Selling Your DC Home in the Spring

Selling Your Home in Washington DC’s 2012 Spring Market!

Spring 2012 is looking to be a banner year for real estate sales in the DC Metro area.  The key word this season is LOW – as in low interest rates and low inventory. 

The great news for home sellers is that real estate buyers are back in droves.  Many who were waiting for the real estate market to hit bottom are realizing that the bottom has passed and in most neighborhoods prices have already started their climb upwards.  

In addition, after many months of lots of houses for sale and few buyers, inventory of homes in many DC neighborhoods is extremely low.  There are just not that many houses on the market, and even less renovated/updated properties.  So, when a really nice move-in ready home that is priced well comes on the market in many DC area neighborhoods, it sells very quickly.  Some neighborhoods are even seeing multiple offers on the homes located there.

The extremely low mortgage interest rates are also influencing this spike in buyer demand.  Low interest rates mean that homes are more affordable for buyers. Current rates for 30 year fixed mortgages are just under 4%, and 15 year mortgages are an astounding 3%. These rates won’t last forever, and buyers are realizing that they had better take advantage of these bargains while they are still available.

But not all homes are flying off the shelves – some are languishing.  Don’t let your home be one of them.  If you are considering putting your home on the market there are several key things you can do to sell your home quickly and for close to your asking price or more:

                1) Price your home at or slightly below the market.  Price is still the most important variable to getting your home sold.  Buyers are eager to purchase, but over priced homes are still sitting on the market.  And a home priced slightly below market may garner multiple offers and an even higher sales price!

                2) Make sure your home shows well.  Cleaning, de-cluttering, and staging will go a long way with today’s buyers who are picky, and want homes in move-in condition. 

                4) Make it easy for agent’s to show your home.  When I see properties with 24-hour notice requirements  or no weekend showings,  I think the seller does not really want to sell their home.  Be as flexible as possible.  Put a lockbox on the property.  Let agents show the house unencumbered while you’re at work.  Leave the house for long stretches of time on the weekends to that your home gets the maximum exposure. When  buyer agents call to schedule an appointment to show your home, let them come.  Don’t act as an impediment to the sale of your home.

Doing these 3 key things will go a long way towards getting your home sold quickly and for top dollar.  Take my word for it!!

Your Washington DC Realtor

I love living, working and playing in the Washington DC area and will be a true advocate for you before, during, and after your home purchase.  Whether you are looking at a home, rowhouse or luxury condo anywhere in the DC real estate area, you can be sure your needs will be met and your requirements for a home taken as my top priority. It really pays to have someone who knows the area.

Not only do I represent buyers and sellers of DC Property, but I also represent MD Real Estate and Virginia Real Estate as well.  I am your exclusive Long and Foster Real Estate Professional. Click here to learn more about me.

Becoming the Millionaire Next Door

Becoming the Millionaire Next Door

Ten years ago my husband and I hired an electrician to fix a simple problem in our home.  He was a nice, unassuming guy in his late 50’s, and the more we talked with him, the more we liked him.  It was during this conversation that he told us a story about his life that has inspired me to this day. 

When “John” was a young man of 28, he bought his first DC property.  It was a small home in a decent area. He got a roommate who paid ½ of the mortgage and he was able to save quite a bit of money.  The next year, he stumbled upon a good deal on another house.  He bought it, found good tenants who paid the mortgage each month, and even had a little positive cash flow.  After giving the situation some thought, he came up with a plan that he followed to the letter. 

Each year for the next 29 years he purchased a small, affordable home in a decent neighborhood and rented it out.  His plan was to begin selling the homes once they were paid off – that was how he would fund his retirement.  When we met John, he had just sold the first home he had bought thirty years before.  He owned it free and clear and it was worth four times what he had paid for it.  He planned to repeat this process over the next 29 years, selling his properties one by one. Wow!  What a simple plan – but one that would provide him with financial freedom for the rest of his life.

I’m not suggesting that buying 30 houses is possible for most people in today’s financing environment. But this is a fantastic time to buy an investment property if you qualify, as interest rates are extremely low and the DC area has homes in every price point.  After an initial investment, the tenant pays for the property, while you reap the benefits.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

Your Washington DC Realtor

I love living, working and playing in the Washington DC area and will be a true advocate for you before, during, and after your home purchase.  Whether you are looking at a home, rowhouse or luxury condo anywhere in the DC real estate area, you can be sure your needs will be met and your requirements for a home taken as my top priority. It really pays to have someone who knows the area.

Not only do I represent buyers and sellers of DC Property, but I also represent MD Real Estate and Virginia Real Estate as well.  I am your exclusive Long and Foster Real Estate Professional. Click here to learn more about me.

Alternative Transportation in Washington DC

Alternative Transportation in Washington DC

                  Next time you are on vacation or taking a tour of your own neighborhood in Penn Quarter, Washington DC, why not think green when it comes to traveling to different locations and without having to rent or use a car?                  

                  Pedicabs are readily available and work like a taxi service powered by peddles. Pedicabs are the best kept secret to getting around and at the same time, is a green alternative to local transportation. Pedicabsallow you to see the local sites fast and safely. They fit up to 3 people comfortable, so it is a good fit for families traveling to any tourist destination or a group of friends going out to enjoy the night life.

                  With gas prices climbing to unbelievable prices why rent a car when you can use a Pedicab?  You won't have to worry about stopping to fill up the tank and you can text and ride all you want!

Taking a Pedicab isn't just for visitors. They make traveling to work a stress-free alternative and allow you the freedom to text and talk with no worry.  Relieve the stress in your life while still having the flexibility to multi-task in the comfort of a Pedicab.                

                Penn Quarter Washington DC is not the only place to accommodate these unique transportation features but they are certainly growing in this community. Consider using a Pedicab next time you want to hop across town or across your neighborhood.                 

Your Washington DC Realtor

I love living, working and playing in the Washington DC area and will be a true advocate for you before, during, and after your home purchase.  Whether you are looking at a home, rowhouse or luxury condo anywhere in the DC real estate area, you can be sure your needs will be met and your requirements for a home taken as my top priority. It really pays to have someone who knows the area.

Not only do I represent buyers and sellers of DC Property, but I also represent MD Real Estate and Virginia Real Estate as well.  I am your exclusive Long and Foster Real Estate Professional. Click here to learn more about me.

Buying a Home in DC But Not Sure you can Afford it?

Want To Buy A Home in NW DC, But Don’t Think You Can Afford It?

DC is an expensive city – an opinion that almost everyone who’s either lived here or visited can agree on. It also has some of the most expensive real estate in the country.  But, unlike a lot of other expensive cities, it’s weathered the real estate downturn in spectacular fashion.  According to Kiplinger’s it’s the #1 City, Where Home Prices Have Held Up The Most.   Check the NY Times, The Wall St. Journal, Fortune Magazine – all have written about the strength of DC’s housing market.  In fact, we have the strongest real estate market in the country.  But the Washington DC real estate market is also surprisingly affordable, if you know where to look.

Here are my top 5 picks for affordable NW DC neighborhoods:

#1) Petworth: a great neighborhood – with its own metro stop, new restaurants moving in, close proximity to downtown --fixer upper’s priced in the high $200s and renovated rowhouses in the mid-high $400s.  You can get a lot of house for the money.

#2) Brightwood: easy commute to MD & downtown DC, yet feels a world away.  Quiet and serene, and very affordable – renovated rowhouses in the high $300s.

#3) Columbia Heights: great, funky neighborhood with lots of shopping and restaurants, a metro stop and rowhouses as well as condos. Renovated rowhouses from $450s, condos starting in the $200s.

#4) 16^th Street Heights: a great neighborhood of large homes with yards, bordered by Rock Creek Park.  Easy commute to downtown, yet surburban in feel.  Rowhomes in the $400s, single family homes in the $600s and above.

#5) Capitol Hill: a great neighborhood, with a metro stop, restaurants, shopping, and Eastern Market, a wonderful weekend farmer’s market and flea market.  The typical rowhouse is small, but charming. 2-bedroom rowhouses in the $400s and above.

Don’t think these neighborhoods are you for you?  More interested in the “in the middle of everything” neighborhoods of Penn Quarter, Dupont Circle or Cleveland Park.  Well, I have good news for you too -- even the most expensive neighborhoods have reasonably priced condos and coops.  So if you’re looking for maintenance free living and don’t mind paying condo fees, this option may be right for you.

I specialize in relocating and first-time homebuyers and would love to help you find the perfect home!  Give me a call to get started.

Your Washington DC Realtor

I love living, working and playing in the Washington DC area and will be a true advocate for you before, during, and after your home purchase.  Whether you are looking at a home, rowhouse or luxury condo anywhere in the DC real estate area, you can be sure your needs will be met and your requirements for a home taken as my top priority. It really pays to have someone who knows the area.

Not only do I represent buyers and sellers of DC Property, but I also represent MD Real Estate and Virginia Real Estate as well.  I am your exclusive Long and Foster Real Estate Professional. Click here to learn more about me.

Victorian Style Row House in Ledroit Park Washington DC

Property SOLD

27 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001- $575,000

Just minutes from the very heart of Washington DC is this charming 5 bedroom, 5 bath attached row home. Newly renovated, this 102 year old home is the essence of character in Washington DC.

Beautifully renovated row house in Ledroit Park with open floor-plan, soaring ceilings, exposed brick, outdoor space, and more in great Ledroit Park location!! Owner’s suite is 3BR/2.5BA; English Basement Rental is 2BR/1.5BA. Separately metered! Rent would pay majority of mortgage!

Dining/Kitchen: 1,466 square feet of home with 2nd Kitchen, Kit-Dining Combo, Kit-Island Appliances: Dishwasher, Disposal, Dryer-front loading, Microwave, Oven/Range-Gas, Refrigerator, Stove, Washer-front loading

Amenities: Attach Mstr Bath, Bath Ceramic Tile, Granite Counters, MBA/Sep Shwr, MBA/Sep Tub, Wood Floors

Capitol Heights MD Home for Sale

Property SOLD

4002 Alton St – Capitol Heights, MD 20743 – $115,000
Just blocks away from Fort Dupont Park and the Fort Davis Recreation Center is this lovely little 3 bedroom 1 bath home on Alton Street. Nestled among similar homes is this 1924, well kept home in the Boulevard Heights divsion of Capitol Heights.

Approximately 936 square feet this Maryland charmer offers a separate dining room, galley kitchen and almost all the appliances.

This Capitol Heights cottage offers a beautifully staged layout in a great neighborhood! This home includes an updated kitchen (with glass tiles and washer and dryer) and baths, good sized rooms, hardwood floors, a great front porch and back yard. This home is move-in ready. You won’t find anything this nice at this price!

Learn how easy it is to buy a regular sale, not a short sale or foreclosure!

4 Bedroom Takoma Park Home in Washington DC

Property SOLD

532 CEDAR ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20012 -$849,500

Just steps away from the Takoma Park Library is this beautiful Victorian Style home in the Brightwood subdivision. Also close by to the Takoma Elementary Recreational Center and several other schools around the area this 4 bedroom 3.5 bath home has everything a family could want. With 4 levels, each with it’s own charm, a cozy fireplace and extra rooms for guests or offices; over 2,000 square feet, this truly is a wonderful home.

Beautiful, Spacious Victorian home in Takoma Park, located on a fabulous street lined with Victorian mansions! Features period details, front & side covered porches, chef’s kitchen/family room, 4BR/3.5 BA (includes 2 master suites), finished basement with media room, office, and bar, 7-Zone HVAC System. Garage & driveway. 2 blocks from metro. Welcome Home to Historic Takoma Park!!

FEATURES Rooms: Living Room, Dining Room, Bedroom-Master, Sitting Room, Bedroom-Second, Bedroom-Third, Kitchen, Recreation Rm, Family Rm, Den, Foyer, Bedroom-Master 2, Bedroom-First M

Dining/Kitchen: Gourmet, Kit-Family Combo, Sep Dining Rm, Eat-In Kitchen Appliances: Central Vacuum, Cooktop, Dishwasher, Disposal, Dryer, Microwave, Oven-Wall, Refrigerator, Washer Amenities: 2 Attach Mstr Baths, Attic-Finished, Bath Ceramic Tile, Built-in Bookcases, Drapes/Curtains, FP Mantels, MBRs Multiple, Wood Floors

Washington DC Condo in Forest Hills for Sale – Near Universities

4007 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #312, WASHINGTON, DC 20008 – $385,000

Just a couple blocks from the University of District of Columbia and Howard University School of Law is this clean and well kept one bedroom one bath condo in Washington DC.

 

 

Almost 900 square feet encompasses this condo in Forest Hills Washington DC. Imagine breakfasting in your sunny eat-in kitchen, entertaining in your spacious living room, working at home in your windowed den, awakening awashed in sunlight in your enormous bedroom. This 1 bedroom plus den condo is filled with old world charm, archways & hardwood floors, but updated to meet modern standards. Extra storage. Exercise room and just 2 blocks to Metro!

 

 

 

 

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And Call or Email me – Djana Morris for a private showing or more details on how you can own this stylish condo in Forest Hills of Washington DC. Telephone: 202.364.1300 | Cell: 202.309.0146 DJANA.MORRIS@Longandfoster.com

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