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What is your favorite house style?

Real Estate Agent with Hollish Hill Group, JPAR Stellar Living

June 05, 2023 08:34 AM

When my husband and I were buying our first home, we knew more about what we didn't want in a home, than what we did. We were living in a one-bedroom, 4th story walk-up apartment in downtown DC with two cats. The litter boxes were in the only bathroom, which we shared with our guests. Finding parking for our 2 cars was usually challenging, but we were close to a metro stop, so we had access to the whole DC Metro Area.

Searching by Process of Elimination

Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/kaboompics-1013994/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=791849">Karolina Grabowska</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=791849">Pixabay</a>

So what I figured we wanted was a detached home in DC, MD or Northern VA that was easily walkable to and from a Metro Station and had a separate powder room for guests. So I carefully searched for main level powder rooms.

What I didn't know was that there were some DC Metro Area House Styles that would meet my criteria of having a separate bathroom on a different floor than the bedrooms, but would not come up on my search because they don't show anything on the main level. Not knowing which styles we liked and how they would appear in the MLS kept us from looking at potentially great homes.

For example, a split foyer style of home would not show any bathrooms on the main level because the main level is the level on which you enter through the front door. Split foyers have a main level that is simply a platform on which visitors enter and then go up or down to full levels where bathrooms would be located.

Knowledge is Power

Understanding the MLS database and how it works is a very important skill for REALTORS® to master and to explain to their buyers. Understanding DC Metro Area House Styles is something buyers need to understand as well.

I've made a resource that helps DC Metro Area home buyers learn about the most common local house styles so I can help them focus their search without missing the opportunity to see great homes. I also believe the more educated all buyers are, the better the real estate market will be. So, check it out at http://www.hollish.com/dc-metro-area-house-styles/

Then, let me know which house style is your favorite.

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Will Hamm

Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO

"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hello Dana and great information to share with us here in the Rain. Hope you have a great start to the week.

Jun 05, 2023 08:50 AM

Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

Thanks Will!

I appreciate you leaving me a comment.

Jun 05, 2023 05:07 PM

Ed (Edward) Silva, 203-206-0754

Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT

Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Starting with the basics and then adding wants is a great way to start and then setting up a search for styles will get a potential buyer there quicker.

Jun 05, 2023 09:05 AM

Carol Williams

Wenatchee, WA
Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

Thanks Ed -

We can only hope.

Dana

Jun 05, 2023 05:08 PM

Joan Cox

House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO

Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Dana, I moved 5 years ago into a Ranch, and hopefully will be my last residence. Many are requesting a ranch, no matter what the age.

Jun 05, 2023 12:42 PM

Carol Williams

Wenatchee, WA
Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

You are so right Joan -

I was surprised when my last MLS called ranch homes "Ramblers" and now both names are in one house style option. So many people are choosing them now and avoiding the stairs.

Jun 05, 2023 05:10 PM

Anna "Banana" Kruchten

HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ

602-380-4886

Dana that seems odd to me that your MLS somehow doesn't list the features of the type of homes that you preferred. Or is it more of matter of knowing, like you said later, how to navigate the pages better.

Jun 05, 2023 02:38 PM

Carol Williams

Wenatchee, WA
Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

Anna - I've always used a paper handout to show first time buyers what the styles look like, but over time it's gotten photo copied to death. Now I have this tool to show buyers. We have split foyers and bi-levels that most people have no idea how to classify.

Jun 05, 2023 05:13 PM

Anna "Banana" Kruchten

Ohhh now i get it Dana!

Jun 06, 2023 09:43 AM

Ray Henson

eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA

Realtor

What a great tool to help your clients. Well done!

Jun 05, 2023 04:15 PM

Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

Thank you Ray - Since the pandemic, I've been converting a lot of my resources from hard copy to online and this one has already come in handy.

Jun 05, 2023 05:14 PM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Dana- I like this information! As they say, real estate is local. what we called a patio home in Houston takes on a different meaning in other areas.

Jun 05, 2023 06:54 PM

Carol Williams

Wenatchee, WA
Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

Absolutely Kathy!

And the changing of an MLS can change the lingo we use. We used to have Patio Homes and with our new(er) MLS we have to call them ramblers or duplexes or villas. There is no one saying let's call them _____. So until the culture switches, we have to search for a variety or potentially miss listings or buyers.

Jun 06, 2023 06:10 AM

Charles Ross - eXp Realty LLC

eXp Realty LLC Salina Group - Salina, KS

Love To Help People

Excellent information.Thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful day and a blessed week.

Jun 06, 2023 04:31 AM

Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Joe Jackson

Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty - Columbus, OH

Clintonville and Central Ohio Real Estate Expert

This is an excellent post with great information. Thanks for sharing it.

Have a super fantastic week!
Joe Jackson, Realtor-KWCP

Jun 06, 2023 04:59 AM

Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Carol Williams

Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA

Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Dana,
My favorite house styles aren't really ones I'd ever choose to live in. I've always loved the intricacies of Victorian homes and the true Craftsman homes of days gone by. As for what I'd live in, that has changed over the years.

Jun 06, 2023 10:14 AM

Dana Hollish Hill

Bethesda, MD

Dana Hollish Hill

Mine too Carol -

My first home was a farmhouse and I still dream of owning a Victorian one day, though a Craftsman would also be great with those wooden and glass pocket doors between rooms. Yet, I'm also fascinated by the ultra modern homes that wouldn't really match my style at all.

Jun 06, 2023 01:38 PM

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