Archive for the 'Clarendon' Category
3Q07 Arlington Sales: 1,831 Reasons Why Arlington Beats the National Trend
November 20th, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Ballston, Buyers, Clarendon, Columbia Pike, Courthouse, Crystal City, East Falls Church, Local Real Esate Sales Numbers & Things, Nauck, Pentagon City, Real Estate News, Rossyln, Sellers, Shirlington, Virginia Square
I haven’t been known to publish much Arlington real estate sales data on this blog. Mostly because I’m still testing the best way to present it. So bear with me while I give you some numbers. Sooner or later I’ll find a format that I like.
And don’t worry– I’m not going to list 1,831 lines of data. But– you know what that number is? It’s a way to get your attention. NVAR released it’s 3Q07 sales data. They publish all sorts of interesting and not so interesting stuff. It depends on your point of view. If you want to see it all– by county for the metropolitan area, by zip code, I encourage you to visit their website to get your number fix.
But, if you don’t have the time and want to know the Arlington sales for 3Q07, stick around.
Note– these numbers does not discriminate between condos, townhomes and single family homes.
1,831 – the number of homes still on the market 9.30.07 – the last day of the quarter.
45 – the average number of days on the market for all Arlington homes sold in the third quarter of 2007.
$571,900 - the average sales price for homes sold in Arlington.
95.9% is the average amount of money a person got in their sold price when compared to their original list price.
11.1% – the average increase– yes, I said increase, in the sales prices for Arlington homes sold in 3Q07 when compared to the 3Q06.
Now, these numbers are put together by economists employed by the Realtors Association. So you would expect a certain spin. Well, the data doesn’t spin. Sometimes my head spins when I have to look at all this data- but the data, in itself, doesn’t spin.
What does have spin– after all, we are in Washington, DC, where everything has spin; where the term spin doctor originated; where people make a very good business out of being Spin Drs, but I digress. What does have spin: the economists’ opinion. And what is their spin? That on a scale of 1–5 where 1 is a total buyer’s market and 5 is a total seller’s market, Arlington is a 3. Yes - it’s right in the middle.
I don’t depend on an economist’s opinion to tell me how the Arlington real estate market is running. After all– I’m in the middle of the market everyday. I know how I feel about the market. So I look at the data– toss is around in my head. Then I agree or disagree.
This month I agree.
Here’s why:
- I’ve been busy all year with people interested in buying Arlington real estate;
- All my appraisals for my sales have come in OVER the sales price;
- I have competed– yes competed– with other buyer agents for the same listing;
- Arlington unemployment is still under 2% (1.9% to be exact). That’s considered a worker’s shortage. So people are moving here with new jobs.
I spend a good amount of time trying to make this chart look pretty and fancy and use colors that match my blog. I just have to post it here. It is all the Arlington zip codes and the percent change of sales of 3Q07 sales when compared to 3Q06 sales.
This chart says that all the zip codes in Arlington, except for Shirlington, have seen an increase in the average sales price when you compare 3Q07 to 3Q06. Why Shirlington? After all– I write about Shirlington all the time and what a great place it is to live. Well I don’t have the answer for that right now- but I’m going to look a little deeper into it. I suspect it may have something to do with Fairlington sales, which make up the largest part of the sales.
Just in case you can’t read the chart- here are the data points:
- 22201: 11.79%
- 22202: 2.9%
- 22203: 2.72%
- 22204: 2.39%
- 22205: 12.65%
- 22206: -4.23%
- 22207: 17.26%
- 22209: 50.76%
- 22213: 3.65%
So– if you are waiting for the prices to drop in Arlington, maybe Arlington isn’t for you. Maybe you aren’t ready to buy. Maybe it’s a lot of things.
But I can tell you this– it isn’t because the real estate market is bad in Arlington. The data doesn’t lie.
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The First Weekend of Fall- A Busy Time for All of Us
September 28th, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Around the City of Alexandria, Buyers, Clarendon, Listings
Fall brings a lot of outdoor events here in the DC area. Because a DC fall is one of the best-kept secrets not often shared with the tourists: the weather is fine. Enjoy something outside this weekend.
The biggest Arlington event will take place on Saturday. Clarendon Day, a big ol’ street fair is open from noon–7pm. Lots of food, shopping, music and events for the kids. Fun for all.
Enjoy the fair on Saturday, while on Sunday, visit me during my open house from 1pm to 4pm at 5928 Lomack Court in Alexandria City. The home sits on a wonderfully landscaped 1/2 acre lot. So you’ll still get to enjoy the outdoors. Sit by the waterfall and envision this as your next home.
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Sunday’s Lyon Village Open House: 3175 N. 21st Street, Arlington, VA 22201
September 2nd, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Clarendon, Listings, Neighborhoods
After my morning appointment yesterday, I visited a new Lyon Village listing having an open house. I was hoping it would be the next home for some clients who are out of town for the weekend. It is listed by another Long & Foster agent who has some of the best listings in the Lyon Village neighborhood, Ingrid Wooten.
3175 N. 21st Street: “French Country meets Colonial Williamsburg”
Built in 1935, this home has seen Lyon Village grow from a pre-WWII development project concept to one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Arlington.
This home is an expanded cape cod from the outside and sits on top of the hill that overlooks Lee Highway. The current owners have lived in this house for 35 years, and you can feel the warmth of many good memories lived in this home. It falls into the category of “they don’t build them like this anymore” with its all-brick construction, wood siding exterior and mostly plaster walls.
The agent is marketing this home as “French country meets Colonial Williamsburg” because of the existing features and many antiques throughout the home.
Each room has it’s own unique features, from the bay window in the family room overlooking the wooded back yard and the county parkland to the third bedroom on the main level with it’s original crystal chandelier. The home holds character you would expect to find in Lyon Village. There are arched doorways, original & unique wood molding & trim, lighted built-in corner cabinets, six-panel doors, three fireplaces, beamed cathedral ceilings, three large bedrooms with great closet space and a garage.
It sits on 21st St. – one of my favorite blocks in Lyon Village. It is at the edge of the village making it very private with trees that are older than the homes they surround. The trees are such a big part of the neighborhood that it’s not unusual to hire a professional arborist to advise you on maintaining the trees on your property. Some of the trees are over 100 years old and stand well over 4 stories high.
I loved the flow of the floor plan. Every room on the main level connects except for the main level bedroom which is tucked away into the back of the home with it’s own bathroom.
This is a true Arlington home– where it’s treasure is in it’s age. These older homes in Lyon Village have maintained their charm because when they were built, they were considered higher-end living. And what was higher end in the 1930s & 1940s is expected today. But if you don’t like old homes, this place isn’t for you. If you appreciate the bones of an old home, this one deserves a look.
Lyon Village
This little patch of land in North Arlington is one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Arlington. It is a perfect location between the Clarendon metro and Lee Highway with easy access to I66 & DC. Most of Arlington’s neighborhood originate as a result of the post-WWII growth that overtook this country when all our veterans returning from far away shores to settle down to start their families.
Lyon Village began in the 1920s before the war and wasn’t completed until after the war in the 1940s. It is not unusual to see a new listing that was last sold 35 years ago. This spring I sold a listing here that hadn’t been on the market for more than 35 years. The home was 70 years old and had two previous owners before my clients moved in.
If you’d like to see this home, I’ve hold it open next Sunday, 9/9/07. If you’d like to see it before that, contact me for an appointment.
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