washignton dc real estate: I Promise You: Somebody Will Let The Cat Out While Your Home Is For Sale!
- 06/05/10 02:09 AM
This month there seem to be more than ususal - little signs on the front door with the plea:
PLEASE! DON'T LET THE CAT OUT!!!!!!
Then, I'll open the front door to find the little guy lurking, waiting for the chance to sprint. To see the world! To eat birds! To have that great adventure he's been craving since kittenhood.
And while the cat probably won't be able to trick me, there will be some agent that will come along and, oops!
There he goes!
Flying through the air toward freedom!
Cats are smart, and they are fast. And there is … (37 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: The Good Settlement
- 05/27/10 01:02 PM
As a new agent, I remember having some awfully unpleasant settlements. Some were so bad, in fact, that I assumed we got paid so much for selling a house because each transaction involved enduring a couple of hours of nastiness at the end. Just a few examples:
Sellers (I was the listing agent here) in the middle of a divorce refused to sign any documents until they had a huge row over renegotiating their separation agreement. We were at the title company for over five hours, and the buyers were so appalled that they almost walked. Their agent called my broker … (26 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: The Active Rain Realtor Nationwide Survey about Washington, DC
- 05/24/10 12:31 PM
The Active Rain Realtor Nationwide Survey about Washington, DC
Washington, DC Market Report
Question #1 -My market area is...
It's sort of moderate, at least compared to last month, which was pretty crazy. Maybe it's giving me a breather before the famous Washington, DC summer market revs up.
Question #2 - My Current Housing Market Conditions...
Our prices are holding and buyers are buying, although the May numbers are way down compared to last month, at least for homes priced under $800,000, which was the most you could pay and still get the $8000 federal income tax credit.
I'm seeing some … (4 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: What's A Poor Census Worker To Do?
- 05/13/10 02:27 PM
Over the past couple of days, I've seen posts warning us not to give any information over the phone to people who call us saying they are from the Census Bureau and they need information about vacant houses. And it struck a chord with me, as an urban agent with clients whose alarm systems are sometimes as expensive as my car.
And then today, I got one of those calls.
The caller was a woman who did not sound like someone who wanted to get information so she could rob one of my listings. And she sounded genuinely frustrated that … (34 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Adventures In Open Houses!
- 05/09/10 03:43 PM
For those of you who think that Open Houses are a boring waste of time, you should try one in Northwest Washington, DC!
This afternoon, I did an Open in American University Park, a favorite neighborhood. And I had a whole bunch of buyers come through - including some who didn't have agents. It was a productive way to spend a sunny but nippy spring afternoon.
But the fun part came toward the end, when our energetic young mayor (and my neighbor), Adrian Fenty, saw my name on the Open sign and dropped by to say hello. One of the couples … (24 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Funky Appraisals: The Trapeze Without a Net
- 05/01/10 06:25 AM
Today, Betsy Schuman wrote an excellent post, TO APPRAISE OR NOT TO APPRAISE - THAT IS THE QUESTION? which is an issue close to the hearts and minds of many DC area buyers and sellers, especially when multiple offers are involved.Betsy, I wanted to write a comment, but I couldn’t! So here are my comments on your post:Betsy’s advice is exactly what I’ve been giving my clients. If it’s a multiple offer situation and you want the house, you need to lose the appraisal contingency. But as long as you are the only offer on the table, try to keep it.Having … (2 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Pick Me! Choose Me! Love Me! And When They Don’t
- 04/30/10 05:26 AM
In early 2009, I got a very nice call from someone wanting to see Rosedale Cottage, a lovely historic property that I had listed in Cleveland Park. He found me on Trulia and asked me if I could also show him some other properties in that neighborhood and in Georgetown. I was to keep it under $3,000,000. I can do that!I Googled him, he looked pretty impressive, and when he came to town it was with an appointment with me to see some pretty fabulous houses.But when he got here, he explained he and his wife were planning to move to … (3 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Curb Appeal: It's Not Just Your Curb That's Important
- 04/26/10 02:06 PM
Sunday, I showed a beautiful home. There wasn't a single weed in the green lawn. There were beautiful flowers in bloom, and everything about the place said "Buy me!" And as we went through the house itself, that message was reinforced by tasteful decor, wonderful space, and lots of sunny space. Then there was the back yard, with deck, patio with fire pit, hot tub and two-car garage. Would this be "The One" for my buyers?
But.
Yeah, there was a but. Like the elephant in the beautifully staged living room.
Just across the street there was, well, Dogpatch.
There were … (29 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Making the Electronic Magic Work
- 04/20/10 04:03 PM
I got an email tonight from some favorite buyers that they wanted to make an offer on a cute house we saw yesterday. Could I write up the papers and email them?
OK, we've been through this drill often enough that they know the purchase agreement more than some real estate agents. So they know where to sign and initial.
So I sat down at my trusty Mac and whoa! ZipFormMacConnect refused to load!
Well, for just such emergencies, I have a little Sony Vaio. So I fired it up, went to Zipformsonline.com and voila! I had it done … (29 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Living At The Valley Vista: Funky to Fabulous
- 03/31/10 03:49 PM
My first real home when I moved to Washington was The Valley Vista, a formerly funky apartment building at 2032 Belmont Road NW.I started off in a 500 square foot “efficiency”, with a closet the size of my New York City bedroom. It was on the back of the building, overlooking rooftops of the row houses on Ashmead Place and a beautiful red bud tree.After a year or so, I sucked up to the resident manager, good old Mrs. Willick, who found me an amazing one-bedroom on the front, overlooking Rock Creek Park, the National Cathedral and the Taft Bridge. It … (9 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: All About Crestwood: A Downtown DC Neighborhood With Real Yards
- 03/29/10 03:51 PM
As you head north from the White House on 16th Street, Crestwood is the first really green neighborhood, and you’ll find with both urban townhouses and big detached homes with real yards.Crestwoodd is bordered by 16th Street on the east, and all other sides you get beautiful Rock Creek Park. And the Park offers more than a creek and lots of trees!To the north, there is Carter Barron Amphitheater, with a summer season that includes Shakespeare, the National Symphony, and groups that run the gamut from rock groups to sweet jazz to folk music. Then there is the Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium, … (24 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Playing Chicken
- 03/29/10 06:27 AM
When I was in high school, some of the guys my parents wouldn't let me date would get together at night with their souped up cars on rural Kansas roads. And they would hurtle down the two lane road toward a one-lane bridge. The first one to blink and slow down lost the game - though not his life.
Ah, playing chicken!
Today I sort of have that going on with a buyer and seller. The deal is in counter.
My buyers wrote a last best offer, clean but slightly below the asking price, hoping that the sellers would just sign … (33 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Listing From Hell? Not Necessarily
- 02/21/10 12:07 AM
Yesterday, I showed a house that was rather disturbing.
If it was being sold because of a divorce, he didn't leave her for someone younger, thinner or prettier. He left her for a Zen minimalist.
The house, listed Friday night, is in one of Washington's most popular neighborhoods, and it has a price tag we haven't seen there since about the Millennium. The MRIS information warns that the place is very messy and to not let the cats out.
When we got there, several agents and their buyers were inside. One of the agents warned us to watch our steps. The … (141 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: A Cautionary Tale For Do-It-Yourselfers
- 02/19/10 09:59 AM
Today I was the hair dressing equivalent of a FSBO (For Sale By Owner).
I cut my own bangs.
First of all, the scissors were not sharp enough, and I wound up sort of hacking at them. So I found another pair of scissors (sharper this time) to even them out.
My bangs got shorter and shorter, and my forehead now sports the Mamie Eisenhower look, and the bangs are way too short for the rest of my hair.
So, I'm embarrassed to drive to Georgetown to see James who will tut tut and give me a huge lecture and probably … (30 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: The Backlog - No More Whining About The Snow!
- 02/17/10 01:14 PM
It's great! I'm booked! No time to goof off. Not even a lot of time to blog!
The Blizzard of 2010 that brought Washington, DC to it's knees is over (I hope).
All of my clients who were unwilling to risk life and limb to look at houses and condos during the blizzard are ready now. The streets are just clear enough to get around, and while parking is tricky, it is possible. While some steps are a little icy, they are manageable.
Between the affordable interest rates, reasonable asking prices and in some cases, the possibility of a federal … (20 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: The End of the Storm: Melt Down
- 02/07/10 07:50 AM
Now I can see through the trees to my next door neighbor's porch.
And we can see our cars, many of them dug out. But people are afraid to try to drive because someone might come along and park in their carefully dug out space!
I was thinking that I could remember thigh high snow as a little kid in Kansas, but I was only about four feet tall back then! Whatever, I just want to be able to go to the gym and show houses again! If Washington, DC real estate shows a slow down for February, it … (32 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: The Middle Of The Blizzard
- 02/06/10 07:20 AM
It's the Blizzard of 2010!
OK, this is a blizzard even by Buffalo, New York standards. It's still coming down strong at four in the afternoon. Neighbors who tried to clear their sidewalks this morning are seeing them once again convered in several inches of snow. The snow is higher than Willie the Labradoodle, who is leaving huge full body imprints.
And I took some pictures because in a few days when it's melting and icky, I want to remember this stunningly beautiful, though massively inconvenient, afternoon.
It's strange to go ourside and see no tire marks in the street … (22 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Waiting For Snow In DC
- 02/05/10 01:37 AM
Yesterday, I took part in that pre-storm ritual.
You know.
The stock up on essentials things. The guys on Channel Four said that we should stockpile essentials for a five day siege.
OK, while everyone else in town was mobbing the local Safeway hording milk, eggs and mac and cheese, I had other priorities:
Gray Goose Pate Smelly French cheese Sourdough baguettes German chocolate Really good white wine Dog food Cat Food And I did have a shopping list that also included garlic, unsalted butter, and lots of soup, boxed Jambalaya mix and other important staples.
So now I've dealt with … (32 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: Do Agents Have A Double Standard When It Comes To Short Sale Listings?
- 01/23/10 05:49 AM
Lately, I've been showing homes to some first time buyers that are showing up as short sales in the multiple listings. And often, you don't have to look at the listing information to know it's not a "normal" situation. And while short sale sellers are probably the neediest of clients, the efforts some of these agents are making are not at all comensurate with what it will take to produce a buyer for the property.
Here are some things I've noticed about most of these homes:
There is not Sentrilock box on the door, but a combination lock. Since many agents … (135 comments)
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washignton dc real estate: On The Road Again!
- 01/11/10 07:18 AM
OK, it's not the Tequila Express, a train that left Union Station at 1:00 PM with Cindy Jones and a bunch of DC area bloggers having a great and riotous fun trip to Rain Camp in New York. I had to show a house at 1:30. So, I am blogging from the Bolt Bus, a $17.00, three and a half hour ride from close to home to NY's Penn Station. From there, I'll join the revelers who are getting reading for tomorrow's Rain Camp!
The timing is great, as it's the same week as the Inman Connect. So it'll be a … (18 comments)
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This month there seem to be more than ususal - little signs on the front door with the plea:
;)
;)
;)
