About Alexandria City County, VA

Weekend Street Parking at the Palazzo

After 18 months of research, compiling data, communicating with the association in numerous meetings, and a public hearing last week; we have 24 hour parking on Northampton Drive on weekends!

The City of Alexandria approved the change from parking from 7PM to 7AM seven days a week to parking 7PM to 7AM Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).

The new times apply to both sides of Northampton Drive between Ford Ave. & Kirkpatrick Lane and it anticipated that it should generate space for 24-28 vehicles. Restrictions already exist against the parking of commercial vehicles overnight in Alexandria City, so this is for the sole benefit of passenger vehicles.

As part of the City’s approval, a study will be completed within the next 6 months to determine if it is feasible to address the second portion of the Palazzo’s request, which was to allow later parking until 9AM in the morning and start evening parking at 5PM. Additionally, the City will determine if implementation of the Complete Streets concept should be implemented. Complete Streets basically involves making roads & sidewalks more accessible to forms of transportation other than cars; adding bike lanes, enlarging sidewalks, etc.

The Palazzo at Park Center was constructed in 2000 and converted into a condominium in 2005, with 392 units is four buildings. It offers amenities that are not available in most of older condominium communities in the Shirlington real estate area: underground parking, elevators, and 2 Bedroom/2 Full Bath floorplans on one level. Additionally, there is an outdoor pool, nicely equipped gym located in the clubhouse, along with a party room that is available for use by residents.

If you are considering selling or leasing your unit in the Palazzo at Park Center, please contact for a confidential meeting to explore your options. As an owner in the community, I have a vested interest to see that you get the best possible terms for your unit.

Alexandria VA 22304 TOWNHOUSE MARKET REPORT February 2012

Curious about what is selling in the Alexandria VA townhouse market?

Let's take a look at ALEXANDRIA VA 22304 TOWNHOUSE SALES.

In February 2012, 13 townhouses settled (compared to 12 in January), for an average sold price of $539,288. In January, the average sold price was $502,042. The lowest price sold in February was $257,500, while the highest price sold was $760,000. Average days on market was 63; this is down dramatically from January's average of 117 days.

What can you expect in anAlexandria VA TOWNHOUSE in 22304? Well, in addition to close proximity to public transportation, many Alexandria townhome communities have amenities such as an outdoor pool, tennis courts and an exercise room or fitness center. One of the larger communities, CAMERON STATION, even has a shuttle to the Van Dorn Metro, as well as a retail center.

Of the 13 townhouses sold in 22304 in February, 5 were located in Cameron Station.

For $357,500 one buyer was able to buy a 1,296 square foot 2 bedroom 2 bath townhome HAFA short sale in a conveniently located community just off of Duke Street near public transportation, retail shops and grocery stores.

At the highest end of the spectrum was a 3 level Stoneyhurst model in Cameron Station. Listed for $765,000 when it sold (but originally listed for $820,000), this 2,961 square foot property sold for $760,000 after 101 days on market.

If you are looking for an ALEXANDRIA VA TOWNHOUSE, check out the quick search below or simply get in touch with me. I'll be happy to help you find just the right Alexandria VA townhouse to fit your needs.

How Helpful Should A Listing Agent Be?

As an Alexandria VA listing agent, I frequently field questions from buyer's agents who have a variety of questions, such as "could the buyer add on to this house?" or "could the buyer change the exterior facade of this house" or "could the buyer build a detached garage in the backyard"?

Sometimes my listings are in OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA, which is well known for its historic homes, churches and buildings, some of which are designated and regulated by two Boards of Architectual Review: the Old and Historic Board and the Parker-Gray Board.

Not all houses are located within one of the two BARs, but it's easy to find out if a specific property is; just check the city's website, which clearly defines the historic districts.

In addition to the properties under the purview of one of the BARs, there are also properties designated as "100 Year Old Buildings Not in Historic Districts" as well as "Properties with Preservation Easements."

Of course, even if a property is not in a historic district or designated as a 100 year old building, there are still zoning restrictions.

When listing an Old Town Alexandria house for sale, I often get questions from buyer's agents who want to know if a house is in a designated Historic district or whether there are any zoning restrictions when it comes to updates or expansions.

I simply refer them to the city's very informative websites and let the buyer's agent take it from there.

Sometimes the buyer's agent pushes back, unhappy that I seemingly don't know what seems like a simple answer. I tell them I am happy to tell them what I think the answer is, but then always suggest they call the Zoning Counter to confirm.

While I will answer conditionally, I also make it clear they should confirm the answer independently of what the listing agent says. After all, that is what their client is depending on them for.

Whether it's information about HOA or condo dues, neighborhood covenants and restrictions or questions about whether or not the city will allow a house to be expanded, it's in no one's best interest to ask the listing agent. While I am not going to answer dishonestly or intentionally mislead anyone, I think it's prudent for a buyer and their agent to confirm certain pieces of information on their own.

It's called Due Diligence.

Always thought you would like to own a home in uber charming Old Town Alexandria?

Guess how many chances you have right now to do just that?

163. Yep, there are a total of 163 active listings in Old Town Alexandria right now.

79, if you take out condos.

Prices range from $150,000 for a 386 square foot studio Port Royal condo to a 4 bedroom 222 year old historic home in the SE quadrant, reportedly where George Washington spent his last 4th of July, listed for $4.2 million. It has been updated since 1790, though, and even has a swimming pool.

Among fee simple properties, the least expensive listing in Old Town Alexandria right now is 710 Payne Street South. With 3 finished levels, This conveniently located 2 bedroom townhouse in the southwest quadrant of Old Town Alexandria has been updated with a new roof, some new windows, newer appliances, new wood floors, new bathroom on the lower level and more.

The average fee simple list price of a home in Old Town Alexandria is $957,530. If you take out the 19 listings above $1 million, though, the average of the remaining 60 listings drops to $671,246.

So, fromhigh rise studio efficiencies to historic estates, there is something for everyone in Old Town Alexandria. You can do a quick search below or give me a call if you would like to know more details.

Here in the close-in Northern Virginia market, (which is composed of Fairfax & Arlington Counties and Alexandria, Fairfax & Falls Church Cities), the lack of quality inventory is THE story now. This is particularly true in the $500K-$300K and <$300K price ranges, where available inventory is down (19%) & (37%) respectively, but new contracts for January came in at 1% & (12%) respectively. The drop in contract activity is believed to be related to the lack of desirable listings at this point, as opposed to a reduction in the desire to buy. Open house attendance for the Arlington office of McEnearney Associates has been very since the start of the new year.

Cries of a buyers market have long faded away in all price points except the very high end. In fact, below the $1M price point, the market is decidedly a sellers market with multiple contracts & escalation clauses becoming fairly standard again. The drop in available units in the two lower price points mentioned above, coupled with relatively stronger sales in the month, has led to a depleted inventory to below a 2 month supply. The bar graph below shows Months’ Supply for 1/2011 vs. 1/2012 by price range.

Overall, the Northern Virginia real estate market will be driven by employment, just like other locales across the country. The presence of the Federal Government, Contractors to the Government, and Military installations have provided greater stability of employment and liquidity in the market with a steady stream of people locating to the region & transferring out. The forecast is for this to continue into the foreseeable future, so the future continues to look bright for real estate here.

*Statistics are courtesy of McEnearney Associates, Inc. and based on MRIS data, which is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

If you would like additional information about your specific neighborhood, as all real estate is local, please contact me and I would be happy to personalize this information to your needs.