This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
The Reston market is moving at a really brisk pace.
It’s a great time to sell, if you’re buying it’s a little more challenging. In either case the key to success is being ready. If you’re selling do all that you can to get your house ready. If you’re buying get your paperwork in order with your lender so you can get qualified quickly.
Here are a few newcomers to the Reston real estate market:
Meet Princess, a domestic short hair adult female available for adoption locally.
Here is what her friends at Fancy Cats Rescue Team have to say about her:
Princess is extremely affectionate, curious and gentle.
She likes to greet you with a meow, or by rubbing up against your legs. She is content to hang out with you on the couch and will snuggle up next to you, especially at night. She loves to use her scratching post regularly.
Princess thoroughly enjoys bird and squirrel watching too! She loves to be brushed and scratched under her chin, and will reward you with rumbling purrs.
Are you and Princess a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
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.
We represent employees in Virginia who have been fired from their employment. Sometimes, our representation involves claims against the employer and/or negotiations and other times it involves the issue of how they obtain a new position in light of their termination.
The following are 7 tips to consider if an employee ever finds themselves in this particular situation.
Handle Termination Day Calmly
When an employee is terminated, it can be an extreme shock. Sometimes the reasons are known, sometimes the employee is specifically informed about the underlying issues, and other times they really cannot figure out why. In any case, it is very important to handle termination day with as much grace as possible.
Be calm, follow any reasonable instructions and be polite as you leave. Doing so will help the former employee in the future when they are applying for other work. We have represented many employees where termination day ended up badly and the employer made additional notes in their personnel record or even contacted the police.
If Wrongful Termination is Potentially Involved, Obtain Legal Advice
When an employee has been fired, it is important for them to consider all of their options. If there has been a potential illegal action taken by the employer against the employee (e.g. firing the employee for whistleblowing or based on illegal discrimination) it is important to get legal advice about whether or not to pursue any legal options about the termination.
If a wrongful termination exists, there may be ways for an attorney to resolve the matter with the company in a way that makes the employee more readily employable.
Where Appropriate File for Unemployment Compensation
If an employee is terminated unjustly, it can be worth it for them to apply for unemployment compensation while they are finding a new position. Sometimes, employers decline to object to compensation or fail to show up at such hearings. In many cases, employees can be awarded unemployment compensation even if they have been fired.
Prepare an Updated Resume
When an individual who has been fired starts the job search, it is important to work on their resume. Even though the individual has been terminated, it is important to update their resume and list all of their experience and any skills or education gained from the past employer. The sooner this is done, the quicker the ability to rebound becomes.
Write a Note to the Former Supervisor
While this may be difficult, writing a thank you note to a former supervisor can go a long way to mitigating what they may say to another employer. This can be difficult, especially if the employee was treated unfairly, but it can pay significant dividends in terms of future employability. Many supervisors, even if they fire an employee will feel some guilt in doing so.
If an employee responds with a kind letter to them, it can go a long way in mitigating any bad feelings. I find that when terminated employees take this step, many former supervisors will provide them recommendations when they apply for other positions.
Use Other Contacts as References if Needed
Sometimes a supervisor will not provide a reference for your prior employment. In that case, it is important to find others who can potentially vouch for an employee’s service during their prior employment.
For example, sometimes a former supervisor who is no longer with the employer is willing to provide a positive recommendation. In other instances, former co-workers can sometimes provide a recommendation as well.
Practice Job Interviews
When trying to get a new position after being fired, it is important to practice interview skills. It is also particularly important to be able to explain the termination if need be, and to provide other references. It is usually good advice to stay away from sounding defensive or vindictive toward the former employer in explaining the reasons for termination.
A calm and neutral explanation of the termination is usually the best strategy. However, practicing the delivery is very important.
Take an Interim Job if Necessary
Sometimes, when a termination is based on difficult facts for the former employee, it can be important to take a less than ideal employment position to bridge the gap from the termination.
Basically, in this type of situation, the employee takes a position that either doesn’t pay as much as they are used to or where they are overqualified in order to have a current position on their resume as they apply to their ideal position later. This often alleviates or minimizes future concerns from the prior termination.
Conclusion
If you are in need of employment law advice or 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.
This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
The spring market is upon us!
Inventory is low but new listings are generally keeping pace with property going under contract. The middle of the market from 475k-675k is super active and days on market is dropping.
I know I say this every, single week — but it bears repeating. If you are selling your property, the speed of this market is not driving crazy price escalations. If you want to see multiple contracts you should try to come on the market just a little bit on the lower side of your range. That is your very best chance of getting multiple offers with favorable terms.
Status: Pending Sales Past 10 Days
Here are some of the new houses to hit the market:
Meet Ivy, a black Shepherd and Retriever mix puppy available for adoption locally.
Here is what her friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say:
She may be little but she packs a whole lot of personality in that little body!
She is a shepherd/retriever mix who you can just tell by her face is going to be one sweet puppy! She lives up to her name weighing in at 7 lbs at 9 weeks so we don’t believe she will be much more than 40 lbs full grown.
Just the right size for this little love bug! This little sweetie is just the right mix of shyness, curiousness and looking for that permanent home that has her favorite human to love!
Are you and Ivy a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
Buyers are feeling the pinch of the limited housing inventory — especially in the middle price range of the market.
Days on market is averaging 19 with lots and lots of properties going in just 2 or 3 days. Escalation clauses are making a comeback as buyers struggle to position their offers as “the best” among many.
So, what can a buyer do to stand out in a crowd?
Here are a few things that can help:
- Have your financing in order. Get prequalified by a well-known (I prefer “brick & mortar”), lender. Have your letter in-hand ready to go.
- Focus on property that has been on the market for a while. In this market if a property has been on the market for 10+ days, it’s likely overpriced. Time usually softens a seller’s view on the value of their property.
- Make your home inspection for informational purposes only. This may sound scary but you’ll retain your right to void your contract if you find something wrong. Many sellers will become negotiable once they see the results of an inspection.
- Be ready to move fast — have your agent set up “auto-searches” for your target neighborhoods and be ready to go see houses as soon as they hit the market.
- Don’t abandon common sense. Be reasonable, be patient, it will happen eventually.
Here are a few of the houses that sold in the past week in Reston.
Sold & Pending Sale — Past 10 Days
11326 Bright Pond Lane
5 BR/ 3.5 BA
List price: $999,000
Sold Price: $999,000
2229 Cedar Cove Court
3 BR/3.5 BA
List Price: $590,000
Sold Price: $592,000
2270 Wheelwright Court
3 BR/2 BA, 2 half bath
List Price: $473,000
Sold Price: $469,900
1553 Brookshire Court
3 BR/2 BA
List Price: $400,000
Sold Price: $412,000
Meet Magic Mikey, a male Labrador Retriever and Border Collie mix puppy available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about him:
This 5 1/2 month old boy is sweet as can be and ready for a forever home of his own.
He has a gorgeous blonde coat and is up to date on his shots and is neutered. He came into our shelter with his brother Ripley and boy oh boy is someone going to be lucky to have this pup!
He is happy to play and to snuggle and gets along well with other dogs. We estimate that he will grow up to be about 60 pounds or so.
Are you and Magic Mikey a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
The impact of Metro on Reston is hard to miss.
Anyone who’s tried to cross the Dulles Toll Road at rush hour can attest to changes we’ve gone through over the past 5 years. In addition to the impact on traffic and travel, Metro has also had an impact on neighborhoods.
Over the next several weeks I’m going to write about neighborhoods that fall within a 1 mile radius of the three Reston/Herndon Metro stops. This week we’re looking at Polo Fields.
Polo Fields consists of approximately 400 single family homes that were built between 1981 and 1996. They range in size from over 3000 sq. ft. with 6 bedrooms and 4 bath units, to more modest 1800 sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath homes. They generally have nice flat yards that are great for kids and dogs. Many of the houses boast beautiful and welcoming front porches.
Home prices over the past year have ranged from a low 508,000 for a smaller (1875 sq. ft.), property that needed a good bit infrastructure work like windows, roof, HVAC, etc., to a high of $735,000 for a larger 300 sq. ft. plus a finished basement, property that was in tip-top, move-in ready condition.
This has always been a neighborhood that sells well — days on market last year averaged just 14 days, which is about 1/3 of what the overall Reston market averaged.
These homes, which are already really, really desirable have gotten a HUGE location upgrade. Every single one of them is less than one mile to the new metro stop — all of them are a 20 minute or less walk from front door to station — many of them are fewer than 10 minutes from door to station.
It was a really good neighborhood before — being walkable to the Metro bumps this neighborhood up to super desirable.
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
It was a busy weekend in Reston Real Estate.
Lots of buyers are in the hunt for new homes. Limited inventory has created some interesting dynamics. Open house traffic has been enormous and many agents are reporting multiple contracts on their listings.
This has not created crazy price increases; as you can see in the chart below, property is generally selling very close to its list or “last” list price. The exception to this price/inventory dynamic is at the mid-range of the market. Townhouses that are price under 500 and especially in the mid-400 range are very competitive.
My advice to sellers no matter what price their property; come on the market right at the market price, based on recent sales and you’ll have greater control of the selling process. Going on the market high thinking you need “room to negotiate” will only result in extra days on market and ultimately less cash in your pocket.
Sold Past 30 Days — Reston
Here are few of the homes that settled recently in Reston:
11041 Saffold Way
4 BR/2.5 BA
List Price: $ 440,000
Sold Price: $450,000
2604 Mountain Laurel Place
4 BR/2 BA, 2 half bath
List Price: $699,900
Sold Price: $595,000
12369 Lima Lane
4 BR/3.5 BA
List Price: $659,000
Sold Price: $662,000
1601 Purple Sage Drive
2 BR/1.5 BA
List Price: $370,000
Sold Price: $375,000
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.
This article covers the availability of different forms of leave for Virginia private sector employees under Virginia law.
Vacation or Annual Leave
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, private sector employers are not required to provide employees with vacation or annual leave benefits, whether they are paid or unpaid. If an employer chooses to provide this type of leave to employees, however, it must comply with the terms of the employer’s established policy or employment contract.
A private sector employer must pay an employee for accrued annual/vacation leave upon separation from employment if its policy or contract provides for such payment. The courts in the Commonwealth of Virginia have not provided much guidance with respect to leave rights, so an employer is generally free to mostly develop their own annual leave/vacation leave policy.
This means that even if there is a vacation/annual leave policy, the employer could make it a “use or lose” policy or deny payment of annual leave if the employer’s policy is silent on the issue.
Sick Leave
There is no requirement for employers to provide private sector employees with sick leave benefits, whether they are paid or unpaid under Virginia law. However, if an employer chooses to provide sick leave benefits to employees, it must comply with the terms of the employer’s established policies or applicable employment contract.
That said, an employer in Virginia is still subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other federal laws regarding sick leave that must be given to an employee. Generally, under FMLA, the federal law provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year.
Bereavement Leave
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the law does not require private-sector employers to give employees bereavement leave. Bereavement leave is taken by an employee usually due to the death of a close relative.
An employer may choose to provide bereavement leave and may be required to comply with any bereavement policy or practice it maintains. Generally, however, there is no entitlement to bereavement leave.
Holiday Leave
In terms of holiday leave, Virginia law also does not require private employers to provide this type of leave to employees. This applies to both paid and unpaid leave. In fact, Virginia employers can require an employee to work holidays.
A private-sector employer does not have to pay an employee premium pay, such as 1½ times the regular pay rate, for working on holidays, unless such time worked qualifies the employee for overtime under the governing overtime laws (e.g., Fair Labor Standards Act). If an employer chooses to provide either paid/unpaid holiday leave, it must comply with the terms of their established policy or employment contract.
Jury Duty Leave
In Virginia, a private sector employer is not required to pay an employee for time spent on jury duty. However, there is a provision of the Virginia Code which makes it against the law for an
employer to discharge or take any other adverse action against an employee for jury duty service if the employee has given reasonable notice of their required service.
In addition, an employer cannot require an employee to take sick, annual or vacation leave when responding to a jury summons or service on the jury if reasonable notice to the employer has been given.
Military Leave
Similar to federal law, under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), Virginia has laws that protect the employment status of the men and women who serve in the armed forces.
Virginia law prohibits employers from discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee because he or she is a member of the Virginia National Guard, Virginia State Defense Force or naval militia. The Virginia law covers all public and private employers, regardless of size. An employer that violates this provision can be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Voter Leave
The Commonwealth of Virginia does not have a law that requires an employer to grant its employees leave, paid or unpaid, to vote. This should be changed, in the author’s opinion, but that is the case today. However, Virginia law does require an employer to provide an employee time off to serve as an election officer if the employee has given reasonable notice of the need for leave.
Such leave need not be paid by the employer. The leave does not need to be paid. A Virginia employer that fails to allow an employee to take time off to serve as an election officer can be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Conclusion
If you are in need of employment law advice or assistance, 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.
Joining the latest and greatest at Ballston Quarter, 5 Wits officially opened for business earlier last month, bringing its unique style of interactive entertainment to the Arlington area.
Located in a 15,000 square foot facility within the mall, 5 Wits creates deeply immersive, theme park-style adventure experiences. Guests travel through real, physical environments, interacting with their surroundings through challenges, puzzles and elaborate special effects.
Each adventure tells its own story, with its guests’ performance deciding the outcome: the ending actually changes depending on how well its participants perform.
While the technology that runs this massive $2 million venue is cutting edge, the company behind it isn’t exactly new — in fact, 5 Wits is celebrating its 15th year in business. Its arrival in Ballston Quarter signals a shift toward entertainment-based offerings that set the redeveloped center apart as a destination.
“5 Wits is excited to bring our adventures to the Arlington area in such a unique and dynamic project. Ballston Quarter is curating an experience that the community is going to love,” says Frank Cerio, the company’s COO.
As Nothern Virginia’s newest dining, shopping and entertainment destination, the revitalized Ballston Quarter’s focus on experiential entertainment retailers continues well beyond 5 Wits. Offerings like play space Nook, entertainment complex Punch Social Bowl and Onelife Fitness compliment new expansive gathering spaces and fresh retail and culinary brands.
Community members and visitors are invited to experience the new heart of Ballston with continued openings, spring and summer holiday celebrations and seasonal programming that make Ballston Quarter a year-round community experience.
This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
Inventory is finally creeping up – slowly, but new listings are finally starting to hit the market.
Reston has 171 properties on the market, not robust but on the rise. The market remains stubbornly price sensitive; listings perceived by buyers to be over-priced will sit, while those coming in right at the market price will get multiple offers, often going above list price but not by huge amounts.
The cautionary tale to sellers, you need to be the best priced, best presented item in your category. You can be a “fixer” but try to be as well presented as you possibly can be, and get to the right price!
Here are some new listings in Reston this week.
Meet Monty, a male domestic short hair and tabby mix available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society have to say about him:
Monty is a playful and lovable boy. He enjoys affection and being brushed.
His favorite toys are small mice and balls that he can bat and chase around. Temptation treats will definitely get his attention, especially when you shake the canister.
He knows what treatsies mean… so you better have some ready if you say that word.
Are you and Monty a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
Virginia Tech’s Evening MBA program moved up three places to No. 14 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 rankings of the best part-time MBA programs.
The Northern Virginia-based program now ranks as the top public university part-time MBA in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The report assessed more than 300 part-time MBA programs across the country on factors such as student quality, peer reputation and the ratio of part-time to full-time students.
“This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Evening MBA has featured in the top 20 programs nationwide,” said Dana K. Hansson, director of MBA programs. “We believe the faculty expertise and high level of flexibility we offer are key factors in continuing to attract high quality students to our program.”
The Evening MBA is one of three MBA programs offered by the Pamplin College of Business. With many shared courses and faculty, the Executive and Professional MBA program options offer a similar academic experience to the Evening program, but with alternate formats and locations to better serve a range of students.
“What we did at Virginia Tech a few years ago was to say that we really want to focus on the working professional — someone who wants to enhance their career or make a change in the direction of their career, but not at the expense of continuing to be a business professional,” says Pamplin Dean Robert Sumichrast. That allows those students to come into the classroom, he adds, “and use what they’ve learned as part of the experience of the MBA program.”
This commitment to serving part-time students contributed to Virginia Tech’s highest ever overall score in the ranking. Another contributing factor was a strong appraisal by other programs.
“We’re particularly proud of the peer assessment score given the high quality of other programs in the nation,” said Dr. Parviz Ghandforoush, associate dean for graduate programs at Pamplin. “In part, we believe the high rating is due to our commitment to offering cutting-edge courses in areas like innovation and entrepreneurship, machine learning/AI and cybersecurity that aren’t available to students in more traditional MBA programs.”
This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
Reston’s housing inventory is finally starting to pick up.
We’ve got 165 properties listed, 10 of those have a status of Coming Soon — but much better than it has been! The market is moving at a brisk pace with days on market dropping to an average of 25 days. Expect more houses to come on the market as we move into Spring.
Here are some of the new properties hitting the market.
