Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.

For some people, buying a bottle of wine from a store with a large selection can be a daunting task.

With so many different wines with different labels from various regions throughout the world, it’s difficult to know what wine to choose. Without going into grape specificities, I’m going to give you some tips on how to buy a perfect bottle of wine for any occasion.

What are you willing to spend?

This is always the first question we ask when assisting a customer buying a bottle of wine.  These days you can find a nice bottle of wine in any price range depending on what kind of complexity of flavors you are looking for. We typically recommend three price ranges to our customers, under 15 dollars, 15-20 dollars or over 25 dollars.

As a consumer, you should be aware of your wine allowance before you walk into a store and stick to your budget. You do not  want to go into a wine shop with a budget of 20 dollars and leave with a bottle that is 30-40 dollars.

Even if the wine is great, you won’t be walking out happy and will not find the same enjoyment in the wine. You can find a fantastic wine under any budget for any occasion.

What are your tastes and preferences?

Next question we simply ask is, what kind of wine do you like? First time wine buyers usually reply with “Wine’s that taste good.”

This is true for all us wine drinkers but figuring out the exact type you enjoy, paired with certain foods, will go a long way in creating a wonderful wine-drinking experience. Simple questions to ask yourself in regards to your wine preferences include:

• Do you prefer white wine or red wine?
• Do you like dry or sweet?
• Light, medium or full-bodied?

It is important to know your tastes and likes rather than a wine publications or wine merchant selling you wine. They may recommend a perfectly good wine that most people like, but that is not exactly your preference or taste. Another issue that comes up quite often is a consumer having a wine they enjoyed at a dinner party or at a restaurant but cannot remember the name.

To combat this issue, take a picture of the wine or write the wine maker, type and year down on a notepad (or in these times, your phone). A friendly wine merchant will be able to help you locate that particular bottle or something similar to the wine you were looking for. Best rule; buy the wine you will drink.

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Join the District’s best Spring event and save big today! 

The DC Bike Ride is the region’s only closed-road recreational bike ride. This is your only opportunity to cruise through the streets of D.C. completely car-free. Cruise through the streets of D.C. and enjoy seeing the most iconic views of the city from a different perspective.

Not an avid biker? No problem. The ride is not a race and it’s not competitive. DC Bike Ride is all about fun. Enjoy the ride at your own pace and with the comforts of entertainment and food rest stops along the course. All riding abilities are welcome.

Get the best price during Early Bird registration

Save $10 signing up now for the 2019 DC Bike Ride. Youth riders in the age group 8-17 are always 50% off and kids between 3-7 years old are free. Price increases on March 1.

Don’t miss the chance to join the most fun ride through the best sights of D.C. DC Bike Ride will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 8 a.m. EST.

*The price increases to $60/rider (18+) on Friday, March 1 at 12 a.m. EST. For more info visit dcbikeride.com.

Welcome to Luxury For Less, a weekly column highlighting the best deals in luxury real estate. Written by Brandy Schantz of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, Luxury For Less offers tips and tricks navigating the competitive real estate market and securing the home of your dreams. To learn more, visit ttrsir.com.

Unless you have gone off the grid, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about Amazon HQ2.

The D.C. Metro area has been bracing for the impact of HQ2 and investors have been buying real estate near the National Landing site for months. In case you aren’t already sick of hearing about HQ2, this week brought us more to talk about. Amazon nixed plans to open their HQ2 site in New York.

This presented an opportunity for Prince George’s County. Prince George’s County officials reached out to Amazon to pitch their location again. Amazon has officially said they do not plan to search for a new location but that won’t stop the speculation in the D.C. Metro area. Google also has the area talking with the announcement that the company plans to double the size of their workforce in Northern Virginia.

Scotts Run in Tysons Corner had courted Apple and is still looking for a tenant but what is clear is that tech giants are viewing the D.C. Metro area as an attractive location to find talent and make a home. This is great news for residents who like living in the area but want new and diverse job opportunities.

What does that mean for our real estate market though? Real estate in the D.C. Metro area is already among some of the most expensive in the country. Last year, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) released a report detailing the D.C. Metro area housing shortage. According to COG, the area needs 115,000 additional homes above current projections by 2045, or about 25,600 total new units per year.

Affordability is a growing problem and it doesn’t look to be going away any time soon. It’s not all bad news though. This area already experiences many moves each year, both from people moving to the area and people moving out. We experience this every year without the fanfare that came with the Amazon announcement.

It’s also important to remember those 25,000 jobs will not necessarily bring that many people, some of those new hires already live here. They also won’t all be hired or transferred here at one time. The same can be said for Google and other companies relocating to the area or expanding their workforce.

It remains to be seen if our housing market will reach San Francisco crisis levels. For now, check out the properties on the market that you can get a deal on.

Here are this week’s luxury for less properties:

• 10127 Nedra Drive Great Falls (Reduced $10,000) 
• 1450 Emerson Avenue #314 McLean (Reduced $100,000) 
• 833 Golden Arrow Street Great Falls (Reduced $50,900) 
• 2012 Wolftrap Oaks Court Vienna (Reduced $19,900)

The properties listed are a small selection of properties available in the Tyson’s Corner area. For a full list of properties listed on MLS and private exclusives, please contact Brandy Schantz.

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

One of my favorite local restaurant groups was started in 2007 by Mark and Stephen Fedorchak, along with Brian Normile, in Arlington. They own Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, and Northside Social in Arlington.

They’ve also expanded to the city of Falls Church to include Liberty BBQ and the new Northside Social (affectionally referred to as NOSO).

The new NOSO is located on a side street in Falls Church with tons of outdoor seating and 2-levels of seating indoors. It’s great for a cup of coffee and pastry, or their full blown breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.

My favorites include the cookies, pop-tarts, egg sandwiches (salmon and egg!), quiches, grilled cheese (with bacon), charcuterie plates, brussels sprouts and French fries. The food is really, really good, and it helps the staff is friendly and eager to help. In addition, the owners are really nice guys that makes you want to support them.

The have special events like half price wine nights on Monday, date night on Sunday nights (salad & pizza for 2 & a bottle of wine for $45), brunch is every weekend 10 a.m.-3 p.m., but the second Sunday of every month is jazz brunch with live music singer Vanessa Ralls (11a.m.-1 p.m.). They often have dinner with a winemaker night (4 course meals with wine pairings), beer dinners and seasonal events.

I personally hope to see them continue growing both because their food is good, the atmosphere of their restaurants is fun and I love to see a good local business owner succeeding. Well done guys!

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By Kimberly H. Berry, Esq.

The Federal workforce is presently undergoing significant changes in size and scope.

In some instances, this has led to the Federal government providing incentives for Federal employees to retire early. Federal agencies that are undergoing substantial organizational changes such as reorganization, reduction in force, reshaping or downsizing can be given the option to offer federal employees voluntary early retirement based on the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA). OPM provides guidance on VERA here.

The purpose of VERA is to help agencies complete the necessary organizational change with minimal disruption to the workforce and make it possible for federal employees to receive an immediate annuity payment years before they would be eligible.

The voluntary early retirement provisions are the same under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

Requirements for Early Retirement

In order to be eligible to retire under VERA, a federal employee must usually meet the following requirements:

•  Meet the VERA minimum age and service requirements set by statutes in the U.S. Code for CSRS and FERS employees (i.e., the employee has completed at least 20 years of creditable service and is at least 50 years of age or has completed at least 25 years of creditable service regardless of age).
• Have been continuously employed by the agency for at least 31 days before the date that the agency initially requested the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approval of VERA.
• Hold a position that is not a time-limited appointment.
• Have not received a final removal decision based upon misconduct or unacceptable performance.
• Hold a position covered by the agency’s VERA authority or program.
• Retire under the VERA option during the agency’s VERA acceptance period.

It is very important for federal employees considering a VERA offer or whether one is available to seek the advice of an attorney regarding their retirement issues prior to initiating the VERA process.

Our law firm represents federal employees that are considering early retirement and in other federal retirement matters.

Conclusion

If you are in need of federal employee retirement law representation, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook or Twitter.

Welcome to Luxury For Less, a weekly column highlighting the best deals in luxury real estate. Written by Brandy Schantz of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, Luxury For Less offers tips and tricks navigating the competitive real estate market and securing the home of your dreams. To learn more, visit ttrsir.com.

Vienna is a popular place to live in the D.C. Metro area.

People love the small-town charm, the proximity to Tysons Corner and the trails that wind through our enchanting town. When the weather is nice, we all meet outdoors to enjoy a run, take a leisurely stroll to the Whole Foods, or walk our dogs. It’s a pretty idyllic life in the D.C. Metro area and no one who lives here is surprised that we consistently top lists of best places to live in the U.S.

The only problem, this town is becoming more and more expensive. Real estate prices are quite diverse in Vienna. The town is divided into 4 quadrants with each quadrant selling homes at different prices. Currently, the hot market in Vienna seems to be in Southeast.

Southeast is very desirable for its proximity to Tysons, great schools and walkability to Westwood Country Club. Living on Mashie or Niblick Drive has suddenly become very elite, in part thanks to the very large, high-end homes recently built on those two streets. In addition to paying top dollar to get in to Southeast Vienna, the town taxes can break the budget.

Recent sales in southeast include a $1,030,000 condo on Glyndon and $2,350,000 detached home on Niblick. Top that off with an additional real estate tax for living in the Town of Vienna of 22.5 cents per $100 of the property’s assessed value. It’s steep to live in this neighborhood.

What if you want to live in Vienna without the extra taxes or the price tag over $2M? Just east of the town and mere steps from this hot neighborhood are many great homes that sell for less and lack the extra taxes. This neighborhood is just west of Old Courthouse Road and east of Electric Avenue.

Most of the homes were built 10 years ago or more but have a lot of space and similar access to the trails, Tysons and the shops on Maple Avenue. In contrast to Southeast, the most expensive home sold in this neighborhood in the past six months was a detached home with over 7500 sq. ft. that sold for $1,695,000. Still too much? Most of the homes in this neighborhood sold for around $1M with many below that amount. Vienna addresses without the steep Vienna prices.

This week we have quite a few great homes featured and one just outside the town limits in Vienna to consider!

• 1838 Toyon Way Vienna (Reduced $30,000)
• 622 Tapawingo Road SW (Reduced $19,500)
• 7108 Penguin Place Falls Church (Reduced $260,000)
• 8601 Tebbs Lane McLean (Reduced $25,000)
• 901 Falls Bridge Lane Great Falls (Reduced $71,000)

The properties listed are a small selection of properties available in the Tyson’s Corner area. For a full list of properties listed on MLS and private exclusives, please contact Brandy Schantz.

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Val Sotillo, Northern Virginia-based Realtor and Falls Church resident. Please submit your questions to her via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: I’m looking to purchase a home that’s less than a 10 minute walk to a Metro Station. What are the options around Dunn Loring?

Answer: The Dunn Loring neighborhood is one of the fastest changing areas in Fairfax County in a few short years. It is now a vibrant and walkable community with many different housing options to offer just a few steps from the metro.

Here’s what I love about the location:

Easy Commute

The Dunn Loring/Merrifield Metro is located between Interstate 66 at Gallows Road and it services the Orange Line which gets you to D.C. in about 25 minutes.

There’s also easy access to the Capital Beltway, I-66 and Route 50, making it convenient for public transportation and driving. And let’s not forget about cyclists! The W&OD Trail is in your backyard and it goes all the way from Shirlington to Purceville. The W&OD Trail has a maze of paths for hiking, biking, running and walking.

Everything Is Just Steps Away

You can walk to almost everything. From Home Depot, to Harris Teeter (this one has a wine bar, cheers), to a doggie day care, spa services, to the Merrifield Garden Center. You can also take a bit longer of a walk to the Mosaic District but I’ll cover that neighborhood in a separate column.

Here are some of my favorite food spots: Blackfinn Ameripub (great trivia, many tv’s for watching sports and live music), District Taco and the newest Peruvian restaurant Inca Social.

They also have a small dog park.

Bonus: There is free retail parking.

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Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

The best way I have found to find out about events and information around town is to follow local organizations and businesses on Facebook.

They’re constantly updating events, posting news and giving genuine value adding information. Last week the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department delivered pizza from Domino’s on the fire truck, as a promo and reminder to people to check their smoke detectors.

The only way I knew about this was from their Facebook page (and bonus, one of my former clients was the first pizza delivery on the truck because she saw that I shared the event).

Here’s a list of my favorite resources on Facebook:

• Tyson’s Reporter
• Laura Schwartz – Realtor
• Vienna Volunteer Fire Department
• Town of Vienna Government (they post events at the community center and other town events)
• Town of Vienna Police (they do a 5K events, drug take back and more)
• McLean Volunteer Fire Department
• McLean Community Center
• Fairfax County Park Authority
• Fairfax County Public Library (read a thon events, baby reading hours)
• McLean/Vienna Moms RUN This Town
• VeryVienna
• Your local school PTA (search by school and the results are easy to find)

Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.

Dominion Wine & Beer is thrilled to announce that our brand new wine & craft beer bar is OPEN! The new addition is located directly above our existing retail bottle shop in Falls Church. At Dominion, you can enjoy a great meal, pint of craft beer or glass of wine plus shop the areas best selection of beers and wines to take home.

We are now open full time with our hours listed below. Retail store hours have been extended to offer all of the great aspects of the business in unison.

Our craft beer and wine bar features 24 rotating craft beers on tap as well as 16 wines by the glass, alongside an extensive bottle list (wine list still in the works). Our current food menu features some great options including a delicious fried chicken sandwich, crispy Brussels sprouts, honey glazed and spiced Malibu carrots, charcuterie boards and much more!

Downstairs in the retail area, you’ll find 12 additional rotating draft lines with pours and crowlers available from all 36 taps.

Download the DigitalPour mobile app to view our entire draft list, prices and growler fill/growler availability in real time.

We can’t wait for you all to come out, see our new space, and experience the new Dominion Wine & Beer!

Retail and Wine Bar hours:

Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Kitchen opens at 11 a.m. daily.

Welcome to Luxury For Less, a weekly column highlighting the best deals in luxury real estate. Written by Brandy Schantz of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, Luxury For Less offers tips and tricks navigating the competitive real estate market and securing the home of your dreams. To learn more, visit ttrsir.com.

The big news last week was the Federal Reserve meeting. The Fed did not raise the benchmark federal funds rate and indicated that interest rates would remain steady.

The Fed had previously announced after the December meeting that interest rates would be raised twice in 2019. What does that mean for the mortgage markets? Mortgage interest rates are actually more related to the 10-year U.S.

Treasury note than to the federal funds rate so the overall health of the economy will be a better predictor where mortgage rates will go. Economists have predicted interest rates in the mortgage markets to be between 5-6% by the end of 2019. For now, we can expect mortgage rates to remain low.

In the Tysons area, snow and cold days kept many people indoors so this is a great week to go out and find some great homes. Here are this week’s luxury for less homes:

• 9974 Stone Vale Drive Vienna (Reduced $25,000)
• 447 Seneca Road Great Falls (Reduced $47,000)
• 680 Springvale Road Great Falls (Reduced $100,000)
• 1800 Old Meadow Road Unit #108 McLean (Reduced $25,000)
• 1002 Utterback Store Road Great Falls (Reduced $25,000)

The properties listed are a small selection of properties available in the Tyson’s Corner area. For a full list of properties listed on MLS and private exclusives, please contact Brandy Schantz.