February 26th, 2010:
Existing-Home Sales Down, Prices Steady
Existing-home sales fell in January but are above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Existing-home sales — including single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — dropped 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million units in January from a revised 5.44 million in December, but remain 11.5 percent above the 4.53 million-unit level in January 2009.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said there is still some delay between shopping and closing that affected current sales. “Most of the completed deals in January were based on contracts in November and December. People who got into the market after the home buyer tax credit was extended in November have only recently started to offer contracts, so it will take a couple months to close those sales,” he said. “Still, the latest monthly sales decline is not encouraging, and raises concern about the strength of a recovery.”
Inventory Levels
Total housing inventory at the end of January fell 0.5 percent to 3.27 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 7.8-month supply at the current sales pace, up from a 7.2-month supply in December. Raw unsold inventory is 9.6 percent below a year ago, and is at the lowest level since March 2006.
“Activity should be picking up strongly in late spring as buyers take advantage of the tax credit, which is critical to absorb distressed properties reaching the market and to continually chip away at inventory,” Yun said. “With a downtrend in the number of homes on the market, especially in the lower price ranges, values are beginning to firm but with great variance around the country.”
Median Home Prices
The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $164,700 in January, unchanged from a year earlier. Distressed homes, which accounted for 38 percent of sales last month, continue to downwardly distort the median price because they typically are discounted in comparison with traditional homes in the same area.
A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 40 percent of homes in January, down from 43 percent in December. Investors accounted for 17 percent of transactions in January, up from 15 percent in December; the remaining sales were to repeat buyers. The survey also shows that buyer traffic increased 9.4 percent in January.
NAR President Vicki Cox Golder said buying a home in the current environment has become more challenging. “First-time buyers and others who need a mortgage are increasingly losing out to all-cash investors for the best bargains in many areas, particularly for foreclosed homes where cash is king,” she said.
“Inventory conditions vary by price range, and of course there are major differences depending on location. REALTORS® are the best buyer resource for strategies on winning bids in increasingly competitive markets,” Golder said. “The bidding for more desirable homes will only accelerate between now and the April 30 contract deadline to qualify for a tax credit of up to $8,000.”
According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage edged up to 5.03 percent in January from 4.93 percent in December; the rate was 5.05 percent in January 2009.
Single-Family Homes and Condos
Single-family home sales fell 6.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.43 million in January from a level of 4.76 million in December, but are 8.6 percent above the 4.08 million pace in January 2009. The median existing single-family home price was $163,600 in January, down 0.4 percent from a year ago.
Existing condominium and co-op sales dropped 8.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 620,000 in January from 675,000 in December, but are 38.1 percent above the 449,000-unit level a year ago. The median existing condo price was $172,400 in January, which is 1.4 percent higher than January 2009.
Regional Performance
- Existing-home sales in the Northeast fell 10.9 percent to an annual pace of 820,000 in January but are 22.4 percent above a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $245,300, a gain of 8.8 percent from January 2009.
- Existing-home sales in the Midwest declined 6.9 percent in January to a level of 1.08 million but are 8.0 percent higher than January 2009. The median price in the Midwest was $130,300, which is 1.0 percent below a year ago.
- In the South, existing-home sales dropped 7.4 percent to an annual pace of 1.87 million in January but are 12.0 percent above a year ago. The median price in the South was $140,200, down 2.0 percent from January 2009.
- Existing-home sales in the West declined 5.2 percent to an annual rate of 1.28 million in January but are 7.6 percent higher than January 2009. The median price in the West was $203,400, down 5.8 percent from a year ago.
— NAR
Fairlington Update
Fairlington is an unincorporated neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. Fairlington is close to Shirlington and ParkFairfax. Fairlington has easy access to DC and most of Northern VA owing to proximity to I-395 (Shirley Highway) and King Street (Rt. 7).
Fairlington is filled with townhouse-type condominium apartments built in the 1940s as the largest housing project financed by the Defense Homes Corporation during World War II. For this reason, Fairlington is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and on the Virginia Landmarks Register.
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$364,900 : 3281 Stafford St S #B1, Arlington3 beds, 2 full baths
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$455,000 : 4408 34th St S, Arlington3 beds, 2 full baths
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$350,000 : 3817 Keller Ave #185, Alexandria2 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths
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$329,900 : 3501 Stafford St S #B2, Arlington2 beds, 1 full bath
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Apostrophes: Its or It’s?
The most frequent apostrophe error is to confuse the possessive pronoun its with the contraction it’s.
Overcoming this apostrophe error, for many, boils down simply to memorizing the rule; however, if you recall the rule for pronouns, you know that s-ending pronouns (hers, ours, theirs—and, yes, its) do not take apostrophes.
You might also recall that contractions do take apostrophes, to replace some missing letter or group of letters.
The contraction it’s and the possessive pronoun its follow these two general rules. By learning these larger rules and applying them, you will have no trouble with differentiating between its and it’s.
For people who prefer to memorize, here are the rules for its versus it’s:
1. The contraction takes an apostrophe.
Example: “It’s a beautiful day.”
2. The possessive form does not take an apostrophe.
Example: “The duck tended to its young.”
We all have to admit that -s ending words can be confusing at times, and that apostrophes complicate things even further. So, what happens when we need to add an apostrophe to a word that already ends in -s? The next article answers that question. To read that article, click this link:
Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of 
effective writing to average, everyday Americans. He has published work in the field of medieval literature, and has authored a book on advertising language entitled, Telling the Truth to Deceive: How Advertisers Manipulate the English Language. Mr. Altman is an assistant professor of English at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.
Pros and Cons of Going Condo
Carlyle Towers condominiums
Condominiums and townhouses offer an affordable option to single-family homes in many markets, and they’re ideal for those who appreciate a maintenance-free lifestyle. But before you buy, make sure you do your legwork. These are some of the important elements to consider:
Storage
Some condos have storage lockers, but usually there are no attics or basements to hold extra belongings.
Outdoor space
Yards and outdoor areas are usually smaller in condos, so if you like to garden or entertain outdoors, this may not be a good fit. However, if you dread yard work, this may be the perfect option for you.
Amenities
Many condo properties have swimming pools, fitness centers, and other facilities that would be very expensive in a single-family home.
River Towers has 27 acres of green space
Maintenance
Many condos have onsite maintenance personnel to care for common areas, do repairs in your unit, and let in workers when you’re not home — good news if you like to travel.
Security
Keyed entries and even doormen are common in many condos. You’re also closer to other people in case of an emergency.
Reserve funds and association fees
Although fees generally help pay for amenities and provide savings for future repairs, you will have to pay the fees decided by the condo board, whether or not you’re interested in the amenity.
Resale
The ease of selling your unit may be dependent on what else is for sale in your building, since units are usually fairly similar.
Porto Vecchio is on the Potomac River
Porto Vecchio is on the Potomac River
Condo rules
Although you have a vote, the rules of the condo association can affect your ability to use your property. For example, some condos prohibit home-based businesses. Others prohibit pets, or don’t allow owners to rent out their units. Read the covenants, restrictions, and bylaws of the condo carefully before you make an offer.
Neighbors
You’re much closer to your neighbors in a condo or town home. If possible, try to meet your closest prospective neighbors.
Comma Function: Commas Set off Introducing and Concluding Elements
In the previous article, we explored how commas set off interrupting phrases, but commas are also used to set off phrases and dependent clauses from the complete-sentence part (independent clause) of the larger sentence. Essentially, commas set things off in sentences.
Here is an example. Notice that there is only one comma. Consider why that is the case.
Recognizing the comma’s complexity, many new writers are afraid to use it.
Think again about the main line of the sentence. Split the sentence in half, with the comma as the dividing wedge in the middle. We are left with these two parts:
1. Recognizing the comma’s complexity
2. Many new writers are afraid to use it
Which of these parts, if written or spoken alone, is a complete statement? If you aren’t sure, read each aloud, and imagine speaking it to someone.
Number 2 is the complete sentence. To show that Number 1 (which English teachers would call a “dependent clause”) is an unnecessary but enhancing appendage, we set it off from the main line with a comma. If it had occurred mid-sentence, it would have a comma on each side.
In fact, I will write it that way:
Many new writers, recognizing the comma’s complexity, are afraid to use it.
In the original example, the dependent clause occurs at the beginning of the sentence, so there is no need to have a comma at the beginning of the clause. Think about it: on that side, there is nothing to set the clause off from; all that’s there is the empty space between sentences. Just for the sake of exploration, let’s look at the clause, with both commas in place:
,recognizing the comma’s complexity, many new writers are afraid to use it.
If we make that unneeded comma invisible, we have our original sentence:
Recognizing the comma’s complexity, many new writers are afraid to use it.
So, in reality, a comma that appears to divide a sentence into two parts actually fulfills the same function as the two commas used to set off a mid-sentence interrupting phrase or clause. The difference is that we do not show the additional comma.
See how that works?
Here are a few additional examples. I present three versions of each: (1) the mid-sentence clause, (2) the transitional clause-sentence form, with the extra comma left visible, and (3) the clause-sentence (or sentence-clause) form, with the extra comma omitted.
Example 1.1. Commas, although they involve many rules, make perfect sense.
Example 1.2. ,although they involve many rules, commas make perfect sense.
Example 1.3. Although they involve many rules, commas make perfect sense.
Now, what if we invert that structure completely?
Example 2.1. Commas, although they involve many rules, make perfect sense.
Example 2.2. Commas make perfect sense, although they involve many rules,
Example 2.3. Commas make perfect sense, although they involve many rules.
Here’s one last example:
Example 3.1. The dash, an alternative to the comma, makes for assertive prose.
Example 3.2. ,an alternative to the comma, the dash makes for assertive prose.
Example 3.3. An alternative to the comma, the dash makes for assertive prose.
So, whether we’re using two commas to set off an interrupting phrase, or using a single comma to set off an introductory clause, we are essentially doing the same thing: setting off an enhancing non-sentence phrase from the main line of the sentence. While commas have many rules, I hope that this article has helped make things a bit more unified for you.
So, here is our ongoing list of comma functions:
1. Commas show pauses (the comma rule of thumb).
2. Commas set things off from the main sentence:
A. Introductions
B. Interruptions
C. Conclusions
Believe it or not, commas serve even more purposes, but those additional purposes are minor compared with the functions we have explored. Still, they are worth examining, so I will do so in upcoming articles.
One such function is that the comma shows, not only a pause, but also a change in how we read actual words. If you want to know more, click the link below:
Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of effective writing to average, everyday Americans. He has published work in the field of medieval literature, and has authored a book on advertising language entitled, Telling the Truth to Deceive: How Advertisers Manipulate the English Language. Mr. Altman is an assistant professor of English at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.
Introduction to Cameron Station
Condos at Cameron Station
Cameron Station is located in the West End of Alexandria near Ben Brenman Park and Charles Beatley Library. Foxchase Shopping Center and Landmark Mall are both very close to Cameron Station. The community has easy access to I-495 and I-395. Cameron Station is relatively close to Van Dorn Metro and the King Street Metro.
The community has a number of townhouses, single family detached homes and condos, sized and tailored to fit most budgets.
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$590,000 : 220 Cameron Station Blvd, Alexandria3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$389,888 : 4950 Brenman Park Dr #205, Alexandria2 beds, 2 full baths
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$595,000 : 164 Barrett Pl, Alexandria3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$787,950 : 5255 Pocosin Ln, Alexandria4 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths
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$824,900 : 5213 Brawner Pl, Alexandria3 beds, 2 full, 2 part baths
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$430,000 : 5081 Donovan Dr #184, Alexandria2 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$299,900 : 400 Cameron Station Blvd #311, Alexandria1 bed, 1 full bath
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Comma Function: Commas Set off Mid-Sentence Interrupters
Commas are used to set off interrupting phrases from the main line of a sentence, particularly when there are slight pauses to set off such phrases. What do I mean by “interrupting phrases” or “the main line of a sentence”?
Here is an example:
The comma, possibly the most complex punctuation mark, is a necessary writing tool.
Notice where I use commas. If you were to remove the words that appear between those two commas, would the sentence still make sense?
Let’s try it:
The comma is a necessary writing tool.
The second sentence, where I omitted the phrase that falls between the commas, makes perfect sense. Still, it lacks personality—spice. (Those of us in the English business have a name for that spice: style.) Although the second sentence expresses the essential fact of the statement, the first one is enhanced by that interrupting phrase. We want to keep that phrase somewhere within the sentence, while showing that it is not part of the main, factual expression of the sentence. How do we do that?
That, my friends, is where the comma comes in. It sets off the phrase as an “extra,” but still includes it within the context of the larger (and otherwise dull) statement of fact. It tells your readers, “I am including this phrase because it is helpful, but it is not the main idea I am expressing in this sentence.” Remember the comma rule of thumb? It applies here, since these commas show pauses. Those pauses imbue the interrupting phrase with emphasis. They say, “Pause here, dear reader, and consider this.” So, even as they tell the reader that the phrase is set off from the main sentence, these commas encourage brief consideration of that modifying, enhancing phrase.
This is the spice of writing. In this sense, commas do not exist merely to compose sentences that are grammatically correct or proper. Only novices suffer fear and doubt over such matters; too often, they allow this obsession with arbitrary propriety to paralyze them, both as thinkers and writers. Experienced writers, although they do recognize conventional practices, could care less about the false goals of propriety, especially when those goals are presented as the ultimate purpose for knowing punctuation and mechanics.
What, after all, does sounding proper do for my readers? Do I want my readers to come away from my writing saying, “Wow—That writing was grammatically correct”? Of course not! I want them to come away saying, “This guy makes complex ideas crystal-clear. I learned a lot about my writing, and I was entertained in the process.” That’s what I want; that’s what I’m going for. The ultimate goal of punctuation and grammar is not to achieve some feigned sense of arbitrary correctness, but to write with clarity and power.
So, as you master grammar, punctuation, and the other do’s and don’ts of writing, do not let them master you. They serve your purposes; you do not serve theirs.
Now, balance that thoug
ht with the knowledge that the rules exist for good reason: they are widely recognized and acknowledged. If rite me phrase this like this, my reader has no idea what I am saying—at least not at first. That forces my reader to stop and decipher my writing, which interrupts the flow of my ideas to the reader’s mind. Since my goal is to reach as many English-speaking people as possible, I need to write in such a way that the majority of them can understand me. With that audience in mind, my best bet is Standard English. But remember: I do it for clarity, not propriety. I do not serve the rules, but I do serve my readers.
And it doesn’t stop with clarity. If my writing is clear, that does not make it good. My job as a writer is not merely to transmit data to my reader’s mind. I need style—movement, force, pizzazz—in my prose. In achieving those effects, I want to push the envelope by manipulating the rules. Such manipulation often involves breaking the rules just a bit. Notice that I broke the rules when I wrote the nonsense clause, “if rite me phrase this like this,” but I’ll bet it served my purpose: to confuse you, just for a moment. That confusion drove home my message, so I knowingly broke several rules in that sentence. Such is the stuff of advanced writing.
Well, there I go again: preaching writing instead of teaching it. It’s about time we got back to commas, don’t you think?
In this article, we explored the following structure:
(beginning of sentence) , (interrupting phrase or clause), (end of sentence)
The next article will show how commas set off phrases and clauses that introduce or conclude a sentence. Such sentences would have one of the following two structures:
1. (introducing phrase or clause), (sentence)
2. (sentence), (concluding phrase or clause)
I’ll go ahead and let you in on the big secret:
Even though they look different, all three of these examples involve the same technique.
Confused? Let me put it to you another way:
All three of these examples, even though they look different, involve the same technique.
Now, try this on for size:
All three of these examples involve the same technique, even though they look different.
Want to know more? If so, this is the link for you:
Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of effective writing to average, everyday Americans. He has published work in the field of medieval literature, and has authored a book on advertising language entitled, Telling the Truth to Deceive: How Advertisers Manipulate the English Language. Mr. Altman is an assistant professor of English at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.
Latest listings at the Olympus at Landmark
Olympus at Landmark
The Olympus is located in Alexandria’s cosmopolitan West End with easy access to I-395. It’s a short drive to the Pentagon, DC, Tysons Corner and more. But even here among the high-rises of the West End, Old Town Alexandria, just a mile away, is a big part of the tapestry of life.
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Other Comma Errors
So far, we have explored two comma errors:
1. The comma splice (trying to connect two complete sentences with only a comma)
2. The subject-predicate comma (placing a comma between the subject and predicate, where there should be no punctuation)
The third type of comma misplacement is simply screwing up and placing a comma in some random place where there should be no comma. This odd comma creates an awkward, disruptive pause—one that leaves readers confused and annoyed. Unlike the subject-predicate comma, this error has no method to its madness. It is random and unexplainable.
There is one other case of comma misplacement that has some method to its madness. In the course of my time teaching, I often encounter this odd comma placement practice:
Bob worked hard to learn comma placement which, paid off in his writing.
Now, read that sentence aloud. Pause at the precise spot where the comma occurs. Here’s what you would hear:
Bob worked hard to learn comma placement which [pause] paid off in his writing.
That doesn’t sound right, does it? The reason it doesn’t sound right is simple: it isn’t right. Still, you may have noticed that there should be a pause—a comma—in this sentence. Where would you place that comma?
The answer is to place it before “which”—not after it:
Bob worked hard to learn comma placement, which paid off in his writing.
Or . . .
Bob worked hard to learn comma placement [pause] which paid off in his writing.
Do you see what happened? The student, hearing a pause directly before the word “which,” attempted to show that pause by placing the comma after “which.” For some reason, logic did not kick in, and the writer failed to place the comma where the pause actually occurs (in the space between the words, “placement” and “which.”). Although I do not know for sure, this error could be a symptom of dyslexia or some similar learning or cognitive disability, but oftentimes it is simply caused from a lack of good old-fashioned common sense. New freshman writers too often consider the arts of writing to be some encoded, esoteric practice, so they fail to see the common sense that governs most of the rules of writing.
Sometimes, comma errors are completely random. Perhaps the, comma was a slip of the finger, as seen in this sentence’s first comma. (When typing that sentence, my finger actually slipped and tapped the comma key. I thought this delightfully ironic error would serve as a perfect example of how even knowledgeable writers can suffer the occasional slip of the finger.) This issue is resolved by practicing effective proofreading methods, which I will share in a later article. Still, even the most attentive proofreader with the most effective methods commits an occasional typo and never catches it. Such is life: typos are sneaky bastards.
Most comma-placement decisions are remarkably simple: just place a comma where you hear a pause. So, why do people make them so difficult? And what reasoning do people give to account for their odd comma practices? Perhaps the writer, completely uninformed regarding the functions of commas, is simply trying to meet some imagined comma quota. Believe it or not, I have encountered this approach.
I recall teaching a college freshman who, somewhere along the way, had picked up the notion that he needed to have at least one comma per sentence. So, even if a sentence did not warrant a comma, he would simply throw one into the mix, wherever it “looked right.” Faced with the utter outlandishness of this student’s comma philosophy, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry, so I simply chose to stare blankly into space for a moment before assisting the unfortunate fellow with his writing.
I think part of the reason for such counterintuitive writing practices is that people do not view punctuation and grammar as serving any purpose beyond looking right or sounding proper. But punctuation does have applicable purposes, and this is especially true of the comma, which perhaps serves more roles in writing than any other mark of punctuation. (Consider, for example, the two roles the comma plays in that last sentence. Consider also how I used the comma in that first parenthetical sentence. The comma is a hard worker indeed.)
So far, we have explored the comma in terms of what not to do. We have applied the comma rule of thumb to develop a sense of the comma in prose. We have examined comma splices and other comma errors. But we still haven’t explored the functions of commas, and how they enhance our sentences. Even if we no longer fear the comma, how can we use it as our writing tool?
That, dear reader, is the subject of the next set of articles.
Interested? If so, here is the link to the first article on comma functions:
Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of effective writing to average, everyday Americans. He has published work in the field of medieval literature, and has authored a book on advertising language entitled, Telling the Truth to Deceive: How Advertisers Manipulate the English Language. Mr. Altman is an assistant professor of English at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.
