This is a contest entry to the The Active Rain Buyer Challenge

Dear Ms. Hilton,

Thank you for contacting me regarding your potential move to Arlington, Virginia.  I appreciate you selecting me as your Realtor of choice for your move to our region.  Before outlining for you the specific homes that I feel should be on your celebrity hot list, I would like to give you a brief overview of our area.

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce has created an informative video that can serve as a basic introduction to the county. 

Arlington is a wonderfully diverse community just across the river from our nation's capital. Great schools, numerous public parks and monuments, tons of shopping and a fine mix of multi-cultural dining make Arlington an ideal place to call home. The neighborhoods range from urban high-rise condominiums to historic and unique homes. Enjoy a close-in suburban lifestyle while taking advantages of the resources of D.C. and the urban communities of Arlington.

Transportation around Arlington is made easy by the area's top-notch Metro bus and subway system.  (You won’t have to worry about getting any more driving violations!)

 

Lively bars have happy hours attracting well-dressed (and well-heeled) young professionals (aka The Beautiful People) are situated alongside hip clubs where loyal regulars can enjoy the local arts and music scene. Arlington's world-class shopping includes major retailers such as Macy's and Nordstrom as well as hundreds of unique and boutique shops.

The areas of Arlington sporting the best nightlife for your party lifestyle is Clarendon.  Some of the places that might suit your style include The Clarendon Ballroom, The Clarendon Grill, Liberty Tavern, Whitlow’s on Wilson, and Iota.  In addition to the convenient metro stops, this area is very walkable and many residents don’t even own a car.  If you do need to drive somewhere, you can always use Flexcar, which allows you to rent a car by the hour and is often spotted throughout Arlington.  Should you have the unfortunate mishap of driving home inebriated from one of the areas hottest nightspots, you should be aware that the County courthouse and County Jail are located just down the street in the Courthouse area – one metro stop away.  So you can rest at ease that you’ll never be far from home, even if you unfortunately have a second vacation courtesy of the taxpayers!  The freshest organic produce you've ever seen is available at Whole Foods Market in Clarendon to accommodate any of your dieting needs.

In addition, with a short drive south across town, you’ll enjoy the dining options in Shirlington with its row of restaurants ranging from good old fashioned burgers, fries and beer at the Capitol City Brewery to elegant dining at Bistro Bistro, and Mexican, Japanese, Thai, Spanish, Chinese, Lebanese, and American all of one little strip.   After dinner, Shirlington also offers a  movie theater showing all the latest hits.

If all this is not enough, a short taxi ride, metro ride, or even a long jog will get you across the Potomac River and into our nation’s capital with a plethora of shopping, dining and nightlife options.

While some areas of Northern Virginia are experiencing a downturn in sales, Arlington remains HOT!  Please read these articles: 

• Arlington Virginia Housing Market Trends: Days on Market Headed Up

• Rising Prices and Low Inventory Make Arlington, Virginia a Rare Hot Spot for Sellers

• Average Arlington Single Family Homes Top $1 Million Mark

I recommend that while in town looking for homes, you will feel most comfortable staying at your family’s Arlington Hilton Hotel.  One of the best features here is that you can walk through a covered passageway across the street to The Ballston Mall for all your shopping needs without ever going outside.  If you decide you want a new car in addition to a home while in town, the best deals on Mercedes Benz are around the corner at American Service Center.

 

 

Now, let’s discuss the 3 homes that I’ve selected for your search.  I appreciate you being very detailed about your criteria.  You’ve indicated to me that your requirements are as follows:

• Looking to purchase a single family home (but will consider a posh penthouse)
• At least 4 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 4000 square feet or greater
• Gated community or enough land to create a zone of privacy
• Decent access to an airport
• Must have a pool
• You are a cash buyer and have no limits on price

 

 

 

Ms. Hilton, you are in luck.  The Arlington area is blessed with easy access to 3 major airports, Ronald Reagan National Airport located in Arlington itself, Dulles International Airport for your overseas jaunts to the Greek Isles, Milan, or Ibiza (about a 40 minute drive from Arlington), and Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) located about an hour from Arlington..

 

 

 

2 of the homes I have selected are the posh penthouses about which you inquired, and I think that their ultimate luxury will appeal to your discriminating taste.  The 3rd home is a stunning contemporary mansion offering panoramic views of the Potomac River.

So, here they are:

 

 

2001 N. 15^th Street – Entire Penthouse Floor, Arlington, VA  22201

This is as luxury as you can get in Arlington or almost anywhere in the world.  Don’t just own a penthouse, own the entire penthouse floor in a condo building so amazing they called it The Odyssey.  Your luxurious lifestyle will be accommodated in this 8 bedroom 7 full bath, 2 half bath, 5,731 square foot palace of pleasure.  When silver and gold won’t suffice, this is The Odyssey Platinum Penthouse offering amazing views of the D.C. skyline and monuments, hardwood floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows.  You’ll enjoy entertaining here and showing off the brand new Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking, Bosch and Miele appliances.  Not only that, but overnight guests are a breeze (just no videotaping this time please!), because you have 8 reserved garage parking spaces, big enough for any star’s entourage.  This building also features a rooftop pool. 

The Odyssey was built in 2006 and the Penthouse floor can be yours for $4,870,000.  The condo fee is $2,198/month and includes 24 hour security, a fitness center, and concierge services.  One of your modeling appearances should cover the taxes for the year which are $24,438.

 

 

 

 

1881 N. Nash Street #TS10, Arlington, VA 22209

If you don’t mind waiting, Turnberry Towers of Arlington will be completed and ready for delivery in 2009.  Currently under construction, this uber-luxury condominium complex will rise 26 stories over the Potomac River and allow you to walk right across the Key Bridge into Georgetown, where I’ve heard you have many fans.  Each residence will have its own private elevator so your comings and goings will be discrete.  This particular model features 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths for a total living space of 5,305 square feet.  You’ll also be able to relax and enjoy the view from your 60 foot balcony overlooking the monuments of Washington D.C.  Turnberry Towers will feature an exotic indoor pool with skylights, hotel-like service, doorman and concierge.

 

This spectacular condo can be yours for $7,095,000.  The condo fee of $2,167/month includes all the amenities described above plus a fitness center with racquetball and a convenience store in the building.  While you are in town, I suggest we stop by their sales office to view models and floorplans and put your name on the purchase list before they sell out.

You can have this
view on July 4th!

 

407 Chain Bridge Road, Arlington, VA  22207

This is the only single family home that I found that I felt suits your style. 

At 12,124 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 5 ½ baths you’ll have plenty of space to spread out and to entertain to your heart’s desire. Not only that, but you’ll have some fancy neighbors (and very private ones) too!  A couple doors down sits the home (or rather compound) of His Royal Highness Saudi Prince Bandar.  Additionally, Robert Kennedy’s boyhood home is on your street. 

THAT'S HOT!

This stunning contemporary home is on almost 2 acres of land overlooking the Potomac River and the river’s rapids.  Its walls of glass, and huge spacious living areas will delight you, I’m sure.  It also features a 5 car garage.  It’s a 10 minute drive to D.C. and not too far from Tyson’s Corner, the D.C. area’s shopping mecca.

A princely sum of $9,500,000 is required to purchase this gracious home, but the privacy and location that it affords are well worth it.  It has been on the market for quite some time, so we may have some negotiating room on this one.

 

Finally, Ms. Hilton, I look forward to your visit to Arlington and assisting you with your home search.  Please let me know if you need help making any of the arrangements for your travel.  I will also be happy to send you a package full of information about the Arlington area’s schools, shopping and nightlife. 

Thanks for considering Arlington for your next home.

Sincerely,

Brian Block

Brian Block, Esq., REALTOR / Attorney
ABR, CRS, ePRO, GRI, SRES
Block Real Estate Group, LLC
RE/MAX Allegiance
5100 Leesburg Pike, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA  22302
703-626-0715  Direct Line
Brian@BrianBlock.com
Find your new home at www.BrianBlock.com
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PICTURES OF ARLINGTON HOMES: COPYRIGHT MONUMENT REALTY, TURNBERRY TOWER, MRIS