Nesting 101

On a whim, Cindy Zukofsky, a 25-year-old Arlington County public school teacher, applied for a reduced-rate home through Arlington County's employer-assisted housing program after her principal suggested it last spring.

Two months later, she was the proud, young owner of a condo at Arlington Oaks, a former apartment complex that is 10 minutes away from her job. This year, she teaches second grade at Glebe Elementary School.

Zukofsky still can't believe she's a homeowner. She continuines to refer to her home as her apartment.

"Everyone keeps correcting me," she said.

Since she moved to the area a year ago, Zukofsky had been renting a room in her friend's two-bedroom condo.

Her school principal tipped her off with an e-mail about Arlington's Live Where You Work program, which gives Arlington government employees and Arlington Public School employees a forgivable loan toward the purchase of a home.

Through that perk she found out about Arlington County's employer-assisted housing (EAH) program, which connects condo developers with employees from the Arlington County Government, Arlington Public Schools, nonprofit developer AHC, George Mason University, Marymount University and Virginia Hospital Center.

Workers such as Zukofsky are offered the chance to buy condos at below-market prices.

The purpose of the county program is to recruit and retain qualified employees and cut down on carbon emissions released by long commutes, Arlington County officials say.

Developer AHC, which bought 60 apartments at Arlington Oaks two years ago, has sold about 24 units through the county's moderate-income homeownership programs.

Zukofsky entered her name in March of this year. Just two weeks later, county staffers called and gave her the option to buy a renovated, one-bedroom condo for $200,000 with a $4,500 forgivable loan, a low-interest mortgage rate and a $25,000 loan to cover the down payment and closing costs.

Zukofsky moved in May. She is now paying the amount she spent in rent each month to own the home. "Hopefully, I'll make a profit. Even if I broke even, it wouldn't be the worst thing. It's like living for free for five years," Zukofsky said.

She gushes over her new place. "You come in and it's as if you opened a Pier 1 or Crate and Barrel catalog," Zukofsky said of the newly finished hardwood floor, the living room painted rusty orange and beige and the bedroom cloaked in light yellow.

She admits that if she had been given a choice, she would have preferred to live a little closer to the Clarendon scene and buy a place with nicer amenities. "They put in low-end kitchen appliances," Zukofsky said of the new stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. "The windows are very, very old. I'm replacing them on my own."

But she's quick to say she feels lucky. "Honestly, it was the simplest process ever. I would suggest it to anyone that falls in the category of being able to do it," Zukofsky said.

"If you know you're going to be here or you're here now and you hear about this program, just do it. The opportunity is not going to come around again," she said. "You deserve to pay less."