Day after Day, as new condo buildings are being built in the Washington D.C. Metro area and nearby Arlington, VA, I read new descriptions that say “cozy boutique condo building.” But what does a “boutique condo building” really mean? Here’s my personal (i.e. others may have other viewpoints) definition:
Dictionary.com defines ”boutique” as:
“1. a small shop or a small speciality department within a larger store
2. any small, exclusive business offering customized service
So how does that apply to real estate?
I tend to think of a Boutique building as a smaller building, with fewer than 100 units, under 5 floors. Sometimes they have a front desk, but often they don’t. They also usually have fewer amenities, as the feel/atmosphere of the building is much like a single-family home/personal residence; it tends to be a nice foyer/lobby and that’s it. Often times, this results in lower condo fees.
Examples of Arlington VA Boutique Condo Buildings:
Examples of Washington DC Boutique Condo Buildings:
Harvard Lofts in Columbia Heights
Of course, there are more than the few examples I listed above. Have questions? Feel free to contact me.
Laura J. Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
703.283.6120
Laura@TheLJRGroup.com
Located on N. Glebe Road, between Washington Golf and The Marymount University, lies a construction site for the future home to an enclave of 4 European style, luxurious townhomes. Built overlooking the National Cathedral, these 4 level townhomes will have an elevator, media room, guest suite, 3-car garage parking, and over 8,000 sq ft of living space. Finishing touches will be selected by the buyer, as the builder has decided to "build to suit." Search Cathedral View Townhomes For Sale Here are a few pictures of the current site:
I had the fortunate opportunity to be featured on this question, from a prospective investor interested in purchasing a triplex (a 3-family home): Q: “I am interested in a triplex. They’re asking 224,000. It’s in great shape. All three units are currently rented. What questions should I be asking the selling agent? I gross $1,875 a month and my mortgage will be $1,350 with taxes and insurance. What percentage does the REALTOR® make on the transaction? I would like to offer $198,000. Is that where I should start?” – Anthony (location is not disclosed) Here’s my answer: Whenever you look to invest in a property, you always want to estimate on the lower side, to make sure you won’t fall immediately into the red. I’d also ask about recent repairs: how’s the HVAC? The roof? Gutters? Driveway (if applicable)? You’ll have to consider your expenses for repairs and maintenance when you factor in your $525 estimated profit her month. I’d ask for copies of each lease, and make sure their security deposits are credited to you at closing, since you’re inheriting the tenants and have to honor their leases (this may vary per state). I’d ask your agent to run rental comparisons to see if the current rents are below, at, or above market value. This may also affect your rental income. The Realtor’s commission is based on his/her agreement with the current seller. There are many options to consider when writing your purchase offer. If you feel $198,000 is a fair offer, go for it! I’d have an agent run recent sales comparisons for you to truly give you an idea of fair market value in that neighborhood to make sure you’re not overpaying. See the full feature on Realtor.com’s Ask A Realtor.
Realtor.com has an “Ask A Realtor” section of their website, where people can submit questions that are sent to a group of agents for response. They select one answer to publish on their website.
Since everyone has voting on the brain, why not add your favorite Arlington Business to the list.
Vote for the 2009 ABBIES: Arlington Best Business Awards
Nominations are in, and voting is open thru Friday, November 6th, 2009. The ABBIES will honor local restaurants, bars, stores, boutiques, charities, and organizations. It’s a great way to support your favorite local establishment.
The ABBIE website encourages participation, by saying:
“The People’s Choice ABBIES encourge public participation with nominations and voting opened to the entire community, allowing for greater recognition of a wider variety of businesses. “An awards program is just one of the many ways we support the Arlington business community, especially the small retail stores and restaurants that help shape the character of Arlington’s urban villages,” stated Arlington Economic Development Director Terry Holzheimer. ‘The People’s Choice ABBIES help us recognize the very best of all Arlington businesses, with participation from the entire community.’”
Check out the full list of 2008 Winners.
I doubt i'll surprise anyone when I tell you that we're a nation that's becoming increasingly dependent on instant information.
So it doesn't surprise me at all that when a prospective buyer is looking at the photos of your house online (presumably your agent has taken them and put them online), that they want to imagine the home before they go see it. It's much easier for a buyer to imagine what the house looks like, when they have the images to put together with a floorplan and/or virtual tour.
Being able to supply things like the floorplan is another way of getting the right buyers into your home, to make a potential sale.
So when you're buying a recently newly built home, where the floorplan hasn't been modified much from the paper version - keep that! Give it to your agent! All the information we can get will help us, help you.
Search Arlington VA Condos For Sale With A Virtual Tour
Search Arlington VA Townhomes For Sale With A Virtual Tour
Search Arlington VA Homes For Sale With A Virtual Tour
Laura J. Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
McLean, VA
703.283.6120
Laura@TheLJRGroup.com
 |
|
|
Providing real estate expertise in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Washington, D.C.
Laura is an upstate New York native, but now calls Arlington home. Prior to becoming a full-time Realtor, Laura served as an analyst and consultant in the finance realm of the Federal Government. Laura completed her undergraduate work at the University of Rochester and holds a dual degree in Economics and Statistics, as well as a Master's Degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Licensed in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., Laura focuses her business on helping first-time home buyers and sellers navigate the real estate process. Professional Affiliations and Designations
Business Experience
Education
Licensed in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland
"As a first time home buyer the entire process was very daunting to us, however Laura made it very easy. She made us feel very comfortable from the start and never made us feel like any of our questions were "dumb questions". I would absolutely refer her to any of our friends and family in the area searching for a home." - Nick, Washington, D.C.
"When my business partner and I moved into the DC area looking to invest we sent out a list of criteria to several real estate agents hoping to find one that could help us accomplish our goals, thank goodness we found Laura. She worked quickly to compile a list of over 100 properties, most of which we visited in a short two day period. Without Laura's dedication and hard work I'm convinced that we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are now. We plan on continuing our professional relationship with her and look forward to working with her in the future. Thanks Laura!" -Stephen E., Alexandria
"We are happy to say that in less than six weeks, we were in our new home and it is all thanks to Laura's dedication to us. She really listened, her commitment to us was reflected in her professionalism, timely communication and service to us and that made all of the difference. She was very knowledgeable and there were no questions or concerns that she was unwilling or unable to address. She has so much energy and goes above and beyond what a Realtor should do. She restored our confidence in the home buying process and I have since recommended her to anyone interested in buying or selling a home." -Maxine and Mustafa, Washington, D.C
"We recently had a baby and needed to move to a bigger home. A friend recommended Laura, so we contacted her. We thought we wanted to rent for another year before buying, but we told Laura that if she was able to find us a "steal" we'd consider it. When she got back to us with a list of for sale and for rent properties, we were surprised how many homes were on the market close to our price range. In the end we decided to stick to our original plan and rent. Laura never put any pressure on us to decide one way or the other- she let us decide what was best for us- even when it would have been better for her had we chosen to buy. We were planning to move in September but Laura's work was so fast that she was able to help us get into a place in August which worked out even better for us. She showed us the properties on last minute notice and was overall very flexible, friendly and helpful. We would recommend her to anyone who asked!" -Jess & James, Falls Church
"Laura did an amazing job of finding me a condo that fit exactly what I was looking for. Her extensive knowledge of the area and the outside research she did for me made the process very fast and easy since we didn't waste time looking at properties that she knew I wouldn't be interested in. She was very low-pressure about making the sale by letting me move at my own pace.
As a first time buyer, I wasn't sure exactly how the process worked after finding a place to put an offer on, so Laura helped me every step of the way, from the initial offer through the mortgage approval and closing. I always felt very comfortable with how things were working, and anytime something came up she would contact me right away and we'd resolve the issue asap. I couldn't have asked for a better experience!" - Mark, Arlington
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
