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.
These are certainly unprecedented times. I hope everyone is staying safe and practicing social distancing.
The real estate market is still moving though a bit differently than usual. We’re using FaceTime, Zoom and other video tools to show homes and TTR Sotheby’s International Realty has stopped holding open houses and instead we are taking appointments for one person at a time to see our listings. This week felt like a good time to feature a home I would most want to be quarantined in.
This house features over 15,000 square feet, 2 guest houses, an amazing wine cellar and a gym. Renovated by award winning BOWA in 2012, you can relax in the jetted tub, enjoy a glass of wine in the recreation room, or swim in the saltwater pool. Who would actually want to leave this house? Now reduced in price by nearly $500,000, check out this amazing home in McLean.
To see this beautiful home or any of the other homes on the market in the D.C. area, please contact Brandy at [email protected] or 571-263-0206.
8548-A Georgetown Pike McLean (Reduced $495,000)
Check out the rest of this week’s Luxury for Less listings:
- 1204 Potomac School Road McLean (Reduced $50,000)
- 118 Tapawingo Road SE Vienna (Reduced $50,000)
- 6709 Osborn Street Falls Church (Reduced $60,000)
- 9609 Symphony Meadow Ln Vienna (Reduced $39,000)
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 is a sponsored column by 3Summit Investment Management, LLC based in Vienna, VA. 3Summit designs custom, modern investment portfolios and has unique expertise in managing investment risk.
By Dan Irvine | Principal, 3Summit Investment Management
Many investors who have looked at their investment account recently are stunned by both the size of the losses they have experienced and how quickly those losses happened.
In late February, stock markets around the world descended into bear market territory (losses greater that 20%) in the shortest period in history. That is right, our markets declined to bear market territory faster than during the Great Depression!
Worst of all, conventional diversification techniques of holding stocks, bonds, and precious metals has not helped lessen the pain. The chart below shows the returns of different asset classes from their highs through March 23, 2020.
Asset Class Losses from Highs Through March 23, 2020
The only true safe haven in this market route has been cash. Investors often do not realize that conventional diversification usually fails during severe bear markets until they look at their investment account balances during times like these.
Lowering the Risk of Large Losses
If conventional diversification fails, what can an investor do to protect their portfolio against large losses in bear markets? The best solution is to add additional sources of diversification not found in conventional portfolios but actively used in modern portfolio design.
Investment strategies like trend following are designed to protect portfolios against rare events like we face today. Trend following strategies reduce the amount of stocks in a portfolio when markets begin generating large losses and start to trend down. Trend following strategies are a time-tested method to help avoid large portfolio losses, and they have been successful once again in this bear market.
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 has COVID-19 affected our real estate market so far?
Answer: I hope this column finds all of you healthy and safe. Many people who had planned to or needed to buy or sell their home this year are struggling with that decision during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While I would like to give a straightforward answer, no one knows what is going to happen next because we’ve never been here before. All I can do is offer my perspective on what is happening right now.
What Is Happening In Our Market
As of today, real estate is included as an essential business, so realtors can continue to practice and assist in transactions. However, this is not “business as usual,” including the requirements that social distancing and preventive measures are essentially mandated.
Other service providers like lenders and title companies, are continuing their business operations. Many banks are going to remote and drive-through only operations. Title companies are likely taking precautionary measures as well and they might attempt to employ alternate procedures using mail, electronic means and/or a combination of these to meet their legal requirements.
Combining the reactions of my clients and clients of other local agents I’ve spoken with over the last few days, it seems that most buyers are staying the course with their purchase. This is a period of uncertainty, so financial situations are changing by the minute. While some might elect to sit it out, others will be looking for opportunities to take advantage of low interest rates.
I’ve been closely monitoring the Tysons market, and the number of new listings in the past weeks has not yet changed that much. Within 5 miles from Tysons, there were 113 new listings in the first week of March, 127 on the second week, and 100 new listings on the week of March 16 to the 22.
However, the graphic below provided by ShowingTime indicates the number of showings in Virginia has significantly dropped in the past week.
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’s hard to believe, but agents are still out showing homes for now.
It looks a lot different: gloves, sanitizer, Clorox wipes, or maybe a FaceTime showing, but people are still buying and selling homes in Vienna. My company, McEnearney Associates, has cancelled all public and broker open houses for the remainder of the month (and probably longer), however individual showings are still happening.
In the past 10 days, as of this writing, there were 70 new properties listed for sale in all of Vienna (including a bunch that were listed as “coming soon”). During those 10 days, 34 homes have gone under contract.
Believe it or not, I think any impact on the housing market will be short lived, and it’ll mostly look like lower or paused inventory, especially if our state is put on shut down. Talks of a recession don’t resemble the housing market crash of 2008, mostly because most of the people who own a home right now, were actually qualified to buy it instead of the bad loans given out during 2005-2006.
Unemployment will certainly have an impact on mortgage, but there’s also talks of suspending mortgage payments for a year on Fannie or Freddie mac loans, so I don’t expect there to be a sudden influx of distressed properties when this is done.
My educated guess is that in May or June when we get the “mostly clear” to resume activities, you’ll see all of the homes that would have been listed during March/April hit the market at once. Our low inventory issue may suddenly be temporarily solved.
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.
10501 Walter Thompson Drive, Vienna
7 BD/5.5 BA
Agent: Pearson Smith Realty Llc
Listed: $1,475,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
9430 Delancey Drive, Vienna
4 BD/3 BA
Agent: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Listed: $889,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
2901 Rensselaer Court, Vienna
4 BD/3.5 BA
Agent: Century 21 New Millennium
Listed: $629,000
Open: Saturday & Sunday 1-4 p.m.
7606 Leonard Drive, Falls Church
5 BD/5 BA
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $1,445,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
3271 Blue Heron Drive, Falls Church
4 BD/2.5 BA
Agent: Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc
Listed: $630,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
739 Ridge Drive, McLean
5 BD/3.5 BA
Agent: Central Properties, Llc
Listed: $1,342,000
Open: Friday 5-7 p.m. & Sunday 1-3 p.m.
1843 MacArthur Drive, McLean
4 BD/3 BA
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $875,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.
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].
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 this week (other than COVID-19) is the Federal Reserve cutting rates to zero.
If you already own a home, you’ve probably called your local lender to refinance and if you’ve been considering buying, now is a great time to buy. Despite social distancing and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the spring market is still busy. As a matter of fact, there has been a sense that as the stock market continues to plummet, more investor money will be moved to real estate.
Keeping the low interest rates in mind, now is a great time to buy a beautiful home to quarantine in. This week’s feature is a brand new build home in Pimmit View. Featuring high ceilings, a spa-like master bathroom, gourmet kitchen, and over 5,500 square feet, this house is perfect for hunkering down. This home is also located in the coveted Marshall High School district. It truly has it all.
To see this beautiful home or any of the other homes on the market in the D.C. area, please contact Brandy at [email protected] or 571-263-0206.
7405 Lisle Avenue Falls Church (Reduced $30,000)
Check out the rest of this week’s Luxury for Less listings:
- 7226 Magpie Lane Falls Church (Reduced $20,000)
- 1819 Beulah Road Vienna (Reduced $46,000)
- 1750 Gilson Street Falls Church (Reduced $100,000)
- 6502 Manor Ridge Court Falls Church (Reduced $45,000)
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.
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.
I’m sure you’ve seen the suggested color coded daily schedule circling Facebook in an attempt to keep the kids on a learning path during this shutdown.
In reality, it’s probably more like the one that has a block for “iPad” every other hour. While I’m sure some days will be easier than others — thanks to the good weather we’ve been having — I have pulled together a list of resources you can use to help come up with teachable moments with your kids.
There are a bunch of companies giving away their resources for free this month so use them if you have access!
- FCPS Elementary School Learning Plan by Grade
- FCPS Middle School Learning Plan by Subject
- com online classes
- 12 Museums with online tours
- Adventure Academy for kids 8-13
- Cosmic Kids Yoga
- Scholastic Learn at Home
- Cincinnati Zoo will be doing a Facebook Live everyday at 3 p.m. EDT
- Discovery Education also has some resources here
- If you’re looking for something to do with them that’s more creative, there are so many recipes online for baking or cooking with kids
- PBS Kids has a daily newsletter with ideas for kids everyday
- The DadLab Facebook page also has some creative things to do with kids along with science experiments
- Free Coloring Books from 113 Museums
Here’s a longer list of free resources and another.
Hope you stay healthy, friends!
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.
Government contractors, federal employees and military personnel holding security clearances have a duty to self-report security issues that happen between investigations.
Not reporting timely security concerns can lead to a loss of one’s security clearance in itself. Unfortunately, there are often uncertain about self-reporting and when and how it applies to a clearance holder.
The Duty to Self Report
The duty to self-report was best defined by an administrative judge from the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) in a 2001 case: “[I]t is the responsibility of security clearance holders to report events which negatively affect the status of the security clearance holder or the facility. [A]ny information… [which] reflects adversely on the integrity or character of a security clearance holder should be reported to security personnel to avoid compromising situations that make the security clearance holder vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, or duress.”
Examples of What Might be Reported
A reportable security concern is an incident that falls under one of the Adjudicative Guidelines contained in Security Executive Agent Directive 4 (SEAD 4). In most cases legal counsel should be consulted to determine how to self-report an issue. The following are just a few of the more common examples of security issues that could trigger a duty to self-report:
- An individual uses illegal drugs (including the use of marijuana even in states or countries where legal locally). This can be a very complicated security concern given the intersection of criminal law and clearance law where legal advice will definitely be needed.
- An individual is arrested. The timing and substance of reporting this incident will be important so legal advice will be needed.
- An individual petitions for bankruptcy. Because filing for bankruptcy bears on financial considerations under SEAD 4, the individual should likely report the filing as soon as possible to his or her security officer.
- An individual marries a foreign citizen. Because marrying a foreign citizen can raise foreign influence issues under SEAD 4, it most likely will trigger a duty to self-report.
When Should a Security Concern be Reported?
When an individual who holds a security clearance determines that a security concern requires self-reporting, it is important to do so as soon as timely as possible. The typical procedure for doing so is to notify one’s security officer of the security concern. The security officer may simply take note of the situation, report it or take other action.
The individual almost always feels embarrassed to self-report a security concern. However, not reporting an incident can lead to the loss of an individual’s security clearance. If an individual has questions about what should be reported, he or she should seek legal advice from an attorney experienced in security clearance law as soon as possible. There are risks to self-reporting, so it is important to seek legal counsel prior to doing so where possible.
Contact Us
If you are in need of legal representation or advice on the reporting of security clearance issues or any other security clearance matters, 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.
3331 Military Drive, Falls Church
3 BD/3 BA
Agent: Central Penn
Listed: $739,500
Open: Saturday & Sunday 1-4 p.m.
3046 Hazelton Street, Falls Church
4 BD/3 BA
Agent: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty
Listed: $699,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
6610 Van Winkle Drive, Falls Church
5 BD/4 BA
Agent: Re/Max West End
Listed: $1,195,000
Open: Saturday & Sunday 2-4 p.m.
102 James Drive SW, Vienna
4 BD/3 BA
Agent: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Listed: $760,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
2721 Glencroft Road, Vienna
4 BD/3.5 BA
Agent: Pearson Smith Realty, Llc
Listed: $959,000
Open House: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
8414 Cottage Street, Vienna
4 BD/2.5 BA
Agent: Compass
Listed: $715,000
Open: Saturday & Sunday 1-4 p.m.
1707 James Payne Circle, McLean
4 BD/3.5 BA
Agent: Weichert Realtors
Listed: $1,250,000
Open: Sunday 12-4 p.m.
7110 Sea Cliff Road, McLean
6 BD/5.5 BA
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $1,559,500
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.
163 La Salle Avenue, McLean
4 BD/3.5 BA
Agent: Re/Max West End
Listed: $865,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.
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].
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.
- 1607 Montmorency Drive, Vienna — $984,900
- 600 Tazewell Road NW, Vienna — $1,665,990
- 9809 Wintercress Court, Vienna — $910,000
- 1024 Railroad Avenue, Falls Church — $850,000
- 6626 Tansey Drive, Falls Church — $759,000
- 900 Park Avenue, Falls Church — $1,750,000
- 1160 Old Stage Court, McLean — $1,250,000
- 6502 Monique Court, McLean — $1,300,000
- 7032 Arbor Lane, McLean — $1,395,000
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].
