Question: Do I have to use my Property Manager if I sell my house?
Answer: This is more of a PSA post than anything else. If you’re a landlord or tenant, it’s crucial to pay attention to the fine print in agreements, especially regarding a future property sale. It’s common for Property Managers or Agents to include language that gives them the right to list your property if you choose to sell it or gives them a right to a commission in the event it sells during the rental period, to the tenant or somebody else.
Property Managers With Exclusive Right to Sell
Watch out for language granting property managers or agents exclusive rights to list your property if you decide to sell. This exclusivity restricts your options and flexibility, limiting your ability to explore alternative selling methods or use the agent of your choosing.
Required Commission Payments
Be aware of language stipulating a commission to property managers or agents if you sell your property to the tenant or another buyer during the rental period. Landlords might be obligated to pay a commission, even if they find an alternative buyer or wish to handle the sale independently. This financial burden can significantly impact both parties.
What If an Exclusivity or Commission Clause Exists?
Like most things in a contract, these clauses are negotiable. If you see something that you believe binds you to certain actions or payments in the event of a sale, ask about it and work to ensure you have the most flexibility if a sale does take place. You may not plan to sell when you sign the paperwork, but life happens and priorities change.
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to Eli@EliResidential.com. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.
Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH @Properties, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460.
Question: How did the Arlington condo market perform in the first half of 2022?
Answer: It has been quite a ride for the Arlington condo market over the past four years!
After a long stretch of relatively little appreciation from ~2013-2018, the condo market surged on the November 2018 news of Amazon HQ2 and then flatlined when COVID lockdowns began in the spring of 2020. Beginning in the summer of 2020, condo inventory flooded the market in record volume, causing the market to soften and prices to drop.
Conditions were improving by the summer of 2021 as demand picked up. By early 2022, competition return to the market with more multiple offers and escalations. The competition didn’t last long, as the entire housing market began to slow due to high interest rates and worsening economic conditions.
After much volatility in the condo market since late 2018, I think we are finally seeing signs of the market finding its natural balance — moderately favorable for sellers, while providing buyers with a range of options and the occasional opportunity for a discount.
Let’s look at the stats behind the first half of the 2022 Arlington condo market…
Pace of New Inventory Evens Out
From 2013-2018, the Arlington condo market averaged ~500 and ~700 new listing in the first and second quarter, respectively. Those numbers dropped off a cliff in 2019 and 2020 because people chose to hold properties because of Amazon’s announcement (Q1 2019-Q1 2020) and then held in Q2 2020 because nobody knew what to do when COVID hit. Then the pace of inventory surged at a record-shattering pace from the summer of 2020 through the end of 2021.
Inventory levels finally came down to earth, closer to their 2013-2018 averages, with 576 and 651 new condo listings in the first and second quarters of 2022, respectively.
Supply/Demand Levels Back to Normal-ish
With the easing of new inventory volume and demand coming back to level, Months of Supply (a measure that combines supply levels with the pace of demand) has returned to levels more in-line with pre-Amazon years and what I would consider to be the Arlington condo market’s natural balance.
Housing economists consider six months of supply to be a truly balanced market for buyers and sellers, but we rarely see a sub-market around here that gets close to six months. 1.5-2 months of supply is a favorable market for sellers, but it usually takes less than one month of supply for multiple offers and escalations to become a common occurrence.
Demand Metrics Tell Similar Story
The return to balance is showing up on the supply and demand sides of the equation, although demand seems to be marginally stronger that it was pre-Amazon announcement, which I’d attribute to how expensive townhouse/single-family properties have gotten lately, driving more demand towards less expensive condos.
What we can see from the chart below is that the speed of the market, measured by the percentage of properties going under contract within the first ten days, has improved over last year but has fallen well below 2019/2020 levels. The same goes for the percentage of properties selling for at or above the asking price.
Good Half-Year for Two-Bedroom Condos
All pricing data points to the first half of 2022 being a great year for two-bedroom condos and an okay year for one-bedroom units. Here are some key pricing data points:
The median price of a two-bedroom condo increased 11.7% to $550,000 in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021
The median price of a one-bedroom increased 3% to $380,000
The average price of a two-bedroom increased 15.7% to $620,616 compared to 3% to $381,220 for a one-bedroom condo
On a $/SqFt basis, two-bedroom condos increased 7.4% to $517/SqFt compared to 2.8% to $497/SqFt for one-bedrooms
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to Eli@EliResidential.com. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.
Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH @properties, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460.
Question: Do you think it is a good idea for our condo board to consider setting a cap on the number of units that can be rented at a given time?
Answer: One of the most common debates within condo buildings is whether an Association should limit the number of condo units that can be rented concurrently. There are some benefits of limiting the number of owners who can rent out their unit(s), but I think it’s the wrong decision for most buildings because it can hurt property values and is unnecessary, in most cases.
For the sake of clarity, when I refer to rental/investor units in a building, I am referring to individual unit owners renting their unit(s) out to tenants instead of occupying it themselves (they are considered investors).
Lending Misinformation
There is a lot of misinformation out there about how the number of rental units in a building effect the warrantability of a building (ability of future buyers to secure a mortgage). Here are the limits you need to be aware of:
Fannie/Freddie Loans: Conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac do not have any rental limits for primary and secondary home loans. They limited the number of rentals in a building to 50% for investor loans only.
VA (Veterans) Loans: No rental limits. The VA does not like seeing rental caps and may not approve a building for VA loans if they do have rental limits in place.
FHA Loans: FHA loans are restricted in buildings with more than 50% of units rented. FHA loans represent a small percentage of the loans written in this area.
Jumbo/Private Loans: High balance loans (over $970,800 loan amount), not insured by Fannie/Freddie, have a wide range of guidelines. Some have rental restrictions and others don’t, but in general jumbo/private loans tend to have more conservative lending guidelines and a higher chance of restricting a loan due to the number of units being rented. However, many banks will make exceptions, especially with higher (30%+) down payments and there are many alternative lending options in the jumbo/private arena a buyer can choose from.
Pro: Better Quality of Living
Owner-occupants generally invest more in their home, take better care of common areas, and take more pride in developing a strong social community. In small associations or those intent on maintaining a certain standard of living, quality of living may prevail over property value.
Cons: Buyer Turn-Off, Forced Sales
Many buyers want to keep their options open to renting a unit out after they are done using it as their primary residence and are turned off by the idea of a rental cap and plenty will not buy in a building if there is a cap, even if it’s unlikely to be reached. By turning otherwise motivated and qualified buyers away, you’re bound to hurt the market value of units in your building.
If a rental cap is reached and enforced, it can hurt market values even more because homeowners are forced to sell if they move out and a forced sale may result in a homeowner agreeing to take a worse deal when they would have otherwise chosen to rent the unit until they can sell into a strong market.
Track Rental Activity in Your Building
Even if you do not have a rental cap, it’s still important to track which units are being rented out. At a minimum, your Board/Management should receive a copy of each lease and keep a basic spreadsheet to be able to report on which units are being rented. In my experience, I have found that most buildings in Arlington settle into a rental percentage of 20-35%. For some buildings, like those in the heart of Clarendon, I see higher rental percentages, sometimes exceeding 50%.
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to Eli@EliResidential.com. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.
Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH @properties, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460.
Question: What are the local laws governing short-term rentals in the DC area?
Answer: I hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend! Some of you may have stayed at an Airbnb this weekend and come back with grand plans of buying your own investment property to rent out.
If you’re considering purchasing an investment property for short-term rentals (STR), like Airbnb, one of the most important things to research early on are the local laws governing them. With all the tourism to the DC area, a short-term rental property can be quite lucrative, but most local governments in this region have laws in place to prevent properties from being used exclusively for short-term rentals and thus limit your expected returns.
It’s also important to know that short-term rental restrictions from Homeowner, Condo, or Cooperative Associations take precedent over any local laws and it is extremely rare to find an Association that allows for any rental period less than 6 or 12 months.
Short-term rentals are defined as properties rented out for less than 30 consecutive nights to the same renter.
I compiled a list of the local STR laws in the greater DC area and summarized them below with links to the government websites where the information is detailed:
Arlington County: Allowed in units used by the owner as his/her primary residence (the owner occupies the unit at least 185 days of the year). Cannot use detached accessory dwellings for short-term rentals.
Washington DC: Unlimited rentals if the property is owner-occupied during the rental (rental is for partial use of the home), limited to 90 nights of rentals per calendar year for properties that are not owner-occupied during the rental (renter has full access to the entire property). DC also requires an assortment of licenses, certifications, and fees.
City of Alexandria: Unlimited rentals during a calendar year and no restrictions on owner occupancy. Properties can be owned and used solely for short-term rentals. City of Alexandria charges an additional 8.5% Transient Lodging Tax for properties that sleep 4+.
City of Falls Church: I could not find any official guidance from the City of Falls Church on short-term rentals and am led to believe there are not currently any restrictions or additional taxes
Fairfax County: Limited to 60 nights of rental bookings per calendar year, with no reference to owner occupied vs unoccupied. Detached accessory dwellings cannot be used as STRs. No more than six adults can stay in a single property. Additional Transient Tax charges apply.
Loudoun County: It seems that Loudoun County is still drafting their short-term rental policies, with the last official write-up I found referencing a February 2022 public hearing and draft amendment. The County’s zoning currently does not allow short-term rentals, but a hold has been put on enforcement until a policy can be finalized.
Montgomery County: Limited to 120 nights of rentals if the home is not occupied by the owner during the rental and unlimited rentals if the home is owner-occupied during the rental. No more than six adults can stay in a single property.
Prince Georges County: Limited to 90 rental nights per calendar year if the property is not owner-occupied during the rental and limited to 180 rental nights per calendar year if the property is owner-occupied during the rental.
Owning and operating a short-term rental can be very lucrative, but it’s important to understand that residents and local governments are still in the early stages of defining how their communities want to support or restrict STRs. Before making a significant investment in a property for STR income, get fully informed on current laws/taxes, research the mood of residents and politicians on STRs, and incorporate the risk of law/tax changes into your investment decision.
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to Eli@EliResidential.com. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.
Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate | @properties, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460.
Question: Have rental prices in Arlington followed a similar trend as the ownership market?
Answer: The rental market for apartments was hit hard during the pandemic with rental rates dropping roughly 15%-20% in Arlington and the DC Metro, but rents quickly climbed back up last year and seem to be stabilizing.
As you would expect, the pandemic had the opposite effect on the detached and townhouse rental markets, sending those prices up, but at a lower rate than the appreciation we’ve seen in the cost to buy.
Below, I’ve compiled rental data from the MLS in Arlington over the last five years. Note that very few commercial apartment buildings list in the MLS so this data is limited to non-commercially owned rentals (for apartments, that is mostly individually owned condos).
Further, it’s difficult to say what percentage of non-commercially owned properties go through the MLS for rent but I would guess that it’s less than half of rented apartments, but likely a majority if detached and townhouse properties. Despite the limited data set, we still have more than enough information available through the MLS to generate outputs that represent the true rental market.
Here are some highlights from the data table:
The total number of rentals that came to market in 2021 increased sharply over previous years with 48.8% more apartment rentals and 24.9% more detached/townhouse rentals, compared to the averages over the previous four years.
The increase in rent for 3-4 bedroom and 5+ bedroom single-family homes from 2019-2021 was 6% and 12.7%, respectively
In 2021, the average tenant for a single-family or townhouse paid at or over the asking price
Rental prices for 3-4 bedroom townhouses is nearly identical to those of 3-4 bedroom detached homes
The average rent for a one-bedroom and two-bedroom condo is down from 2019 highs by 5.7% and 3.2%, respectively
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
Question: What time of the year is most and least favorable for putting a property on the market for rent?
Answer: The rental market follows similar seasonal trends as the resale market in that spring tends to be the best time to list a property and the market is slowest during the winter months. For this market analysis, I looked at all rentals in Arlington from 2015-2019 (I kept 2020 out because it’s an anomaly) to determine how the month a property is listed for rent impacts a landlord’s negotiation leverage and the days on market. I split the data into apartment-style properties and detached/townhouse properties to see if there was much variability, but the trends are similar for all property types.
Best Months to List: March – July
Worst Months to List: September – December
The data I looked at to determine the best and worse months are the percentage of the final rental price to the original asking price (indication of how much leverage landlords have), the average days on market, and the percentage of properties rented within two weeks of being listed for rent. These data points provide some of the best indications of how successful you will be renting a property at different times of the year.
While there are clearly certain months of the year that are better/worse to rent, I think it’s also important to note that the gap between the best and worst month(s) is not massive, but it’s enough that landlords should work to put themselves on a spring/early summer leasing cycle and avoid signing leases that expire in the late fall/winter.
If you are a tenant, you can expect the most properties coming to market from May – July and a dramatic reduction in options from October – December.
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
Question: How has COVID impacted Arlington’s rental market?
Answer: Recent articles have shed light onto just how much COVID has hurt the apartment rental market in the DC Metro, including this article on rents dropping by 14% in Arlington and this article on rents in DC’s Class-A high-rise buildings dropping ~18%.
I have certainly experienced the difficult rental market in the last 10 months with clients who have struggled to find new tenants for their condos for months, even after significant price reductions. In some buildings, there are double-digit numbers of condos being offered for rent, with little interest.
I have also spoken to many condo owners who are turning to selling units after months of vacancy trying to rent them out, which is one of the reasons for last year’s explosion in condos listed for sale.
I took a look at last year’s rental market for apartments, townhouses, and single-family homes and compared it the previous four years to see how each sub-market performed. There’s a summary of key findings below and a detailed data table to follow.
Note that this only includes properties in Arlington that were rented through Bright MLS. Most commercial rental buildings do not use the MLS and not every homeowner with an investment property rents through the MLS, but the number of properties rented through the MLS is enough to make this statistically reliable data.
Key Findings
Condo rentals dropped in price for studios (-10.2%), one-bedrooms (-4%), and two-bedrooms (-1%). If you remove January and February (pre-COVID) listings, the price drops increase further. I suspect 2021 will see an even larger drop in rental prices because many owners are still trying to find a tenant.
The average time to rent a unit increased by 50% to two months and tenants negotiated significantly further below the asking price than ever before.
Two-bedroom units struggled, but not nearly as much as studios and one-bedrooms units, likely because the 2nd bedroom provides a much-needed home office.
COVID had the opposite effect on single-family and townhouse rentals with prices increasing to all-time highs, homes renting faster than ever before, and owners securing prices closer to their asking price than ever before.
Rentals of small two-and-three-bedroom houses and large four-bedroom townhouses were in the most demand, with average days on market just 3.5 weeks and some of the highest rental price to asking price ratios of any property type.
I expect single-family and townhouse rentals to have an even better 2021 (from the perspective of the homeowner) as people continue trying to get more space, avoid common living, and find buying those homes to be cost-prohibitive and/or too difficult (competitive).
Year Listed
Avg Rent
Avg $/sqft
Avg Rent $ to Ask $
Avg Days on Market
# Listed
Condo/Apartment
Studio
2016
$1,409
$3.09
98.2%
42
113
2017
$1,406
$3.02
98.7%
45
129
2018
$1,434
$3.23
98.6%
37
123
2019
$1,462
$3.25
98.5%
31
114
2020
$1,313
$3.05
93.1%
57
146
One Bedroom
2016
$1,783
$2.39
97.4%
49
553
2017
$1,750
$2.44
97.5%
58
577
2018
$1,886
$2.57
98.4%
50
572
2019
$1,871
$2.63
98.1%
36
684
2020
$1,797
$2.48
95.7%
53
579
Two Bedrooms
2016
$2,519
$2.28
97.5%
59
494
2017
$2,505
$2.28
97.3%
63
489
2018
$2,605
$2.34
97.6%
58
471
2019
$2,604
$2.37
97.8%
46
520
2020
$2,576
$2.35
96.3%
56
469
Detached
Two Bedrooms
2016
$2,339
$1.96
96.6%
56
58
2017
$2,387
$2.00
97.0%
48
38
2018
$2,435
$2.02
98.6%
40
54
2019
$2,444
$2.18
96.8%
48
46
2020
$2,456
$2.17
98.4%
27
59
Three Bedrooms
2016
$3,030
$1.77
97.1%
51
177
2017
$3,061
$1.69
97.5%
51
188
2018
$3,108
$1.82
97.9%
46
172
2019
$3,152
$2.07
97.1%
35
204
2020
$3,299
$2.11
98.8%
26
182
Four Bedrooms
2016
$3,518
$1.51
96.5%
53
128
2017
$3,658
$1.62
97.9%
46
161
2018
$3,665
$1.74
98.6%
39
149
2019
$3,788
$1.92
96.9%
41
181
2020
$3,883
$1.97
98.4%
35
155
Five Bedrooms
2016
$4,528
$1.23
98.4%
56
45
2017
$4,517
$1.45
98.1%
48
61
2018
$4,553
$1.57
98.6%
41
53
2019
$4,808
$1.76
97.2%
40
65
2020
$4,873
$1.79
98.5%
35
63
Townhouse/Duplex
Two Bedrooms
2016
$2,292
$1.76
97.7%
58
170
2017
$2,342
$1.77
97.8%
48
163
2018
$2,364
$1.89
98.3%
39
172
2019
$2,390
$2.02
98.1%
39
213
2020
$2,470
$2.08
98.2%
29
214
Three Bedrooms
2016
$3,393
$1.79
97.4%
60
124
2017
$3,395
$1.82
97.7%
51
156
2018
$3,295
$1.91
98.5%
43
173
2019
$3,378
$2.05
97.4%
37
173
2020
$3,441
$2.06
97.1%
34
189
Four Bedrooms
2016
$3,890
$1.56
98.3%
44
33
2017
$4,051
$1.75
95.9%
65
30
2018
$4,157
$1.68
98.6%
51
37
2019
$4,090
$1.96
99.1%
27
39
2020
$4,110
$1.71
99.1%
26
36
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Eli@EliResidential.com.
Question: What is the role of Business Improvement Districts in Arlington?
Answer: The Business Improvement Districts (BID) of Rosslyn, Ballston and Crystal Citydeserve much of the credit for turning these neighborhoods from convenient places to work to lively, family-friendly places to live.
Funded primarily by businesses located in the neighborhoods they represent, BIDs are an important bridge between residents, businesses and local government. Homeowners located in or near any of these BIDs can thank their leadership teams for increasing the value of their homes.
As a long-time Rosslyn resident, I have watched as Mary-Claire Burick and her team at the Rosslyn BID have transformed Rosslyn over the last five years.
I reached out to her for an interview to answer some questions about the role of BIDs in the community and how residents can take advantage of their influence on local government and business investment. Thank you Mary-Claire!
What is the role of a BID, and what role does the Rosslyn BID play in the community?
Business Improvement Districts are nimble organizations that wear a lot of different hats. In Rosslyn, we work on urban planning, transportation and business and community engagement, just to name a few.
But I think one of the most important roles that we play is that of a convener who brings together the perspectives of various stakeholders in our neighborhood –including residents, businesses and county officials — to advance initiatives that will help our community continue to thrive.
We are in constant conversation with folks on the street, in our restaurants and in our business community to better understand not only what they love about Rosslyn but also what they want to see improved.
How does the Rosslyn BID engage with residents and visitors?
As I mentioned, community engagement is one of our top priorities.
Probably our most visible presence on a daily basis is our Rosslyn Ambassadors Program. Our team is out on the street five days a week helping residents and visitors with directions and working to ensure our sidewalk and public areas are safe and clean. Be sure to say hello when you see them around the neighborhood in their purple shirts.
Our events are another important way that we connect and engage with area residents. In 2017, around 40,000 people attended more than 160 events that we hosted ranging from our popular Rosslyn Jazz Fest and Rosslyn Cinema series to lunchtime fitness sessions and pop-up concerts. Each one of these events represents a touch point for our team to engage with residents and employees in our region, and for interaction between these groups.
It’s that sense of community that these events help build that makes them so impactful.
What have been some of the BID’s most successful events?
Last year’s Rosslyn Jazz Fest was an incredible experience.
That event alone brought nearly 10,000 people to Gateway Park on one day, which was a record for us. The Rosslyn Cinema has long been a neighborhood favorite. Last summer, more than 20,000 people came out to catch their favorite movie. And it may surprise you, but Rosslyn is the largest pit stop for Bike to Work Day in all of D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
In 2018, we will continue to host these popular events, but are also introducing new activities and expanding others.
One example is the Rosslyn Farmers’ Market, which occurs weekly during the summer in Central Place Plaza. We’ve worked with FRESHFARM to introduce a new FRESHFARM Share program, similar to a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, to help bring more healthy food to Rosslyn residents and businesses.
I’d also like to point out that these events have a wider purpose and impact. They help bring thousands of visitors to Rosslyn who could one day be residents or tenants. And there’s an economic impact–restaurants and retail in Rosslyn usually see a boost in sales and exposure.
Some of the other local BIDs are Crystal City, Ballston and Georgetown. What are some of the most significant benefits of a community having a BID? Does a BID make sense for every community?
From my perspective, there are a lot of benefits that a community can realize from having a BID. But simply having a BID alone isn’t enough. It’s important for all of the stakeholders to have a clear vision for what they want to accomplish, and to ensure a BID has the resources and buy-in to help realize that vision.
A BID with a distinct mission can be a leading driver of change for a community, serving as a liaison between government, businesses and residents. Residents, in particular, have a real opportunity to utilize BIDs to help create a viable, economically sustainable community that reflects their vision of the neighborhood.
How have new restaurants and retail spaces helped change Rosslyn? Are there any openings you are particularly excited about?
Restaurants and retail have been a critical part of Rosslyn’s transformation from a commercial area to a more vibrant, urban, mixed-use area. Between 2015 and 2017, 17 new restaurants opened in Rosslyn, adding to the more than 65 restaurants, cafés and markets within a ten-minute walk of the Rosslyn Metro. We’ve also seen more restaurants and bars staying open later, like Barley Mac, Quinn’s on the Corner and Continental.
This year, we’re looking forward to the continued evolution of Central Place, which is bringing multiple new restaurant offerings to the heart of Rosslyn. I think folks are going to be really excited to hear what they have in the pipeline.
We are also excited for the Central Place Observation Deck, opening this summer. This 12,000 square-foot-space will offer an unparalleled view of the Mall and the U.S. Capitol. Offering snacks and light fare, the Observation Deck will be the perfect place to bring out-of-town friends, a date or a colleague for an after work drink.
How can residents get involved with their local BID?
Residents should utilize their local BIDs to advocate for what they would like to see in their community. Remember, a BID is there to serve the needs of a neighborhood’s residents as well as its businesses and visitors.
Residents can also get involved with their local BID by attending events, participating in community meetings and providing feedback on BID activities. Depending on an individual’s local BID, there may be opportunities to volunteer or be a community ambassador.
Question: Can you follow-up on last week’s column about condo/townhouse rentals with an analysis on the single-family home rental market in Arlington?
Answer: Thank you to ARLnow commenter Southy4Life for requesting that I follow-up last week’s analysis of the condo/townhouse rental market with a similar analysis of the single-family home (SFH) rental market.
The good news for those looking closely at the rental stats in Arlington is that the majority of SFH rentals are represented in the MLS data presented below, as opposed to a large percentage of condo/apartment rentals not represented in my data last week because most are handled outside of the MLS (commercial rentals, direct landlord-to-tenant).
Five Year Trends
Just like the condo rental market, there has been very little appreciation in rental rates in Arlington’s SFH home rates, until 2017, which saw a noticeable jump led by 22207, 22205 and 22203.
This doesn’t correlate to what we saw in the sales market from 2016 to 2017 so admittedly I don’t know why these three zip codes saw substantial rental growth, while the rest of the Arlington market remained relatively unchanged.
Below is a summary of the average cost of renting a SFH in each Arlington zip code over the last five years. 22206 and 22209 were removed for lack of SFH rental data points.
Bedroom Breakdown
Below is a table of all 3-5 bedroom SFH rentals in Arlington since 2016, broken out by bedroom count and zip code, with rentals in 22206 and 22209 removed for lack of data points.
Key Findings:
The most expensive home rented was a 7BR/7+BA home on Arlington Ridge Rd for $12,000/mon and the least expensive home rented was a 2BR/1BA home in Columbia Forest for $1,595/mon
It costs about 20% more to go from three bedrooms to four, 25% more to jump from four bedrooms to five
If you’re renting a SFH in Arlington, expect to take 5-6 weeks to find your tenant and be prepared to discount your rate by 2-3% from what you’re asking
For families looking to rent a home in some of Arlington’s top-rated schools, the 22205 zip code is a great value
75% of SFH offered for rent allowed pets, but only 28 had fully fenced yards
On average SFH for rent were built in 1950 and the average lot size was just over 10,000sqft (1/4 acre)
Only 49 SFH homes offered for rent were built in the last ten years
Our team is happy to assist you with rentals, whether you’re a renter or landlord, so feel free to reach out if you need assistance with either! We are happy to put together more specific, personalized data tables for your as well.
Question: I am moving to Arlington from out of town and not yet ready to buy. I’ve heard the rental market is high in the DC area and wondering approximately how much it costs per bedroom to rent in Arlington.
Answer: I spend a lot of time in this column talking about buying and selling homes in Arlington, but about 54% of the County is renters, so as we head into the busiest rental months, I thought it’d be appropriate to share some helpful statistics on the cost of renting in Arlington.
For the most part, renters tend to be more focused on functional space to meet immediate needs, so I like the idea of using cost per bedroom on rentals more than I do for ownership.
The good news for renters is that developers have added thousands of new rental units over the last 5 years, particularly 1-2 bedroom units in the popular metro areas of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and Crystal/Pentagon City. While the cost of these newer units has increased, it’s kept the cost of renting condos and townhouses from owners pretty stable (or down).
The data I pulled below is primarily made up of non-commercial rental units (condos and townhouses owned by individuals) and restricted to units leased through the MLS (agent database), so only included a portion of the total rental activity in Arlington. I also excluded single family homes from the dataset.
Key Findings:
It costs about 40% more to rent a third bedroom than it does to rent a second bedroom
Rents have not gone up for one bedroom units, and have only increased about $100/month for two and three bedroom units
Most rental units are on the market for 6-7 weeks before being rented
There’s not nearly as much negotiating on rentals as there is purchases, with only about 1% or less negotiated off the asking price, on average
The least expensive rentals are in the 22204 zip code because there are not any walkable metro stations and the housing inventory tends to be substantially older
22204 is the only zip code where the average rent of a two bedroom is under $2,000/mon and one of only two zip codes (22206) with an average rent under $3,000 for a three bedroom
22209 is the most expensive zip code to rent by a wide margin due to the fact that it hosts two of the most expensive buildings in the DC Metro in Turnberry Tower and Waterview, as well as a host of other high-end buildings. It claims this top spot, despite also hosting one of the least expensive communities in Arlington, River Place.
One tip I’m happy to share with renters is that there’s rarely a better deal in the market than the deal you get being the first person to rent a unit in a new commercial rental building. The incentives they offer on the first lease usually include 1-2 months free rent, a period of free parking, and sometimes other fees discounted or removed (e.g. pet fee, move-in fee, etc). However, you should prepare for rents to increase substantially if you want to continue renting after your original lease expires.
Our team is happy to assist you with rentals, whether you’re a renter or landlord, so feel free to reach out if you need assistance with either!
