Local
Quick tips for your home search
The internet has a vast array of resources that can help you make intelligent decisions when purchasing real estate
The internet has a vast array of resources that can help you make intelligent decisions when purchasing real estate. (Photo courtesy CreativeCommons)
The quest for a new home can be both an exciting and a daunting task. Location, size, lifestyle, flair, convenience, commute, safety — all important factors to consider when looking for a home and unfortunately, some of these do not come up in a typical home search database.
Of course the best way to determine if a property meets your needs in terms of location, convenience and commute is the old-fashioned way. Go out and walk the neighborhood at different times of day, talk to the neighbors and test out your commute.
If you don’t have the time or are just getting started in your search, don’t worry. There are many websites and tools that can help you make this process easier to navigate. A website called “WalkScore” (walkscore.com) is a great way to see how close a particular address is to key destinations such as shopping, transportation, grocery, restaurants, bars, convenience stores — you name it. It gives you a rating based on the walkability of the neighborhood.
Google Street View is also a way to virtually walk through the neighborhood with real images of the street and surrounding neighborhood. This can help you evaluate the other homes on the block and surrounding streets, as well as show you the proximity to nearby amenities. Any of the Google maps can also show you how long it will take you to walk, bike, take public transportation or drive to any given location.
If safety is a concern, visit your local police website or call your local precinct. If you live in the D.C. city limits, you can also visit crimemap.dc.gov/presentation/query.asp to look up a location and see exactly what type of crimes are committed within different proximities of a given address, within different time frames.
Our firm also just launched a new website with some great search features. We are most excited about the Metro Search at suegoodhart.com which allows you to search for listings based on proximity to any Metro stop. This is new technology which is making the home finding process much easier for Metro commuters throughout our area. Additionally, we have developed a new lifestyle search there too that allows potential purchasers to search for homes in communities that fit their particular desires including arts and culture, shopping, restaurants, pet-friendly neighborhoods, urban versus suburban or rural, health and public services and more.
It’s a great new tool for determining both neighborhoods that fit your needs as well as individual listings. Among many other new types of searches now available on our site are a luxury search, open house search, map search, advanced search, new listing search and new price search. There is also a proximity search that pulls up all listings within a given distance from any location. Visit suegoodhart.com and play around with the different search options.
Though there are many more sites and tools to help you in finding a new home. Of course, feel free to contact us to set up a custom search for you based on your needs and desires or to talk with us about the D.C., Northern Virginia or Maryland real estate market. Please visit our blog (goodhartgroup.wordpress.com) for links to the mentioned sites.
Sue Goodhart is the top-producing agent at McEnearney Associates in Alexandria and is licensed in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. She can be reached at 703-549-9292 or [email protected].
Virginia
Black transgender woman murdered in Va.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray killed in Petersburg on March 13
A Black transgender woman was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate she was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray, 42, shot to death inside a home in Petersburg. These initial media reports also misgendered her.
“My heart is shattered and heavy with grief at the news of Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray’s murder — the first trans life stolen from us this year,” said Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs for the National Black Justice Coalition, in a statement.
Kirby York in her statement also criticized the media coverage of Sanchez-McCray’s murder.
“The early reports of Shyyell’s death stripped her of her identity by misgendering her, a deeply damaging and persistent failure by law enforcement and media that haunts these cases again and again,” she said. “Misgendering doesn’t just erase a person’s truth — it can derail justice entirely, or worse, bury a case in silence as investigators chase the wrong identity, the wrong face, the wrong name.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
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