS, just released some interesting regional statistics for September, 2007. They state that while the selling prices are flat throughout the GREATER Washington DC Metro and GREATER Baltimore Metro Regions, guess what??? We in Virginia are holding our own, actually “bucking the trend” reporting positive numbers. In some cases, these are the highest increases some markets have seen in well over a year!
In fact, looking at the percentage increases JUST for the close-in DC Metro areas, look at the table below:
(you can click on it to enlarge)
One item to note: Falls Church City seems to be crushing the whole a Read more:Month
Arlington County Goes GREEN - Blog Action Day October 15, 2007 2007-10-15 13:34:45 Today is Blog Action
Day! It’s ONE day where bloggers around the world have pledged to devote their blog to matters of the environment. Here in ArlingtonCounty
, we have a wonderful building project called Green Home Choice Program.
I’m sure you’ve heard all about the “green movement” – as it relates to the housing industry, it involves updating processes and materials to build (or renovate) a more environmentally friendly home. Arlington County has created a program called the Green Home Choice Program. The program deals with everything from minimizing the amount and types of construction waste, to eco-friendly products and energy efficient (Energy Star) systems. Having an energy efficient home can not only save you money each month on your energy bills, but also save in the long term on the use of natural resources, like water and gas. Green homes can also help reduce the allergens and pollutants some Read more:October
Arlington Home Sales for September 2007 2007-10-07 09:02:42 It’s that time again – time to report numbers. Frankly, we’re seeing a steady market. No huge swings in any direction. Condos are still moving quite well, average sales prices are remaining steady or are experiencing slight increases and, has been the case all year, days on market (on average) are longer this year than last.
Here’s how September
looked:
And here’s how we stand year-to-date compared with 2006:
As for absorption rates, we’re still looking pretty good:
So, with that done – the message is this: IF you’re considering a purchase, it’s a great time to be a buyer. There is more inventory and the rates are still relatively good! AND, conversely, if you’re considering getting your home ready to market, if priced right, and properly prepared, there are buyers out there! So, whatever your real estate needs might be, feel free to give me a call to di Read more:Arlington
, Sales
St. Michaels - A Charming Weekend Getaway 2007-10-06 16:41:02 I must admit, I rarely take a day off – maybe one here or there, but generally I’m at it 7 days a week – just ask my family! This week, I had a rare treat! A very close family friend built a home there on the water a few years ago and literally, for 3 years we’ve been trying to get a date on the calendar for me to head out to visit. I can’t believe it took 3 years, but this Thursday/Friday, the calendar cleared and out we went. Here are some great photos from the quaint town just on the other side of the Bay Bridge.
A quaint row of very old (but restored) homes.
This is the St. Michaels
Gazebo
Right outside the Maritime Museum
A great shed
Another great shed – right next door to the red shed above
This is the Hooper Strait Lighthouse which was relocated here to the St. Michaels Maritime Museum
So after a day and a half with my feet up - I’m back to work!
There are many homes listed for sale there, too. If yo Read more:Weekend
The Surprising Truth about Jury Duty in Arlington County 2007-10-02 13:57:44 Yes, I have been called upon to serve Jury Duty by ArlingtonCounty
. At first – I think my first thought was, “I can’t serve Jury Duty now - I’ve got too much going on!” C’mon, let’s be truthful – isn’t that the most natural response?
So for a month, I’ve been preparing my strategies, listening to other wise souls tell stories of how they narrowly escaped, or what tactics I should use in order to be excused. So, as requested, Monday morning, October 1, I showed up to see what was in store for me. Oh, and by the way, the hardest part about being there yesterday morning was that we couldn’t have our cell phones… WHAT? No CELL PHONE??? Crazy – so after I got over that…
I looked around the room and saw folks from all walks of life enter that room; all ages, many interesting dress styles, etc… all reading the pamphlet the nice officer handed us in the hallwa Read more:Truth
How to Have a BIG Impact from a Little Acorn 2007-09-27 09:46:59 Two years ago the Virginia Department of Forestry hand picked acorns from Jamestown Island to produce cherrybark oak saplings and thus, Project Acorn was born. This fall, Project Acorn will distribute 750 2–year old Cherrybark Oak saplings throughout Arlington County for free, primarily to be used by private residences, schools, churches and county land.
This tree had historic significance to our early settlers and by re-introducing the trees into the Arlington area, we will benefit from their high canopy (100–130ft. in height) and their long lives (250 year expected lifespan) for many years to come.
This project is brought to us by the Maywood Community Association through a generous grant from the Arlington Committee on Jamestown 2007.
For more information on the project, the history or the trees, OR to find out how to get yours, visit the Project Acorn site. Plant a Tree, give life!
Happy Thursday
Jennifer
Tags: project+acorn, arlington+real+estate
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FALL BACK… DON’T FORGET 2007-11-03 02:39:11 Just a quick reminder — Don’t forget that “the powers that be” decided to change the daylight savings clock re-set this year – so tonight – FALL BACK!
Wasn’t it strange having Halloween essentially begin in the daylight? I guess I’m glad for the extra daylight these last 3 weeks, but it does feel a bit odd.
Anyway, Happy Saturday –
Jennifer
Tags: daylight+savings+time+change, keller+williams+northern+virginia, arlington+virginia+real+estate
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Arlington’s Car-Free Diet… 2007-11-02 09:33:26 GOTCHA!!! Bet you thought I said “care-free diet” - wouldn’t that be something? But alas, I said “car-free” – what, might you ask, is that? Well, have you noticed that over the past years, Arlington
County has been trying to create a friendly co-existence between cars and bicycle and/or pedestrian traffic?
As a result of their efforts, Arlington county was recognized with the national Bicycle Friendly Community Silver Level Award! As I began to research, I stumbled upon a wonderful web resource for all of our local cycling enthusiasts – Bike Arlington!
On Bike Arlington, you will find local bike routes, sometimes even guided tours at pre-set times that you can join in! Maps, cycling advice, resources and a way to meet up with others that enjoy pedaling around town, too! You can find helpful information on bike commuting, AND some updates on new, bicycle-friendly local developments — for example, there&r
5 Fun (really!) Facts about Leaf Collection in Arlington County 2007-11-09 11:15:25 O-K Arlington
ians – Leaf Collection has officially begun.
Don’t you love this time of year? Bright yellow, red and orange leaves adorn the trees and now has created a carpet of fall colors on the ground. All of these leaves need to go somewhere! Arlington County
Environmental Services has leaf collection down to a science. Here are some fast (and fun) facts that might be of interest:
1. TWO Options for Leaf Collection:
Arlington County Environmental Services offers us two options: vacuum curb service, OR you may place leaves in the FREE biodegradable leaf bags that the county provides. The leaf bags will ONLY be collected during this leaf pickup time of year – and won’t be picked up again until the spring yard waste pick-up. Check the schedule to see when they will be in your neighborhood.
2. TWO months of collection:
Arlington County will make two leaf collection passes, one in November and again in December.
3. What do they do with all these leaves?
A
Condo Focus - Colonial Village - Arlington, VA 22201 2007-11-07 17:21:36 Today’s condo focus will highlight the quaint community of Colonial Village
– nestled between Lee Highway and Wilson Blvd stretching almost the length between the Courthouse and Rosslyn Metros. Construction began on this complex was in 1935 and was completed by 1940 - it was one of the area’s first apartment complexes and really set the standard for garden styled apartments for the era. They are low brick buildings situated with appealing, landscaped courtyards and charming interiors.
Conversion to condominium began in the late 1970’s and by the late ‘80’s all 700+ units were totally converted to condominium. It’s a wonderful and desirable place for many to call “home.” There are many restaurants and bars in close proximity – and with the metro accessibility, combined with affordability, Colonial Village continues to gain in popularity.
Currently there are only 4 one-bedroom units available with Read more:Arlington
, Condo
, Focus
October 2007 Sales Numbers for Arlington are in… 2007-11-06 15:06:02 …and the name of the game is slightly rising inventories – steady sales in keeping with 2006 and a few markets actually tapering off a bit.
Here’s what October
looked like:
What I notice are condo sales falling off a bit, as well as average selling prices, but remember, I’ve said this before - it’s VERY difficult, if not impossible, to do trending off of 1 discrete month of sales data – this is just a snapshot compared with the same time last year. So, for more solid trending data, let’s look at Year-To-Date info:
From this I can see that we’re ahead on condo sales in almost all aspects from 2006 – we’re lagging a slight bit (less than 2%) in Single Family Detached home sales over 2006, but holding strong in the 22207 zip code. However, Days on Market continue to plague us as we see longer averages than last year.
Now, for absorption rates – last month everyone was so excited by my graphics, I decided to give you a little treat today and here’s how the cur Read more:Arlington
, Sales
, Numbers
Housing Trends for the DC Metro Area - 3rd Quarter 2007 2007-11-05 19:48:25 Today’s topic is a meaty one – the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems is OUR MLS service here in the DC Metropolitan Area. The President and CEO of MRIS, David Charron, has been recognized industry-wide for being one of the top 100 influential people in our community.
In any case, MRIS is always publishing wonderful information and today, released the Trends
in Housing
for the 3rd Quarter, 2007. This is a great report that is a compilation of data taken from a variety of sources that looks at housing sales data, job and economic job growth, construction starts, mortgage news and other regional information and then shares it in a way that makes sense for most of the rest of us!
Here are some of my take-always from this particular issue:
“We expect the Washington Metro area economy to end 2007 on solid footing. Although growth has slowed compared to the last 3 years, we predict conditions will improve over the next 2 years com
First Time Home Buyer’s Seminar - It’s FREE and YOU’RE INVITED! 2007-11-13 14:17:02 You, my dear reader, are cordially invited to a free, first time home buyer’s seminar being held in the Keller Williams Arlington Office in Courthouse.
When: Saturday, December 8 — 10am-11am
Where: 2101 Wilson Blvd, 11th Floor; Arlington VA 22201
What: Seminar
conducted by Gleyde Schatz of Access National Mortgage and Jennifer Klaussen (me) and Afton McGhee of Keller Williams – Realtors extraordinaire! (and a light continental breakfast)
Who: Anyone who is a first time home buyer considering making a purchase - whether it’s soon or you’re just in the beginning stages of educating yourself about the market and what steps you’ll need to take to be prepared for your first home purchase
Cost: 0$ – Nothing – Zippo – Nada – FREE!!!
Space is limited, so please email me to secure your spot! I’ll look forward to meeting you there!
Happy Tuesday!
Jennifer – your Keller William Read more:First
, Buyer
, First Time
Arlington National Cemetery - A National Treasure and A Moving Experience 2007-11-18 07:42:47 Yesterday I had the distinct honor and pleasure of visiting ArlingtonNationalCemetery
. My grandfather, who served in Korea and in WWII is buried there, as is my grandmother who preceded him in death by almost 30 years – so we went to visit their gravesite and take in a little history, too. It is a beautiful and peaceful place – the rows so precisely laid out, the beautiful fall colors around us and it was a gorgeous day. There is so much ceremony here and I thought I would share with you some of what we saw – both with some facts and some photos. First, you will see signs like the one to the left - and it’s nice - because it keeps the chit chat down and really serves as a reminder that we’re in a cemetery to honor those who have served our country.
There are veterans buried here from every war that has involved our nation – over 290,000 servicemen and their family members have been laid to rest here
About 24 burials are cond Read more:Treasure
, Moving
Staging is all the RAGE! 2007-11-15 16:43:13 Staging is becoming a necessary component when thinking about listing your home for sale in today’s market. When I first meet with a prospective seller, we talk about preparing the home for market. This might include having a pre-inspection, an appraisal and certainly we have an important discussion about staging and condition.
There are several ways to go about the staging process. Options can range from hiring a professional stager who will bring rented furniture, plants, artwork, accessories, etc… and totally transform your home into something right off of HGTV! They might even paint a wall, or advise some re-carpeting, re-landscaping, etc… OR you can just get a staging consultation that will report on how to work with what you have to open up spaces, lighten and brighten up rooms and how to purge etc… A good realtor with some experience can also be a great resource.
You may be thinking “whoa, that soun
Happy Thanksgiving 2007-11-22 07:43:37 HappyThanksgiving
to all of my readers. We have a lot to be thankful for – I’m thankful to live in the greatest city in the world (my opinion, of course)! Enjoy the day with your friends and family, as I intend to do with mine!
Jennifer
Tags: Washington+DC, Memorial+Bridge, Lincoln+Memorial, Washington+Monument
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Holiday Shopping Opportunities at the W-L Annual Holday Bazaar 2007-11-26 13:42:42 The 48th annual Washington-Lee High School HolidayBazaar
will be held on Saturday, December 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This will be the last Holiday Bazaar in the existing W-L building, located at 1300 North Quincy Street.
The annual Bazaar has become a local community event that benefits the Senior Class of 2008, as well as other W-L clubs and teams.
Unique and handmade jewelry, fashion accessories, holiday gifts, home decorations and collectibles, as well as artwork, will be available for sale by artisans from around the local area. In addition, holiday greens and fruit will be available. A rich assortment of ethnic foods, that represent the diversity of W-L can be purchased as well.
W-L’s highly acclaimed “Madrigals” singing group and other student musical groups will perform throughout the day.
The event is free and open to the public. Ample free parking, with convenient access into the Bazaar, is provided in the I-66 parking ga Read more:Shopping
, Opportunities
, Annual
November Figures are in for Arlington Home Sales 2007-12-06 11:36:55 And the results are truly a mixed bag. For all of the media hype about what a bad market it is right now, we’re still seeing some good successes in these closer in markets. Frankly, we’re beginning to see successes overall where homes are priced appropriately and presented well, no matter where they’re located. Sometimes it is still taking some time, which is frustrating for the sellers. However, a home seller in the DC area can have hope!
Here’s how the numbers look for just the month of November
, 2007 and how it compares with just last November:
November 2007 Arlington
County Home Prices and SalesFigures
:
What I see in this is that drastically fewer homes were sold pretty much across the board during the November 2007 period when compared with 2006; additionally, at least for just this month, average selling prices were off in the condo market, but held steady or even saw increases over last year for the single family home market.&nbs
Local Blogger goes AWOL 2007-12-05 10:16:11 ha ha – that’s how it feels, really! I’ve been missing in action over the last week or so – lots going on I suppose. It’s a tough time of year for all of us to keep focused with holiday demands, family demands, work, etc… oh and that winter cold that just won’t go away! But I’m here and ready to jump back in. So stay tuned for some great posts that I have planned for you!
Today, the DC area is getting its first snow of the year – it’s come early this year and my children are convinced that we’ll see blizzard conditions before this winter is up. Who knows, I may be blogging and referring back to this post come February under 27 inches of snow!
Anyway, here’s a picture I took of our holly tree with its first dusting of the season. Enjoy and know that I’m back in full swing.
Happy Wednesday!
Jennifer
Tags: northern+virginia+first+snow+2007
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, Blogger
Who hibernates in December? 2007-12-11 17:55:37 When we think about all of the obligations we have this time of year a few come to mind:
Holiday Parties
Baking
Shopping, Wrapping, Mailing – pretty paper and shiny ribbons
Decorating
Caroling
Attending school concerts and/or pageants of our children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends kids, etc… (or sewing a black velvet skirt for one’s daughter’s holiday concert the night before **ahem**)
Attending other holiday performances (The Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, etc…)
The list is exhaustive - and this is while we’re working, paying bills, doing laundry, grocery shopping, etc… none of which have anything to do with real estate!
So here’s my question – who is buying and selling their homes in December
? Apparently there are a lot of people this year who are choosing to be out and about looking at homes. With interest rates at recent lows (certainly lower than they’ve been for the past 3–4 months
February Sales Numbers are in for Arlington - Early Spring? 2008-03-08 07:58:59 Well, as expected we are seeing quite an improvement over January when everyone is hibernating! Yes, things are still volatile in the world of real estate right now, but we are seeing signs pointing to a typical spring market around these parts! Good activity, especially in the contract writing segment. Take a look…
“Sold” units have [...] Read more:February
, Sales
, Numbers
, Arlington
, Early
, Spring
A HUGE Win for Virginia Sellers 2008-03-04 16:15:54 As many of you know, whether you’re a seller or just “in the know” last year the Authority was granted to the Virginia
Transportation Authority to impose an additional $4/$1000 to the Virginia Grantor’s Tax. This was a 400% increase over our previous tax of $1/$1000 bringing the new total tax to $5/$1000… HUGE difference [...] Read more:Sellers
Mortgages 101 - A First Lesson 2008-02-29 11:55:11 Mortgages 101
One question I get asked a lot is “What are rates these days?”
And the answer is, drumroll please….. “well, that depends!” You know, back in the old days, real estate finance was fairly simple. You had to save up a nice down payment of 20% and there was 1 program (an 80% first [...] Read more:First
Mold…. ick! 2008-02-28 15:39:25 What type of an image do you see in your head when you think about mold? Green? Slimy? Fuzzy? Black? Sticky? White? Health hazards… “sick houses”… Mold is so hostile!
I recently had a new experience. A buyer of mine wanted to do a mold inspection. Honestly, they aren’t done too much around here. Generally when [...]
To Inspect or Not? That is the Question… 2008-02-19 10:23:59 One of the questions I get asked a lot is “do I need a home inspection?” Well, MOST of the time the answer is a resounding YES!!! Not only is it an opportunity to uncover possible deficiencies in your prospective new home, but it’s also your chance to learn about your home. Perhaps you’ve never [...] Read more:Inspect
, Question
Buyers - Buyers — Where For Art Thou? 2008-02-18 14:47:20 Some people see the glass half empty – others see it half full. But those that see this market as an enormous buying opportunity will be those who prosper in the end! You think that’s crazy? Let’s look at the current market conditions.
Inventory of Homes in Northern Virginia
Let’s see… There are over 6,600 homes for [...] Read more:Buyers
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