It'll Make You Laugh! The Year In Review With The Capitol Steps! - 12/31/08 08:14 PM
One of the really fun things here in Washington is The Capitol Steps, a group of ex-congressional aids whose songs make lots of fun of their former employers.  Listening to the 28 albums they've made over the years is a most amusing history lesson.
By now, most of them have quit their day jobs to entertain at
They make fun of everybody - equal opportunity offenders.  In 2008, they picked on Blagojevich, Bush, Joe the Plumber, Obama, and the whole bunch of the players in the campaign. 
So if you ever become prominent in politics and then do something stupid, you … (12 comments)

A New Wrinkle In My New Business Plan! - 12/30/08 10:46 PM
For a few years now, I've had an idea to do a sort of salon, or soirees - some form of regular gatherings of cool, interesting people at my house.  And I've decided to do them on the first Saturday of each month.  And my first "First Saturday" is shaping up.  I've invited a bunch of people over for a "Hair of the Dog" gathering to ring out the holicay season. 

I've been blessed with a really interesting bunch of clients, neighbors, friends and family.  And many of them are professional and excellent ameteur musicians.  So the guest list icludes … (32 comments)

I Just Finished My Virginia Continuing-Ed, And I'm Really, Really Cranky - 12/30/08 10:16 PM
My Virginia real estate license renewal needs to be postmarked by midnight tomorrow.  And it will be, but just barely!  I’m licensed in three jurisdictions – DC, Virginia and Maryland.  That means keeping track of three different sets of ground rules for doing business.    For DC and Maryland, there’s Professional Development Institute about 15 minutes from my house.  In one day each year, I can take care of Maryland and DC.  But Virginia is different.  The have lots of outfits offering on-line renewals, and I decided to try RealEstateExpress.com – oops!This is an outfit that offers real estate continuing education in … (13 comments)

You Never Know When A Guy Playing The Tuba Will Come Walking Down Your Street! - 12/29/08 10:25 PM
Active Rain has changed me forever in one important way.
I never ever have my camera far from my hand.  If I leave the house, whether it's to show property, walk Willie, shop, or go out on a date, it's in my back pocket or purse. 
And I look at things differently.  When I see something that might be good for a blog post, I click.  Or if it's at all unusual, I click.
One morning, I was sitting at my computer.  My desk is by a south facing window overlooking the street.  And lo and behold, a guy was walking … (37 comments)

I'm Just Not In The Mood! - 12/27/08 11:36 PM
Tomorrow, I'm doing an Open House.  I'd rather not. 
I said I would, and sometimes we do stuff just because we said we would!  This is one of those times.
There are a bunch of things I'd rather do -
go to the movies and see "Marley and Me" go shopping visit friends clean my sock drawer It's cold and the heat isn't working quite as well as I'd like it to in this house.  (Too bad, Pat!  Wear a sweater!)  They don't have a wireless signal and I won't be able to blog.  (You can write a post and put … (32 comments)

What's In A Name? - 12/27/08 10:45 PM
Last week I was showing big, pretty houses to a couple who are considering a move to Washington.  They were interviewing several agents, and we really seemed to hit it off.  By the third of forth house, I was confident that we'd be working together. 
Then I made a really, really bad mistake. 
We met the listing agent at the last house, and I had an extreme "senior moment".  I totally blanked out on their names!
Was it Tim?  Ted?  Any "T" name?  Not even close!  And I couldn't cover it up, because I'd started to make the introductions.
It was … (23 comments)

"Listings Are Not Collectibles!" - 12/26/08 08:39 PM

  I'm not even sure who said this, but it stopped me in my tracks! 
Every time I go into my office (the Evers Office office, not the untidy room where I blog a lot), I walk out with some words of wisdom from a colleague, and these were Wednesday's. 
All but two of my listings are sold, but those two unsold ones have been around for a bit.  The Patricia Kennedy Collection?
OK, I collect cows and pictures of cows.  I also have a little collection of chicken pitchers.  And then there is my shoe collection.
But a "Listing … (31 comments)

They're Gone! And I'm In The Recovery Room Blogging! - 12/25/08 11:49 PM
It's been a long day!
I overslept and didn't get up until almost 9, then I tore through the house stashing clutter (so it doesn't count as a clean house), found a clean tablecloth, set the table for nine with the Aunt Bobbie china, and then started cooking.  Then, at 11:53, eight minutes early, they started to arrive.
Does anyone else have family who show up early?
And now, a bunch of hours, a lot of food and libations, lots of presents and fun later, I've collapsed in my comfy chair with my cute little laptop, with Willie they hyperactive Labradoodle … (28 comments)

Tidings of Comfort and Joy - 12/25/08 12:40 AM

 
This is my Christmas card to all of my Active Rain blog buddies.I really think that this line from the old carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" sort of says it all.  And my wish to all of you for this Christmas (or whatever festive occasion you celebrate) season, and for all of 2009, is lots and lots of comfort and joy!
… (27 comments)

"Insanely Great Service"! Wow! What Would That Look Like! - 12/24/08 11:19 AM
Whenever I find a someone providing either really great or really stinky service, I try to answer the question, "What does this encounter teach me?"  And I found an answer, or at least a big part of the answer, in Tim Bradley's comment on yesterday's post, Christmas Shopping.  Tim says:
"I met Steve Jobs many years ago (1984 in fact!) when I was the assistant manager of the brand new Apple store on the campus of the University of Texas. He came to visit with us about Apple. His focus and reason for his success was to create products that were … (16 comments)

Christmas Shopping - 12/23/08 09:29 PM
By all accounts, retail sales are really tanked out this week.  In half the states, people can't shop even if they have money and want to because their cities and towns are lying under a few feet of snow.  But here in Washington, DC, there's no snow at all.  And when I ventured into the fray at Montgomery Mall, I didn't know what to expect.
And I should have had my camera! 
In Nordstom's and Macy's, there were no mobs.  They weren't empty by any means, but they were not mobbed either.  And the other shops had some customers, but no … (26 comments)

Thank You Jeff Belonger! Active Rain Gathering in Annapolis! - 12/23/08 08:07 AM
One of the really fun things about blogging on Active Rain is that you sometimes get to meet your blog buddies in person!  And there are always surprises!
We got together at Famous Dave's (a barbeque place) just off Route 50 in Annapolis.  Jeff came down to Washington for the Eagle's Redskin's game.  OK, for Jeff it's the Eagle's Redskin's game!  And on the spur of the moment, Jeff got a bunch of us together for lunch today.
Now, I'd already met many of the attendees.  Jeff was at Blogger's Connect last year and last September came down to Washington to … (21 comments)

Giving SentriLock Credit - 12/23/08 12:43 AM
Here in the Washington metro area, we are going through yet another lockbox conversion - you know, the kind of new box where it's too complicated to just read the directions - you have to sit through a class to figure it out!
Well, the agents here in our nation's capital were appalled to learn that this new lockbox, this incredible piece of technology that raises access to listings to an art form, was run by a program that was not Mac friendly.  And of course, we all bitched and moaned at the instruction class.  And the poor guy doing the … (15 comments)

Can You Have A Clean House And A Clean Car At The Same Time? - 12/20/08 11:57 PM
OK, the car is pretty clean!  Not the trunk yet, but the passenger compartment is more than presentable.
So my family is coming for Christmas dinner, and my house is looking like the car did yesterday!  My cleaning crew came today, so the house is clean, but cluttered.  Really cluttered.
My style is usually to stash the clutter somewhere out of sight.  So it goes from the living room to the attic.  Or maybe the back bedroom.  I can close the door and no one will open it, except maybe my sister, Joan, who comments on many of my posts.
When … (22 comments)

The Dreaded Car Clean Up! - 12/20/08 05:36 PM
No doubt about it.  A lot of us practically live in our cars.  And many of our expensive real estate cars are pretty raunchy more than they are client ready. 
As bad as my car can get, I've carpooled on tour with people whose cars are worse than my own. 
Mine gets messy and cluttered, but it never smells like smoke, or anything else for that matter.  But there are times when it gets messy and cluttered and needs more than a car wash.  Today was one of those times.
Six months ago, I bought new mats.  The ones that came … (17 comments)

Dear Diary: A Day In The Life - 12/19/08 09:38 PM
Today, I got ready for a big showing for Saturday. 
First, I did a sun dance.  The weather sucks.  Rain.  Chill.  Gray.  Yuk!  It's so much easier to get people excited about a house when it's not dreary and rainy.
Then, I went to James of Villiage Hair in Georgetown for what Willie the hyperactive-Labrodoodle puppy would call a "grooming".  James dd a little trim of the locks, tidying up the look. 
Then it was off to Lucky Nails for an understated manicure.  Got rid of the bright red nails and went to something more subdued.
After that, I headed for … (15 comments)

Clients and Holiday Parties - 12/18/08 05:14 PM
Most years, I have a party at some point over the holiday and invite friends and clients.  And throughout the season, I attend many parties either thrown or attended by clients.
Now a little Christmas cheer is fine.  But...
One year,  I invited an old boyfriend (also a broker) to my party.  He was behaving like a bit of a boor, and I paid little attention to him.  The next morning he called, starting the conversation with, "Pat, you drink too much!"
OK.  Sure.  I'm Irish.  And I didn't drink much at all until near the end of the evening when … (31 comments)

He Says He Can Put Me On Page One Of Google! - 12/17/08 11:16 PM
Today, I got yet another cold call from a guy somewhere in California who wants to put me on Page 1 on Google.  Considering that I'm thinking about expanding my Internet marketing program, I didn't hang up on him immediately.
But he was really a terrible sales person. 
He didn't LISTEN!
I explained that I had almost all the business I could handle from personal referrals and repeat clients, who do tend to be higher quality leads than what you normally meet on-line.  But he didn't shut up.  He kept running his mouth and telling me how it was crucial that … (35 comments)

DC Metro Area Agents: Fox News Needs You! - 12/17/08 10:23 PM
Today, I got an email from Jacqueline Pham of Fox News.  They're looking for some houses and condos that are for sale, to do exterior shots as well as interior shots while the homes are being shown. 
If you have any listings where the sellers are game, and where people touring the house would be amenable to having their visits possibly used in stories about the economic slow down and real estate market, feel free to email Jacqueline, or you can call her at 202-824-6376.  It's probably best to wait until December 26th, because even network news people take a few … (7 comments)

It's That Time Of Year: Do You Change Brokerages Or Stay Put? - 12/16/08 10:45 PM
This is the time of year when we start to see posts about brokerage changes.  After all, December is the time that many of us work on our business plan for the next year, and we have do ask, "Do I work in a functional, supportive office that makes it easy for me to thrive?"
There are a lot of elements to consider as you answer this question.
Do the machines work, and is there is a support staff that does their job with minimal drama? I s the office energy level in sync with your own?  Are your colleagues doing … (13 comments)

Hitting the Big 400! In The Rain Without An Umbrella - 12/15/08 08:34 PM
When I push the "Post Blog Entry" button, I will become one of ten people on the planet to have over 400,000 points on Active Rain.  And when that sounds like a whole lot of blogging, I have to remind myself that there are two who have over 500,000 - Lenn Harley (who will probably hit the 600,000 mark by the end of the week) and Oregon's own Todd Clark.
What's more important than the number is the fun I had getting there.  Oh, and there's all the great stuff I learned along the way.  And the new friends!  And the … (41 comments)

What Has My Broker Done For Me Today? - 12/15/08 06:51 PM
Evers & Company is a small boutique firm, at least compared to the area giants like ReMax. Coldwell Banker, Weichert and Long & Foster.  And Evers is incredibly efficient in providing the services that we agents need to thrive and out-perform the local market. 
The firm has about 100 agents and four support staffers, one of whom is part time.  Today, something happened, and it just hit me how lucky I am to work here.
One of those employees is Piers Lamb, our Art Director.  I mentioned to him that I was having a holiday party and asked if he could … (22 comments)

Getting Involved With Your Local Board of Realtors - 12/13/08 11:01 PM
Every year, your Board of Realtors makes decisions that have a huge impact the way you do business.  Usually they are good decisions.  And sometimes, we think that the people who implemented the changes must have had rocks in their heads.
A few days ago, I wrote a post about the new SentriLock system of lockboxes.  And I must say that, in my humble opinion, this is one of the rocks in their heads decisions.
Since writing the post, I have acquired several of these little technological marvels, and I am totally underwhelmed.  In addition to forgetting to make their updating … (30 comments)

It's A Wonderful Life! - 12/13/08 09:06 PM
Yes, it's that time of year again, when you can find that old Jimmy Stewart movie "It's A Wonderful Live"  somewhere on your television set, especially if you have cable.  And this year people just may be watching it in a somewhat different frame of mind.
It's about guys who make mortgage loans.
There's the bad banker, Mr. Potter. 
You shake his hand and feel like you have to go shower.  He doesn't give a hoot about the people who live in his rental properties (he's the Bedford Falls slum lord) and he'll make loans only to other rich people.  And … (22 comments)

Other People's Children - No, Pat! You Can't Hit Them! - 12/13/08 06:38 PM
Last week, an agent called to show one of my listings to her buyers, who were coming back to see it for a third time.  Normally, that would be wonderful news, but in this case, I really had to brace myself.
This agent's clients had three children in tow for the first two showings, and it is a huge understatement to say that two of the three were behaving like complete brats. 
My clients had done a very good job of child-proofing the house while preparing to list it.  Anything fragile was put away or put on a very high shelf, … (15 comments)

Congtatulations and a T-Shirt! - 12/12/08 11:54 PM
Blog Buddie Todd Clark has the distinction of being one of only two people on the entire planet with over half a million points on Active Rain!
Soon after I discovered blogging here, I decided that if anyone I cared about moved to Oregon, Todd was their Realtor!  Since then, I've so enjoyed reading about Todd and his fun family. 
So, the T-Shirt is in the mail!  And super congratulations!  That's a lot of good blogging!
… (17 comments)

Hey! It's Not 2005 Anymore! - 12/11/08 10:21 PM
Last week, a nice house came on the market in Woodley Park, a favorite neighborhood of mine.  It's also a favorite for some clients, and the day the house was listed, I called to arrange to show it to them.  Sorry, the agent said, no showings until the broker's open house (6 days later).  OK, I am a patient woman, and I knew that no one else can get in, so last Tuesday I finally showed it.
The house shows very well.  It was also very well priced, which was a good thing because there are two very similar houses for … (31 comments)

Getting More Help From The New York Times - 12/11/08 09:01 PM
This week, the New York Times is at the top of my good guys list, not only running an article where they quoted me, but another, It May Be Time to Think About Buying a House.  Sometimes the media gets it right!
I've been around long enough to remember the last crummy market in these parts, during the mid-1990's.  The District of Columbia had a bunch of issues back then, many stemming from a mayor who couldn't shoot straight and a lot of criminals and druggies who could.  The public schools were disfunctional, the roads were full of pot holes, and … (8 comments)

A Big Bah Humbug From GCAAR and SentriLock! - 12/10/08 09:18 PM
Normally, Evers & Company has a strictly enforced "no grump" policy in the workplace.  But this week, it has been temporarily lifted for the many Mac users in our office.  So they are leaning out the windows to shout, "We're mad as hell!  And we're not going to take it anymore!"*
As the first of my colleagues started to drift back to the office after they went for the conversion, they were livid.
No doubt about it, SentriLock is terrific in many ways.  It slices and dices and minces and then cleans itself up as a home entry system.
But the … (32 comments)

Planning for Paris! - 12/09/08 11:09 PM
Next April, I have a milestone birthday, and I'm planning to spend it with a bunch of my favorite people in Paris.
My broker, Donna Evers, is not only awesome and amazing, but she and her husband have an apartment on the Left Bank that they make available to their agents at a very deep discount.  When I first spoke to her about affiliating with Evers, she had a really great presentation, which ended with a brochure for the apartment.  And she had me at Paris!
I'm planning to go with my mother and sisters.  I've been there before many times, … (24 comments)

The Active Voice for Active Rain! - 12/08/08 10:53 PM
I wrote this post.
This post was written by me.
Every once in a while, the passive voice creeps into one of my posts.  I usually catch it and do a little editing before posting.
To those of you who were not taught English grammar by nuns (OK, that's the passive voice), there are two ways to structure a sentence.
When you write in the active voice, the subject acts, as in "Nuns taught me English."
When using the passive voice, they do it to you, "I was taught English by nuns." 
If you want to obfuscate, the passive voice is … (58 comments)

Don't Wait Until You're Asked To Do A Eulogy! - 12/07/08 08:59 PM
Yesterday I spoke at a memorial service at a beautiful home overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.  It was for the old friend who was my older and wiser (and very glamorous) downstairs neighbor when I lived in New York - at 46 East 83rd Street, the funkiest building in one of the world's most exclusive neighborhoods. 
As I sat at the computer thinking about what I would say, I realized that I had said it already - to Camilla herself the last time I saw her!

When we met, it was the 1960's and I was living one of life's great … (33 comments)

I'm Quoted In Friday's New York Times! - 12/07/08 10:58 AM
Last week, I had several conversations with New York Times writer Julie Bosman, and I just found the article, Location! Location! ...Obama! on their web site.  (You may have to do their free registration thing to read it.)  I'm not in there until Page 2, but I did get the last word!
Talking to reporters is fun.  I totally enjoy it.  Sometimes it can be a little scary because you don't know which of your inane statements they will quote, or which brilliant words of wisdom they will leave out - after all it's the reporter's story.  But the Times usually … (16 comments)

From Listing to Settlement - It's a Long and Winding Road - 12/06/08 10:07 PM
Last spring, I got a call from blog buddie Ken Montville referring me a listing in Northwest Washington. The house was pretty, the sellers were lovely people who passed the fun test.  Life was good!
They were in the process of moving out of the house and our stagers moved in.  It looked terrific. 
We priced it pretty close to the nub, or so it seemed at the time.  Finally, seven months and four price reductions later, we had a ratified contract.
Once we had an agreement, it was pretty smooth.  I'm working with a great selling agent, and the lender … (7 comments)

Lower Gas Prices: Will You Go Ahead And Buy That SUV? - 12/06/08 08:59 PM
When gas prices shot past $4 a gallon, we were all thinking about ways to conserve - driving less or trading in our guzzlers for a hybrid
But now prices have come down.  Way down.  I took this photo today on my way to see friends in Easton, Maryland, and it's not all that much higher here in the DC area. 
It was all about supply and demand.  Prices went up.  Consumers said no.  Prices came down.  OK.  That may be oversimplifying, but not by much.
Will they stay low for long?  I really doubt it.  World wide demand for oil … (12 comments)

Learning Fun Stuff About A Colleague - 12/06/08 09:43 AM
The other day, I was chatting with Ted Beverly, a favorite colleague at Evers & Company.  I glanced down on his desk and saw a little book with photos of Ted and a bicycle, he got a big grin on his face and showed me the photos and commentary he wrote about his cross-country bicycle trip that he took a couple of years ago.
I was impressed.  I was blown away!  He showed me the map, and this ride included a bunch of mountains along the route - like the Appalachians and the Rockies!  And his photos were just beautiful.  He's … (11 comments)

A Marketing Flash From The Past - 12/04/08 10:16 PM
While I was cleaning out a long-ignored closet in my dressing room, I came across a box full of very old, yellowing real estate files.  They dated back to the mid 1980's when I was working for Shannon & Luchs, Realtors, my first real estate broker.  And one of these aging folders had a bunch of marketing stuff that made me laugh.
A lot of it was from a training seminar.  Now, in those days there was not any Internet marketing.  Personal marketing was about junk mail, personal brochures, and not much else.  Marketing listings was also about junk mail, super … (33 comments)

Meeting New (To Me) Bloggers - 12/04/08 09:12 PM
With over 120,000 members and the number growing every day, I am constantly discovering "new" bloggers here on Active Rain.
I've been seeing a lot of unfamiliar names among people commenting on my posts.  And as I've been checking out these new, at least to me, bloggers, I'm finding some I'm really enjoying.  Here are some of my recent discoveries:
Carol Clay writes about her favorite town and market area, Brevard, North Carolina.  She started blogging here last June, and caught my attention with a post on cutting down your own Christmas tree and Lessons learned from turkeys about her Thanksgiving … (37 comments)

A Mini Rant: Continue Reading ... - 12/03/08 09:37 PM
I've noticed some Active Rain bloggers including only a first paragraph in their posts, with a "Continue reading..." with a link to the writer's outside blog.
Is this one of the mortal sins of blogging on Active Rain.  Probably not.  A couple of my favorite bloggers do it once in a while.  
It's just annoying.
Doing this does drive traffic to your outside blog.  If you track your numbers, you will probably see a bit of a bounce.  But is a little bounce worth annoying your blog buddies?
And I'll bet that TLW could think up a cool word for … (26 comments)

Out Of Control Spam - From Real Estate Professionals! - 12/02/08 02:58 PM
Today, there were about a hundred pieces of junk email from colleagues - many of them people I don’t know from Adam, who are way our of my market area, and who are hawking properties that it would not have occasion to show during this lifetime.
An invitation to an Brokers' Open in Winchester, Virginia (a ways out) for a commercial property A lender in Minnesota (not on Active Rain) wants to help my clients avoid foreclosure (is he even licensed in DC?). A Long & Foster agent sent me a very well written piece on current market conditions - like … (25 comments)

Out It Goes! - 12/01/08 10:48 PM
A couple of years ago, I had a client who was an elderly hoarder.  She had a ton of stuff in her house, and she was finding it almost impossible to get out of the place and into her pretty new apartment in a senior community.  And it bothered me. 
I spoke to her last week, and something in the conersation pushed me into action.
So I spent the weekend clearing out stuff I don't need.  I wound up with four bags of trash and seven bags to go to Value Village.  And I've just begun. 
One breakthrough was realizing that … (23 comments)

No News: Is It The Best News? - 12/01/08 07:16 PM
Last night, I broke down and actually watched the Bloomberg version of the week in review, and they sure did have a lot of expert on talking about the financial crisis.  Now, I listened to it and started to think.
Am I one of the people screwing the economy up?
Listening to the experts, it seems I have some pretty unacceptable patterns concerning my spending habits and priorities.
I don't have a credit card balance. Other than my home's mortgage, I have no debt.  Oh, and I'm trying to keep it that way! I have no plans to trade in my … (24 comments)

 
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Patricia Kennedy

Washington, DC

More about me…

Evers & Company Realtors

Address: 4400 Jenifer Street NW, Washington, DC , 20015

Office Phone: (202) 364-1700

Cell Phone: (202) 549-5167

Email Me

Pat Kennedy -- author of The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate -- gives you a look at life on the streets as a real estate broker in our nation's capital. And her blog is peppered with great advice combined with humor!


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