Feature

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

Arlington’s real estate market has finally slid into standard summer mode with only 49 new listings and only 32 ratified contracts.

The market typically drops significantly after July 4th and picks up again full steam after Labor Day in early September. People tend to travel or spend time at the beach with family and friends in July and August.

The big story for homeowners this week is the massive flooding in Arlington from that torrential rainstorm Monday morning that dropped 3.5-4.5 inches of water in just two hours. Roads were closed, streams overflowed their banks and hundreds of basements flooded big time. The storm was said to be a freak 100-yr event, but with climate change I think we can expect to see more such powerful storms.

What can a homeowner do to protect their basements from flooding, especially when the homeowner is traveling?

I have a brilliant new discovery to share, and some ageless sage advice:

  • Keep your gutters clean and downspout extensions at least 3-4 ft from house.
  • Keep your drains outside basement doors clear of debris, and make sure drains are not clogged.
  • Test your sump pump once a month. Activate the float switch to ensure all is working properly.
  • Make sure the soil around the exterior of the house is graded away from the house at the foundation wall.
  • Add a backup sump pump in your sump crock. Typically plumbers will install a battery powered pump that only comes on when the primary pump fails due to power outage. But wait, there’s a new backup pump system…

Install a water-powered backup sump pump in your sump crock. This is a brilliant new product that does not rely on electric power either from a battery or your home’s power grid.

It works from the water pressure in your home, which remains constant even when your power goes out in a big storm.

We installed one in the basement of our new home, and within two months it saved our basement from flooding and costing $30,000 in renovation. The pump costs just a few hundred dollars to be installed. It connects to your home’s cold water supply.

When its float valve is activated, it allows the full pressure of your home to pull out the water in the sump based on the Venturi principle of creating low pressure. It worked beautifully and saved our basement. For every gallon of water used, it pulls two gallons of water from the sump. And it can keep doing that forever until power is restored.

I predict battery backup sump pumps are headed quickly for extinction.

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.