dc real estate: Not on This Top Ten List: Most Expensive States for Homeowner's Insurance - 08/15/08 06:12 AM
Forbes Magazine editors research and report Top Ten lists of states for various categories throughout the year. Some of these lists include wealthiest counties in the United States, Best Cities to Get Ahead, America's Fastest Growing Cities, Best States for Business, Best Cities for Singles, etc. Normally it is an honor … (13 comments)
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dc real estate: "You've Got Too Much To Juggle!" or Why You Need to Hire an Experienced REALTOR - 07/18/08 07:46 PM
You have a career, a family, a daily commute, school, finances, friends, leisure time, hobbies, health & fitness, travel plans, etc. That's a lot of balls to keep in the air at once.
Do you really want to take on the monumental task of trying to sell your home on your … (120 comments)
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dc real estate: Housitosis? - 06/24/08 09:15 PM
Today on tour, we stopped by a pretty house an a thickly wooded lot backing up to Rock Creek Park. So far, a wow!But wait! We walked in the door and, sniff sniff, we realized this house had bad breath. Really bad breath! It had three damp drooling big dogs bad … (14 comments)
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dc real estate: My Solemn Promise To All You DC Metro Area Listing Agents - 06/22/08 09:44 PM
If you have a listing with an armed alarm system, I hereby promise you, cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, that if I show it, I will set that alarm off.I did that today showing a cute house in Shepherd Park, a lovely DC … (26 comments)
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dc real estate: Do You Answer Your Phone When It Rings? - 06/08/08 11:28 AM
A bunch of years ago, I did a Joe Stumpf "By Referral Only" seminar. And I was totally blown away by a lot of what he said. But one of the legs of his program was not answering your phone. No, never under any circumstances! There was a very long winded … (89 comments)
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dc real estate: Why Do We "Qualify" Buyers, Anyway? - 06/07/08 10:43 AM
The main reason to qualifying our buyers is to be as sure as I can be that they will, in fact, buy a house before I let them warm up the soft leather seats of my Lexus, right? Once I'm totally, absolutely certain they won't waste a second of my valuable … (16 comments)
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dc real estate: Green Ideas/Saving Energy - 06/04/08 11:24 AM
Green Ideas
Computer settings
Adjust margins from 1” to 0.5”
Enable 'power management'
Use 'sleep mode' during day
Office environment
Adjust thermostats for colder weather (70 -75 degrees F)
Caulk and weather-strip drafty doors and windows
Install LED exit signs
Keep plants in your office
Post employee manuals online … (4 comments)
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dc real estate: Seller Says Sell!!! - 05/15/08 11:33 PM
… (0 comments)
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dc real estate: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Your Next REALTOR But Were Afraid to Ask - 05/03/08 08:58 PM
In real estate, negotiating skills, market knowledge, and transactional expertise, education and experience matter a lot.
How about personality?
If you are working with a REALTOR to help you purchase a home or to sell your current home (or both), chances are that you'll be spending a lot of time meeting and talking … (24 comments)
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dc real estate: From a Pad to a Nest -- Guys, I'm Talking to You - 04/24/08 08:05 AM
Congratulations! You're getting married. From the day you popped the big question and changed your status from boyfriend to fiancé, you've no doubt been receiving lots of unsolicited advice from friends, family, and strangers about planning the wedding and about marriage.
So here comes your friendly Northern Virginia & D.C. REALTOR with … (48 comments)
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dc real estate: What's Wrong With This House? - 04/22/08 10:47 PM
I saw a really pretty house today. It had fabulous curb appeal, and a location in one of DC's favorite neighborhoods on a tree-lined street. The kitchen had been expensively renovated, the hardwood floors gleamed, and the bathrooms were even nicer than mine. The staging was perfect, because it didn't look … (33 comments)
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dc real estate: OK, All You Buyers! It’s Your Turn! - 04/10/08 05:26 PM
Are you one of the buyers who got scared off when you stuck your toe in the water of the DC real estate market a couple of years ago? You thought it was just nuts, right? You’d find a place you liked, then your agent would explain that, in order to … (10 comments)
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dc real estate: So Here's One Good Reason To List With An Agent Who Lives Nearby! - 04/01/08 07:27 PM
Once many years ago, I called a listing agent on my cell phone, a tiny bit huffy because the freakin door to her listing wouldn't open. She came over immediately, took the key from me, put it in the lock, turned it and the door flew open.
Huh? I had struggled for … (23 comments)
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dc real estate: Take Me Out to the Ballgame! - 03/28/08 04:24 PM
Sunday March 30th is Opening Day for the Washington Nationals baseball team. While opening day for baseball is exciting enough (and who doesn't enjoy sitting in the stands during beautiful springtime weather?), this time around it is really special because it marks Opening Day for the newly constructed $700 Million Nationals … (12 comments)
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dc real estate: Xanax, please! - 03/18/08 08:26 PM
SO, I'm buying a house. I know what you're thinking, "Darrin, you a broker. You manage 67 agents and oversee a gazillion deals a month. What oh what are you worried about?"
Well, I'll tell you.
Everything!
Now, listen, before you think I'm mad, I have great people working on this deal with. A … (10 comments)
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dc real estate: Fear - 03/18/08 01:43 PM
One of my martial arts instructors sent me the following quote a while back:
"Fear is your friend, panic is your enemy. Fear will help you get to your goal faster. Panic will either shut you down or send you down an inappropriate course of action for the situation. Unfortunately … (32 comments)
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dc real estate: Swing Open the Closet Door - 02/23/08 07:11 PM
What's behind door #1? What's on the bookshelves? In the washing machine? In the fridge?
Inquiring minds certainly want to know.
When viewing potential homes to purchase, buyers want to explore every inch of the home that may become theirs. Some clients will uncertainly, feebly, and politely ask me whether they can open … (74 comments)
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dc real estate: Your Name, Address, Email Address and Phone Number Are Worth Big Bucks! Don't Give Them Away Casually! - 02/18/08 06:13 PM
There are lots of web sites out there promising you all kinds of help you might not need if you are buying or selling a house or condo. It might be access to a gazillion lenders or real estate agents who will cut interest rates or commissions for a crack at … (19 comments)
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dc real estate: What is the State of the Housing Market? (Multiple choice) - 02/18/08 07:59 AM
What is the State of the Housing Market? Please choose the best answer.A. Looks like the start of a recovery. NAR Q3 2007 Report indicates roughly half of US markets show an increase in median home prices.B. About flat, plus or minus 1%...OFHEO reports Home Prices down 0.4% in Q3 2007C. … (7 comments)
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dc real estate: Drive Home a Different Way, Today - 02/14/08 03:39 PM
Interested in the real estate market?
If you are thinking about looking for a home, or considering putting your current home on the market, chances are that you tend to notice real estate signs and homes for sale around your area of town, or in those areas where you are considering purchasing.
Homes … (32 comments)
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dc real estate: Is Marty Ummel Doing Real Estate Agents A Favor? I Think So. - 02/07/08 01:39 PM
When I first decided to work as a buyer broker in about 1990, it was hard to find a lot of good information about how to do it. Most of the books and case law I found came from California, where selling agents represented the buyer as the normal practice – … (15 comments)
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dc real estate: Crime Reports Online - 02/05/08 09:02 PM
One of the things that is frustrating to both clients and REALTORS is that we are prohibited from commenting on whether or not a neighborhood is "safe" due to Fair Housing Laws. (See article "What Realty Agents Won't Tell You.") The web, however, fills that void nicely with a variety of … (4 comments)
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dc real estate: Is Photoshop For Virtual Tours Cheating? - 02/02/08 10:37 AM
In my office we have a professional photographer on staff, and he is the God of Photoshop. I get a new listing, finish up with the staging, then our guy goes in and takes the photos – and he is really, really good. He has a fabulous camera and lens as … (35 comments)
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dc real estate: Show Time - 01/30/08 11:40 PM
Disclaimer: As I wrote this I was high on Benadryl.
Admit it. You want to tear your hair out. You want to scream at the top of your lungs for the frustrated, anxiousness, and fear you feel.
But that’s not what we do. Instead we smile; we encourage; we determine ourselves to … (4 comments)
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dc real estate: It's About Time - 01/30/08 08:13 AM
It's about time. And it's about timing.
The clock ticks off the seconds. You watch 60 go by and you've got a minute. Minutes become hours, and hours turn into a day. Such is the passing of time.
Over thousands of years, man's measurement of time has become ever more precise. From sunrises … (34 comments)
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dc real estate: Come on Down! You're the Next Contestant on The Price is Right - 01/14/08 07:00 PM
Are you thinking about selling your house?
Well, Come on Down! You're the Next Contestant on The Price is Right!
If you're like me, you might have spent your formative years of your childhood in front of the television listening to the late Johnny Olson or Rod Roddy bellowing that famous line before … (32 comments)
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dc real estate: Response to Washington Post article - 01/04/08 12:02 PM
Elizabeth,
You seen to make the real estate industry's point in your recent article, "All's Well in the State of Denial", http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/15/AR2007121500025.html?nav=rss_realestate that the media is using the current housing market problems to make news and sell advertising. Seems we're both in the sales industry. While it may not be a good time … (1 comments)
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dc real estate: Washington D.C. Area Cost of Living High, But Not the Highest - 12/18/07 08:25 PM
Many people relocating to work at some of the D.C. and Northern Virginia area's many companies, or those transferred to the region with the military often lament the high average price of homes in the metro-D.C. area and the high cost of living here. First-time homebuyers searching for a home … (29 comments)
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dc real estate: What Do These Homes Have in Common? - 12/16/07 06:44 PM
Take a look at these homes and see if you can tell what they have in common...
Can you guess it?
Take a closer look...
Yes, you got it!
All of these lovely Northern Virginia homes were sold by Brian Block, a REALTOR with RE/MAX Allegiance in Alexandria, Virginia.
If you're thinking … (32 comments)
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dc real estate: Real Estate Blog in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC - 10/09/07 03:36 PM
Visit our new, interactive blog, www.homezillblog.com, for real estate news, information and resources in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.
… (1 comments)
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dc real estate: Get Me Out of Here!: When Can You Get Out of a Home Sales Contract? - 10/05/07 01:43 PM
Everyone wants to understand the process for buying a home and where all the pieces fit in the puzzle.
If that's your interest, here's a step-by-step flowchart for purchasing a home in Northern Virginia or D.C.
Most people want to make sure that the home purchase proceeds smoothly. However there are times … (24 comments)
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dc real estate: Not Just "Office Space" -- D.C. Area has the Good Jobs - 10/04/07 10:11 PM
What determines the price of a home and the value of an investing in a particular area?
Location, Location, Location! You've no doubt heard that before.
Supply & Demand? Of course...
But there is another key factor -- Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
When the job market is hot, so is the particular region of the … (6 comments)
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