Attend Tech Trends in New Home Construction: Mar. 20

also positively affect local education by partnering with the schools and libraries, mentoring the students, and providing jobs.

In a separate undertaking, Falls Church is also renovating and expanding the nearby Mary Riley Styles Public Library, a project estimated to cost approximately $10 million.

The library renovation will increase popular community spaces in the facility by nearly 3,200 square feet, modernize mechanical and electrical systems, and bring the library into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Visiting a library is the most common cultural activity of Americans, according to the results of a 2019 Gallup poll. The survey of U.S. adults reported they made an average of 10.5 trips to the library during 2019,

about twice the number of times they went to the movies.

In a 2019 letter to the editor of the Falls Church News Press, Chrystie F. Swiney, now a member of the library’s Board of Trustees, recalled how she insisted her family move to Falls Church when she and her oneyear-old son “stumbled upon the library” while running errands in the community. “My insistence that we uproot our home in Washington, D.C. and relocate to Falls Church was inspired by my instant connection to the library,” Swiney explained.

Falls Church is also completing a recent expansion and modernization of its city hall, which reopened last summer, making the city center complex a more inviting location for community activities. “The new school, renovated city hall and library are important not just as new buildings; they all contribute to the fabric of our community,” Connelly explained.

“The world is changing,” Connelly noted. “We want to create a partnership with local businesses so our schools and library are not operating in a vacuum, but are an important part of our overall plan for the future of Falls Church.”

“We’re really optimistic how all these developments are going to turn out to benefit everyone, because we’re all working together to make that happen,” Connelly concluded.

Frank Dillow is a past chair of NVAR’s Realtor ® Commercial Council, an NVAR instructor, and a senior commercial broker in Long & Foster‘s Commercial Division. He can be reached at francis.dillow@ longandfoster.com.

Do Your Homework: Be an A+ Agent HELPING FAMILIES STUDY-UP ON SCHOOLS

By Kate O’Toole

What to Say (and what NOT to say)

WHEN IT COMES TO ADVISING CLIENTS in their search for the perfect home – and school – the process may not be as “easy as ABC.”

Realtors® must be cognizant of fair housing laws and provide clients with unbiased information so they can make their own decisions. As community experts, Realtors® can be a valuable resource by offering objective facts and figures, connecting clients to schools and providing equal professional service to all.

BEYOND TEST SCORES

While test scores can explain a lot about a school, they don’t paint a full picture. Daryl Johnson, a communications coordinator for Arlington Public Schools, recommends reaching out to the PTA president and school staff to learn about the school climate and enrichment programs.

Realtors® can build relationships with schools and encourage clients to visit schools in-person.

“The only way you actually get to understand the culture of the school is really by visiting the school. It’s more than test scores and demographic data,” said Karen Corbett Sanders, chair of the Fairfax County School Board who represents Mount Vernon.

In addition to looking at usual metrics of test scores, annual spending per student and class size, Marybeth Connelly, director of community outreach for Falls Church City Public Schools, said she recommends reviewing student-teacher ratios; access to special education programs; availability of world language, fine arts, STEAM and extracurricular programs; community involvement; opportunities for parents to volunteer;

“How are the schools here?”

“I’m not allowed to talk about schools.”

“The Fair Housing act prohibits me from providing that kind of information. I recommend visiting the VDOE School Quality Profiles and school district websites. I can also provide you with a list of contacts if you’d like to set up a specific school visit.”

“Is this a good school district?”

“Yes, I would send my kids here.”

“What makes a school good for you? I recommend doing research to learn which school might be the best fit for your family’s needs. Here’s a list of resources to consider.”

and availability of before- and afterschool childcare.

Corbett Sanders explained that many valuable features of a school aren’t represented in online ranking systems such as greatschools.com. For example, with 13,500 students whose parents are active duty military in Fairfax County, the school system is focused on providing military support to its students and their families, she said.

Career and workforce development is another important piece for families to consider, according to Corbett Sanders. Internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing and academy programs, such as the Governor’s Health Science Academy in both Alexandria City and Falls Church, can help prepare students for college and future careers.

Alternatives to neighborhood schools can also offer students specialized learning programs and nontraditional learning environments. For example, an option school in Arlington County, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, focuses on student choice and gives students the freedom to decide how to use their time to meet their education responsibilities.

“The biggest advice I always give families, and to Realtors® as well, is not to apply to option schools because it is an alternative to a neighborhood school, but to make sure that the option school is a program that will actually benefit the student and help them grow in a specialized environment,” Johnson said.

SCHOOL BOUNDARIES

As families are researching schools, Realtors® can remind them that school boundaries may change.

“We have a lot of organizations [coming to Northern Virginia] and obviously, Amazon – the other “A” here in Arlington – is moving in, so there’s a lot of interest. Consequently, school

boundaries will have to change more often, because we want to make sure students aren’t in schools that are over capacity,” Johnson said.

Johnson explained that issues stemming from overcrowding include additional lunch shifts to accommodate a growing number of students, so some students might be eating as early as 10 a.m. and others late in the afternoon.

“We understand for families that it [a boundary change] is hard, but all of our schools are great schools, and we are just doing this in the best interest of the students,” Johnson said. Children are assigned to a neighborhood school based on their home address, and the boundary process varies from district to district. Individual websites can be the best places to learn about any upcoming changes.

“The focus is always going to be on ensuring that our students have a great place to live and learn,” Corbett Sanders said. “There may be boundary adjustments in the future, but they are only done in a fair, transparent process that allows the community to be part of the process, make suggestions, and understand how decisions are made.”

Kate O’Toole is the digital content manager & senior editor.

Resources for Realtors ® and Families

Realtors ® can advise clients to review the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) School Quality Profiles, which offer unbiased data on topics such as student achievement, college and career readiness and teacher quality. Families can also review the websites of each school district to learn about its programs. There are 19 districts in Northern Virginia, according to VDOE’s website, and the districts in NVAR’s geographic footprint are:

• Arlington County Public Schools: apsva.us • Fairfax County Public Schools: fcps.edu

• Falls Church City Public Schools: fccps.org • Alexandria City Public Schools: acps.k12.va.us

School representatives often meet with Realtors ® to provide them with helpful information. Reach out and invite a school staff or school board member to present at your next office meeting.

What Matters Most to Your Clients?

• AP/IB classes • Language immersion • Fine arts • Childcare • Scholarship programs • Military family support • Career development • Nontraditional learning environment • Extracurricular activities • Access to special education programs • Parent engagement • School culture • STEAM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education Every family has different needs! Ask your clients what they’re looking for in a school, so you can provide them with helpful resources.

FAMILY MATTERS

Working with Buyers and Sellers with Children

By Michele Lerner

While plenty of home buyers and sellers are single, partnered or married without children,

those who do have kids often have extra needs when moving. Thirty-five percent of all buyers

in 2019 had children under age 18, according to the National Association of Realtor’s ® 2019

Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, while 33% of sellers had children under age 18. But in many areas the percentage of clients who have children could be much higher.

Whether your family clients are buyers or sellers, NAR’s 2019 Moving with Kids report offers some insight into the preferences of this niche market. Nearly 90 percent of buyers, whether they have children or not, worked with a real estate agent for their purchase. The NAR data also show that most sellers worked with an agent, with 82% with children and 81% of sellers without children choosing an agent to provide a broad range of services and manage most aspects of the sale .

EMOTIONAL FACTORS OF MOVING WITH A FAMILY

Experienced agents know they function almost as a therapist when advising their clients through a real estate transaction. That emotional support can be even more important to families with children who are nervous or unhappy about moving to a new home.

“First, I look at who is having the most problems with the move,” says Adriene Pessel, a Realtor® with Century 21 New Millennium in Alexandria. “Typically, it’s the person who doesn’t immediately have something to look forward to in the move and views the move as a loss. For example, one spouse might be moving for a job promotion, while the other is trying to determine their new purpose in the move.”

Sometimes a child is upset by the prospect of leaving their friends, school or teammates.

Pessel advises her clients to use “I feel” statements as opposed to “you” when talking about an upcoming move.

“This helps the spouse or the child understand your perspective without making the other person feel defensive,” says Pessel. “Change isn’t easy. It can be difficult for everyone involved. The important thing is to work as a team.” If the child is the one having a hard time dealing with the transition, Pessel says it helps to get them excited about something in their new home or their new town. She recommends focusing on new adventures and possibly new interests.

“I worked with a family who walked their children past their soon-to-behome, which was a little larger and only one-fourth of a mile away, to get them acclimated to the idea that they’d be moving,” says Loretta Gray, a Realtor® with Long & Foster Real Estate in Alexandria. “I think the strategy depends on the kids, the new place, the old place and how parents present it.”

For families making a long-distance move, it can help to remember that they can always stay in touch with their hometown.

“I tell my sellers who are moving out of state that no matter where you go in life, this will be here – this neighborhood, this town, your family, your friends,” says Jeddie Busch, a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Reston. “We will always have our memories, and it’s time to go make more at their new home. I also let them know that the next owner will be a wonderful steward to the beautiful home they built.”

CHALLENGES FOR BUYERS AND BUYER’S AGENTS

Including older children in the process of identifying a wish list and “must haves” for their new home can smooth the transition, recommends Jillian Hogan, a Realtor® with McEnearney Associates in Alexandria. “Their knowing that they can use their voice and that their agent is taking the time to listen to their concerns can help make the whole process easier and a much more enjoyable experience,” says Hogan.

For many parents, child care costs have a significant impact on their housing budget. A recent study by Freddie Mac found that the price of child care (when adjusted for inflation) increased by 49% over the past 25 years, while housing costs for rental and homeownership only increased by 14% during that same timeframe. Unfortunately, the burden of child care costs is highest in the Washington, D.C. area, requiring an average of 19.3 percent of median income. There isn’t much a real estate agent can do to relieve that burden, but it may be worthwhile to discuss that cost and child care options with clients during the initial consultation about their housing budget.

While buyers with and without children face some of the same challenges related to inventory and affordability, NAR’s research found that buyers with children place a far greater emphasis on the quality and location of the schools when choosing a neighborhood for their home search. Fifty-three percent of buyers with children said that the quality of the school district is an important factor when choosing a home, compared to just 10% of buyers without children at home. That focus on schools and neighborhoods presents a challenge to real estate agents, who must be careful to avoid any violation of Fair Housing Laws while providing guidance to clients.

“I sit down for a brief interview before taking buyers out, either by phone, Facetime or face-to-face, to go through their payment options, qualifications and lender preapproval,” says Cris Curtis, a Realtor® with Century 21 New Millennium in White Plains, Md. “I take notes on their hot buttons and what they’re looking for in a home and community. Most buyers are very savvy and have already done their research on locations.”

Busch says she always recommends that buyers drive around a prospective neighborhood to get a feel for the community.

“This way, the buyers are doing the legwork, not the agent,” says Busch. Pessel says she reminds clients that she’s not allowed to give an opinion about the safety of an area or about whether a house is in a “good” school district. She suggests checking local police logs or a data site such as Watchdog.com or another independent resource for crime information.

“When it comes to finding a school, parents can get very passionate, so I encourage them to make a list of what’s important to them and their child’s needs,” says Pessel. “Is there any particular educational direction they want, such as language immersion, IB or AP classes, sports, etc.? Once they have that list, they can fine tune it and do the homework on different schools.” Hogan recommends a variety of independent and county websites that provide test scores, information about programs at individual schools and data about school rankings and satisfaction. “Another option is connecting our clients with past clients and friends who may already have experience in a certain neighborhood or school district, so they can speak to one another about their concerns,” says Hogan.

Gray recommends that buyers schedule an appointment with a principal or assistant principal to get a better feel for a school and its atmosphere. As she says, “People teach children, not numbers.”

“[The] focus on schools and neighborhoods presents a challenge to real estate agents, who must be careful to avoid any violation of Fair Housing Laws while providing guidance to clients.”

“I always direct my clients to school district websites to get a picture of what schools are out there and what programs each school offers,” says Susie Klein, a Realtor® with The Goodhart Group with Compass real estate brokerage in Alexandria. “I then suggest they use social media to find out more about the school community. Many PTAs have Facebook pages that promote the happenings in the school. There are also neighborhood groups where a buyer can find out more about the community and satisfaction with the school.”

CHALLENGES FOR SELLERS AND LISTING AGENTS

Families are often overwhelmed with work, school and kids’ activities, so adding a move in the mix can be difficult. “I explain to parents that in order to get the top end of their price point or a full price offer, we need to spend the time or money to be sure the home is showing at its absolute best,” says Curtis. “For example, it may cost $200 to $400 to have someone clean and organize for you, but if you don’t, it could cost thousands in a lower asking price.”

Among the biggest challenges for sellers moving with kids is staging the house and maintaining a pristine condition to attract buyers.

“I ask that almost all the toys, with the exception of one large storage bin filled with their favorites, be put into storage,” says Busch. “The children

can bring out this large bin between showings. If a showing is requested, then all the toys, books, etc. can be easily thrown into this bin and put into a storage room or garage.”

Pessel suggests designating one room as the playroom to keep the rest of the house completely toy-free. If that doesn’t work, she encourages families to rent a storage unit during the move.

“The amount of kids’ belongings will help determine if attic storage, a storage unit rental or a POD is the best option,” says Hogan. “Helping your kids pick out their favorite things in different categories, such as dolls, art supplies, large toys and books, allows them to be part of the process and gives them the chance to make the decision on what stays and what will be meeting them in their next home.” If possible, Hogan suggests that sellers put their home on the market close to the end of the week and take a vacation to ease the frustration of needing to leave often during the popular first weekend on the market.

Depending on their age, it can be tough to get kids to cooperate with the frustrations of selling, such as keeping their rooms clean and frequently leaving the house.

“With younger kids, I kneel and ask if they have any ideas for how they can help keep the house clean,” says Pessel. “This helps the child feel like they’re part of the process and lets them think they’re coming up with these things on their own. That encourages them to do their part.” Older kids usually understand why they need to help, but Pessel says incentivizing kids works at any age.

“I suggest having the kids work off a token system for keeping the house clean while the home is on the market,” says Busch. “They can earn poker chips for completed chores, so when a showing is requested, they can take the kids out for ice cream or have them ‘spend’ their tokens at a store.”

Sometimes the agent is the one providing incentives to get kids to cooperate.

“I had a family with four children ages 7 to 14 and a nearly wild poodle move from a little home to a big home,” says Gray. “At the end of the process, I fulfilled my promise and gave them gift cards for doing everything I asked of them. It worked out great and everyone was happy.”

NAR’s research found that sellers with children are more likely to need to sell their home urgently (23%) compared to sellers with no children at home (14%). The top three priorities for sellers with children were for their agents to sell within a specific timeframe, to help price the home competitively and to market the home.

Most buyers and sellers with children found their agent by referral, so providing emotional and practical support for your clients with families can lead to a growing network of clients.

Michele Lerner, a freelance writer based in the Washington, D.C. area, has been writing about real estate and personal finance for more than 20 years.