Arlington Real Estate News » New Construction

Researching Residential Building Permits

Laura — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:21:10 +0000

I recently read the description of a house that said something like “amazing remodel! everything new – deck, windows, kitchen…” and thought “I bet that’s pretty inside.” Then I went to Fairfax County’s website because it appeared the be flip done in 3 months. Much to my surprise, all of this work had been done without ANY permits. NONE. A potential buyer could be walking into a hailstorm of paperwork and backlash from the county when they realize all of the work has been done but without county approval. Some counties are so strict, they may even require the seller to tear out everything and start over with permits. As the new buyer, would you really want to deal with that? Probably not.

It’s important to find out that things were done to code, because if the work was done without permits, how do you think the quality of the work was? hmmm….

Here’s a quick list of places to find permit history by property address. Remember that like all technology, this may not be 100% accurate if it comes up with nothing. If nothing comes up, call the county zoning office just to confirm.

Arlington County Permit Lookup

Town of Vienna, VA

Fairfax County Permit Lookup

Alexandria City Permit Lookup

Washington DC Permit Information

Town of Herndon Permit Information

New Construction Update in Cherrydale: Dominion Heights Condominium

Laura — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:40:42 +0000

In June, The Christopher Companies broke ground on their new condo project located at 3565 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22207 in Cherrydale. The project will be 4 stories, feature 66 condos, 130 parking spaces underground, retail space, and a rooftop deck, landscaped terrace, and bike storage. Construction is expected to last 14-18 months and deliver in 2012.

Prices will start in the mid-$300s.

Now For Sale: The Bromptons at Cherrydale Condos – 3800 Lofts

Laura — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:03:05 +0000

3800 Lofts in Cherrydale

**UPDATE: The developer has decided to turn these into rental apartments. Updated 9/28/2011

After a long time in the making, The Bromptons at Cherrydale Condos are now on the market for sale. After construction drama and county drama was settled, Ed Peete finished construction of this 22-unit boutique condo building between 2010-2011. The condo building is called 3800 Lofts, while the townhomes behind it are known as the Bromptons at Cherrydale.

The units have unique floorplans, hardwood floors, granite counter, stainless steel appliances, lots of light, extra storage, underground parking, and loft style interiors. The building is pet friendly.

Search the new condos for sale: 3800 Lofts

New Construction in Arlington, Clarendon-Courthouse: Court at Lyon Village

Laura — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:04:49 +0000

A new townhome community is on the way for Lyon Village. The future site of the Court of Lyon Village will be the corner of N Veitch St and Lee Highway in Arlington, VA 22201. The community is being built by Evergreene Homes, a local homebuilder since 2007. Here are the features of the Court at Lyon Village:

- Only 13 architecturally distinct townhomes will be built
- Located just 3 blocks from the Courthouse metro
- Designed by W.C. Ralston Architects
- Richly detailed
- Brick and stone exteriors
- 2-car garages
- Oversized windows

Artists Rendition of the Court of Lyon Village

Click here for the siteplan.

Presales begin in July 2011, with prices starting in the high $800s.

2010 Arlington County Development Highlights

Laura — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:07:42 +0000

Just released, this report summarizes 2010 residential and commercial development activity in Arlington County. It’s a great way to see what projects have been approved but not yet under construction, projected excepted to be completed in 2011, and and projects expected to get started this year. Also of interest, demolishes that occurred last year by address and what replaced them (if any). Here are some highlights:

Mulitfamily Projects
Approved in 2010: 0
Began Construction in 2010: 477
Completed Construction in 2010: 1,438
Demolished in 2010: 143

Single Family Homes
Approved in 2010: 0
Began Construction: 97
Completed Construction in 2010: 95
Demolished in 2010: 87

Projects Completed in 2010
Shirlington Crest
3131 Clarendon
Buckingham Commons Phase II

To continue reading the full report, visit the PDF version here.

New Construction in Clarendon: Lyon Pointe Condominium

Laura — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:46:22 +0000

Located along 2702 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22201 in Lyon Village, just 0.6 miles from the Clarendon Metro will be future home of Lyon Pointe Condominium. The site will be breaking ground shortly and will take about 12 months, according to developer, EllisDale Construction and Development; expected delivery will be early 2012. The condo project will be a luxury, high end boutique condo building featuring 8 units ranging in price from the high $600s to mid $800s. Here’s a virtual rendering of what the building will look like: Lyon Pointe Virtual Rendering.

New Construction Update: Myerton Condominiums in Arlington

Laura — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:10:27 +0000

Arlington will see another condo turned apartment turned condo project come to the market in March. Myerton Condominiums, located at 108 South Courthouse Road, Arlington, VA 22204, just 1.2 miles from the Clarendon Metro, was a renovation project in 2007, although originally built in 1947, expected to be condos. However, when the market turned, JBG Companies, decided to turn the project into residential apartments and the units have been leased since then. With the market turning yet again, they’ve now decided to turn the units back into condos for individual resale starting this year. The townhome community, The Townes of Shirlington, experienced similar sales/rental flips recently.

Community Amenities include an outdoor pool, courtyard with grills, a two-level fitness center, a residents lounge, and permit parking.

Check out floor plans, amenities, and a photo gallery on their website: myerton.com

Arlington New Construction Update: Groundbreakings, New Plans

Laura — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:19:34 +0000

Clarendon

I can hear from my home office the constant humming of a drill, as it breaks up the cement currently occupying the site of the future Garfield Park in Clarendon. Construction should take about a year or so to complete, when the 149 apartment complex with retail and office space will be unveiled.

Rosslyn

On January 4th, Abdo broke ground on the future sight of Gas Light Square, a luxury condo building expected to be delivered in 2012.

Rosslyn Commons, located at Clarendon Blvd, Oak St N, Ode St N, 16th St N, and 17th St N, will be the future site of JBG’s proposed 474-unit project. The 474 units spread across 25 town houses and two towers, but whether they’ll be rentals or condos is still TBD. Of the 474, however, 55 will be affordable housing units. Groundbreaking should be sometime this month.

Virginia Square

A 500-unit apartment complex has been proposed by Dittmar Company for the block between Fairfax Blvd, Wilson Blvd, Kansas St N, and Lincoln St N. Not yet approved, the project will take time to get reviewed by the Arlington County Board.

2011 is shaping up to be a year full of plans and groundbreakings, all signs of a rebounding economy. Stay tuned for more updates as they’re available!

Construction Update in Courthouse/Rosslyn: 1900 Wilson Blvd

Laura — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:16:17 +0000

USAA purchased 1900 Wilson Blvd from ZOM for $18M. Zom Inc. bought it in 2006 for $21.5M. The site is 1.73 acres (formerly the Hollywood Video across from the Odyssey Condo) and will be the site of a Class A residential (apartments) and retail site, home to 161 multifamily residences and just over 17,300 square feet of street-level retail space. Zom will stay on as the development manager for the project.

Arlington County’s website has some great renditions of what the project will look like once completed. See the sketches.

Expect ground breaking in the 4th quarter of 2011.

Finding Investment Properties: How To Evaluate Whether It Makes Sense To Buy It

Laura — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:30:38 +0000

You might think i’m crazy to talk about investing in real estate during a recession, especially at a time where so many people have lost their shirts because of real estate investments. Well, did you know more millionaires are made during recessions than booms?

Think about it….real estate is on sale. Prices have dropped, interest rates are historically low, and we know the market will come back up, eventually (although around here our market is already showings signs of growth).

So how should you be looking for in a piece of real estate that will make it “worthy” of being held in your portfolio?

That depends (I know, I hate that answer too). What is your long term goal?

Long-Term Investing

Find: Select ideal neighborhoods, attract sellers and find houses with investment potential.
Analyze: Identify which, if any, improvements to make and analyze the profit potential of any house.
Analyze Cash Flow: Obtain mortgage information, vacancy rates, taxes, HOA (if applicable), and budget for maintenance/repair issues versus average rental prices for similar properties.
Buy: Arrange financing, present the offer and close on the purchase.
Fix: Fix any necessary repairs prior to finding tenants. Keep in mind, not all repairs have to be top of the line (and in many cases, may not be ideal for tenants).
Rent: Find qualified tenants to generate positive cash flow.

The “buy and hold” method of real estate investing is good for people who don’t need liquid assets and/or can benefit from monthly income and tax write offs (note: i’m not a cpa! and don’t play one online or on tv). You should also compare the monthly income you’ll generate to the interest rate a bank would pay you if you left the cash sitting in a CD or other account. Which is higher? What about appreciation in addition to monthly cash flow?

I never recommend people buy a property unless you can guarantee you’ll be generating positive cash flow each month. It’s not my money, so I can’t tell you what to do, but if it was MY money…I wouldn’t buy unless I would be pocketing money each month.

Flipping

Find: Select ideal neighborhoods, attract sellers and find houses with investment potential.
Analyze: Identify which improvements to make and analyze the profit potential of any house.
Buy: Arrange financing, present the offer and close on the purchase.
Fix: Develop a plan for fixing up the house that keeps you on time, within budget and assures top quality.
Sell: Add finishing touches to quickly sell for maximum profit.

Flipping can be tricky if you’re a newbie. You’ll have to consider tax implications, resale potential (if within 90 days of your purchase, you’ll run into some financing restrictions with the FHA), material, labor, permits, etc.

If you’re thinking about investing in real estate and want to talk, please let me know. I’m happy to help you find and evaluate properties for both investments and flipping.