Arlington is an urban county of about 26 square miles located directly across the Potomac River from Washington DC. No incorporated towns or cities lie within Arlington's boundaries. Originally part of the area surveyed for the nation's capital, the portion on the west bank of the Potomac River was returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia by the U.S. Congress in 1846.   Arlington is among the most densely populated jurisdictions in the country with a population density of about 7,938 persons per square mile. Arlington's population is racially, ethnically and culturally diverse.  Arlington County public school children speak 105 languages and hail from 127 countries. Arlington residents are among the most highly educated in the nation.   Although perhaps best known to visitors as the hom... 02/28/2008

There are more choices available than there are flavors of Jelly Belly jellybeans.  It's true!  That's the case for the homes currently on the market in Arlington Virginia.  Single family homes, townhouses, high-rise condominiums, duplexes, semi-detached homes, garden style condos -- each has its own unique style and are available through different area of Arlington.  811 Arlington homes on the market in Arlington Virginia (as of February 25th).  94 homes sold in Arlington in January.  While this month's sales will likely outpace January, there's still an abundant 8+ month supply of home inventory in Arlington.  That's a clear indication that it's a buyer's market.  Add to that the fact that the average Arlington sale in January closed at around 93% of the asking price, and you've got y... 02/25/2008

This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance...very fascinating.Tomb of the Unknown Soldier1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why? 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the hig hest honor given any military or foreign dignitary. 2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why? 21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1 3. Why are his gloves wet? His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle. 4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not? He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about faceand moves the rifle to the outside s... 02/19/2008

The latest and greatest trend in going green is green mortgages.  New "green" construction is now leading to more affordable loans.  Ask your lender for further details, but one form is discounted closing costs.  Bank of America has a program called the "energy credit mortgage program" and refunds buyers $1,000 if the home they are purchasing meets Energy Star's energy efficiency requirements. In the case of homes with substantive energy savings, some lenders are even increasing buyers' debt ratios.  This can allow for approximately $12,000-$15,000 more buying power.  The rationale behind going green is simply this:  less energy consumption = less energy costs; therefore, buyers can afford more in a mortgage.   Here are just a sampling of features which make a home "green":Energy Star A... 02/12/2008

You mentioned advice on the market.  and in 22202 the avg sold price is actually down 2.5% compared to last year in 07 vs 06 sold prices where down 26.5% in 06 vs 05 sold prices where up 47 % In 22201 Clarendon  22201 the avg sold price is up 7% compared to last year in 07 vs 06 sold price was down 24% in 06 vs 05 sold price was up  15.6% In my opinion the shift has come and gone and now is the time to buy. Because, Prices are actually steadily increasing interest rates are at 3 year lows Inventory is up which means there is a lot to pick from Also, you have time to look versus having to make a decision right away. you get the mortgage interest write off on your taxes Our economy is good Arlington has the lowest unemployment rate in the State 60,000 jobs are coming to our area in the ne... 02/11/2008

Recent sales activity and current inventory in Arlington, Virginia make it the hottest place to sell a home in the metropolitan D.C. area.  Hotter than neighboring Alexandria, Fairfax County, and even Washington D.C.  Loudoun County and Prince William County lag far behind in sales activity measured by market absorption rates.   Absorption rate is a measure of how quickly existing inventory of homes for sale will sell at current rates assuming no further inventory is brought onto the market.  For this analysis, I examined how many homes are currently on the market in each city or county and divided it by the number of sales in that jurisdiction for the month of December 2007.  The resulting chart shows the number of months of available housing stock. As you can see, sales are still bris... 01/14/2008

It is imperative to know the absorption rate in your local market to help you, the Realtor, price homes for your client.  Clients may want to know, for example, that if 200 houses were listed last month and 100 sold, then the absorption rate is 50% for that month.  It is best, however, to calculate the absorption rate for a 3 to 6 months.  This will help you in trending and forecasting.Did you know that even in a hot real estate market, it is rare for absorption rates to increase to over 50%?  The November 14, 2007 issue of Daily Real Estate News show the steps to calculate absorption rates:"-First, determine the number of homes closed in your market over a specific period - say, 12 months. You can get this data from the MLS. -Next, divide the number of homes by the number of months in ... 01/04/2008

Single women all over are flexing their muscles by purchasing homes.  Is the purchase of a home the equivalent of right hand rings or are ladies getting tired of waiting for Mr. Right?Over the past eight years, the percentage of single female buyers has increased by 50%.  In fact, one in every five homes is sold to a single woman - this is more than twice the number purchased by single men.  Eighty-three percent of the single women buyers are choosing single-family homes.Why have more women begun to purchase homes?  Here are just a few reasons, if you have more, feel free to share:-Divorce-Average age of marriage has increased-Women live longer than men-Women are making more money than in the past For all those independent women out there, I say...You Go Girl! 01/03/2008

Everyone has his or her own tastes and needs.  I get that.  This analysis purely describes the best values in Arlington, VA real estate.  These are the best buys for your bucks.  I’m going to break it down in $100,000 increments.  Don’t be embarrassed if you are at the lower end of the ladder.  I can help you move up by directing you to wise investments in one of the best areas in the country for real estate, Arlington Virginia.  If your budget is $400,000The Phoenix at Clarendon – 1020 N. Highland St., Arlington, VA 22201You can buy a one-bedroom condo for between $350,000 and $400,000 with garage parking.  If you have representation in this transaction from a Realtor such as myself, you might want to see if you can negotiate the one-bedroom with a den model within this budget.  We can... 12/26/2007

For those who were not able to attend our First Time Home Buyers Seminar on Dec. 8, I found this great link from HUD's website:http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/buying/buyhm.cfmIf you are interested in attending future First Time Home Buyers Seminars, send me an email! Happy House Hunting! 12/12/2007

So this is my first of many Vlogs. This is a walking tour of the condos and townhouses in Clarendon, located in Arlington Virginia. The tour starts at the Clarendon Metro Station in Arlington Virginia. Condos include: The Phoenix Condos Clarendon 1021 Condos Station Square Condos Zoso (no longer condos) Clarendon Park Townhomes Hartford Condos This Arlington Condos tour (direct link to video), also shows Clarendon Market Common and bars like Clarendon Grill, Mister Days, Whitlow's on Wilson, La Tasca, Boulevard Woodgrill and RIRA. Also look at the Clarendon 1021 Condos tour. Written by Frank Borges LL0SA- Broker FranklyRealty.com Other keywords: Condominiums. Condo, 22201. A few metro stops from Washington DC, Ballston, Rosslyn, Courthouse, and Virginia Square and George Mason Law. 12/03/2007

A realtor in our office often says: "The news sells fear, I sell real estate."  I took her saying to heart after reading this article on CNN Money.  The numbers show that overall housing prices are only down about 2% from last year, while at the same time condo prices have increased by 2%.  For those of us in the greater Washington, D.C. area, the NAR statistics show that we have seen prices increase by 1.3%.  Although the article is titled: "Home prices continue to fall," the market is not nearly as bad as the media makes it appear. Happy Home Buying! http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/21/real_estate/NAR_prices_through_September/index.htm?postversion=2007112115  12/03/2007

As of today, November 28, 2007, there are 102 high-rise condominium resale units on the market in North Arlington, Virginia.  This represents just over 23% of all of the condos currently available for sale in Arlington.  Most of the high-rise condominiums available in North Arlington are along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor which runs along the Orange Line metro.   If you are unfamiliar with the Arlington area, you should know that the County is divided into North and South by Route 50 (otherwise known as Arlington Boulevard) which runs East/West through Arlington County from D.C. to Fairfax County.    In the last 6 months, 918 condos sold throughout all of Arlington for an average sales rate of 153 condos per month.  The chart below shows the inventory of condos at some of the more popu... 11/28/2007

1301 N. Court House Rd #610, Arlington, VA, 22201 United States $449,000   MLS#AR6579313List Date10/30/2007TypeCondoBedrooms2Bathrooms2Square Footage1143Age24Monthly Condo Fees$536.02REQUEST MORE INFO   SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT VIRTUAL TOURWell-maintained/owner occupied 2BR/2BA Condo. Commuter's Dream! Walk to Metro & Mins from DC. Brand New Carpeting t-out. Kit w/breakfast bar and pass thru to Spacious LR. Formal DR. Lots of Storage! 8 closets + Balcony Storage + garage storage locker. Laundry closet w/new washer. MBR suite w/SGD to Balc. Parking Garage w/1 asign. spot. Great Court House Area! Walk to shops, movies, restaurants & more!Interior FeaturesThis well-maintained 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Condo is a commuter's dream!  Warm and inviting Living Room with a pass through to the Kitchen and... 11/27/2007

Under Contract! Well-maintained/owner occupied 2BR/2BA Condo. Commuter's Dream! Walk to Metro & Mins from DC. Brand New Carpeting t-out. Kit w/pass thru to Spacious LR. Formal DR. Lots of Storage! 8 closets + Balcony Storage + garage storage locker. Laundry closet w/new washer. MBR suite w/SGD to Balc. Parking Garage w/1 asign. spot. Great Court House Area! Walk to shops, movies, restaurants & more! For more information please visit my website www.dmsamson.com Donny Samson | Samson Realty | donnysamson@hotmail.com | 703-864-4894 1301 N. Court House Road #610, Arlington, VA Well-Maintained 2 BR Condo! 2 Bdrm Condo offered at $449,000 Year Built 1983 Sq Footage 1,143 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking 1 Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $536 per month DESCRIPTION Well-ma... 11/27/2007

Below are the updated statistics on active and sold condo listings for zip code 22201 (includes Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon).    1 BR Units 2BR Units ACTIVE LISTINGS Average List Price $373,540 $562,646 Number of Active Listings 35 54 Average Property DOM – Actives 64 67 SOLD LISTINGS Average Sold Price for October $320,183 $528,902 Number of Sold Listings in October 13 11 Average Property DOM - Sold in October 41 76  Source: MRIS data as of 11/18/2007.  All data deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For the complete November 2007 statistics, click here.Sign up for one of my free "First Time Buyer Seminars" in Arlington to learn more about the home purchase process and market conditions.  Learn more about me at http://www.katiewethman.com or read my blog at http://katiewethman.b... 11/18/2007

Talk about luxury condos, The Odyssey, located at 2001 15th St N, Arlington, VA, is the place to be.  This fabulous building was finished in 2006 and stands high in the heart of Courthouse.  Of the 17 floors, floors 11-16 are the platinum luxury suites.  Every condo has a different plan, but most have light hardwood floors, cherry wood cabinets, granite countertops, and gorgeous bathrooms with marble.  The amenities are excellent.  The Odyssey has a workout facility which will tempt you to cancel your current gym membership.  This past summer, the rooftop pool was open from May to the end of September.  Beautifully decorated common areas are located on the 16th floor and have a pool table, flat screen TVs, and a full kitchen great for hosting events.  I think I've forgotten to mention t... 11/08/2007

When two of my blog readers send me WSJ articles on the same day, you know something big is up.Appraisals 101: An appraisal is a report that is supposed to be a 3rd party impartial review of a property (usually under contract) to make sure the price is in line with recent closed sales (not counting houses still "for sale"). This protects the bank from buyers buying overpriced houses, which are at higher risk for default. I first wrote on this topic of inflated appraisals: Builder Tricks Part 3! Independent Appraisals & Fiduciary Duty. I showed why builders try to require "in house lenders" that happen to have appraisers in their back pocket that miraculously make the numbers come in. Ultimately consumers who suspect foul play should pay $300-$400 and get a real "independent" appraisal ... 11/03/2007

For those who live in the Greater Washington D.C. area or are just visiting, this weekend brings the excitement of the Marine Corps Marathon, otherwise known as "The People's Marathon."     Runners will line up in Arlington just north of the Pentagon to wait for the starting gun which will be fired at 8 a.m. this Sunday, October 28th.   The course winds through Rosslyn along Lee Highway and crosses the Key Bridge through Georgetown where throngs of encouraging supporters and fans cheer on the intrepid runners.  Marathoners are treated to grand vistas as they tread along the National Mall and run beside the Lincoln, FDR, and Vietnam Veteran's memorials.        After passing the Washington Monument and looping around the U.S. Capitol, runners will enjoy the quite of East Potomac Park, pas... 10/25/2007

It’s almost mid-October and it was 92 degrees today here in the DC area. We broke a record set back in the 1930s. I can’t even imagine what it was like to live in 92 degrees in the 1930s. It was the time before air-conditioning. So hot was hot- there was no escape. I know what the houses were like in the 1930s because we still have many of them around. It was before WWII, FDR was president & the term “urban sprawl” wasn’t even a concept, let alone the common place it is here today. Yes, life was different in the 1930s. So instead of searching for the beautiful color of the changing leaves, I went to the Bon Air Rose Garden today. The roses where still in bloom and the leaves at still green. I love this little park. It’s maintained by the county and has a loyal following. I’m glad that A... 10/14/2007