ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2008
18
Comments
Hello! My name is Pat, and I am a control freak.Most of my clients (not you, Bruce and Bethany!) are control freaks.Some of the best agents I know are control freaks.Some of the worst agents I know are control freaks.Once I got what a control freak I am, once I recognized and embraced this quali...
01/31/2008
30
Comments
Yesterday, I sat down to write an offer on a house in northern Virginia. There was an unfamiliar For Sale sign in the front yard, and I figured it was a local mom & pop I hadn't run across before. Wrong! When I pulled up the MLS listing to fill in the broker's name and address, it was a firm i...
01/30/2008
7
Comments
Like many cities, Washington, DC has landlord-tenant laws that really do protect a tenant's rights. It is extremely difficult to get rid of a tenant who is paying rent, even after the lease expires. If the tenant is a total deadbeat, it is very difficult to evict. In addition to making eviction...
01/30/2008
13
Comments
The first time I saw an email announcing your birth, I had to have you. I watched the video and wanted to hold you - to see what just under three pounds would feel like in my shoulder bag. I wanted to edit my photos on your big, clear screen. I wanted to use your little magic card to blog on th...
01/28/2008
I have an offer in counter, and one of the sticking points involves financial disclosure of the purchaser's assets to the seller and his agent (who happens to live in the building where my buyer is making the offer). We sent over an excellent offer with a lenders letter from an extremely reputabl...
01/28/2008
17
Comments
This is to all of the spouses and sweeties of real estate agents out there. Once upon a time, I had a very nice ex-husband who greeted me at the end of each day as I walked in the door, totally pooped from a hard day on the streets, with a great big smile and a, "Did you sell a house today?????" ...
01/27/2008
Earlier this week, I got a call from an agent who showed a listing I have last week. His people loved it, he said, but the husband was out of town until the end of the week. They planned to make an offer Friday or Saturday. This afternoon, Saturday, as I was driving to my Mother's 85th birthda...
01/26/2008
18
Comments
There is something beautiful and amazing about many of this areas old stone homes. The one at the right is a 20's vintage craftsman bungalow here in Washington. The wall are thick. The house is solid. The stone exterior is virtually maintenance free. Nearby, in the same neighborhood is a hou...
01/26/2008
23
Comments
In my 20's, I had the privilege of knowing the French flutist, Jean-Pierre Rampal. He was a wonderful teacher, not only when it came to music, but also imparting life lessons. He taught me about Bucket Lists when I was 25, and changed the course of my life.When I met him, I was sort of drifting...
01/25/2008
16
Comments
Once I dumped a perfectly nice man because he gave me a blank stare when I asked him if he knew how to fix my leaking kitchen faucet. "My people call plumbers," was his response. When, like me, you are a single woman living in This Old House, handy is sexy. And it's not like I can't afford to ca...
01/24/2008