A lot!  This just in …

ARLINGTON, VA. — The new Reed-Westover Facility, a joint project between Arlington Public Schools and the Arlington County Government, has been awarded Gold Certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The joint facility includes the Reed School which houses the district’s teen parenting program and the Children’s School and Integration Station, a countywide preschool program, and the Arlington Public Library’s new Westover Branch. The facility was completed and dedicated in October 2009.

Let’s review what LEED certification means:

LEED, a national benchmark

The LEED rating system was designed by the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage and facilitate the development of more sustainable buildings. The rating system, the national benchmark for the design, construction, and operations of high-performance green buildings, is divided into five categories including; water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. There is also a category on innovation and design process.

Buildings receive points for each of the LEED rating system categories. A building needs at least 39 points to achieve a Gold rating.  The Reed Westover facility received 40 points from the USGBC, using the following strategies:

• Low-emitting paints, adhesives, sealants and carpet used for better air quality
• Utilization of a green housekeeping program
• Conveniently located bike racks
• Facility located within 1/4 mile of four public bus lines and approximately a mile from the Falls Church Metro station
• Landscaping not requiring permanent irrigation
• Thermal comfort verification
• Use of  waterless urinals, dual flush toilets and low-flow plumbing fixtures
• Highly efficient lighting to reduce electrical consumption
• Showers for bicycle commuters in the school and library
• A large glass wall façade of the Library’s Children’s Reading Room maximizes day-lighting to save energy and supports student’s well-being by providing views to the outdoors

Have you seen this library?  It’s amazing.  I will admit that I was not keen on them tearing down the old library where my children spent countless hours and attended so many summer reading challenge events (sentimental me), but this new structure is beautiful and the light that streams in is just magnificent.  Plus they have a large DVD collection for rent

Kudos to us!

[For more information about Arlington VA real estate overall, please visit ArlingtonVARealEstateBlog.  And you can feel free to offer up a better blog name for me while you're at it.]

For all of your real estate needs in the Washington DC metro area, call real estate pro Christine Rich at 703-362-7764.  Whether buying or selling a home in Arlington VA, Washington DC, Fairfax County, Alexandria VA, Falls Church City, or Montgomery County, MD, Chris has the knowledge and expertise you can count on.

The heart of the neighborhood is Madison Manor Park, which abuts Interstate 66 and the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) and Four Mile Run bike paths.

In 2000 The Washington Post published an article about the neighborhood, and the description still holds true.

So you want in?  Well, be quick about it.  Homes in Madison Manor tend to go under contract pretty quickly.  Over the past six months, homes have been on the market an average of only 16 days before getting to a ratified contract.  The average sales price for homes in the Madison Manor neighborhood of Arlington VA has been $702,414.  The price range is also very interesting to look at, because it tells you that homes in this neighborhood still tend to be priced at roughly the same level: prices have ranged from $520,000 (this was primarily for the land) – $998,000.  Most homes, though, are currently priced in the $600,000-$800,000 range.

You want out?  Don’t worry, selling your home in the Madison Manor neighborhood of Arlington VA should not be difficult.  You’ve got location going for you, so the thing is to make sure your house appeals to what today’s buyers seek.  That sort of guidance should be very specific to your home.  Any agent can tell you that buyers these days prefer to buy a house that is move-in ready, and that stainless steel and hardwood floors are the preferred finishes.  It’s a matter of putting it all together in such a way that you get the most bang for the buck.  For that, you should give me a call.  I’d love to see your home!

there are 30 homes now active for sale, so that means they should be sold sometime in the next month and a half …

What I find most interesting is that the sales price is roughly 99% of list price.  Many of these homes weren’t on the market all that long, so there was little call for a price reduction in the majority of sales.

Arlington 22205 includes the neighborhoods of Bonair, Brandon Village, Brockwood, Broyhill Heights, Dominion Hills, Falls Church Park, Fenwick Court, Fostoria, Highland Park, Garden Commons, Lacey Forest, Larchmont, Leeway Heights, Lindsay’s, Madison Manor, Overlee Knolls, Parkhurst, Summit & Veitch, Sycamore Heights, Tara, Taratowne, Tuckahoe Park, Tuckahoe Village, Waycroft, and Westover.

If you love Cape Cod homes, you would love living here. For the most part, homeowners have very tastefully renovated their Capes in order to achieve additional living space that is more fitting for today’s notions of space and function. Taking a stroll through the blocks that make up Waycroft/Woodlawn is entertainment, as you take in the wonderful homes, beautiful gardens, and fun parks that comprise this area of Arlington.

Walkable is actually a very fitting word for this neighborhood. Though it has such a residential feel, this neighborhood is actually quite walkable to many things:

• Ballston Mall is about a mile away, give or take, from most of the homes in this neighborhood. There you can find shopping, restaurants, ice skating, and a movie theater.

• Glebe Elementary is the community school here, and many children walk to school with a parent.

• Waycroft Park offers the children of the neighborhood a terrific playground, sandbox, and big wide open field for sports

This neighborhood is distributed across two North Arlington zips — 22205 and 22207.

Here is a photo of the bike path that winds through this neighborhood, making it difficult to resist taking a daily hike or bike with the family or to get exercise.

The neighborhoods have a sort of “Mayberry USA” charm to them, yet you have so many wonderful “urban” amenities nearby. There’s a skate park, soccer fields, Upton Hill Regional Park (pool, water slides, miniature golf, batting cages, picnic tables), the Eden Center, and so much more all very close by. But I bet you want to see some houses. Here are a few streetscapes. See if you agree with my description of the neighborhood

Here is a map of the neighborhood.

Ayres is located in the Westover area of Arlington. But that’s not all that is conveniently accessible to you if you live near Westover. You also have access to a branch of the county library, complete with storytime for the youngsters and a full selection of DVDs that you can rent for a week.

And there are some terrific restaurants nearby — The Lost Dog, the Stray Cat, and my personal favorite, the Lebanese Taverna. All within walking distance of the homes in the Westover neighborhood.

Most homes in this area were built in 1940, and they tend to be small 3 bedroom/2 bath colonials. Three Westover homes are currently on the market, at an average list price of $606,667. This one, for example, is on the market for $549,900:

If you’re looking for a home in the Westover neighborhood of Arlington, you can do that here. If you’re thinking of selling a home in this neighborhood, you can check out some of my selling tips here.

This convenience is typified in a most unlikely of places — Ayers Hardware Store. This family-run business has no equal. Looking for a place that can repair your cracked windows or torn screens? This is it. Looking for a gallon of paint? Check. How about window hardware? Got it. Need a inflatable toy for the pool? Look no further. Birthday presents? Yup. Cleaning supplies? Well … you get the idea. Small store, but they’ve got it all.

And pick up some nickel candy at the cash register.

No need to drive out to those big box stores and wait in line for an hour to get your stuff. Patronize the local Arlington store and make it easy on yourself. Win-win. Gotta love it!  To be found at 5853 Washington Boulevard, Arlington.