Caring for your Home during #Snowmageddon #SnOMG #Snowzapalooza #Snowpocalypse…
February 5th, 2010 Categories: Arlington Dirt
Well if you’re in the DC metro area today, February 5, 2010 you are likely
Snow off my deck 4:30pm 2/5/10
hunkering down for what’s reported to be one of the worst storms on record. I’ve heard some reports that we are to expect 30″ of snow accumulations before all is said and done. UNBELIEVABLE – the grocery stores are cleared out, and everyone’s preparing to be in their homes for the next few days.
I just received a great email from a wonderful local builder – he builds contemporary homes with great style, so he and I get along really well! 
Anyway here are some tips from him on preparing your home for this kind of weather:
1) If you have a heat pump, you’ll want to keep snow from piling up around its’ sides. Keeping at least 18” clear on all sides is recommended. If snow builds up on the sides of the heat pump it becomes more difficult for it to draw heat from the surrounding air which greatly reduces the efficiency. In the worst case, if the snow piles up too high, it can cause the unit to freeze up and it won’t provide any heat at all. Even in this case you will still have heat as there is always a backup heating element on the interior of the house, but it operates much less efficiently.
2) If you have appliance vents or air intakes, mainly for furnaces or water heaters, which exit the wall of your home and terminate near the ground you’ll want to keep snow from covering these as well. If these pipes become covered with snow the appliance will not be able to draw in the air needed for combustion or exhaust the combustion gases and will shut itself down. A worst case scenario would be the loss of heat or hot water. In most cases these pipes terminate well above the ground but in some cases they may be as low as twelve inches off the ground and an abnormally large snow event can cause a blockage.
3) The amount of snow we are expecting could cause major flooding issues in the days that follow. In order to minimize the possibility that water enters your basement it’s important to clear paths from your downspouts away from your foundation so the water that is melting off your roof will be channeled away from your foundation. You should also make sure that if you have a sump pump, the area where the pipe discharges on the outside of the house is clear and the water channels away from the house.
4) If you have doors and/or windows that are close to the ground, make sure you clear snow away from these areas as well. AREA WAYS WITH DRAINS SHOULD BE CLEARED OUT REGULARLY!
So thanks Yuri Sagatov, for providing such great advice to our local readers! Hope you’re staying warm and dry in one of your fabulous kitchens today! If I haven’t told you lately, you build really cool houses!
Happy Snow-zilla everyone!
Jennifer
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2010 Starting out with a BANG in Arlington Virginia
February 4th, 2010 Categories: Arlington Dirt, Market Stats
So, if you’ve read my blog with any regularity you know that I believe that
tracking contracts written gives you the most up-to-the-minute view of the state of the real estate market. When we look at “solds” often it’s contracts that were written at least 30 days ago and sometimes longer. It’s not an accurate picture of what’s happening NOW… so I look at contracts.
For the first 4 weeks of the year (and that’s how I track – activity from a Saturday to a Friday, week after week, year after year…) here’s what this year looks like compared with last year and the year before:
Now this is JUST for Arlington County Virginia and encompasses all property types – so condos, single family and townhomes. What’s remarkable is that at the beginning of the year, we only had something like 175 single family homes listed as active! Our inventory levels are down and contract writing is WAY up! This is a 49.2% increase over 2009 and 27.6% increase over 2008 with inventories at lower levels than either of those years! I’m sure the tax credit extension and expansion has something to do with the activity. But the long and short of it is, buyers are out there.
If you’re ready to dip your toes in the water, give me a call. We can (and need to) get started TODAY! (oh, and if you’re considering selling, please please please get your home on the market soon! I can help with that, too!)
Happy Thursday
Jennifer
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Neighborhood Focus Lee Heights
February 3rd, 2010 Categories: Arlington Dirt
If you live in North Arlington, you’re likely no stranger to the Lee Heights Shopping Center. This little gem has a wide variety of retail offerings from Starbucks Coffee to the FAMOUS Crisp & Juicy (our family’s personal favorite takeout rotisserie chicken) to Arrowine, a fantastic local wine/gourmet food store.
There’s also:
… A place to purchase children’s shoes – Bradshaws
… A place to buy antiques
… A place to buy toys
… A YUMMY French bistro
Now, there’s even a gourmet take and bake pizza place (hint: don’t show up here wanting to order pizza, sit down and eat it – it comes RAW – you take it HOME and bake it)
There are other stores here, too; a women’s clothing store, a jewelry store, a fish market located behind… There’s a lot right here in this little corner of the world. If you’d like to see what homes are available in this neighborhood:
As you can see there’s a wide variety from condos to grand single family homes. This area is great, especially if you use public transportation to commute. Many of the express buses both to Tysons Corner and to Rosslyn go right through here! So many great reasons to call this home…
If you’re interested in any of them, please don’t hesitate to call me!
Happy Wednesday
Jennifer
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Condo Focus – Station Square, Arlington Virginia – 2009
February 2nd, 2010 Categories: Arlington Dirt, Condos, Market Stats
Station Square Condos in the heart of Clarendon continue to be one of the most popular complexes in the entire area. Why? Location – Location -
Location mainly. Also, it was one of the last buildings to be completed before the market fell apart, so it’s among the newbies at 4-5 years old. However, not only is it the location, it’s the quality of construction and nice high end modern finishes that help to keep this building among the hottest around!
2009 saw 22 units change hands compared with 17 units in 2008. While we’ve seen a slight decline in sales prices, units are selling and it remains very competitive.
As is typical, the larger units take more of a hit, the smaller and more “mainstream” (meaning 1br/1ba, 2br/2ba, etc…) seem a little more insulated with only slight declines. the 1br/den unit sold in 2009 even sold a tad higher than the 1 sold in 2008.
What’s for sale now, you ask?
Not much is the answer;
1br/den unit for $419K
2br/1ba unit for $485K
2br/2ba Penthouse unit for $699K
Seems like the 1br/den unit is a good deal. For more info, whether you’re considering buying or selling, I’d be happy to help you buy and/or sell in this great complex.
Happy Tuesday
Jennifer
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