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Washington, DC Real Estate News

By Roslyn Ashford, Home Stager
(ra reDoes rooms - Home Staging, DC and Maryland)
After a pretty successful and busy summer in staging, I toyed with the idea of investing in a fun prop, that I could use on my projects. I have read on a few staging blogs that many realtors don't like for stagers to leave information about their business in the staged properties, which seems a shame - stagers are business owners too! I think I found a creative way around it and hope I don't offend any of my realtors by using it. Here it is - Drum roll please...     And I am excited to be able to use it on my first unit this winter!  The screen is 40" wide and can either be shown on the stand, as seen above or else mounted on the wall.  Perfect prop for condos! Let me know what you think!
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please  email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certainly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment.  The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
If you're buying a house, chances are you are delegating the choice of title and settlement companies to your agent.  After all, he or she goes to lots of settlements every year.  You will probably attend only a few during your entire lifetime. But before you say "Yeah.  Sure," to your agents, you need to ask a few questions: Does the company send your broker any money for the referral?  With many title companies, they have affiliations with one or more real estate companies and the send hefty rebates off to the broker for each referral they send.  This is taken from the money the title company charges you.  The company I recommend credits the buyer with the amount that other companies send to brokers, and the amount is sometimes in excess of $1,000. What are their fees?  They should se...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please  email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certainly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment.  The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
Comments 32
By Claude Labbe, Realty for Your Busy Life
(RLAH / @properties)
Often, buyers will ask about "how safe is this neighborhood". Firstly, I suggest they look at their own home for a baseline. Frankly, it's surprising how we can all be completely oblivious to that which is going on. Then, to understand the type and frequency of "crime", there are 2 sites, the first is national in scope and this other is Washington,DC-specific. And of course, any buyer considering to buy a home should consider the home's location at different times of day and night. Some people don't want to live next to a whole set of hot dining spots, others do.
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
This afternoon, I had a settlement on Rosedale Cottage, a house that I listed in April of 2008.  It's a wonderful historic home in Washington's Cleveland Park - my favorite DC neighborhood. Getting it from Just Listed to Sold has been an adventure. It got sold (multiple offers, thank you very much), and then the perfect contract fell apart.  So it was back to square one. This was not your cookie-cutter Washington cliche house.  The house had the highest pheromone factor that I've ever seen - it made heart's skip beats!  And it was also what we often call "buyer specific". It only had two real bedrooms. The first floor ceilings were over 9 feet, but on the second floor - well, it was not a basketball player house. There was a vacant, but buildable lot next door that most of the prospecti...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please  email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certainly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment.  The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
Comments 29
By Roslyn Ashford, Home Stager
(ra reDoes rooms - Home Staging, DC and Maryland)
This season, I was approached by the franchise owner of DC's Ace hardware stores and asked to decorate the hardware store windows.  There are currently four stores and I helped to design and decorate 2 of stores.  This was my first project with window decorating/visual merchandising and learned quite a bit along the way. Since they were hardware stores, I was limited to mainly use items found in a hardware store - which sorta felt like I was in a DeisgnStar challenge of sorts.  This is the before window space. This is the only view of the store seen from the street - the store is physically underground, and entrance is at the underground parking lot.  While working in this space, I ended up directing people to the store's entrance.                                 I actually painted the ...
Comments 7
By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
It’s certainly old, built in 1765, The Old Stone House is one of Washington’s oldest buildings – some say the oldest still standing.  And the stone structure has served multiple purposes, from workshops and living quarters, to an office for a used car lot.Christopher Layman, a woodworker who moved to Georgetown from Pennsylvania, built the place and lived there with his wife, Rachael, and two sons.  They used to first floor as his workshop and the family’s kitchen.  The Laymans were poor and lived very frugally.  Soon after he finished building his home, Layman died, and a woman named Cassandra Chew bought it from his widow and renovated it.Over the years, several different artisans used the first floor as work and shop space, often living with their families above the store.  In the 19...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please  email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certainly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment.  The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
Comments 17
By Rachel Valentino, Valentino & Associates
(Keller-Williams)
A couple weeks ago, the government turned the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit into a new and improved credit for first timers and repeat buyers alike. The way the new law was crafted is especially helpful to buyers in the DC area. Now first time buyers can qualify for up to $8,000 off the price of a home, while repeat  buyer who own and resided in a home for at least five of the last eight years can qualify for $6,500. What is especially applicable to the DC area where salaries are higher is that the income levels have been raised to $125,000 for single taxpayers and $225,000 for married couples, with a phase out of the credit if your income is up to $20,000 higher. (The higher income limits provision takes effect November 6, 2009.) The credit, previously on life support till November ...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
At the top of my bucket list has been learning to ride a horse.  And last week, I joined my friend, Jean, for lessons at the Woodland Horse Center. I've been on horses before, but I'd never learned how to get the horse to go where I want to go at the speed I'd like him to go, and to stop when I'd like him to stop. It's about communication. So my new buddy, a gorgeous roan named Applejack, is teaching me about communication, and not just with a horse.  A lot of it applies to clients as well.  For example: It's subtle.  It's easy to say "canter" when you want him to trot. If you don't say "go" just right, he'll stop altogether. You really need to show the horse who's in charge, but sometimes the horse is in charge - unless you're really good. Sometimes the horse will give you this look li...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please  email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certainly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment.  The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.
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By Lanre-"THE REAL ESTATE FARMER" Folayan, I don't make promises.I deliver results.SOLD HOMES
(Samson Properties)
  Looking for a Real Estate Professional that will help you buy and/or sell your next house? Want a "Free Real Estate Market Report" in your area of choice? Free search of DC and P.G County MD Homes for sale   . I can also be reached at my new Active Rain Outside Blog www.GetDCSold.com - "Where we will get it sold-your home that is". Twitter http://twitter.com/DCHomesforsale. Please give me a call at 202-378-0283 (Direct) or 301-560-6700 x1154 (Office) at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much. Looking forward to helping you make your home purchase or sale a stress free and very happy one. Have a great day. "Buy a home in DC and PG County MD today" in zip codes 20019,20002,20020,20011,20032,20774,20721,20744
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By Lise Howe, Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC
(Keller Williams Capital Properties)
Joy Jackson, a former exotic dancer who became president of the Metropolitan Money Store, was sentenced yesterday to more than twelve years in jail.  She was convicted of stealing millions from Washington area homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure.  She used the cash to buy jewelry, fur coats and vacations, and to cover a lavish wedding at the Mayflower Hotel, where Patti LaBelle serenaded guests who feasted on lobster and drank Cristal. The Metropolitan Money Store advertised on gospel and R&B stations and promised to help people keep their homes and repair their credit. Instead, Jackson and several co-conspirators, including her husband, Kurt Fordham, took titles to properties and drained them of equity. The company directed owners to transfer title of their homes to third-party buye...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
A lot of us have started to go nuts as lenders are getting more and more nitsy, driving our beloved clients crazy with last second requests for documentation and other paperwork issues that seem to come to a head about two days before settlement.  This morning, I had a talk with a lender who has been making loans as long as I've been selling houses, and we were laughing about how it's getting to be just like the good old days!  So now, I'm coaching all of my buyers on what to expect during the process.  By preparing them for all of the stuff that is totally annoying people right now, I'm hoping that if they expect the nitsy, it won't annoy them as much.  Here are some of the things I'll have them be on the lookout for: For a while, the lenders were all pretty casual about pest inspectio...
Comments 72
By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
The five highest sales prices paid for Washington, DC properties in October is in stark contrast to the top five listed homes.  The five highest priced listings range in price from a low of $10,000,000 to a high of $39,500,000.  And here is what actually sold last month: 2716 36th Place NW for $1,850,000:  the asking price was $2,150,000, reduced from $2,275,000.  The house was on the market for 262 days.  Located in Observatory Circle, this center hall brick colonial is pretty much the Washington standard.  It has 6 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and over 3700 square feet of living space.  The kitchen and baths had recent high end renovations, and the entire house appeared to be in excellent condition.  P Street NW for $2,200,000: the asking price was $2,275,000.  This is a Georgetown classic to...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
I have some clients who are looking for a great condo or coop downtown.  I've found some good possibilities and my clients are adding things that they come across on the Internet. Most of their finds are already under contract or settled.  But there was one that, while not on the MRIS was on a FSBO site.  There was a description and contact information. But wait! It said to call Camille.  I dialed the number then I noticed the little warning that Camille is on the national "Do Not Call" register, and any agent who calls her is subject to a gigantic fine.  Hang up!  Fast! OK.  There's also an email option.  But when I tried that, I got a warning from the Realtor® police that my email set off a red flag. Now, the price is $550,000 and the remarks said it is firm.  But wait!  That's $75,00...
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By COMPASS PALM SPRINGS | Stewart Penn, COMPASS Palm Springs - Broker Associate
(COMPASS)
The Washington Post has published an article stating that the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has threatened to stop social services for those in need if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law. In terms of a bill headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, churches would not be required to perform same-sex marriages but they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians. This sounds decent and "Christian" to me. But the church is worried it may be forced to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples. This doesn't sound fair nor "Christian-like" to me. In effect the church is playing politics and using the homeless as pawns in it's Washington power play. I believe that in such a case the church should loose it's tax-exempt...
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By Patricia Kennedy, Home in the Capital
(RLAH@Properties)
I have a settlement scheduled for Thursday afternoon.  The termite inspector found a few dead guys and a little bit of chewed wood, but it was evidence of a prior infestation.  Since there is no record of a prior treatment, we've got to get a bunch of nasty chemicals pumped into the ground  around the house before Thursday.  And I found out this afternoon. So I called my friends at Dixon's Pest Control for help.  And sure enough, they saved the day.  Tomorrow they are treating the place - and it's a federal holiday!.  I'll be able to get the last piece of paper to the lender in time to settle at four o'clock. Like many agents, I sometimes find myself needing last minute termite treatments, sometimes because I just forgot about it.  And Dixon always makes it happen.  Oh, and they do a gr...
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