patricia kennedy: Ken Harney Quoted Jeff Dowler and I In His Latest Syndicated Column - 04/28/13 03:28 PM
Ken Harney, a Washington Post columnist who is syndicated around the country, quoted blog buddy, Jeff Dowler and I in his latest column,  Even in a hot market, sellers need to be smart about attracting buyers.
Of course, he found us both right here on Active Rain, in featured posts!  Mine was why some homes fail to sell in hot markets and covered a lot of our favorite buyer turn offs, from Realtor eating dogs to overdoing the scented candle and being a pain about showing. 
So it just goes to show that you never know who's reading your blog.  … (7 comments)

patricia kennedy: Did Your New Listing Get Multiple Offers? Dont' Get Too Cocky! - 03/21/13 08:13 PM
This market is bringing an important new challenge:  handling multiple contracts.
In the crazy market between 2003 and 2007, we saw listings that got over twenty offers with escalator clauses that were often several thousands of dollars over the asking price.  And many of the big listing agents ruined their reputations over the way the handled them. 
So if you get a bunch of offers on a home you've just listed, here are some things to keep in mind:
Real estate agents have really, really long memories. If you don't treat all of your colleagues fairly, they will get really, really … (76 comments)

patricia kennedy: So, Do the Sheep Convey? - 02/06/13 07:26 PM

Yesterday I previewed an amazing house.  A favorite colleague, Cathie Gill, just listed this property at 5017 Loughboro Road NW.  The list price is $5,8 million, and it is a true Wow House. 
But what really made my heart skip a beat? 
I pulled the old Lexus into the circular drive, got out and met these fellows.  Cuter than Labradoodles - well almost.  And I wondered.  They are not strictly fixtures, but do you think that, for a full-price offer, they might convey?
 

If you are planning a move to or from the Washington area, I … (20 comments)

patricia kennedy: The Time To Think About Selling Your Condo is Before You Buy It - 01/27/13 10:26 PM
The Time To Think About Selling Your Condo is Before You Buy It
Sometimes I will show up for a listing appointment, I'll ask myself, "What on earth were they thinking when they bought this place?" 
Well, they were not thinking about what it would be like to re-sell it.
While you are looking for your new condo, it's important to keep in mind what features it might have or lack that will decrease it's appeal to other people when it comes time to sell.  One of my clients referred to these features as fatal flaws.  Here are some of the … (21 comments)

patricia kennedy: Does Your Kitty Need a Playmate? - 01/26/13 09:19 AM
Did you just discover a family of mice in your new home?  Or does your only cat need a playmate?  The Washington Animal Rescue League can help - and you can help them.
Soon after moving into my house, I went to the Animal Rescue League to adopt a new kitten - there was a little mouse in the basement.  Oops!  They had a lot of kittens, and one that was totally tiny and adorable with silver stripes started to win my heart.  Then as I held her, another cat started meowing like crazy.
"Take ME!  Please take ME!!!"  This kitty … (14 comments)

patricia kennedy: Real Estate Then and Now - 01/26/13 07:21 AM
Real Estate Then and Now
This year, my real estate license will celebrate it's 30th birthday, and I've been thinking about how listing and selling homes is so very different than it used to be.  When I started out, this is what we had to put up with:
The Multiple Listing Service had just switched over from "listing books", which were printed and distributed to each office once a week, to a "computerized" system.  There was a terminal that printed out the inventory information on that heat sensitive paper at the rate of about 30-words per minute.  And there were two … (51 comments)

patricia kennedy: On Tonight's "Nashville": No, Deacon! Don't Go FSBO! - 01/23/13 08:10 PM
On Tonight's "Nashville":  No, Deacon!  Don't Go FSBO!
I'm sitting here after a long day at work watching Nashville, my favorite guilty pleasure, and there was scene where  the guitar-playing hunk Deacon Claybourne (played by Charles Esten), is having a melt-down.
Our guy Deacon is fed up with Nashville scene and decides to head for his cabin in the woods for a little solitude, and he throws a For Sale sign into the ground. And it's one of those cheap, tacky red and white jobs where you have to write in your phone number with a magic marker.  So, OK, Deacon, … (31 comments)

patricia kennedy: I Heard it on NPR: Formica Makes a Comeback - 01/22/13 07:26 PM
I Heard it on NPR: Formica Makes a Comeback
When I moved into my house, it had the world's ugliest green Formica countertop.  What started as awful got even worse when a dear friend accidentally put a very hot pot down on a corner of it.  So one of the best things about renovating my kitchen was replacing this un-natural green with new Silestone counters.
So yesterday, I was driving home from a trip to stock up on OTC cold remedies when there is was!  On NPR's Marketplace, Formica is back!
It's greener than granite.  It's certainly a lot less expensive, … (27 comments)

patricia kennedy: If They Can Smell It, I Can't Sell It! - 01/21/13 08:38 PM

Your house doesn't have to smell like a barnyard to turn off prospective buyers. 
True, animal smells are not exactly what you want.  But too much pot pourri, scented candles, Fabreze covering up dog urine on your rugs- it's all bad.
The best smell is no smell at all when your home is on the market.


 If you are planning a move to or from the Washington area, I can help.  I am licensed in DC, Maryland and Virginia.   Please email me at Housepat@mac.com or call 202-549-5167. 
 Search all listings in the DC Metro area.

… (25 comments)

patricia kennedy: Last Week's Favorites on Active Rain: January 13th-19th - 01/20/13 04:06 AM
 It's a been a fun week on Active Rain, and here is my list for this week.  Some are serious.  Some are funny.  One is really, really funny.  So check them out:
Jay & Michelle Lieberman:  What You Can Learn From Your Dog  This one was like eating warm chocolate chip cookies - Willie the Labradoodle's choice.
John McCormack:  Life's Demerit System  For any of you guys who might not get it, John does.  He's clearly been well trained.
Chris Ann Cleland:  Your Last Chance to Make an Impression  This is a good one with a strong reminder.
Michael Jacobs:  Pasadena … (31 comments)

patricia kennedy: Great Washington, DC Neighborhoods: American University Park - 01/18/13 09:52 PM

Great Washington, DC Neighborhoods: American University Park
A friend of mine once described the houses in American University Park as 1930’s track housing.  Well, by 2013 it is not apparent that once upon a time many of these homes looked pretty much alike.
The first homes built in AU Park in the 1920’s were mostly frame bungalows and a few brick semi-detached homes.  Then in the 30’s the rest of the lots began to fill up.
The WC and AN Miller company developed the neighborhood, and while there are a lot of brick center hall colonials in AU Park, but … (14 comments)

patricia kennedy: Great Washington DC Neighborhoods: Chevy Chase - 12/27/12 09:37 AM
Great Washington DC Neighborhoods: Chevy Chase
This Chevy Chase isn’t the goofball who used to be on Saturday Night Live.  In the early 1900’s, Chevy Chase the neighbohood became one of Washington’s early street car suburbs and. over the years, has become one of Washington's most ppular places to live.
Chevy Chase seems to have just about everything on everyones wish list:  pretty houses, tree-lined streets, a great elementary school, the Avalon Theater, and proximity to the Friendship Heights Metro.  And there is an abundance of shopping, whether you need groceries, fine wine or a great birthday present for someone you … (16 comments)

patricia kennedy: Great Neighborhoods in Washington, DC: Sheridan-Kalorama - 12/26/12 01:32 PM
Great Neighborhoods in Washington, DC:  Sheridan-Kalorama
If you were very prosperous and moving Washington to serve in William Howard Taft’s cabinet, you’d need a fabulous house.  And 1909’s most elegant new subdivision was just up the hill from Dupont Circle, called Kalorama  -  from Greek meaning “beautiful view”.
 Kalorama is divided by Connecticut Avenue into two very different neighborhoods.  The section to the west of Connecticut, Sheridan Kalorama, is the more distinguished of the two sections.
Whether your move to Washington is to serve a President or to represent clients for a major DC law firm, you can still find an … (21 comments)

patricia kennedy: Last Week's Favorites on Active Rain: December 16th-22nd - 12/23/12 10:34 AM
This week before Christmas has not exactly been a slow news week, nor has it been a slow blogging week.  Oh!  And the world didn't end on Friday - whew!  So here are my favorites:
Andrea Swiedler:  Anytown, USA is in Connecticut Right Now, a Tribute to Newtown, CT  Andrea personalizes a news story that shocked us all this week.
Bryant Tutas: What Does Lady Luck Have To Do With Success?   This is a nice end of the year post with a bit of great advice.
Lenn Harley: WORKING WITH CONSUMERS WHO HAVE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS! When to cut bait.  This … (15 comments)

patricia kennedy: National Zoo's Lemur Falls - 12/19/12 03:32 PM
National Zoo's Lemur Falls

On last weekend's visit to the National Zoo's Zoo Lights, I noticed a waterfalls that I'd not noticed on daytime visits.  So who lives here?  Well, the lemurs.  With all the lights and noise, I wonder how the little guys are sleeping.
 

 If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help!  I am licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.  Email me at Housepat@mac.com, or call 202-549-5167.
SEARCH ALL LISTINGS IN THE DC METRO AREA
… (16 comments)

patricia kennedy: Zoo Lights 2012 - 12/16/12 10:29 PM
Last night turned out to be the perfect time to visit the National Zoo to enjoy this year's Zoo Lights. The weather was almost balmy, and there won't be too many more nights like that for a while. 

There were all kinds of animals.  While the National is pretty non-partisan, they had two political animals in lights:  One a donkey and another big elephant. 
 
This is a fun evening for children of all ages.  The zoo will stay open until 9:00 pm until December 31st, and will be closed on Christmas Eve and Chrstmas Day.
 

 If you … (20 comments)

patricia kennedy: 20-Something Recent Graduates: The Amazing Shrinking Buyer Pool - 12/15/12 08:41 AM
20-Something Recent Graduates: The Amazing Shrinking Buyer Pool
As my friends' children began to graduate from college and get their first jobs, their parents often asked me to help with another rite of passage - helping the kids buy their first homes.  It was often a cute condo, sometimes a small house. 
At yesterday's seminar, The Future of Homeownership in the United States, there was a panel of experts who talked about what is happening to this particular part of the first time buyer pool.
Today's graduates are often saddled with more student loan debt than than the typical price of … (17 comments)

patricia kennedy: One of Evers & Company's Top Agents! - 12/12/12 04:57 PM

This in Wallace White.  He and his partner, Mary Lynn White, are among Evers top agents.  Mary Lynn is a little bit camera shy, but not Wallace!  He literally jumps in front of my camera (or in this case, my iPad) and does a pose.  Here he is about to reach for the phone to make some Open House follow up call.  And this guy has more clothes than I do.  
 

 If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help!  I am licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland and … (22 comments)

patricia kennedy: Washington, DC Luxury Real Estate: Top 5 House Sales in November 2012 - 12/06/12 08:26 PM
Washington DC Luxury Real Estate:  Top 5 House Sales in November 2012
During the month on November, there were 51 homes listed in our multiple listing service (MRIS) that settled for over $1 million.  There were big ones, small ones, nice ones and some that needed a little help from the buyer's contractor.  But these top five were all some combination of historic, interesting and fabulous.  Here they are:
1. 3123 Dumbarton Street NW:  Known as McKenny House, this 6000 square foot federal home was built by Henry Foxhall for his daughter in 1900.  The house sits on a third of … (10 comments)

patricia kennedy: The Southwest Seafood Market: Where the Fish Are - 08/17/12 05:38 PM
The Southwest Seafood Market:  Where the Fish Are

For the last couple of months, I've been on a major diet.  Three shakes a day and something lean and green for dinner.  So I've been eating a whole lot of seafood.  And a favorite of Washington foodies is the fist market in Southwest Washington.
First of all, it's sort of historic.  It opened back in 1794, which may make it the oldest continuously operating seafood market in the country. Today, the fish sellers have floating stalls where you can make your selection - certainly larger than what you'll find at your … (16 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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