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: We are preparing to put our house on the market this spring and wondering if you have any advice on what improvements we should make before listing.

Answer: The decisions you make on what money you do or do not spend improving your home prior to a sale often influence your bottom line more than any other decision you make during the sale process. They’re also the decisions you’re most in control of, so take your time and take them seriously.

Remodeling.com publishes an annual report showing the resale return of specific remodeling jobs, based on region of the country. Unfortunately, I can’t share the D.C. area report here because of copyright issues, but it’s worth going to the link (you have to provide them some basic info) to take a look yourself. The findings of their report show that the majority of projects, done individually, return just 50-80% of the cost.

Note that I said when “done individually” most projects return well below 100% of the money spent, but when you combine the right improvements you can create value/profit that can add to your bottom line.

Tier Your Improvements

After you prepare a full list of potential improvements, it’s important to put them into categories and analyze each category for cost, project timeline and impact on the expected resale value to determine which improvements make the most sense. Here are three categories:

• Clean-out, Clean-up: This focuses on the low cost, high return items to make a home more presentable such painting, deep cleaning, repairs, light landscaping, etc.
• Bring up to par: Investing in more expensive projects to bring them up to par with the rest of the home. For example, improving a dated kitchen if the rest of the home is updated so that the kitchen doesn’t drag down the value of the other improvements or replacing damaged hardwood floors.
• Remodel: Similar to what an investor might do to a dated home in an expensive neighborhood, a homeowner might choose to make a major investment into updates and benefit from a significant profit.

Consider All Costs

The cost of doing improvements goes beyond the cost of the labor and materials. Don’t forget to consider things like:

• Your time managing the work
• Inconvenience of having work done while you’re living in the home
• Carrying cost while work is being done, if the home is vacant
• Risk of something going wrong during the work (applies more to larger projects)

100%+ ROI

There’s no doubt that remodeling your bathroom will generate a higher sale price, but it’s rarely advisable to invest money into improvements if you won’t return more than 100% on the investment. Herein lies the challenge and strategy in planning your improvements. Understanding the profile of your likely buyers and what they value is crucial to making investments that generate profit, not just a higher price.

If you’d like to discuss buying or selling strategies, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]. If you’d like a question answered in my column or to set-up a meeting to discuss local real estate, please send an email to [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 Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

As the fall sports wrap up and the weather turns cold, I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to dread the cold days inside with nowhere to go and nothing to do due to COVID-19. So, I’ve been looking around for activities that I’d feel comfortable taking my kids to as something to look forward to.

I’ve found it takes very little to get them excited these days. If you’re like me, take a look at this list and see what makes you feel comfortable venturing out!

The Ni Family Lights: 2528 Drexel Street, Vienna
Now through October 31, 6:30-9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m. (hours vary on weekends)
A 28 minute light show set to 8 songs!

House of Terror and Trunk or Treat: Old Firehouse in McLean
Saturday, October 24, 6-9 p.m.
Best for kids age 10 or over.

Haunted Mini Golf: Upton Hill in Arlington
October 28-October 31, 4-8 p.m.
Buy one adult round, get one kids round free. Children in costumes receive a spooky treat!

Haunted Trail and Festival: The Salamander Resort
October 28-October 31, 6:30-9 p.m.
A haunted 0.6 mile trail for kids ages 4- 12, plus food and other activities.

Halloween Drive-Up Movie Night: Tysons II
Friday, October 30
6 p.m. — Car trick or treating
6:45 p.m. — Scooby-Doo Stage Fright
8:45 p.m. — Beetlejuice
Proceeds benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

Spooktacular Science Show: Veteran Amphitheater in Fairfax
Saturday, October 31, 1:30-2:15 p.m.

Drive-by Pumpkin Patch: Fairfax High School
October 31, 6-9 p.m.
Drive through to look at various carved pumpkins on display. Also accepting donations for A Place to Stand (cereal, granola bars, oatmeal, crackers, PB&J, dried beans, rice and pasta).

I have a poll for you, because who doesn’t love to give their opinion? When house hunting in the fall/winter, do holiday decorations (Halloween blow ups for example) deter you from looking at the house?

When the novel coronavirus pandemic upended Americans’ daily lives in March, Great Falls resident James Ye turned to a 110-year-old organization for guidance: the Boy Scouts.

Now a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Ye joined Boy Scouts of America Troop 55 when he was in fifth grade and has since accumulated about 1,000 hours of community service.

Ye says the values espoused by the Scout Oath and Law, which include volunteering, were on his mind when he saw a Facebook advertisement seeking volunteers for the Volunteer Fairfax Donations Collection Warehouse.

“During national historic crises, Scouting organizations have always jumped into action, sort of helped out in emergency response,” Ye said. “…I think the coronavirus is another example of a historic national disaster, and being a Scout, just doing your duty to your country, I wanted to be a part of that.”

Led by the nonprofit Volunteer Fairfax, the warehouse is Fairfax County’s hub for organizing masks, food, and other resources for community organizations as part of its COVID-19 emergency response.

At first, Ye mostly helped Volunteer Fairfax emergency response manager Tejas Patel maintain an inventory of the donations passing through the warehouse, but his duties later expanded to include greeting and contacting donors, doing research, and sharing content on social media.

Ye, who amassed 190 service hours at the warehouse, is one of thousands of local community members who have contributed to Fairfax County’s pandemic emergency response as volunteers.

Fairfax County reported on Oct. 6 that close to 3,000 volunteers have collectively spent 96,006 hours since Mar. 17 helping various county services, including the police and fire departments, public libraries, and Domestic and Sexual Violence Services.

In addition, more than 1,000 individuals have signed up for the Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps, which assists the Fairfax County Health Department in emergencies. With 521 volunteers now onboarded, 233 people have contributed 4,392 volunteer hours since Mar. 1, doing everything from managing medical supply donations to assisting at community testing sites and back-to-school immunization clinics. Read More

Not everyone has the time or financial resources to commit to a full master’s degree program. Some may already have a master’s and are just looking for a narrow update on a current skillset. For these reasons, Virginia Tech’s 100% online Master of Information Technology program now offers IT professionals the option to earn a graduate certificate in 10 specialized IT subject areas.

“IT leaders can find a certificate that speaks exactly to their professional needs without having to commit several years to pursuing a master’s degree,” says Barbara Hoopes, Associate Professor of Business Information Technology at Virginia Tech. In fact, students can earn a certificate in as little as 12 months as a part-time student.

Whether looking to simply enhance existing skills or prepare for a major career transition, students can expect to reap these rewards:

Enhanced Marketability — Both experienced and aspiring IT professionals can enhance their expertise through thoughtfully designed certificates that allow students to develop skills in areas where a current dearth of talent is driving competitive salaries and prime opportunities for career advancement.

Explore High-Demand Areas — Earning a certificate offers a relatively quick opportunity to explore a high-demand content area, like Cybersecurity, Business Data Analytics, or Health Information Technology, to boost marketability and stay abreast of IT trends. Employers can also use a certificate “to contribute to the skill sets and the knowledge base of employees without having to release them to earn a degree as a full-time student,” says Hoopes.

Greater Convenience — Exclusively online, a VT-MIT master’s degree or graduate certificate satisfies an increasing demand among IT workers for greater flexibility. Students can easily switch between full or part-time status and shift their course loads to match their personal and professional demands. An online VT-MIT degree or graduate certificate offers students the skills they need while at the same time balancing today’s personal, professional and academic demands.

Learn more about Virginia Tech’s 100% online Master of Information Technology and graduate certificate options at vtmit.vt.edu.

The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University is offering a new three-part series of “virtual visits” to campus for prospective undergraduate students to see first-hand the opportunities and world-changing subject matter that a Schar School student encounters.

“The virtual visits will showcase some of the high-profile professors, students, and graduates who make the Schar School one of the highest ranked policy and government schools in the country,” said Shannon Williams, who works in student services and is coordinating the virtual visits. “The variety of the topics of the three events range from examining the future of American democracy to justice and prison privatization to getting ready for your career in changing the world. Prospective students will be able to ask questions at the end and they can register for one session or all three, at no cost.”

The virtual visit series will be held October 13-15, at 6 p.m. EDT. Topics throughout the week include:

• Bridging the Divide? Political Polarization and the Future of American Democracy
  Tuesday, October 13
  6-7:15 p.m. (EDT)
  A government and politics panel of Schar School professors, joined by a current student and a recent graduate, discuss the idea of polarization and its impact on the future of American democracy
• Preparing for a Career that Makes a Difference
  Wednesday, October 14
  6-7:15 p.m. (EDT)
  An internship and career readiness panel with Undergraduate Student Services, Mason Career Services, and Schar School students and alumni share various resources and opportunities available to students
• Corporate Profit or Public Good? Prison Privatization and the Question of Justice
  Thursday, October 15
  6-7:15 p.m. (EDT)
  A policy and law panel with Schar School professors and the school’s pre-law advisor, joined by a current Schar School student and a recent graduate, examine corporate profit versus public good and their impacts on the core of America’s justice system
  

Register to attend any or all of the virtual visits.

With a BA in Government and International Politics and the BS in Public Administration, students are poised to make an impact globally and locally.

To learn more about other upcoming events, please visit our event calendar or connect with the Schar School Office of Undergraduate Student Services at [email protected].

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: We’re closing on our new home in 2 weeks and we’re very excited! The one thing we’re not looking forward to is the stress of the actual moving process. Do you have any tips to make it easier?

Answer: You just went through the house shopping experience in this crazy market, and now you have to pack and move! Moving is never exactly fun but it usually leads to a positive outcome. Almost everyone does end up moving at some point, (and I have yet to meet someone who actually enjoys it!) so I gathered some moving tips and tricks from clients, friends and colleagues to make the whole process a bit easier.

Before Moving Day

• Schedule your utilities as soon as you know when you’re closing on your new home so they’re on by moving day. Sellers usually discontinue utilities on settlement date and if they haven’t been transferred by then, you may get charged for a reconnection fee. Also, some companies may take a few days to set up utilities and you don’t want to move into a house with no electricity or water.
• Purge items to sell or donate. If you’re selling them, you can use OfferUp, Mercari, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or check for local Virtual Yard Sale groups on Facebook. If you’re donating, check the local COVID-19 safety protocols for the place you choose to give your donation to.
• Take a picture of the back of your TV before you unplug the cable box, game consoles, surround speakers, HDMI cables, and amazon fire stick so you remember where everything goes.

Packing

• Go green. U Haul has the Take a Box, Leave a Box program where you get free boxes. After your move is concluded you can drop your boxes off for someone else to reuse. Lend a Box delivers 100% recyclable plastic boxes to your door and picks them up after your move.
• Free boxes from liquor stores or big box retailers are a great way to save some cash. Just make sure you only get sturdy, good quality boxes. Avoid grocery store boxes as they may contain pests.
• Avoid mixing items from different rooms in the same box. It will make your packing quicker and your unpacking a lot easier, too.
• Go for small or medium sized boxes instead of big ones. It’s best to pack heavier items in small/medium boxes, and use the large boxes for lighter items such as pillows and linens so one person should be able to carry it. If two people need to carry the box, especially upstairs, you will lose time.
• Moving Labels are color coordinated and can easily be seen. Assign a color to each room and mark the boxes accordingly. Go the extra mile and label each box with its contents.
• Use a dry clean bag or plastic garbage bag to hold hanging clothes together. Then, simply carry the bundle from your old closet to your new closet!
• As you pack up your kitchen, put the sharp end of knives into an oven mitt or wrap them in a dish towel. Use some packing tape to secure them to prevent injuries when you unpack.
• If you take apart any furniture, keep all of the little pieces in a Ziplock bag. Then, tape the bag to the furniture so you know where it belongs when you need to put it back together.

If You’re Hiring Movers

• Hire movers as soon as you know your closing date. Good movers get booked months in advance.
• If possible, try to schedule it during the week day. Weekends tend to be the busiest. Moving during the week will not only save you time and money, but has more services open in the event you run into unforeseen circumstances.
• If the movers have to “squeeze you in”, find another company. If their schedule is too busy and they agree to “squeeze you in”, they may show up late, or exhausted from other moves before yours.
• Book the earliest morning time slot available. The moving crew will be fresh so they’ll get the job done faster and typically do a better job.
• Have plenty of hand sanitizer on hand for your movers and yourself and make sure to have soap in the bathroom of the house you’re moving from.

I hope you find at least some of these tips helpful! Moving takes a lot of work and I hope you use the excitement for your new home as a motivator to get everything done. If I missed any tips, please share them with me so I can add them to my list.

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 Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

We all look for opportunities for our kids to expose them to new things outside of school. Some of the popular ones around Northern Virginia is sports, Karate/Tae Kwon Do, crafts, or music.

Luckily for us, there are a number of opportunities to expose your children to making music. I’m listing some of my favorite organizations below, which are offering both in person programs as well as online. In “normal” times, they also offer after school programs.

Vienna

Vienna Jammers — 314 Dominion Road NE, Vienna

Originally created in 2005-2006 by Vienna Elementary music teacher, Dave Reynolds. Jammers are a group of kids between the ages of 8 and 17 that play percussion instruments like the marimbas, hand drums, trash cans and steel pans. Practices range from 1-2 times per week and include performances like the Vienna Halloween Parade, Viva Vienna, the “Big Jam” in May, and typically an overnight trip for a performance for the older kids.

Typically, Vienna Jammers holds a “mini camp” in the fall and winter as an introduction to the group, which also makes them eligible for the Summer Experience Camp which is the audition for 2nd and 3rd grade for entry into Jammers. There are several different “colors” which dictates the level of commitment: Green and White (2-6 grade), Black (5-6 grade), Red (2-4 grade) and Steel/Platinum (7 grade +). For more information on the Jammers organization, visit their website.

School of Rock — 111 Center Street S., Vienna

The School of Rock offers lessons in guitar, drum, singing, bass guitar, keyboard and piano. They also offer a program in songwriting. They have in person and online classes for kids as young as 3, along with adult programs. Weekly schedules include a private lesson along with a group rehearsal. You’ll often see these kids in the parking lot giving performances nowadays. They also perform at many of the Vienna town events like Oktoberfest, Viva Vienna and Taste of Vienna. Learn more about their programs here.

Harmonia School of Music & Art — 204-F Mill Street NE, Vienna

Harmonia offers music programs in voice, guitar, woodwinds, brass, piano, violin, viola and cello. They also have a theater option, summer camp and online options. The programs offered include private and group classes. Find more information here.

Vienna Academy of Music and Arts — 2561 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna

VAMA offers private lessons in piano, flute, guitar, trumpet and voice, along with music for babies and toddlers. They’re currently offering online classes as well. Find more information here.

McLean

Bach to Rock — 6649A Old Dominion Drive, McLean (Balducci’s Plaza)

Bach to Rock offers classes in guitar, piano, drums, voice, DJ, violin, trumpet as well as their Beat Refinery DJ School which offers mixing, scratching and music production. Their programs include individual lessons, group classes, parties and camps. You can find more information here.

McLean School of Music — 6723 Whittier Avenue, Suite L-5, McLean

McLean School of Music offers classes in piano, violin, viola, cello, voice and singing, guitar, bass, ukulele, clarinet, saxophone, euphonium, baritone, tuba, trumpet and trombone. Currently offering online classes, they provide private lessons and offer 3 recitals per year. Find more information here.

With national recognition for safety excellence, Inova is at the leading edge of the science of safety for you.

Inova’s comprehensive care program, Safe@Inova, gives details about the safety of their locations, strict PPE requirements and cleaning protocols, so you feel confident it’s safe for you to receive the care you need.

Whether you come to Inova for routine care, emergency care or COVID-19 care, you’re Safe@Inova.

In an uncertain economy, professionals may find that returning to school for an MBA can be a productive way to sharpen skills and add credentials while working to launch the next stage of their careers.

Virginia Tech’s Evening MBA program, based in the university’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church, has attracted many new students this fall for several reasons, said MBA programs director Dana Hansson. These include its stellar reputation and top 20 national ranking; dedicated faculty, many with industry experience; extensive alumni network; and great value.

Those who majored in science, engineering and other nonbusiness disciplines as undergraduates — such as Ryan Feber, a 2003 Virginia Tech graduate in computer science, and Bryan Gassenmeyer, who earned a degree in industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech in 2006 — have found that not only is a prior business education not needed to enroll or excel in an MBA program, but that technical backgrounds can be a basis for diversifying or rounding out knowledge and skills for managing or leading change in today’s data economy.

Others like Cody Neder, a 2014 finance alumnus, and Alexis Monahan, a 2006 graduate in communications and psychology, have lauded the program for the business and management knowledge and skills they’ve gained and the rich contributions to their learning from faculty and classmates with diverse professional backgrounds.

And, because life circumstances can change, a program that offers flexibility and affordability — students can shift between full-time and part-time status and apply for paid graduate assistantships — are two more pluses.

Maryann Romero’s experience reflects both these benefits. A stay-at-home mom at the time with an undergraduate degree in communications and rhetorical studies from Syracuse University, Romero finished up in two-and-a-half years and credits the program for opening the door to a new career as a client insights analyst at a media analytics company.

Lastly, Virginia Tech’s caring and supportive community of faculty and staff left a lasting impression on Nicholle Clinton, who received a marketing degree in 2007 and currently expects to complete her MBA in December 2020. Clinton coped with a series of serious family illnesses and losses during her senior year as well as early in her MBA studies. She is grateful for the compassion and assistance she received during both periods from the teaching faculty and program staff.

Learn more about how Virginia Tech can support your career goals at mba.vt.edu.

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.

As many have heard, as of July 1, 2020, the new Virginia Human Rights Act began to provide new protections from discrimination for employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. A lesser-known form of discrimination was also prohibited as of that date, which prohibits race discrimination based on hairstyle. Governor Northam signed the VHRA into law on March 4, 2020.

The Virginia legislature, in amending the VHRA, included a ban on discrimination “because of or on the basis of traits historically associated with race, including hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.”

Governor Northam stated, in approving the law: “It’s pretty simple — if we send children home from school because their hair looks a certain way, or otherwise ban certain hairstyles associated with a particular race — that is discrimination… This is not only unacceptable and wrong, it is not what we stand for in Virginia. This bill will make our Commonwealth more equitable and welcoming for all.” The Governor’s press release also cited to comments by Virginia Delegate McQuinn: “A person’s hair is a core part of their identity… Nobody deserves to be discriminated against simply due to the hair type they were born with, or the way in which they choose to wear it. The acceptance of one’s self is the key to accepting others.”

The Commonwealth of Virginia is now the fourth state to ban race-based hairstyle discrimination after California, New Jersey and New York passed similar laws. Colorado is in the process of enacting a similar law presently, and more than 20 other states have similar legislation proposed or pending.

This new legislation is likely to need to a 2-3 year period of adjustment as employers in Virginia start to realize that such forms of discrimination are against the law either through the complaint process or in court. A link to the new Virginia law is located here.

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