Gardening in Arlington, Va

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I am an avid gardener. I will post some photos of some of the plants I have in my yard shortly. In the mean time, I will be checking out this native plant sale.  You should too. This news is courtesy of Arlington Parks and Recreation.

 

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AUGUST 30, 2016

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Want to make your yard welcoming to local birds, bees and butterflies? Plant native and they will come! You can view the order form online at here. Order today and pick up your plants at Long Branch Nature Center on Sat. Sept. 17, 1-4 p.m. Rain date is Sun., Sept. 18, 1-4 p.m. Questions, call 703-228-6535.

Why Plant Native?  Native plants are local to our area so tolerate our crazy weather, they don’t need a lot of care once establish and they provide food and habitat for our local species.

Why Plant in the Fall? Fall is the best time of year for planting. It’s when most plants are focusing on growing and expanding their roots, which in turn helps them to come back strong in the spring. Plus, fall’s wet, mild weather means less watering is needed on your part to keep plants alive and thriving.

Habitat Restoration – Volunteer!                            

Help increase native species diversity right here in Arlington at Gulf Branch Nature Center Sat., Sept. 10, 2-4 p.m. Work parties are held monthly and are making a real difference, with the return of ferns and wildflowers, and the animals that depend on them, in areas once covered in destructive invasive plants. No registration required. Call  703-228-3403 for more information.

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Animal Senses

Eagle eyes, rabbit ears, catfish whiskers…how do animals use their senses differently or the same as humans? Join us on Sat., Sept. 10, 1-2 p.m. at Long Branch Nature Center. We’ll do experiments and games to examine how animals use their senses in nature hike challenges. Details here. Register online or call 703-228-4747. Select activity #612926-D. Only $5 per person.

What’s a Teen to Do?

There are lots of fun and rewarding things for teens after school this year.  Teens will have fun, make new friends and develop skills.  Consider afterschool clubs at HB Woodlawn, Williamsburg and Kenmore and drop-in programs at Arlington Mill, Gunston, Lubber Run and Thomas Jefferson Community Centers.  Learn more here or contact OFT@arlingtonva.us. Questions? Call 703-228-0945.

Cricket Music

Join us on Tues., Sept. 6, 1–2 p.m. at Gulf Branch Nature Center to learn about crickets, the masters of autumn music. We will explore the cricket life cycle, habitats and listen to an orchestra of six-legged musicians. Details here.  Register online or call 703-228-4747. Only $5 per person.

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Northern Virginia Bird Club Walk

Join members of the Northern Virginia Bird Club on Wed., Sept. 7, 8:30–11 a.m. for an informal walk through Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park in search of resident and migratory birds. Experienced and beginning birders welcome. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them. Details here.Register online or call 703-228-4747. Use activity #612946-A. This event is free.

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Open House N. Arlington Aug. 28 from 1-3

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This is a beautiful 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath all brick home with an attached two car garage. Note the floor to ceiling large windows in living room and dining room. This spacious home is light and bright. Kitchen has been renovated. Lower level bedroom finished by current owner. Lower level has bedroom, full bath, large rec room (TV can convey) and storage too. It is hard to find this much space for the money just a couple of blocks to metro. Open 1-3 on Sunday August 28, 2016. Contact me at janejensen@comcast.net or 571-228-5656 or use contact form below with any questions or to get a private showing. 2321 N. Quantico St. Arlington, Va. 22205

 

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IRS Scam alert from Arlington County

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From Arlington County:

 

FRAUD ALERT: IRS Phone Scam Targets Arlington County Citizens

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department is warning the public about an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) telephone scam targeting County residents.

Citizens have reported receiving unsolicited phone calls from individuals fraudulently claiming to be members of the Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office or the Internal Revenue Service. These individuals accuse the victims of owing money to the IRS which must be paid immediately using iTunes gift cards, or other means. The caller remains on the line while the victim purchases the payment and provides the card number over the phone.

In some cases, scammers have deliberately falsified the information transmitted to the victim’s Caller ID display to disguise their identity as the non-emergency police line. Citizens should not rely on their Caller ID to verify the credibility of the call.  Never give out personal information in response to unsolicited calls or if you are at all suspicious.

If you receive a call of this nature, immediately hang up with the caller and verify the claim by calling the non-emergency police line at 703.558.2222. Never use a phone number provided to you from the caller to verify their credibility.

After making a verification call, if you find that you were a victim of a scam or were a target, please file an online police report at http://police.arlingtonva.us/online-police-reporting-system/or call the non-emergency police line at 703.558.2222. You may also report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.

Citizens are reminded that their first contact with IRS will not be a call from out of the blue, but through official correspondence sent through the mail. Subjects will use a variety of different phone scams and the Arlington County Police Department wants the public to remain alert so you don’t become a victim. Individuals seeking more information about fraud can contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit at FinancialCrimes@arlingtonva.us.

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Media Contact

Ashley Savage, 703-228-4331

View this release in our newsroom

Arlington, Va. A great place to live and work.

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Press release from the County:

Arlington Celebrates Winning Year of Attracting, Retaining Businesses

  • 53 deals in FY 2016 adding or keeping businesses in County
  • More than 4,200 jobs
  • Almost 2 million square feet of office space

Arlington businesses grew over the past fiscal year, with the County showing strong results in attracting and retaining companies.

Arlington Economic Development reports that its new marketing efforts and strategically targeted resources netted 53 new business or business retention deals in Fiscal Year 2016. Those deals represent nearly 2 million square feet of office space and the creation or retention of more than 4,200 jobs. In Fiscal Year 2015, the County closed 35 such deals, representing nearly 1.2 million square feet of office space.

County Manager Mark Schwartz, who has made economic development his top priority, calls the new numbers “an encouraging sign that our ‘all-hands-on-deck’ effort is working to fill office vacancies with vibrant businesses that are coming to or staying in the County. There’s more work to do but we’re clearly making progress.”

Schwartz also thanked the County Board for its commitment, through additional budget resources, to keeping and adding Arlington businesses.

New and expanding companies

Grant Thornton, Amazon Innovation Center and George Washington Medical Faculty Associates are among the larger employers attracted to large office spaces in Arlington. Some of the new, fast-growing technology firms putting roots down in the County are Shift, Phone2Action and Basket.

Excited to announce @Phone2Action will bring 142 new jobs to @ArlingtonVA and the Commonwealth of VA #NewVAEconomy pic.twitter.com/Cs6bhCXFRn

— Terry McAuliffe (@GovernorVA) July 7, 2016

Established businesses that have seen the benefits of calling Arlington “home” include Opower and Sands Capital Management.

We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of Opower HQ in Arlington County. Great to see you again, @GovernorVA! pic.twitter.com/eQIDZUvkQT

— Opower (@Opower) February 9, 2016

Businesses that have expanded in Arlington include Bytecubed and Snagajob.

“This year’s success in business investment is very telling in terms of the kinds of businesses that have chosen Arlington as their home,” AED Director Victor Hoskins said. “It’s truly representative of Arlington’s shift into a technology and professional services hub.”

The successes are all part of Arlington’s “Way Forward” strategy of focusing on working with regional partners, proactive marketing, providing strategic incentives and offering key infrastructure improvements to prospective businesses. That approach is setting Arlington apart from other regions in terms of providing its business community with the resources and tools it needs to grow for the future.

Arlington Economic Development

Arlington Economic Development, part of Arlington County Government, is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of an economically competitive and sustainable community, and the creation of exciting, diverse and amenity-rich places. AED provides visionary leadership and superior services to Arlington’s business and arts community, its tourism industry and its real estate development.

This week AED was recognized with a Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) Achievement Award for its innovative Startup Arlington competition. The contest challenges tech companies to make their pitch for 3-months of free office and living space, plus legal advice and mentoring, in the County. The winning business, Montana-based Oppleo, a cyber security firm, relocated to Arlington last November and is still in the area.

 

Media Contact

Cara O’Donnell, 703-228-0854

View this release in our newsroom

Sold! Full price in 4 days. Alexandria Real Estate near the Huntington Metro

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This beautiful home sold for full price in 4 days. It is a 2 Bedroom 1 bath home in Jefferson Manor, located near the Huntington metro, that I recently listed. This is an example of strategic pricing and timing. The seller and I looked carefully at recent comps and also took into consideration the current inventory, which was very low. The home was listed at $424,900 and sold for that in just 4 days. If you are interested in finding out the current value of your home, contact me at janejensen@comcast.net  571-228-5656

Arlington, Va. June 2016 Real Estate Statistics

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Here are the real estate statistics for Arlington, Va for June 2016. Note that these statistics are taken from MLS sales and will not include for sale by owner sales or person to person transactions.

Takeaways:

Total volume is down year over year. If we look a little deeper into those numbers we’ll see that the price of detached homes is up, while the number of sold homes is down. Inventory is also down year over year so this tells us that sellers are getting more for their homes during a time of reduced inventory. The reduced inventory of detached homes is keeping the total sold volume down more then the prices.

The same cannot be said for attached homes (townhomes and condos). While the # of detached units sold went up, the prices came down almost 10%.  This is a signal to buyers that now might be a time where you can negotiate a bit on that condo if the unit is priced at or above recent market. Sellers should also be cognizant of this trend when pricing their home. If you are looking for a quick sale, consider pricing your home at or just below market.

Statistics are available for other Northern Virginia counties as well as Washington, DC. If you are interested in these numbers send me an email at janejensen@comcast.net or call 571-228-5656 and I will get you the stats.