We are getting closer and closer to the drop dead date on the Government's $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers!  Only 81 days left to find, buy and settle on a home to qualify for the free cash!  Buyers are starting to scramble to try to find a home to make the December 1, 2009 deadline.  With the local real estate market heating up and inventory dwindling it's GAME ON to get out there and find yourself a steal of deal and kick back this holiday season knowing $8,000 is coming your way in the spring! Can it still be done?   You bet it can!  With some dedicated effort and smart planning and strategising, it's very possible to still grab that $8,000 tax credit.          If I were counseling someone on how to take their next, best step to successfully get the $8,000 tax credit tha... 09/11/2009

A new construction project on N. 9th Street on the corner of N. Irving Street is the home of Clarendon 3131. Located at 3131 N. 9th Rd, Arlington, VA 22201, just 3 blocks to the Clarendon metro. The development will be home to 14, large 2 bedroom-condo units, and 2-bedroom luxury townhomes. Condos will start in the upper $500ks, and the townhomes will be just under $1.2M. Condos on the first floor units will have a private front-yard, and elevated units will have balconies. Standards will include hardwood floors throughout, granite, upgraded cabinetry, recessed lighting, luxurious baths, and covered parking for each unit. Townhomes will all of the above, gas fireplaces, two-car garage, 4th floor loft with balcony.  Delivery is expected for late 2009. 09/08/2009

Located in the western part of Arlington County, near the East Falls Church Metro, is the neighborhood of Berkshire Oakwood. The neighborhood has somewhere between 1,700-1,800 homes. This area is in the Arlington-East Falls Church area, which broke away from Falls Church in 1936, when it formally joined Arlington County. Located in the 22207 zip code, bordered by Lee Highway (Rt 29), Fairfax Blvd (and Rt 66), and many other side streets including John Marshall and N. Trinidad, Berkshire Oakwood is a very popular area. Originally built homes were mostly constructed in the 1930s and 1940s, however, Berkshire Oakwood has been a popular site for Arlington McMansions. There are many homes that retain their charm of yester-year, but there are also many, many homes that have been remodeled fro... 09/03/2009

A neighborhood of about 500 homes, most of which were built in the 1930s and 1940s, Alcova Heights is located in South Arlington. The neighborhood is bordered by Glebe Rd (Rt 120), Arlington Blvd (Rt 50), Columbia Pike (Rt 244), and S. George Mason Drive, in the zip code 22204. Most of the detached properties are brick colonials, but there are some bungalows, and contemporary homes. Some have also been updated since their original construction. 09/03/2009

The kids are back in school.  Now it's your turn.  Time for real estate school. Are YOU Ready to become a REALTOR? Do you want to get involved in an exciting career where the upside potential is unlimited? If you're not interested in taking up this opportunity, how about your friends, family members, or colleagues. Perhaps you're bored of the 9-5 daily grind, long commute, and cubicle squatting. Click here for a short entertaining video on the Recipe for Real Estate Success. If you want real estate to be in your future, well, you are in luck. TAKE THE COURSE. PASS THE EXAM. BECOME A REALTOR. Having trained two dozen people this summer to take and pass the Virginia Real Estate Salesperson Exam (and helped get them ready for starting a career in real estate), I'll be teaching another sess... 09/02/2009

Slowly but surely, short sales homes are coming around as some of the best deals out there.  With the lack of foreclosure and bank owned home inventory in Arlington, more buyers are willing to try to wait it out for the short sales.  Short sales are generally in better condition than most foreclosures as well so that's very appealing for today's home buyer.  More short sale transactions are actually making it to the settlement table today, so that's good news for the Arlington area homebuyer.  Unfortunately, they are still taking quite some time to close.  Most of the time the reasons for this are a general lack of experience on behalf of the agent trying to sell the home.  They simply don't know how complicated selling a short sale property is.  The additional paperwork required, how t... 09/01/2009

Are you better off buying AFTER the tax credit expires? Maybe. Everywhere you turn you read about the $8,000 1st time homebuyer tax credit and how you need to "Buy Now" (anybody remember that NAR ad from 2006?). Gotta hurry up before the Dec 1st Expiration!  (Sidenote: that expiration means you need to CLOSE by then. If you are looking for a short sale gamble, and you want the credit, you better get it under contract NOW. And everyone else, don't be an idiot and schedule your closing on the 1st. At least close a week early. There will be a backlog and hiccups and you might miss your tax credit.) So Warren Buffet says whenever you see a herd running in one direction, you are supposed to walk the other way.  Oh, and there IS a stampede in Virginia trying to buy a home in time for the tax... 08/28/2009

The Representative Condominium is about an 8 minute walk from both the Yellow and Blue Metro Lines. It was built in 1976 and has 12 floors with a total of 206 units. The balconies provide views of Rosslyn, Crystal City, Fort Meyer and other parts of Arlington. The back side of the building has excellent views of the Pentagon, the Potomac and the landmarks of Washington D.C. These luxury condos are supported by street and surface parking as well as three levels of garage parking. Each floor has a laundry room and there are no fees to use the laundry. There is a pool behind the building. The building has an excellent party room / meeting room facility. Each unit has supplemental storage space. 08/25/2009

The Representative condo community is located at 1101 Arlington Ridge Road in Arlington VA. The Representative overlooks Pentagon Row, the Pentagon and Crystal City. It features a unique architectural style that mixes angles and curves to present interesting angles and shadows. One of the features that I find intriguing at the Representative is this custom wood trim. The trim is a solid wood and features a tooled pattern that is much more difficult to create than the standard milled pattern. In the picture below this trim is used as a base with a solid ogee trim above and below the featured trim. The base doesn't actually touch the floor but rather, it caps a carpeted base, providing a one-of-a-kind style that is impressive and appealing. As you can see this trim was carried over onto ... 08/24/2009

The Bromptons at Cherrydale is a neighborhood along North Oakland Street and Lee Highway comprised of 25 townhomes and a condo building (currently up for either repair or bulldozing: Full Story Here). However, the townhomes built in 2005 were successfully completed and sold.  The 3-4 level townhomes have 3-4 bedrooms, 2-3 full baths, 1-2 half baths, garage parking, front porches, upgrades, etc. Builder Ed Peete & Co. spared no details when building these. Master bedrooms have bay windows, luxuries bathrooms, and great attention to detail. Properties are located on the 2000 block of N. Oakland Street in Cherrydale, Arlington, VA. Laura@TheLJRGroup.com 703.283.6120 08/20/2009

Claude Labbe | Flaherty Group, Inc | 703 868 7774 802 ARLINGTON MILL DR S #201, Arlington, VA Coming Soon! 2BR/1BA Condo offered at $189,000 Year Built 1947 Sq Footage 765 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking Unspecified Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $364 per month DESCRIPTION This property will be available soon! Set overlooking serene Glen Carlyn Park, this condo is the perfect blend of convenience and retreat-like feel. For more information on availability, contact Claude today! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Hardwood floor - Tile floor - Living room - Dining room - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Granite countertop COMMUNITY FEATURES - Laundry on-site - Swimming pool(s) OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES - Popular Park Glen Condo - Granite Counters... 08/19/2009

If you've ever driven down Lee Highway in Cherrydale, you've noticed this partially-finished, fenced in condo building that has stood there for the past few years, crying for help. The would-be condo/retail building is called the Bromptons at Cherrydale, part of a development where most of the detached and townhomes were completed a long time ago.  The construction of this project was put on hold in 2006 when engineers found signs the building was sinking - there were signs of stress on beams and walls. Nearly sold out, you can imagine the nightmare that ensued from buyers with contracts and deposits on the hook for a building that was sinking into the ground!  In May 2009, the county officially gave the developer, Ed Peete, an ultimatum - either bring the building up to code and finish... 08/10/2009

The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® compiles reports on June 2009 home sales activity for Fairfax and Arlington counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church and the towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton. A total of 2,169 homes sold in June 2009, a 14.16 percent increase above June 2008 home sales of 1,900. Active listings decreased by 27 percent from last year, with 7,617 active listings in June, compared with 10,440 homes available in June 2008. The average days on market (DOM) for homes in June 2009 decreased by 14.46 percent to 71 days, compared with 83 days in June 2008. Sales prices continue to remain lower than those realized last year. The average sales price in June fell by 7.42 percent from June 2008, to $451,354, compared with last June’s average of $... 08/02/2009

For those of you who are single, if the fact that just over 40% of Arlington is single isn't enough....how about that the median household income is about $108,000? CNN released their "Best Cities for the Rich and Single" list and Arlington, VA ranked #2.  If you're looking for some new restaurants, bars, cafes, live music...etc to try out, try visiting one of the places voted by the Arlington Best Business Awards (ABBIEs) (list taken below is from the ABBIEs website found here): Arlington’s Best “Bargain” RestaurantDelhi Dhaba Arlington’s Best Coffee Shop****NO Longer in Arlington, moved to DCMurky Coffee Arlington’s Best Customer ServicePetMAC Marketplace and Adoption Center Arlington’s Best Date RestaurantCarlyle Arlington’s Best Family Friendly RestaurantWhitlow’s on Wilson Bar & Gr... 07/29/2009

Located at 3625 N 10th St, Arlington, VA 22201 - The Monroe was completed in 2007. Another high-rise condo, this building features 79 units - some well over 1,500 sq ft. Amenities include a gym, library/community room, rooftop deck, ground level courtyard, and a concierge staff. The units feature hardwoods, granite, balconies, stainless steel appliances, some with extra storage all just 1/2 block from the VA Square Metro stop. Ground level units have private entrances from the street. Some nearby shops include Starbucks, Cosi, 7-Eleven, Bank of America, Brueggers Bagel, Marvelous Market, and more.  Call me if you're interested in seeing some of the units on the market! 07/27/2009

A historic neighborhood of Arlington, Lyon Village, is located near Clarendon. Bordered by Lee Highway, Wilson Blvd, Veitch and Kirkwood Roads, Lyon Village is known for it's suburban feel of tree-lined streets and 1920s and 1930s mix of single family homes. The neighborhood is also just a few blocks from both Clarendon and Courthouse metro stations. The community has it's own park, located at 1800 N. Highland St. The park has a basketball court, tennis courts, picnic tables, playground, and a spray park in the summertime for kids.  Prices in this area of Arlington have generally been higher than neighboring Lyon Park. But there are have been several new houses added to the neighborhood in recent years. January 1 - June 30, 2009 Properties Sold: 8Price Range: $777k - $1.7M Median Sales... 07/25/2009

Back in October of 2008, I did a brief history of Lyon Park. Here's a short synopsis: Lyon Park is one of the many residential neighborhoods located throughout Arlington. Lyon Park consists of about 5,000 residents. It was founded in 1919 by developer Frank Lyon. It's also on the National Register of Historic Places as a planned community. Lyon Park goes from Clarendon, to Rt 50 to Pershing St in Arlington - all in all, about 102 acres originally were used to form Lyon Park. Lyon Park has it's own community center, citizens association, Women's Club, and so much more. It's a very community orientated area.     Looks like it's a good time to buy in Lyon Park or sell quickly! Look at the numbers for the past 3 years: January 1 - June 30, 2009 16 Properties Sold Price Range: $480k - $1.05M... 07/24/2009

Open House July 26th! 2001 15th Street North, #1409  Condo 2 bedrooms2 full/0 partial baths1,063 sqft  $624,900 Arlington, VA Open House this sunday, from 1-4! Luxurious Platinium Penthouse Suite living can be yours. 2BR + 2BA condo has gourmet kitchen w/ granite & Viking/ Subzero/Wolf/Bosch apps & marble baths. Amenities incl: rooftop clubhouse & pool, fitness center, concierge. Condo fee covers gas & water. W&D and garage parking space convey. See photos and more info at www.berniekagan.com BERNIE KAGAN Samson Realty14526 Lee Road Suite 100, Chantilly , VA 20151direct: 703-216-0985fax: (703) 896-5816berniekagan@hotmail.comwww.BernieKagan.com   07/23/2009

A North Arlington neighborhood consisting of about 600 single family homes, Waycroft-Woodlawn is bordered by N. Glebe Rd, Rt 66, 17th St, and N George Mason Drive, just to the north of the Ballston area and metro. The neighborhood spans over the zip codes 22205 and 22207, and includes Woodlawn Park (a family-friendly area for the community).   Let's compare the first 6 months of sales in the area for the past 3 years: Jan 1 - June 30, 2009 Total Sales: 8Price Range: $520k (bank-owned) to $1.28M (brand new construction) Median Sales Price: $789,455Average Sales Price: $840,914 after 22 Days on the Market Jan 1 - June 30, 2008 Total Sales: 12Price Range: $465k to $807k Median Sales Price: $645,950Average Sales Price: $643,148 after 38 Days on the Market Jan 1 - June 30, 2007 Total Sales: ... 07/23/2009

There were 2 homes old in June of 2009. They were different models. The first was a one bedroom one bathroom, 961 square foot, home on the third floor. It sold for $356,000 with no seller subsdiy. That comes to the net price of $356,000 (unchanged) and a figure of $370/square foot.The 2nd property sold in June was a two bedroom two bathroom, 1252 square foot, home on the tenth floor. This home sold for $475,000 and $8919 in seller subsidy to the buyer. So a net price of $466,081, and a figure of $372/square foot.This sales activity for June of 2009 is equal to that of June 2008, where there were also 2 properties sold.There is currently 1 property for sale. It is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom, fourth floor home with 1376 square feet. It is on the market at a price of $589,900. This property ha... 07/18/2009