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: How do you choose a title company to work with when buying or selling real estate? What should I look for in a title company?

Answer: Title companies handle the legal side of the transaction such as ensuring the buyer has clear ownership, reviewing and recording the deed, issuing title insurance, and preparing paperwork for the buyer and seller to sign at closing. They operate in the background of transactions and usually the less you hear from them, the better. They are not legal representatives of either party and objectively support the buyer and seller.

In Virginia (and D.C./MD), buyers select the title company. In some cases, a seller may want to use their own firm/attorney and will request a “split settlement” but that is less common and should be done for a good reason.

Most people don’t know a title attorney or get a referral from a friend, so how do you go about choosing your title company?

Your Real Estate Agent

You shouldn’t be hiring a real estate agent just because they’re the first person to meet you at a property you found online. Among the reasons you hire an agent should be because you trust their advice and want access to their network of professionals who are relevant to a real estate transaction.

Your agent should be the first person you turn to for a recommendation on the title company because he/she has likely worked with dozens of title companies before and hopefully has one or two to recommend.

It’s perfectly fair to ask your agent why they’re recommending a specific title company.

Fees

The highest fee associated with a title company is title insurance and those prices are set by the insurance company, not the title company. Different title companies work with different title insurance companies, but rates are very similar amongst them. If you see big differences in title insurance between two title companies, one may be quoting a basic vs enhanced coverage (buyer’s choice).

I rarely see discretionary fees charged by the title company vary by more than a few hundred dollars. You can always find a cheaper option for title services, but the legal support on a real estate transaction worth hundreds of thousands or millions may not be a smart place to save a few hundred dollars and risk quality of service.

Location

It’s important to use a local title company who is familiar with local real estate and tax practices, not just licensed to practice here. I use one title company (Universal Title) for most of my Northern Virginia transactions.

Attorney Experience

Most sales follow a pretty standard, predictable process that inexperienced title companies/attorneys can handle but occasionally something unexpected comes up that requires experience and expertise to identify and resolve an issue. If problems do surface, having access to an experienced local title attorney can be the difference in whether or not the problem is even identified, whether a sale closes, and/or how much time and stress it takes to resolve the issue.

Back-Office Support

The quality and experience of the support staff is equally as important as the attorney. Look for a title company who has experienced processors who have been with the company for a while. Title companies who can afford to cut fees below their competition likely do so by not having a full supporting cast or not paying to hold onto experienced processors.

Insurance Provider

One of the key roles of a title company is that they issue title insurance, which protects your ownership interests in the property from any future claims. Most title companies have one insurance company they issue policies for such as First American, Old Republic and Chicago Title.

Most buyers are indifferent about their title insurance provider, but you may want to confirm who the title company uses to do some background on them such as size (market share) and how long they’ve been in business. I generally prefer larger insurers who have been in business for a long time.

If you’d like more information, or would like a question answered in my column, please reach out to [email protected]. I hope to hear from you soon.

Val Sotillo is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite #10C Arlington, VA 22203, 703-390-9460.

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

Has all of this time at home finally given you that “time” you’ve been dreaming about?

I know I spent April, when I was home most, organizing every closet we had out of boredom. I’ve seen many posts around social media showing people doing the same — finally purging all of that stuff you never actually needed. I’ve also seen people wondering if donations are still being accepted during this time of COVID-19.

If you’re tackling a summer clean out, please consider donating your items to these organizations:

• Community Cares Vienna — Collecting food donations for food insecure families and coordinating efforts for clothing for families
• Buy Nothing Project: Give away things for free
• Share of McLean
• Unique Merrifield
• Goodwill in Fairfax
• Habitat for Humanity in Herndon
• Freecycle
• Vietnam Veterans of America — you can schedule an online pick up at your home. They especially need clothes in addition to household goods
• GreenDrop — They support National Federation of the Blind, Purple Heart, American Red Cross, and can provide you with a drop off location or scheduled a pick up at your home

Photo via Community Cares Vienna/Facebook

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 John V. Berry, Esq.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, on July 15, 2020, became the first state to require employers to adopt safety requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new Virginia Department of Labor and Industry rules went into effect on July 27, 2020. A link to these new rules is provided here.

These rules require Virginia employers to take the following steps to protect employees from COVID-19. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Require employers to assess their workplace for potential employee exposure to COVID-19
• Encourage employees to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 if they suspect exposure
• Require employees not to permit employees known or suspected to be infected with the COVID-19 virus to report or remain at work
• Require employers to develop policies for employees that report experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19
• Asks employers to ensure the use of flexible sick leave policies
• Notify employees within 24 hours if a co-worker tests positive for COVID-19 while keeping their identity private
• Require social distancing in the workplace
• Mandate face coverings for employees in customer-facing positions or when social distancing isn’t possible
• Sanitize common areas daily
• Provide easy and frequent access to hand washing and hand sanitizer
• Other rules provided in the attached policy

Many of the new employer rules in Virginia are common-sense requirements. For Virginia employers whose employees are considered at “high,” “very high,” or “medium” risk of coming into contact with potential COVID-19 positive exposure (e.g. health workers), employers are also required to screen employees at the beginning of each shift and provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Virginia employers should take time to read the above-linked 35-page document which provides a list of all of the new employee-safety requirements in order to ensure that they are compliant with these new rules.

Contact Us

If you are in need of legal representation or advice, 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.

Three Stones Residential agents pride ourselves on our consultative service approach, local expertise and real estate market knowledge. With over 26 years of business experience in the DMV, we have consistently performed in the top 2% of local Realtors and are currently the #1 group at Keller Williams Metro Center. 

The following properties were recently listed in the Tysons, McLean, Vienna and Falls Church areas.

• 6251 N. Kensington Street, McLean — $1,975,000
• 10300 Dunn Meadow Road, Vienna — $979,000
• 10026 Glenoak Court, Vienna — $868,000
• 1104 Drake Street SW, Vienna — $1,569,888
• 2806 Emma Lee Street #304, Falls Church — $369,900
• 7416 Leighton Drive, Falls Church — $875,000
• 7204 Deborah Drive, Falls Church — $995,000
• 6218 Mori Street, McLean — $1,060,000
• 1814 Solitaire Lane, McLean – $1,490,000

Our role is to offer sound advice and guidance to our clients in order for them to achieve their goals in either buying, selling, leasing or managing real estate. We are truly “Your Home… for Everything Real Estate.” To schedule a private showing of these or any other properties of interest please do not hesitate to contact us here or email us at [email protected].

As the world begins to open up again, WhyHotel Tysons Corner Greensboro Drive is ready to be your temporary home, whether you’re in the area for a project or need a safe haven to escape to.

WhyHotel Tysons Corner Greensboro Drive offers luxury apartment units for short term stays at comparable rates to local hotels — and it is now accepting stays of 4 or more nights! The spacious units provide everything you could need without ever leaving the safety of your front door, including a private kitchen, washer/dryer and safe access to package services.

In addition to safe social distancing and private amenities, here are some other measures that WhyHotel is taking to ensure the safety of guests:

• Personal cleaning supplies, including brooms, mops and disinfectants, in lieu of housekeeping, to limit entry to your space
• Contactless support for questions during your stay
• Onsite staff available to assist you from afar

Check out WhyHotel Tysons Corner Greensboro Drive’s reviews to see what guests say.

Learn more at WhyHotel.com, or call 571-260-6267 with any questions!

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: With mortgage rates in the record lows, we have decided to buy our first home this year. Do you have any recommendations on how we should start the home buying process?

Answer: There’s plenty of advice on the topic all over the internet, so I’ll include some suggestions I don’t see on most sites and also put my own opinion on advice that you may have heard before.

Your Search Criteria

Challenge yourself early to come up with 12-15 things that are important to you. Then give yourself 100 points and allocate points to each based on how important they are to you and you’ll end up with a weighted criteria list to help you focus your search and objectively compare properties.

Length of Ownership

This is one of the most important conversations to have with yourself/your partner. You should focus on the following:

• Likely length of ownership
• Difference in criteria for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house
• Difference in budget requirements for a 3-5 year house vs a 10-12+ year house

Appreciation is not guaranteed and difficult to predict, but the value of longer ownership periods is undisputed. One way longer ownership adds value is the potential for eliminating one or more real estate transactions, and the associated costs (fees, taxes, moving expenses, etc) and stress that comes with moving, over the course of your lifetime. If you have an opportunity to significantly increase your length of ownership by stretching your budget, it’s often justifiable.

Influencers (not the Instagram ones)

Family, friends, colleagues… they’re all happy to offer opinions and contribute to your home buying process, but the input can be overwhelming and unproductive if you don’t set boundaries. Try to determine up-front who you want involved in the process and how you’d like them to be involved.

Does Your Dream House Exist?

Spend a little bit of time searching For Sale and Sold homes on your favorite real estate search website to see if the homes selling in the area you want and within 10% of your upper budget are at least close to what you’re looking for. If not, try adjusting the price, location and non-critical criteria to figure out what compromises you’ll need to make and then compare those compromises to your current living situation.

Know Your Market

We’re in a strong seller’s market right now with low supply, high demand and increasing prices. Each sub-market behaves a bit differently and comes with its own unique set of challenges and opportunities, so take time early on to understand the sub-market(s) you’ll be involved in and what you’re likely to experience. This is something your agent should be able to assist with.

Pre-Approval & Budget

There is a lot of value in working with a lender early on in the search process. For starters, you’ll have somebody who can provide real rates and advice based on your specific financial situation and needs. A lender can only do this if they’ve reviewed your financial documents and credit. The more you put in, the more you get out.

You’ll need to have a lender pre-approval to submit an offer so if you have to do it anyway, why not doing it early on so you get the most value out of your lender? It also means that you’ll be prepared to make an offer if you find the right home before you expect to be ready.

Given how competitive the Northern Virginia real estate market is, the quality of your pre-approval can make a big difference when you make an offer. You should strongly consider partnering with a local lender with a great reputation to give yourself an advantage when making an offer. Pre-approval letters from big banks and online lenders don’t go over as well in our market. If you’re looking for a recommendation I’ll be happy to connect you with a great local lender.

Find an Agent

The least surprising suggestion on this list! Agents come in many different forms and finding somebody who suits your personality and goals is important. Ask friends, colleagues and family for referrals and meet with multiple people until you find the right fit.

The worst thing you can do is choose your agent based on whoever responds to an online showing request faster. A good agent can provide a ton of value being involved in your buying process months before you’re ready to buy. Be wary of anybody who wants you to “wait until you’re ready” before working with you.

If you’re considering buying (or selling) in the DMV in 2020 and would like to meet, feel free to email me at [email protected]!

Val Sotillo is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite #10C Arlington, VA 22203, 703-390-9460.

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

Born during the pandemic, one neighborhood is having kids create little rustic wood signs with a base color and a heart out of wood. They are pay-what-you-want, contactless pick up, and all proceeds go directly to the Vienna VA Foodies group, who has been providing meals and grocery packs to local families in need.

There is currently a waitlist for a sign, which you can find here through Google Sheets. Pick your base sign color, heart color, send payment via Venmo, Paypal or cash at pickup.

You’ll start noticing these around town! Know that each sign went to help feed someone.

You can also follow along on their Facebook page.

Photo via Rustic Love Vienna Facebook

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

It seems like everyday a new “for sale” or “for lease” sign goes up somewhere around town.

It’s hard to keep up with what’s coming in, going out, or going up. Some plans get denied, some you’ve never heard about get approved, and others have got PR teams who blast about upcoming changes. There’s a Facebook group for Vienna, called the Vienna Development: Open Discussion, which is a good place to start.

There are multiple resources online if you are curious about a specific project:

• Town of Vienna
• Fairfax County Land Use Planning and Interactive Map
• McLean Office of Community Revitalization
• City of Falls Church Development Projects
• Tysons Partnership for Development Projects

Don’t see something listed? You can always email me and I’ll do some digging for you!

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 John V. Berry, Esq.

Employers have started to see the first lawsuits by employees and customers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The numbers of these types of cases will only continue to increase, given the lack of a cohesive strategy by federal and state governments in dealing with the reopening of businesses and the potential for liability. Hopefully, Congress will deal with this problem quickly and compromise. As of June 12, 2020, according to a tracker of COVID-19 cases, approximately 2,700 COVID-19 lawsuits have been filed.

The First Lawsuits Have Started

The first COVID-19 related lawsuits seen thus far include a class action by McDonald’s workers and a wrongful death action filed by a Safeway employee’s family. Many other lawsuits have been filed, both small and large, and we are starting to see employers require employees to sign waivers in order to return to work, and other businesses and events requiring individuals to sign waivers before entering.

For instance, some businesses have required individuals to sign waivers of legal rights to enter gyms or salons or to attend other events. For example, at the President’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma attendees were required to waive their right to sue the campaign in the event they contracted COVID-19 at the President’s campaign rally.

Employers are Seeking Liability Protections

The question of whether a business is liable if their employees or customers catch COVID-19 has become a critical issue as many states reopen retail, foodservice and other businesses. Businesses contend that they are subject to numerous lawsuits without any liability protections and are seeking legal protections from Congress, or even individual states, as the pandemic subsides. On the other side, opponents of liability protections argue that limiting liability for businesses could cause them to ignore safety rules, endangering both employees and customers.

A Compromise is Very Likely

It is likely that a compromise will be found, through congressional action, or worst case, on a state-by-state basis. There will need to be a balance between the protection of employees and customers and in ensuring that businesses do not go bankrupt through needless and often frivolous litigation. It is likely that these liability protections may find themselves in pending congressional bills which provide additional financial relief to individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic. In the end, businesses and employers that act reasonably will likely be mostly safe from litigation.

Contact Us

If you are in need of legal representation or advice, 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.

Three Stones Residential agents pride ourselves on our consultative service approach, local expertise and real estate market knowledge. With over 26 years of business experience in the DMV, we have consistently performed in the top 2% of local Realtors and are currently the #1 group at Keller Williams Metro Center. 

The following properties were recently listed in the Tysons, McLean, Vienna and Falls Church areas.

• 6251 N. Kensington Street, McLean — $1,975,000
• 2618 Occidental Drive, Vienna — $715,000
• 2203 Frank Street, Vienna — $1,275,000
• 9617 White Cedar Court, Vienna — $885,000
• 2829 Marshall Street, Falls Church — $574,900
• 6127 Brook Drive, Falls Church — $844,900
• 1737 Gilson Street, Falls Church — $1,239,000
• 1404 McLean Mews Court, McLean — $960,000
• 1469 Waggaman Circle, McLean — $1,999,000

Our role is to offer sound advice and guidance to our clients in order for them to achieve their goals in either buying, selling, leasing or managing real estate. We are truly “Your Home… for Everything Real Estate.” To schedule a private showing of these or any other properties of interest please do not hesitate to contact us here or email us at [email protected].