From Your NW Washington, DC Agent -- Catarina's Blog

Back in the New World!!

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:29:47 -0500

Hello to all those of you who have been wondering about my missing-in-action staus here: I'm back! After two amazing months in Germany -- courtesy of the American Academy in Berlin -- we're all settling back into our old routines, schools, jobs. The kids went to school in Berlin, and surprisingly, they actually loved it!

Nothing is more surprising, touching, shocking, endearing and alienating than an expatriate's visit to her hometown. I will draw from the experience for many months to come and likely refer to it here as well, but for now, let me start with a little real estate. The house we lived in was one of the gate houses (the "Chauffeur's House") of the enormous late 19th century villa by Lake Wannsee that is home to the Academy.

Oh, in case you're wondering in what church I might have taken the second picture, it's the upstairs bathroom.

A Most Charming Shepherd Park Classic

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:07:35 -0600

Catarina Bannier | Evers & Co. | (202) 487-7177

1344 Iris St NW, Washington, DC

Sunny, Breuninger-built Shepherd Park classic with the charm of the 1920s and many modern updates

4BR/2.5BA Single Family House

offered at $610,000

Year Built	1929
Sq Footage	1,828
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	1 Car garage
Lot Size	6,600 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Welcome to this delightful Breuninger –built classic Shepherd Park colonial. Located on a wide, tree-lined block and sitting on a deep level lot, this home combines the charm of the 1920s with the comfort of modern updates.
Well-preserved period details such as the brick/stucco/slate exterior, immaculate oak hardwood floors, 9-foot ceilings, French doors and the Arts-and-Crafts-inspired wood woodwork abound throughout the three finished floors. A wood-burning fireplace with a beautiful mantle, a large dining room that opens up to the deck and landscaped backyard will welcome family and guests alike. The sunny den off the living room offers a separate TV-, play or work space.
All this you will find in walking distance to Rock Creek Park, neighborhood playgrounds, schools and houses of worship, Georgia Avenue stores and restaurants and many bus lines. As an added bonus, you’re also less than mile away from the Silver Spring Metro and MARC stations and from vibrant downtown Silver Spring theaters, dining, bars and shopping.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central heat	Fireplace	High/Vaulted ceiling
Hardwood floor	Tile floor	Living room
Office/Den	Dining room	Breakfast nook
Dishwasher	Refrigerator	Stove/Oven
Microwave	Attic	Basement
Washer	Dryer	Laundry area - inside
Balcony, Deck, or Patio	Yard

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

Detached 1-car garage, French doors, chair rail

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Catarina Bannier

Evers & Co.

(202) 487-7177

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Feb 8, 2009, 10:06pm PST

Beautiful 1br/1 bath condo in great downtown Silver Spring neighborhood

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:58:01 -0600

Catarina Bannier | Evers & Co. | (202) 487-7177

575 Thayer Ave, Silver Spring, MD

Stylishly renovated condo at an amazing price. Quiet, green setting a mere couple of blocks from Silver Spring's downtown shopping/dining, hiker-biker

1BR/1BA Condo

offered at $225,000

Year Built	1973
Sq Footage	700
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	1
Parking	Unspecified
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$428 per month

DESCRIPTION

Welcome to this beautifully renovated condominium in a most convenient yet peaceful setting. The urban excitement of Downtown Silver Spring is just a couple of blocks away. Walk to dozens of bars and restaurants, to Whole Foods, Safeway, the Ellsworth pedestrian zone, the Silver Spring library, or the future Community Center. At the same time, enjoy a serene tree top view from your balcony. There are many parks and trails right at your door step, from the Nolte Park field to Sligo Creek. And even your commute is going to be a breeze: the Metro station is just 5 blocks away.
The light-filled condo itself offers many amenities, including a foyer with coat closet, gorgeous bamboo floors throughout, stylish window treatments, a spacious living room and a separate dining area. The stunning new kitchen with its warm colors, custom back splash, granite counters and high-end stainless appliances will cheer you up in the morning and will make all your cooking a great pleasure.

- Entry foyer with front closet
- bamboo flooring in living areas and bedroom, ceramic tile in bathroom and kitchen
- Gracious living room with sliding glass doors to table-space balcony
- completely remodeled galley kitchen with gas range, stone counters and all stainless steel appliances
- Separate dining area, open to kitchen
- Large bedroom with two extra-wide closets
- Renovated, tiled bathroom with brushed-chrome hardware and new cabinets
- laundry room directly across the hall

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central A/C	Central heat	Hardwood floor
Living room	Dishwasher	Refrigerator
Stove/Oven	Microwave	Granite countertop
Stainless steel appliances	Balcony, Deck, or Patio

COMMUNITY FEATURES

Guest parking

Elevator

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Catarina Bannier

Evers & Co.

(202) 487-7177

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jan 30, 2009, 6:51am PST

"Does This Convey?"

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:33:41 -0600

Oh, boy. The question hasn't actually been asked yet in this case, but I immediately pictured a wild scene at the final walk-through. Railings and bannisters clearly are "fixtures" in a house, meaning they must stay put for the buyer. But what if the basement stair railing was fashioned from, ehm, a gun?

That's what my buyers -- both Europeans who couldn't believe what they saw -- and I came across in Potomac, a well-to-do DC suburb, yesterday. There was a lot more interesting about this rather unusual house that needed work but sat on a 4 acre lot with a smashing view that included hills, woods and a large pond. But just this one feature might raise all kinds of legal questions.

"Of course, I had to extend the barrel a bit," explained the proud homeowner, an elderly widower who confessed to a love of shotguns. Two brackets hold the weapon in place. None of us felt a great desire to try, but it looked pretty solid.

There was a clever balcony high up off the family room that streched between three major areas of the house. You had a nice view of the valley with the pond from there.

I really wouldn't want to be a deer stepping out of the woods on this property.

Fabulous Condo in Full-Service Chevy Chase Building, Open Sun 1-4 pm

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:25:36 -0500

Catarina Bannier | Evers & Co. | (202) 487-7177

4601 N. Park Ave, Chevy Chase, MD

Bright and spacious unit with large den, balcony, parking, pool.
Open Sunday 1-4

1BR/1.5BA Condo

offered at $349,000

Year Built	1975
Sq Footage	967
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1 full, 1 partial
Floors	1
Parking	1 Car garage
Lot Size	967 sqft
HOA/Maint	$635 per month

DESCRIPTION

Bright and spacious 1 bedroom plus den unit on 10th floor in luxury building. Balcony, updated kitchen, parquet floors. Den has window, walk-in closet and half bath and could be 2nd bedroom. Deeded garage parking space conveys.
Building with beautiful indoor pool, gym,

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central A/C	Central heat	Walk-in closet
Hardwood floor	Tile floor	Living room
Office/Den	Dishwasher	Refrigerator
Stove/Oven	Microwave	Washer
Dryer	Balcony, Deck, or Patio

COMMUNITY FEATURES

Garage parking	Storage space(s)	Fitness center
Swimming pool(s)	Sauna/Spa	Secured entry
Elevator

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

Community Library

Party Room

Sun Deck

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Catarina Bannier

Evers & Co.

(202) 487-7177

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 31, 2008, 2:29pm PDT

The Pentagon, Peter Rabbit , and 9/11 – A Personal Real Estate Story

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:41:23 -0500

Unlike many of our friends, I hadn’t actually known anybody in person who was on one of the planes, or in one of the buildings. Strangely, the closest I ever got to a victim was through real estate.

But this is Washington, and here you’re always in the middle of the news. My husband covered Flight 93 for the Washington Post, and our house near downtown Washington was only a few miles away from the Pentagon. (Yes, I admit it, I went there as soon as I could and as close I could get.) The shock, the pain and the anger have not been forgotten. They have changed the lives of many of us, and first of all those of the people who lost loved ones on that day.

In the big snow storm of 2003, I had clients who fell in love with a comfortable, charming old house in a great part of town. There was something magic to that house, and even though there were no pictures on the listing and DC’s streets weren’t maneuverable that week, several others were instantly bidding on the house as well.

We won, but we never got to meet the seller, a single guy who had fled town and moved to another city. He would only communicate through his lawyer--an unusual situation in a jurisdiction without mandatory attorney review.

There was the name of a woman on the public record as well, and the smallest bedroom had hand-painted Peter Rabbit murals all over. A divorce, we figured.

We were wrong, very wrong. The day before the closing —I was in the hospital having a baby--we learned that the wife had been on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. Later, we saw her name on a local memorial list. The thought that she might have been pregnant with their first child made me sob.

The husband could not bear to come back.

My own baby died two days after the closing, and even though a more rational person might object, there was a symbolism to that which I couldn’t escape. The house, 9/11 and my son’s death are weirdly connected in my mind. The only picture anybody ever took of me during that pregnancy (after all, he was our third) was taken during the home inspection in that house. I still have it.

For complicated reasons, my then-clients and now friends never ended up living in the house. When we put it on the market again last year, I had the nursery painted in a neutral color, rationalizing that this would appeal to a wider range of buyers. And it did –the home was under contract before the first open house.

Secretely, though, I also wanted to cover up my feelings.

I am always fascinated with historic homes (and the history of homes). In a way, this Washington house is a historic home now, even though the tragic story of its one-time owners might get lost down the road.

This week, it has been 7 years since the Towers. I will say a prayer for the many people whose lives have been changed (or ended) on that day.

Bambi In the Backyard

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:36:49 -0500

I'm sitting at my desk, talking on the phone and looking out of the window. The large, pretty dear in the driveway is unimpressed by first a car, then a man with a dog who are passing by. It barely looks up. My weed-ridden lawn must be yummy, although I'm sure it's not the weeds the animal targets.

After we moved from a more urban DC neighborhood out to Rock Creek Forest on the District line, the first thing our kids got excited about was the daily deer in our yard. Visitors from the woods elegantly leaped over the fence and started munching on their favorite greens, no matter if someone was watching or not. They let us come shockingly close.

As we have long learned now, there are downsides to the spectacle. My hostas bloom for only a day, several other plants regularly get chewed down to the ground. At least twice, my car’s bumper got within inches of a deer that had popped out of nowhere. (About 2,000 actual “deer-vehicle collisions” are reported in the county each year.) Last summer, I caught Lyme disease from a deer tick; luckily, it was diagnosed early.

Almost worse, the forest suffers from the Bambi boom as well. Montgomery Parks Senior Natural Resources Specialist Roy Butler told me that there are about 200 deer per square mile of parkland in the county (they measure this from airplanes, with nifty infrared cameras). The ecological optimum for forest health, however, is 10-20 deer per square mile!

Everywhere, forest understory and groundcovers—the park’s future--have been hurt by the tremendous growth of the deer population. That’s why since the 1990s, regular deer management plans have been developed by the Park Service.

Presently, “management” mainly means reducing the deer by a certain number each winter. In the larger parks, controlled hunts are conducted on designated dates (you can apply if you have a license). In stretches closer to residential areas, such as our Rock Creek Valley, Park Police sharpshooters will do the job. The “harvested” animals (845 last year) are donated to food banks.

For the future, we can expect friendlier methods. The biggest deer birth control experiments (with hormone injections) in the US are conducted right here in Montgomery County: in Wheaton and Gaithersburg. Ironically, it’s us, the people, or better, the good greens in our suburban yards that caused the deer to super-breed in the first place. But, who wants tall nets in their front yard…

(Photo courtesy of Roy Butler, MCPS)

Back To The Future -- How The Gas Prizes Will Change Our Towns And Could Make Our Lives Better

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:43:15 -0500

The lives of realtors in metropolitan areas are at a turning point. And I'm NOT talking about a slowing market here. What I'm talking about are our clients' criteria, needs and desires. More and more buyers are weary of the suburbs now, at least the ones that aren't really "close-in." Read on and you'll see what I mean.

A hundred years ago, a "suburb" was a green place to live that could be reached in 15 minutes on a streetcar. Today, make that 1 hour and 15 minutes, and forget about the streetcars -- you're more likely to spend that time in a traffic jam or on a six lane highway.

If that frustation wasn't enough to reverse a trend, the $4+ a gallon might. Anecdotally, we've already seen that many of our buyers rather go for the smaller, older and less handsome home if it puts them closer to where they want to be: work, shopping, and their social life.

The Washington Post picked this up in a remarkable cover story today (click on the headline):

Gas Prices Apply Brakes To Suburban Migration

Washington, DC, of course has consistently starred as one of the worst rush hour failures in multi-city studies across the US. But it's also full of smart policy makers. The heated commentaries and debate in the online version of the article attest to the fact that it was right on the money.

As realtors, we will be effected by new trends in housing choices more than anybody else. I'd love to hear what my colleagues from other parts of the country think.

How NOT To Increase the Curb Appeal Of Your Home

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:28:35 -0500

We all know that trees, shrubs and ornamental plants can beautify a house and certainly increase its curb appeal. Usually, that is. There are some, however, that don’t help, like when they’ve grown to completely obscure an attractive façade, or when their roots have started to invade the foundation of the home like a malicious tumor, bringing in moisture and threatening the substance of the whole structure.

The "tree" in the chimney here, right at the front of a house I just showed, is probably not a serious threat. But it's on a beautiful old house on a beautiful block in a great neighborhood. It’s an expensive house as well, with gracious proportions and a top dollar asking price. When we looked at old pictures from a previous sale of the same property a couple of years ago, my buyer immediately discovered the same plant crowning up there– just a little smaller at the time.

Most good agents will have a thorough walk-through with their sellers before a house goes on the market. They will explain how prospective buyers will see the place, what kind of features appeal to a wide range of buyers, and what will be a red flag for many of them. Part of the staging process—no matter how much money the seller is willing or able to spend—should always be a critical look at maintenance issues. Weeds in the gutters, cracked window panes or a little rotten wood on a deck might be harmless in the specific home, but they will have a buyer wonder what other, invisible problems have not been taken care of. Or they will outright be scary and make the buyer run.

That said, of course it's up to the sellers to take their agent's advice or to ignore it.

Recently, I wrote about the importance of regular fireplace and chimney maintenance.... Well, let’s not go there. Let’s just say, some trees clearly take away from the beauty of a property.

Progress on Military Road--My Shaky Flip Video Debut

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:48:15 -0500

Dear Vered and Allan and girls,

as promised, I'm keeping an eye on the renovation/construction of your home while you're overseas for the summer. You've had enough time to witness the "demolition" and even more time to study what was left while waiting for permits from the DC bureaucracy, so let's see how it's all going to come back together in the next few months!

ActiveRain (thank you, guys!) rewarded us for our participation in the inspiring Makeover2Takeover contest with this amazing little flip video camera. I have been playing with it for a few weeks now. So much cooler than the little mini videos from my phone or photo camera! Now the trick is to figure out the editing, and while i've been trying hard to master that as well, you'll see it's, ehm, in the early stages...

Hope you enjoy the movie anyway! Stay tuned for more in August!

Neither/Nor--DC's Strangest Suburb

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:12:11 -0500

Okay, all you historic homes buffs: take a look at the picture on the left.

Where would you think this is? In the US? Holland? Poland? Some place in the Baltic? And when do you think the houses were built? In the 19th century? Or the 17th?

Well, try again. How about 2008, brand-new construction in the Washington, DC suburbs?

Yes, you read that correctly. The National Park Seminary in close-in Silver Spring is the quirkiest new development in our ‘burbs, an eclectic mix of townhouses and condos that are sleek and contemporary inside and feature facades in Tudor, Colonial and whatever-period stucco style.

(Okay, I admit, tinting my picture in sepia was a little misleading. To make up, I show you a "real" one on the right. That's the old town market square of Wroclaw in Polen, formerly Breslau, Germany. The oldest building dates from the 14th century. :-)

In any case, the pleasant weirdness has tradition at this location. The site was once the campus of one of Americas finest “finishing schools” for wealthy girls, then a Seminary, and finally owned by the US military for many decades before most of its buildings started their decay into a silent, slow death. The ruins of the school’s gymnasium with its then state-of-the-art heated indoor pool and of a magnificent multi-story ballroom (check out the history and old pictures on the developers’ website) are being restored, and so are some of the castle-like dormitory or a pagoda-look-alike office building.

There is park land all around, there are some replicas of ancient statues and a lot of other fun stuff. There’s a newly paved road going through the whole thing, and even a new access path to the Rock-Creek Hiker-Biker trail is about to be opened.

So, it’s great fun. Just one thing seems truly out-of-whack, at least to me, the city girl. It’s such an urban picture: townhouses, side walks, tiny yards, roof decks. And it is indeed little more than a mile from the DC city limits. But where is the infrastructure? Where are the urban amenities to go with the images? Where are the cafes, the bakeries, the newspaper stands? Hmm.

I love the place, and I have been trying so hard to come up with buyers to show those homes to. But it seems, they’re always either-or. Either they want the suburbs, a detached house and a big yard and the neighborhood pool. Or they want the city, the noise, the stores, the metro, the minimal commute, fast pace.

This is a little neither-nor.

Colonial Village -- Open Sunday, July 27, 2-5 pm!

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:36:24 -0500

Why I Changed My Mind About Independent Mortgage Brokers

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:45:24 -0500

Times have changed in the mortgage industry, haven't they?

There used to be a time when I actively discouraged my clients from a) the use of online mortgage services, and b) independent mortgage brokers. This is why:

Right in my first year of business one of my buyers insisted on working with a broker from somewhere in southern Virginia. Of course, he was the warmly recommended cousin of a friend of a colleague. Or something like that. The guy had given them a nice pre-approval letter, so who was I to question that. We had a couple of strange phone conversations, but I chucked the funny feeling off to the fact that they probably did business differently down there in Richmond or whereever he was from.

You guessed it. The loan never materialized. We didn't find out until two days before settlement, when I was desperately trying to get some figures. The young couple, first-time buyers, were in default. Only with a lot of begging and the swift rescue operation by a large national lender could the transaction be saved.

(Oh, and needless to say, the buyers blamed me.)

So for years, pretty much all of my buyers had to go to direct local lenders or national lenders with a local presence. No more brokers, please! I felt this was safer, and I didn't know any better.

Until a couple of years ago, when one of my clients, who moved to DC from New York, brought Seth into the picture. Seth Opert of Royal Mortgage was who he would use for his loan. No discussion. I tried not to roll my eyes.

It turned out that Seth, in the business for himself, was one of the most impressive mortgage people I'd met. He delivered exactly what he promised; he held everybody's hands through every little crisis along the way; he had the appraisal approved on time; he had the money at the settlement company a couple of days before settlement; he distributed HUD-1's several days early; he showed up for each closing.

Right now, however, I feel a special need to celebrate Seth (licensed in DC, VA, MD, NY) because he just gloriously saved a transaction that a large national bank/lender had dropped for obscure reasons.

In short, Seth not only changed my mind, but I also have recommended him ever since.

It occurs to me that the changing mortgage market has created a new, special stage for independent mortgage brokers. With increasingly limited (and daily changing) underwriting guidelines for most lenders, a broker might have a lot more flexibility and options in finding the right loan for you.
What do you think?

Condo Trouble -- When the Board Takes the Building Hostage

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:18:06 -0500

This could have been an easy and sweet success story from beginning to end. After he had been looking for different things in different neighborhoods, my buyer finally walked into the place that had it all: the right kind of building, the right floor plan, the right types of amenities, a convenient urban location in walking distance to his downtown power office.

The price was quickly agreed upon, the rest of the conditions as well.

A review of the condo doc revealed that the board of the 3-year-old, 97-unit building was taking the builder to court for some counts of sloppy craftsmanship or failure to fulfill warranty repairs.

We took an inspector with construction background to check out the list of alleged problems and violations. He explained that none of it was unusual or grounds for serious concern. So we weren’t worried, especially when we learned that the associated special assessment (most likely for legal fees and reserves) would be paid in full by the sellers.

The loan had been pre-approved, the appraisal came in fine. All contingencies could be removed.

Then, a few weeks later, totally out of the blue, a call from the upset listing agent. Another unit in the building couldn’t settle. The lender, a big national bank and incidentally the same lender as ours, didn’t approve the condo because of the pending litigation.

Our loan officer didn’t think it would be a problem. My buyer was strong and likely had better guidelines.
Another two weeks, 20 faxes and 200 phone calls later, the same lender decided for good that my client wouldn’t get a loan, either. Sorry. Just like that.

Never mind that the suit might very well get thrown out. Never mind that most of the alleged “safety violations” had been repaired. Never mind that it wasn’t a suit against the building, but rather the building, or some forceful representatives thereof, trying to take care of itself. A surely well-intentioned effort, but now it backfires. Will nobody be able to sell their units here if they want to?

And, is my buyer in default? Is he risking his earnest money (in this area is a substantial sum)?

No, said the title attorneys, because in the narrower sense, this can be seen as a title problem. (After all, it’s not the buyer’s fault, or anything we could have reasonably expected.) They will have to let him go.

But—he doesn’t want to go. He wants the place! And the sellers want to sell it to him!

While a couple of loan officers from other lenders have offered to just try and submit the loan (and hope no questions will be ask), my favorite local mortgage broker wanted the cards on the table. He submitted as much information to his lenders as he could, talked to the condo board and their legal counsel, collected every part of the puzzle we could find. My buyer – an attorney himself -- found this to be a more comfortable approach.

19 days before closing, we’re keeping our fingers crossed. God willing, there will be a way.

Anybody been in this situation?

Update on 6/24/2008. The transaction closed yesterday. For the new lender, no problem whatsoever. In the end, the only negative was all the heartache we had over this, and maybe the fact that the rates for the buyer had slightly gone up since the first lock.

New Listing in Woodside Forest, Silver Spring, Open Sunday, May 25th, 1-4 pm

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:52:15 -0500

Catarina Bannier | Evers & Co. | (202) 487-7177

1704 White Oak Drive, Silver Spring, MD

Expanded and renovated 1940s colonial on serene block inside the Beltway. Walking distance to Metro, shopping, restaurants, schools, parks and trails

4BR/3.5BA Single Family House

offered at $624,900

Year Built	1948
Sq Footage	Unspecified
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3 full, 1 partial
Floors	3
Parking	2 Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	6,427 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central A/C	Central heat	Fireplace
Walk-in closet	Hardwood floor	Tile floor
Living room	Bonus/Rec room	Dining room
Dishwasher	Refrigerator	Stove/Oven
Stainless steel appliances	Attic	Basement
Washer	Dryer	Laundry area - inside
Yard	Jacuzzi/Whirlpool

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

Screened Porch/Sun room

Master bath with double granite vanity, separate shower, jetted tub

Large backyard with conveying swing set

Bright and private au-pair suite with separate entrance

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Catarina Bannier

Evers & Co.

(202) 487-7177

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: May 22, 2008, 5:00pm PDT

Taking Stock -- Welcome To the Trunk Show

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:32:47 -0500

A lot of serious doubts have been voiced here about the choice of AR star Patricia Kennedy as an Apprentice in the Makeover2Takeover contest. My Apprentice, that is.

Oh -- just you wait.

When we received our first M2T contest challenge today (in short, to develop a powerful contact management system), I briefly touched base with Pat to take stock of how the seasoned multi-million dollar top producer currently manages her SOI or farm or whatever she uses to generate all those great leads and referrals.

Well, let me tell you this much: it’s plain unbelievable shocking.

I haven’t quite gathered all the information yet, but I don’t know how she does it.

You’ll get an idea of what I’m talking about when I give you a glimpse into the trunk of her Lexus.

I'll check out her laptop later.

P.S.: I quickly snatched this picture when Pat graciously showed up to help me price a new listing today… Pat, forgive me.

What the Chimney Sweep Has To Do With Luck

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:55:15 -0500

There’s a reason Mary Poppins had to fall in love with a chimney sweep--she was a lucky girl.

Europeans firmly believe that nothing is a better predictor of good fortune than the sight of a passing chimney sweep. The English hire them to be guests at their weddings, and in Germany even grown-ups cross the road to shake the hand or touch the sooty outfit of a sweep in his traditional black uniform.

When I was a child, many of the houses, apartments and buildings in the big cities were still heated with coal, and the sweeps were riding bicycles loaded with ropes and huge brushes.

But what’s so lucky about them? I only began to understand after I had entered real estate. It’s because they save lives.

Many house fires in our region get started in fireplace chimneys that—yep, you guessed right—haven’t been swept or inspected in a while. A home inspector once told me about a fire that was caused by a dead bird blocking the flue (that's what that wire mesh on top of the chimney is supposed to prevent!), and two of my neighbors had fires caused by either an excessive build-up of debris or a design flaw that only became apparent after several heating seasons. Cracked liners or gaps in the masonry can let smoke enter the walls of the house or, even worse, start smoldering little fires that spread elsewhere.

If you have a wood burning fireplace, you should have it cleaned and inspected at least once a year, either before or after fireplace season. Don't wait; do it now while the sweeps are less busy. Make sure luck stays on your side.

"Green DC" -- A Bureaucracy's Effort

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:05:19 -0500

Well, at first I was excited to hear that the DC Government launched its "Green DC" website, a "comprehensive resource on environmental issues." The idea suggested that the government takes new initiative, maybe in better educating people, maybe in creating incentives to conserve energy, maybe in crreating stricter punitive measures against environmental sins.

A closer look at it, however, reveals that it is, at best, a well-meant start. The information given is pretty general ("What is a Rain Garden?") with outsourced links and diagrams and with little concrete pointers at resources for the average citizen. Under "Natural Environment," there is a "Plan for a Fishable and Swimmable Anacostia River by 2032" (!) but even that is "temporarily unavailable." (The Anacostia is DC's second river that forms a Y with the Potomac.)

Really disappointing is what you can find under "Green Services:" tips on how to request a trash can and how to report a rodent problem. There are a bunch of complicated bureaucratic guidelines on how people "just above the poverty level" can apply to receive assistance in replacing their appliances for more energy efficient ones. (I don't know how many poor people will request the electronic "spread sheet" for an application that can only be submitted online.)

My favorite, however, is the "Rodent Control Management Program" that is absolutely incomprehensible for a lay person like me. Then under "Energy Audit" you don't learn, as one might expect, about a new service the city offers, but rather get some advise on how to walk around your property and check for problem zones. (At the end, you're told that a professional audit will cost a few hundred dollars--no resources given.)

In any case, it's a start -- bookmark it for the future if you like. Let's hope it will truly evolve into a consumer site that offers some accessible ideas for Willie Washingtonian.

And then, if all goes well, maybe I will be able to take my yet-to-be-born grandchildren for a swim in the Anacostia in 2032.

House History, House Sentiments, House Envy

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:13:02 -0500

Do most real estate agents suffer from house envy now and then? Or are we immune after a while? We get to see a lot of magnificent homes. Most of the time I feel inspired by a great place. I don't ever recall wanting to live in one of them.

But how about a certain type of house? A certain feel of house? Yes, there has been a longing, and it never left me. Because in the end so much comes down to emotions in real estate, and in the end it's always somehow about our past.

When I went to attend the annual Historic Takoma House and Garden Tour yesterday, it really hit home (no pun intended).

The very first place I had all to myself some twenty-some years ago was a squat in a turn-of-the century apartment building in East Berlin, Germany. The landlord had abandoned it because the communist rent control laws didn't allow private owners to maintain their property adequately. They had two choices: sell out to a government management company, or let the flats and buildings gradually go to pieces.

The third, unofficial option were tenants that took the upkeep in their own hands. That's what I did. After I had more or less broken into the vacant place, I made a deal with the owner: He would sign a lease with me at the official rent (roughly the equivalent of $5/month) and buy me a new water heater (which were hard to come by in the open market). In return, I would take plumbing, electrical updates, painting as well as floor and plaster repairs all in my own hands.

The place was on the top (5^th) floor, had 11-foot ceilings, 13-inch walls, wide window sills, big heavy doors with Jugendstil brass ware and a scary balcony from which I could observe the streetcars squeaking down the road far beneath. The floors were laid with 5-inch wide oak planks, and the kitchen had the large walk-in, windowed pantry that was typical for Berlin apartments from that time.

Every inch (or shall I say, centimeter) of the place was breathing history. Who had occupied the flat a hundred years ago? Were they happy? Did they have kids? Did they survive World War I? Who lived there in the 30s? A Nazi who spied on his neighbor? The Jewish owner of the store downstairs who lost all of his family? A bookkeeper whose wife regularly polished the brass on the doors like my grandmother had done with hers?

And after the war? Did Russian soldiers camp out in this building? Did some bureaucrat issue an entitlement to the apartment for his best friend, passing over a line of widowed mothers? Did the Stasi ever arrest someone in this kitchen?

The speculation could entertain me endlessly. Living there made me part of history, part of the universe. It connected me to generations past and future. It gave intensity to my youth, to the place of many late night gatherings, where we suffered, plotted, loved, lived and hated the way only people who live in a dictatorship can.

A few years later, the roof that had been damaged when a bomb hit the house next door during the war, started leaking. The task exceeded the do-it-yourself qualities of my closest friends, so I had to move on.

When my friends bought the amazing Takoma Park Victorian two weeks ago, I didn't understand why I felt so much at home there. Yesterday, at the house tour in their new neighborhood, which featured an amazing set of homes and owners, it began to sink in. It's all about the history, the emotions, the past and the future.

The house that I bought two years ago is twenty years old. It's nice, open, airy, and contemporary, and the neighborhood was a great and convenient choice for my family. But with its hollow walls, flawless window frames and automatic garage door opener it has always felt a bit like a film set, like a temporary structure to me.

As for the history part, I have good reason to doubt that this house will still be standing in a hundred years. You know what I mean.

P.S. A few years ago, when I was visiting Berlin, I happened to drive by the site of my first apartment building. It had made room for a sleek luxury condominium. The grief I felt was indescribable.

The Deluded Seller/Agent, Take 2

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:12:20 -0500

Well, I'm excited to report that neither my clients nor I play any roles in this drama anymore. There has been an unexpected turn of events, and from now on, we're just going to lean back and watch the show.

A week and a half ago, I wrote a somewhat desperate [members only] blog about preparing an offer on a very charming but outrageously overpriced house whose seller was her own agent. She was blinded by love and pride. (Or SAD, Seller Agent Dementia, thanks, Andrew!) Her former home was the only larger house in the historic district my friends and clients were interested in, and there hadn't been another one on the market in a long time. All you Rainers' comments were so comforting and encouraging, and I was getting ready to offend her in as nice and professional a way I could.

As I had just assembled all my docs from comps to a "tax CMA" (recommended by Martha Brown) and left a message for the agent to make an appointment to present our offer, I sat down for a last pre-weekend update on my most important searches. There, it caught my eye: a brand-new listing, still without pictures but a promising description. A 7-bedroom, 5-bath restored Victorian on a huge lot, beautiful open flow on the first floor with double parlors, library, an amazing kitchen and all the rest. A registered historic resource. A lot bigger than the bungalow, and just what we had been looking for. (And did I mention it was priced lower by more than $100k?)

I sent an email to my buyers, "we must see this."

"I agree," the wife said.

"Hold our offer until we've seen it," said the husband.

His wife and I saw the house on Monday. She was no longer interested in the other one.

The husband wasn't convinced -- until I took him there on Tuesday. By Wednesday, we had met half the sellers' family and neighbors and found out how much they all had in common (including a love for wine and identical looking Golden Retrievers). Thursday morning we received a call that another offer had been written and would be presented "tonight."

"Please wait for us," I begged.

"We will," said the listing agent.

Another hour later, she let us know that the other party was having a pre-offer inspection that day. Another five hours later, we had an inspection as well. On Friday, we found ourselves in a suspense-laden, 3-hour bidding war. It was "just like 2005" all over again, said the agent with a sigh as she was going back and forth between the parties.

We won!!! On top of that, this goes straight to the Top Three of the Coolest Places I Ever Sold. My buyer emailed me a photograph of the house taken in 1911. (Image courtesy of the Historic Takoma Inc Archives).

The SAD agent never called me back. In the meantime, she also listed her house for rent. She is asking about double the average rent for the neighborhood, plus a whole lot of other unreasonable conditions. If she doesn't actually want to sell, then she certainly doesn't actually want to rent, either. I guess nobody is worthy of her home. Today, she had another ad in the paper, another open house. Another audition for a new cast of buyers. Boy, am I glad I've left the set.

Update on May 5, 2008: I tried to take pictures of the house yesterday, but the tall trees in front obscure the view. The MLS picture (left) was taken before they leafed out completely; it shows nearly the same view as the historic picture.

The picture on the right shows the side (now the official entrance).

Mighty Termites, Floating Windows

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:55:43 -0500

Termites are a pretty common threat to houses in our area. They must like the swampy climate. The DC housing stock is on average pretty old, and it seems to me that at least every other house I have sold showed some traces of a prior encounter with termites. That's why most lenders require a pest inspection before final loan approval.

The good news is that most termite problems are pretty easy to treat. Long-lasting chemical drills, or more eco-friendly Sentricon monitoring stations, or structural repairs of beams or sill plates or whatever else was eaten all keep the pest away or keep the home's integrity.

The bad news is, it takes a little awareness, and some home owners either don't care or don't notice. Especially when a house hasn't been on the market in a long time, things can really get bad.

Last year, I sold a grand, almost 100-year-old Spanish-style stucco house that needed complete renovation. Also, there was extensive, visible termite damage in the basement and floors -- all old, nothing fresh and it probably had been treated a long time ago, after decades of neglect. Not a problem, since the house was getting rehabed, anyhow. Or so it seemed.

Exactly how bad it was only became clear a couple of weeks ago when the contractors exposed the dining room walls. They were shocked to see that the vertical framing and support under and around the window were almost completely gone. The large window, that had been replaced in the 1950s or 60s, was merely held in place by the exterior stucco! Today, I went to the house to marvel at this (check out the corner post to the right that's missing it's lower part):

It pretty much looked like that all over the first floor. If a cheap builder had snatched up the place--which is in a prime NW DC location--and flipped it after some sparkly cosmetic updates, it probably would have simply collapsed at some point. Not very funny, right?

Great article on pricing in a crazy market

Catarina Bannier (Evers & Co. Real Estate) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:13:45 -0500

Today, the Washington Post came out with its annual Real Estate "Mega Section." It was all about what houses are really worth in a confusing market. The opening article on the cover page was really exciting because it featured our brokerage quite prominently. It described --using a current example-- the way we do our pricing at Evers & Co.--a pretty unique team approach. (This is why I think my broker, Donna Evers, is unusually hands-on: In my old company, the last manager I was working under had not even looked at a single one of my listings for the entire two years she was running the office.) And of course, the neatest thing was, I was quoted in the piece!