Dog Parks in Arlington, VA - Woof!

If you're looking for new places to take your dog, here's a list of dog parks all around Arlington, Virginia! (Grouper, my nephew, is to the right!)

Benjamin Banneker Park
1701 North Van Buren Street
Arlington, VA 22205
*Lights on until 8:00 pm

Fort Barnard
at the corner of South Pollard Street and South Walter Reed Drive
*Lights on until 9:00 pm

Fort Ethan Allen Park
3829 North Stafford Street
Arlington, VA 22207
*Lights on until 7:00 pm

Glencarlyn Park
*301 South Harrison Street
Arlington, VA 22204

Herndon & 13th Street Park
1299 N. Herndon Street
Arlington, VA 22201

Shirlington Park
*2601 South Arlington Mill Drive
Arlington, VA 22206

Towers Park
801 South Scott Street
Arlington, VA 22204
*Lights on until 10:00 pm

Utah Park

3191 South Utah Street
Arlington, VA 22206

If you're looking for a place near a dog park, let me know! I'm happy to help you find a new home. 703.283.6120

Arlington Virginia's Best Business Awards 2008 - The Winners!

Every year Arlington residents vote for the Best Business Awards (ABBIES). This year, over 4,000 people voted on their favorites in the following categories. Here are the winners:

Arlington's Best "Bargain" Restaurant
Delhi Dhaba

Arlington's Best Coffee Shop
Murky Coffee

Arlington's Best Customer Service
PetMAC Marketplace and Adoption Center

Arlington's Best Date Restaurant
Carlyle

Arlington's Best Family Friendly Restaurant
Whitlow's on Wilson Bar & Grill

Arlington's Best "Great Neighbor" Business
The Java Shack

Arlington's Best "Green Business"
Whole Foods Market

Arlington's Best Happy Hour
Whitlow's on Wilson Bar & Grill

Arlington's Best Live Music Venue
IOTA Club & Cafe

Arlington's Best Neighborhood Bar
Whitlow's on Wilson Bar & Grill

Arlington's Best New Business
Saffron Dance

Arlington's Best Performing Arts Venue
Signature Theatre

Arlington's Best Place to Dance the Night Away
Clarendon Ballroom

Arlington's Best Place to Find an Unusual Gift
Le Village Marché

Arlington's Best Place to Work Out
Saffron Dance

Arlington's Best Post Theater Spot
Busboys and Poets

Arlington's Best Power Lunch
Harry's Tap Room

Arlington's Best Vintage/Thrift Shop
Goodwill of Greater Washington (S. Glebe)

Arlington's Best Visual Arts Venue
Arlington Arts Center

Arlington's Best Window Display
Crate&Barrel

Congratulations to all of the winners!!

Arlington Virginia Condo Spotlight: The Odyssey

The Odyssey Condominium is located at 2001 N. 15th St in Arlington Virginia. It's just a few short blocks from the Courthouse metro stop. Built in 2005, the building features 306 residential units, 346 parking spots, and a newly added Peruvian-Chinese Restaurant (named Yaku).

Amenities for this luxury high-rise in Arlington include a rooftop pool with views of the monuments downtown, a rooftop gym, community/business room, & more.
Standards for this building include hardwoods, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, lots of sunlight and a balcony.

If you're interested in more information on this, or any of the condo buildings in Arlington, VA - please feel free to contact me!

Northern Virginia Real Estate Market Update - October 2008

It's Northern Virginia Real Estate Market Update Time! Once again, The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors has published the Year-To-Date Market stats through October 2008 for the following counties and cities: Arlington & Fairfax County, the cities of Falls Church, Alexandria, Fairfax, and the towns of Herndon, Vienna, and Clifton. See stats below:

Total Year to Date Sales
2008: 14,970
2007: 15,778

Total October Sales
2008: 1,457
2007: 1,123

Average Sales Price
2008: $427,402
2007: $520,829

Average Days on the Market
October 2008: 94
October 2007: 89

Absorption Rates (ie. # of months to sell through the current supply of inventory)
October 2008: 6.04
October 2007: 9.23

I'm always available for more statistics for the area, or specific areas. Call anytime: 703.283.6120

How Will the President-Elect Change the Washington DC Real Estate Market?

In short - very little.

It's funny that the Washington Post featured an article todaydiscussing administration changes and their effects on the D.C. and Northern VA real estate markets. I had lunch today with one of my best friends who happens to work in the West Wing - just like her, many of her fellow West Wing-ers will be out of a job as of January 20th. So inevitably I asked, "so...who's helping the big guys transition to the area?"

Her response - "most of them already live here. And the ones that are out of a job in January will stick around."

Quickly deflating my balloon of Hope, I realized that I had just had a "duh" moment. Junior staffers currently working at the White House mostly rent, and the ones that will be coming in will most likely follow suit. As for the Chief of Staff, his Deputy, the rest of the President's Cabinet...they'll probably take jobs with lobbying firms right here in Washington.
While I would love to help President Bush sell his beautiful 1600 Pennsylvania Ave house, looks like he already has a buyer for it.

The greatest effect of the election will be in policies implemented, and any rescue plans he plans to implement to jump-start the economy. In case you're not up to speed, here's a recap of what Obama plans to do to help the housing market as part of economic recovery plan.

Fairlington Real Estate - October 2008

Image a place 10 minutes from the hub of the U.S. - Washington, D.C. - that has a leash-free dog park, family friendly, suburban feel to it...and it's affordable. Well, if you were at this place, I would say: "Welcome to Fairlington Virginia."
Fairlington has it's own community center which features a gym, a library, activies, kid park, etc. The neighborhood has condos and townhomes, all built around 1940s and 50s.

October sales for Fairlington were reported as the following:

12 Total Sales
22 Days on the Market
$395,000 Average Sales Price - but this ranges from 1 bedroom condos, to a 3 bedroom, 3 bath townhouse

There are several properties on the market in Fairlington right now, and I am happy to show you any of them. It's a great place to live, and a great place to invest. Rents can range from upwards of $1,200 and short sales and bank owned properties are VERY hard to find - i.e. prices are stable and they retain their values. The metro is just a short bus-ride away.

Give me a call for more information - 703.283.6120

Clarendon Earns Nationwide Praise

The front page article of this month's "The Citizen," Arlington's local newspaper reveals what the locals know: Clarendon is One of the "Great Places in America!" This time, the praise comes from the American Planning Association (APA).

Honors were also given to Wilson and Clarendon Blvd - Wilson is a one-way street East towards Washington, Clarendon is the counterpart one-way street heading West - for "Great Streets" in America.

I did a blog in September about CNN's rankings for Arlington County - and this article gives even more praise. Clarendon earned this years ranking for the following reasons:

1. 50% of residents walk, bike or use the metro to get to work

2. 20% of residents don't own a car

3. The above-average use of metro systems

4. All of the revitalization of the area..

..There are so many reasons Clarendon and Arlington in general are great places to live...call me for more information!