catarina bannier: Sophisticated River Falls Classic - 04/17/13 08:50 AM
Not a chatty post - we haven't actually attended to those in a while, have we? But if you close, perhaps you'd like to come by and see us this Sunday between 1 and 4 pm. It's a fabulous house in a great neighborhood, and the weather promises to be fabulous. Click the little slideshow box below for more info!
 

… (0 comments)

catarina bannier: Mail-Order House Of The Week: A 1920s Sears "Cornell" - 06/27/12 05:04 AM
This charmer -- currently for sale -- can be found in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC -- it even has a a Metro station close by. Pentagon, Reagan National Airport, Downtown DC, parks, trails, a huge shopping mall -- all can be reached within minutes.
The house has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, plus a great family room addition in the back. It's listed by Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty for $750,000 and will be open this Sunday, July 1st, from 1-3 pm. (So, if you are going to watch the big final of the European soccer … (2 comments)

catarina bannier: Can A Professional Appraisal Help You Price A Listing? Sometimes. - 05/03/12 01:59 PM
Pricing is harder than ever in a market that has become less predictable for many of us. Less predictable for home sellers as well--no wonder that so many of them are looking for advice from "zestimates," tax assessments, or -- professional appraisers...
Read my latest contribution for the Washington Post real estate blog here.
… (4 comments)

catarina bannier: Washington DC Metro-Area Market Update - 04/25/12 03:30 AM
DC area real estate is still going strong (or even stronger, depending on exactly where you are), as in reflected in our wrap-up of the March 2012 trends:
 
The Evers & Co. March 2012 Real Estate Report
In the close-in Metro area,  the spring real estate market started in March. While there was almost no change in either the dollar volume of sales or the average price from March of last year, there was a dramatic change in both numbers in just one month, between February and March of this year. The area averaged an impressive 43.6% increase in dollar … (0 comments)

catarina bannier: Any Historic Sears House Pictures To Share? - 03/09/12 02:42 AM
Oh, once more I feel so flattered! The mighty Rose Thornton, national authority on the history and identification of the mail-order homes of the early 20th century and author of books such as "Finding The Houses That Sears Built,"kind of featured me on her blog yesterday. Well, actually, not me, but some of the catalog houses I identified in my favorite DC neighborhoods.
I have often written about the stories behind the houses I sold or came across, from discovering they had a famous first owner to the long-forgotten murder in the basement. DC certainly has a lot of history of … (2 comments)

catarina bannier: The Funniest House-Staging-On-A-Budget Photos Ever (Not These! Read First!) - 02/05/12 05:27 AM
Maybe somebody slipped something in my coffee--I hope not--but I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. 
I have a pretty nice collection of weird real estate pictures myself by now (most of them are unpublished), but then there is Julia, the author of the Hooked on Houses blog, who has taken this to another level. Her collection really is fun. I couldn't tell you why, but my all time favorite is her description of this virtual tour in which the same flowers/vases were used in every single room. She has a lot of other examples on her site that are … (2 comments)

catarina bannier: New East Bethesda Listing: Sweet Colonial, $699,000 -- Open Sunday 1-5 pm - 01/20/12 01:48 PM
Live at last, and we're finally throwing ourselves into the well-deserved weekend (until Sunday, that is). Come see:
 
… (2 comments)

catarina bannier: Yes! Blue Grease Pencil! -- My Historic Mail-Order Home Of The Week - 01/13/12 03:20 AM
Oh, what thrill it was! The one-hundred-percent, doubt-free identification that we so rarely get to see! But just wait; we will get to that later.
This week's historic kit home is actually a rare find, at least for Washington, DC (correct me, if I'm wrong--I'm always looking to make new discoveries). Once more, we located it in the Shepherd Park neighborhood in the northern tip of DC.
The bright home with its rather unusual roof line (worked-in layered arches above the windows) is a spacious Sears "Honor," was built in 1926 (model number P13071), and it's currently for rent through our … (12 comments)

catarina bannier: New Glen Echo Heights Listing - 09/24/11 06:27 AM
This is a spacious house in a great green and hilly neighborhood close to the District Line.  Lots of updates and built-ins. 
… (2 comments)

catarina bannier: Faster, Less Expensive, Less Permanent - 08/30/11 05:56 AM
It was a joyous day on Sunday, when we all came out of our houses to assess the damage that wasn't.  I had fallen asleep to some scary wind gusts that occasionally bent the 120 foot trees in my neighbors' backyard much more than I liked.  When I woke up in the morning I instantly noticed the humming of the AC--we still had power!  Outside, the air was fresh and clean. 
My parents--visiting from Berlin--didn't understand a thing that was going on, neither the three-day hype before nor our fears when the winds arrived or the relief when they had passed, … (6 comments)

catarina bannier: Kissing the House Good-Bye - 06/26/11 07:50 AM
Oh, the euphoria I felt!  And that feeling of accomplishment and pride! 
In the early days of my real estate career, each settlement was great cause for celebration, not just on behalf of my clients, and not just because it was payday, often after many months of work.  There was a sense of having helped, having sacrificed time and sanity for a good cause, and having successfully maneuvered the cliffs and hurdles that presented themselves over the course of the transaction.  Most of the time, the parties were happy and cheerful when they walked away from the settlement table.
Now, ten … (8 comments)

catarina bannier: Open Today 1-4: Mid-Century Modern in Chevy Chase - 05/14/11 07:05 PM
It's a muggy and grey weekend in DC, but here is a sunny house for you nevertheless. (Proud to see that DC Urban Turf featured us in their "Best New Listings" column!)
Looking forward to a fun and busy open house tomorrow, and as always, neighbors are very welcome!
 
 
 
… (4 comments)

catarina bannier: The Sky Is The Limit - 04/15/11 09:47 AM
It was an accident, but I just love it!  I went around an upcoming new listing today, a very cool mid-century "California Modern," and snapped a few casual pictures with my little old Lumix.  They were by no means for publication but just to help my memory as I'm starting to put together some info and description for the brochures. 
This one was taken from the outside, through a wall-to-ceiling window.  Because of the reflection, I couldn't really see the picture until I downloaded it.  And guess what -- the floating ceiling had softly taken off!
One of the revolutionary and … (5 comments)

catarina bannier: Currently on the Market: Shepherd Park/DC - 04/01/11 05:50 AM
After looking at Washington DC's Colonial Village last week, we'll examine today what's currently on the market in neighboring Shepherd Park, just across 16th Street.
There are currently 5 homes on the market in Shepherd Park, DC, priced between $479,000 and 1,395,000 (average 766,200).  4 homes are under contract, after spending an average of 68 days on the market. (The pending listings were priced between $413,000 and 745,000.)
Still available (in order from lower to higher list price):

 
 
 
 
1133 Kalmia Rd NW, DC 20012
4 bedrooms, 2 full, 1 half bath
$479,000
Listed by Fejovic Realty
… (0 comments)

catarina bannier: Snapshot: What's On the Market in Colonial Village/DC Right Now - 03/25/11 09:27 AM
After yesterday's look at Rock Creek Forest just across the District Line, let's see what's available in neighboring Colonial Village on the DC side.
There are 6 properties offered for sale in Colonial Village DC right now, with asking prices ranging from $650,000 to $4,000,000.  7 are under contract, with asking prices between $579,900 and $713,543,00, after spending an average of 71 days on the market.  (Look out for the 1st quarter market analysis due in the next week or two.)
The active Colonial Village listings (courtesy of MRIS), in ascending order of price:

 
1711 Tamarack St NW
3 … (2 comments)

catarina bannier: Rock Creek Forest/Chevy Chase: The Current Inventory - 03/24/11 05:57 AM
How is the market?  What is actually out there for buyers?  Not much, at least that's what we get to hear from frustrated buyers all the time.  In a few days, it will be time for an analysis of the first quarter statistics.  For now, let's look at the available properties in this DC suburb:
There are 6 active listings in Rock Creek Forest today, with asking prices ranging from $475,000 to $1,795,000.  5 homes are currently under contract, with asking prices from $535,000 to $1,150,000, after spending an average of 6 (!) days on the market.
Here are the actives, … (2 comments)

catarina bannier: To Car Or Not To Car - 02/14/11 09:53 AM
What’s the ultimate dwelling here, the true staple of real estate in Washington, DC? Yes, of course: the 3-bedroom brick or stone colonial. Sure, we have plenty of grander architecture as well. And yes, there are tons of 19th-century townhouses, some scattered farm houses and the split levels and ramblers of the mid-century sprawl development. But if there is anything that you’d call “typical” for this town and its close-in suburbs, it would be a smaller, solidly built 1930s or 1940s colonial.
By then, garages—probably a sign of post-depression prosperity--had become very common as well, many of them built into the … (3 comments)

catarina bannier: News From The Shark! - 01/19/11 03:04 PM
To be honest, I had all but given up.  I mean, it's been more than two months since I wrote about Angela, the Virtual Tour Shark.   As evidenced in the comments back then, a bunch of my AR buddies were as intrigued as I was by the mystery and charm of the shiny fish that seemed to randomly surface in certain downtown Washington DC listings.
I had emailed the listing agent who we suspected to have such a great sense of humor (according to his company website, it was a young guy with an MA in American art history from some … (12 comments)

catarina bannier: Help! We'll Have To Put The Hoop In The Contract!! - 01/13/11 01:59 PM
This week, my colleague Bonnie Lewin and I listed the house that belongs to my neighbors, almost across the street.  It's a fabulous and very unique home designed by Travis Price, a well-known DC area architect.  It's nestled against DC's Rock Creek Park, has lots of "green" features and walls of windows and an indoor pool that overlook amazing Japanese-style landscaping.  (Check out these pictures from the architect's own website.)
So, all in all this is very exciting. 
But then, it's also a wee bit sad.
It's sad because Joanne and Barry have been the greatest asset to the neighborhood. They … (6 comments)

catarina bannier: Quite A Surprise: Rock Creek Forest Market Update - 11/05/10 09:12 AM
The 4th Quarter of each year is traditionally the "slowest" in any real estate market, at least in the DC area.  It's time to look back and evaluate some trends.  Today, we are taking a closer look at the Washington, DC suburb of Rock Creek Forest, the most eastern neighborhood of Chevy Chase, Maryland. 
To say it outright, the numbers I came up with really surprised me.  And not in a bad way!
As usual, all numbers for this year--statistics for the first 3 quarters--will be compared to those for the same period in 2009.
A total 24 homes sold in … (3 comments)