With the unemployment rates out and construction trends seemingly stagnant, what is it about South Arlington that keeps the builders -a’building?
It doesn’t hurt that South Arlington lays precisely 3.5 miles from the Pentagon and 4 miles to get into DC, or less, depending on which route you take. A mile down the Super-man hill and you have the charming character of Shirlington Village and all that entails for someone who wants to live-work and play in a one mile radius! South Arlington is a highly desirable area and the fact that there are many vacant lots and for sale by owner lots available doesn’t hurt. Right now, as I am sitting here, I can literally see a bobcat digging away at the vacant lot behind my South Arlington home office. Two streets over, on S. Nelson, there are currently two home sites in different phases of construction, one the slab has been poured and is just getting ready for framing to being and the other, the lot is being cleared for construction, prepping for the slab pour.
Construction jobs seem to still be aplenty in the Northern Virginia real estate market and looking out the window, I see that in full swing. New construction is fully available, whether it is a single family or a multi-family project. I’m excited to see which direction my clients will go this year, because I have already seen a shift in some of my clients from wanting the new-new-newness of a new-construction to the comfort and character of the existing homes the Northern Virginia, especially what Arlington has to offer.
This concept of construction jobs being available and new construction being on nearly every corner in South Arlington is interesting because construction jobs were the jobs that seemed to not have any movement in the December 2011 unemployment rate release that was announced early this week. Another interesting thing is, that it doesn’t seem to be that way, yet again, in for the Northern Virginia real estate market. We saw a similar issue with the real estate market in general in the DC Metro area in the last year, as the rest of the nation went stagnant or took a tumble, the DC Metro area and Northern Virginia held strong and real estate continued to drive the area’s industry. It is like we’re in this interesting bubble that is slightly unaffected by what the national levels are recorded at.
Is it the government job availability? Is it that people are still spending money on real estate in Northern Virginia? Well, I do have the answer to one of those questions; yes. Yes, people are buying homes in Northern Virginia. People are even buying new construction homes and speculative homes in Northern Virginia. Green and sustainably built homes are still being constructed, especially in Arlington, as we can see by the sheer numbers recorded by the Arlington Green Home Choice program for last year and that EarthCraft Virginia is noting that they have a record number of projects on the books for this quarter. With three homes within one tenth of a mile of each other being built as we speak… there is something going on in South Arlington. Say it with me now…. Boom town.
If you or someone you know is interested in talking about Northern Virginia Real Estate, give me a call- I’m happy to talk to you about your real estate needs.
