About Arlington County, VA

Gotta love Mick Jagger and the Stones. I have this song ringing in my head most all of the time. Constantly want to sing it to my kids, my husband, my friends, myself and of course, my real estate clients. Buying or selling a home is a huge, stressful and very expensive undertaking. I've found that when you are buying or selling a house here in Arlington and surrounding Northern Virginia areas, the stakes and expectations are very high. The median sales price in Arlington county was $513,000 in January, 2012, and for the North Arlington area of 22207, it was a whopping $790,000 - median. So when buyers are forking over this kind of cash for a property, the expectations get high. However, Arlington can be a very rough reality because these prices do not equate to large luxurious homes. For example a home at that median price of $513,000 in North Arlington is likely to be built in 1940 or 1950, have 3 bedrooms, maybe 1.5 baths, and if there are two one will be in the basement. It's possible one of those bedrooms will be about 9x9 and not really fit a double bed comfortably. $200K does not get you a TON more. You will still be hard pressed to find a master bathroom in the $700K range in North Arlington, and if you do, it will probably be small. There are a ton of tear down homes being bought by builders in 22207 and 22213 for $600-$650K right now. What will replace them will start around $1.5 million for a 4000-5000 square foot craftsman style new home.

And sellers, yes, the market here is strong, but you have to be realistic about price. If you are not getting offers and getting multiple showings, you've either got a house that does not meet the taste of the masses or it's too high, or a combination of both. I can explain to you what most N. Arlington home buyers want, and can help you set out with realistic expectations for a sales price.

So, if you are about to start house hunting in Arlington, especially in the 22207 zip code, download this song on your iPod and keep in playing while you look. Sellers, I have the same advice. You might not get the price you want, but you will get what you need which is to sell your house and move on to what lies ahead, if you price right. Life in Arlington is great, but you can't always get what you want, if you want to live here.

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Homes for Sale in Arlington County Virginia - History of Arlington County Real Estate

ARLINGTON HOMES
ARLINGTON COUNTY HISTORY

Arlington is the city and the county of Arlington County - Originally a part of the Federal City was separated from the Federal City (Washington, D.C) in 1846 and developed it's own unique rural character until 1920 when the area became Arlington County and development has grown since. Home to many federal offices including the Pentagon, Arlington County residents enjoy high employment and incomes. Easy commuting to Washington, D.C. is enhanced by the popular METRO Stations in Arlington.

FACTS about Arlington County

Population - 211,000
Population increase since 2000
Population density - 8,150 persons per square mils
150 Public Parks
86 miles of biking and jogging trails
8 public libraries
630 restaurants

The Top 10 Steps to Success

I ran across this list I wrote down (I have no idea from where). See what you think.

10. Just Keep Trying

9. Try to determine what is working.

8. Try to determine what is not working.

7. Try to find someone who's done it.

6. Try and ask for help.

5. Try it again tomorrow.

4. Try it a little differently.

3. Try once more.

2. Try again.

1. Try.

A Small Bit of Credit Information.

You may know this, but for some reason I did not. I learned this at a lunch & learn with our mortgage broker today:

A. When running a single application, they use the middle of the three scores to determine your credit score.

B. If two people are on the same loan; both lowest middle score of the two people is used as the basis for their credit score.

Gift money: Say a couple is receiving money from parents/grandparents as a gift to make a home down-payment. If the couple holds the money in their account for 60+ days, the mortgage broker does not check back more than 60 days and the money is not seen as a gift. This is a

Just a bit of information I learned/relearned by dropping into class today!

Randy Morrow

January came in like a Lion!

Let’s just hope that the Spring market for the Shirlington real estate market doesn’t go out like a lamb. For the month of January, 6 units went under contract in The Arlington, leaving just 2 properties fully available for sale. Of those two available properties, one is a ground floor short sale, while the other is the larger 3 bed/2 bath L Model. In an average year, roughly 35 units will go to settlement.

This sudden burst within The Arlington is a big contrast with the entire 4^th quarter of 2011 when there were only 6 settlements. However, it appears that the community was simply playing catch up with the rest of Northern Virginia properties priced under $330K. At the end of December, the available inventory at this price point stood at just 1.5 months, which would signify a sellers market. Now I don’t think that market has swung that far that fast, but it does show that there is a demand for properly priced for condition homes. The trick is pricing your home right and getting the proper exposure.

The Arlington is a garden style condominium development of 518 units that were originally built as apartments and then converted into condos in 1980. Spread over 24 acres, the community boasts 2 outdoor pools, 2 tennis courts, well over 500 trees (yes, they count and log all the major trees in the community), ample green spaces, unassigned surface parking in 17 parking lots and street parking on Wakefield Rd and S. 28th St. The close-in location is a community within the Shirlington real estate market and is conveniently located well within the Capital Beltway (I-495) and close to the Pentagon and Washington, DC.

If you are thinking of putting your unit in The Arlington, or elsewhere in Shirlington on the market this Spring, give me a call for a confidential consultation on your unit to see if it is ready for the current market conditions.