Orchids are one of my very favorite plants. When I was growing up my mother had hundreds of beautiful orchid plants growing on our lanai. It was a sight to behold! While I do have a couple of orchids of my own, I will never have the collection my mother had. But when I have the chance to see a beautiful collection, I do not pass it up! This photo was taken at the Botanical Garden in DC the last time I was up there visiting my son, Sascha. I will be back in DC next month and will be sure to make another trip to the Botanical Garden while I am there!!!   09/27/2010

      There are just so many questions in regards to mortgages of which consumers and realtors search for places to ask such questions. My problem from searching the internet is that I have seen some really bad, false, or misleading answers to such questions. Sometimes even answered by those that aren't even in the mortgage business. I have seen this happen so many times on sites such as Trulia and or Zillow. These sites allow anyone to answer mortgage related questions. But how great would it be to have one place where such questions are answered only by a handful of mortgage professionals.            CLICK ME     The Mortgage Myth Busters is a good group of Mortgage Professionals that have over 150 years of experience in the mortgage industry. If we don't know the answer rigth away, w... 09/27/2010

For anyone looking for a home close to everything that matters, Georgetown in a common choice.  Houses come in all shapes and sizes, and one never knows what is lurking behind the old historical facades. There are currently 70 single family homes, ranging in price from a highe of $11.5 million for the Laird-Dunlop Coach House just below N Street on 30th, to a low of $455,000 for a tiny 1-bedroom carriage house near the corner of 33rd and O Streets.  The average price is $2,668,111, and the average time on the market is 183 days. Click here for the entire list of Georgetown homes that are For Sale. If you are looking for a condo or cooperative apartment, you have 25 to choose from.  The most expensive is a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath penthouse at 3030 K Street NW, priced at $1.75 million.   The ... 09/26/2010

  I know it's been all over the news since the 20th of September, that we are now out of a recession since June. But I am curious, where the hell have I been all of this time. Who is stating these facts?  Did we just pull millions of dollars magically out of a hat? Let's look at several facts. --  We are going into an election period.  So is this just 'feel good' talk to get one to think otherwise? --  The Homebuyers Tax Credit.  In my opinion, that artificially stimulated the economy. But that helped some real estate numbers look good, like there was a real recovery. --  Jobs? Sure, some jobs have been created, but within the government and this could add to the free spending that has taken place. So how has that helped. What about those small businesses that keep laying off or close s... 09/24/2010

This is a bay window on a beautiful old turn-of-the-last century building in Cumberland, MD.  I loved the way the tiles formed funny lines on the roof.  And I loved the windows, with all of the little rounded panes.   The brick, I wasn't crazy about.  But I love the way it works against the brown marble.  Cumberland is a great weekend getaway if you want to get out of Washington for a weekend - doesn't even have to be a long weekend! 09/24/2010

In the busy, fast-paced world of Washington, DC, how do you eat right?  A wonderfully colorful variety of fruits and veggies can be had for quite a deal at those quaint little produce stands popping up all over in the summertime. What's great about the DC area is that you can find such healthy alternatives right in the city, as well as in more suburban areas. Your local farmer's market offers veggies that aren't pre-packaged, stamped, and wearing those small stickers that mean you probably should be looking elsewhere for your nutrition requirements! Irradiated, non-organic produce is just not ideal. If you have access to sun-ripened fruits and veggies, by all means, go for it! For Eco-minded, health-conscious vegetarians, vegans, and raw vegans, they truly are the equivalent of a quick ... 09/24/2010

In Washington, DC no matter what market we are in, every home owner likes to believe they have the best house on the block. Many will price there house based on all of the upgrades they did over the years or some will have never done any upgrades and want to price it according to the highest sold house in the neighborhood that is larger and has more upgrades. Click for the rest   Washington, DC Real Estate Services Damon The Agent specializes in selling homes in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.  Short Sales, Foreclosures, New Homes, Regular Sales. 240-694-6460 09/24/2010

Yesterday I got a call from one of my favorite clients.  He purchased a home about two years ago and had decided to refinance at a lower mortgage rate.   Before he signed the final papers this morning, he wanted to ask me a couple of questions. The first thing I asked him to do was to email me the HUD-1, which it the form that lays out all of the money - where it comes from and where it goes. Right off the bat, I noticed two bright red flags waving in the breeze. The title company's fee was more than twice what is customary for this area - about $550 higher. Also, instead of reissuing his two year old title insurance policy, they were trying to sell him a brand new one for way more money. So I had him call the lender and insist that they work it out with the title company that they were... 09/23/2010

                                            IF YOU ARE BUYING A HOME              YOU NEED TO KNOW           Where:  4400 Jennifer Street, NW   When: October 5th, 2010 from 6:00 PM -7:00 PM   Coffee & Snacks will be served   ·        How to take advantage of the home buying loans with lowest interest rates ·        Advantages for home buyers in this market ·        How to access money grants from the government for your down payment ·        Secrets of foreclosure deals and how to negotiate them ·        How to get a great deal on your purchase ·        More…         Buying or selling a home is a huge step. It is complex and sometimes frustrating, particularly if you do not have the information you need to make informed decisions.  The more you know the better off you will be. If you ar... 09/21/2010

1316 Florida Ave NE Washington DC 20002- Asking Price Only $325000  Come and see and Bring all your offers. This Would not last.               Location, Location, Location! Total renovation Semi- Detached .Located near main H ST and all development and night life. Ready to move in. Freshly painted, High ceiling, Shiny Hardwood floors on main, New Neutral Carpet on Upstairs level. Updated Kitchen with Granite, Newer SS/BLACK appliances, Recess Lighting and more. REMARKABLE contemporary .YOU MUST SEE 09/21/2010

Many programs funds have depleted and in order to be in a position to buy, buyers in the Washington, DC area need to take 2 major steps that will make the rest of the home buyer transaction quite simple.  Click Here - Blog. Washington, DC Real Estate Services Damon The Agent specializes in selling homes in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.  Short Sales, Foreclosures, New Homes, Regular Sales. 240-694-6460 09/21/2010

Friday I had one of those just wonderful settlement.  You know, great buyer (mine), great seller (represented by a wonderful listing agent) and her son, who used to live in my neighborhood.  And there were no issues.   While the buyer was signing the stack of paperwork, the son started to talk about gold in Rock Creek Park.  When I got home, I googled "gold in Rock Creek Park DC" and found two different National Park Service sites reminding people that they could go to the slammer for taking, among other things, gold out of the park.  Then I re-googled with the seller's son's name and gold in Rock Creek Park.  This is what I found. It never occurred to me that there were any DC gold rushes!  I didn't know there were any old gold mines in the area.  So if you are thinking about supplemen... 09/19/2010

In Washington, 16th Street is often called the Gold Coast.  It's also the Gold minus the "l" coast - the God Coast.  There are churches along this major DC traffic artery representing almost every religious sect you can think of.  These congregations play an important part in the community.  They host neighborhood meetings, have fun festivals in the spring and fall - this weekend it was the Greek festival.  And the church in this picture rescued Willie the Labradoodle on one of his recent great adventures.  I took this photo on a walk with Willie this afternoon with my Lumix.  I love this camera. 09/19/2010

Throwing Spaghetti Against the Wall: "Spam" from Colleagues?  About half of the email messages that I get these days come from Realtors sending out mass messages to their colleagues about their listings.  They can be new listings, open houses, price reductions, or some other version of "Bring me an offer!  Pul-eeze!" Three of the local companies doing it here in DC send out pretty attractive mailings with all of the important information and a quick link to a virtual tour.  And I do appreciate getting their emails, because in many cases I have buyers who might be interested in the subject of the message.  But there are others who seem to send these messages to the entire real estate world, and those I find annoying.  These are in parts of the area that aren't even in the area.  I got on... 09/17/2010

Once upon a time, the H Street corridor of the Northeast was one of the biggest shopping and entertainment districts in the DC region. The 1968 riots that followed the death of Dr. Martin Luther King disrupted that for a time. As recently as 5 years ago, much of it was still a mix of boarded-up storefronts, Chinese carry-out restaurants and discount beauty salons. The DC Main Streets program helped older businesses expand and undergo facelifts, and promoted new housing and business development in the area.  For starters, The Atlas Theater reopened, which we were thrilled to see. The Argonaut and other restaurants and bars also began to pop up around the neighborhood. This brought in some trendy hipsters in the mood for late-night fish sandwiches at pubs like Horace & Dickie's. Then, thi... 09/17/2010

20 Most Recession-Proof Cities - Washington, DC is on the list. Is your city? - Arlington VA Homes In case you haven't noticed, I love these lists. Not sure if it's because they are a quick, easy read, or if it's because... THE WASHINGTON, DC AREA IS ON EVERY, SINGLE ONE. This latest report was released by MetroMonitor. The 20 most recession-proof cities are... Albany (NY), Augusta (GA), Austin, Baton Rouge, Buffalo, Dallas, Des Moines, El Paso, Honolulu, Houston, Jackson (MS), Kansas City, Little Rock, Madison (WI), McAllen (TX), Oklahoma City, Omaha, Rochester (NY), San Antonio, and... WASHINGTON, DC. Can anyone tell me the two biggest reasons why Washington, DC continues to weather the economic storm? If you read my blog, or check out my archives, it should be easy. 09/17/2010

Click Here - Answered Plain & Simple 09/17/2010

Condo Pet Rules:  If The Dog Don't Fit, They Won't Admit! As a brand new agent, I wrote my first offer on a Washington, DC condo in a building was not exactly pet friendly.  The rules said "pets with board approval only."  And my buyer had a little 9 pound dog.  So I made the offer contingent upon her getting an OK from the board for petite Fidette.  The board in this building had decided that they would OK any cat and deny any dog.  GRRRRR!  So my very first offer that I ever wrote had a crash and burn. One of the things, either good or bad depending on how you look at it, about living in a condo is the list of house rules. And they almost always have ground rules about pets.  They can allow no pets at all, cats only, small dogs (with some maximum weight), or maybe all dogs.  Condo lis... 09/16/2010

This afternoon, I stopped off at the Forest Hills CVS pharmacy on my way home to pick up a couple of things.  And when I got in line, there was only one woman paying for items and one clerk.  But in short order, there came to be another four or so people who formed a line in back of me. Now, Washington, DC has more than it's share of Type-A personalities, myself included.  And the woman ahead of me was being way too slow about paying for her stuff.  She was asking a bunch of questions.  Then she couldn't find her CVS discount card.  At least she wasn't paying with a check. If the line of waiting shoppers had been in cars on the street, we would all have been blasting our horns.  She should hurry up!  The check-out clerk should move her on! BEEP!  HONK!!  AH-OOH-GAH!!! As it was, there w... 09/14/2010

Click Here; http://damontheagent.com/blog/   Washington, DC Real Estate Services Damon The Agent specializes in selling homes in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.  Short Sales, Foreclosures, New Homes, Regular Sales. 240-694-6460 09/14/2010