Archive for the 'Information for Buyers' Category
East Bethesda MD 20814 Homes for Sale 4/13/12
Update for 4/13/2012… 4 new listings, none under contract, and no price drops.
All the homes in this article are currently for sale within East Bethesda. The top of the list features the newest listings, while the bottom showcases those that have been on the market for quite some time. I’ll be updating this post every Friday, so be sure to check back to see what’s new, what’s gone, & what might be coming (and check out the date up top… if it’s not current, neither is this information!). I’ve lived in East Bethesda for over 17 years. I’ve sold real estate in East Bethesda for over 12 years. It’s a wonderful neighborhood within walking distance of two metro stops AND downtown Bethesda. While all of this information is available to you on the various search engines, I’ve taken the time to inject my opinion on the condition, pricing, and likelihood of each property selling… or not. I hope you’ll give me a call if you have any questions. I have loved living here over the years, and I want to share it with other enthusiastic people!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
4608 West Virginia Avenue, $949,000
Handsome bungalow with a lovely front porch, inviting living room with a fireplace, good looking hardwood floors and a glorious garden. Sits on a double lot, not that this does anyone much good, minus the builders. Large, almost separate 2-level addition in the back of the house – connected at the kitchen. Adds value to the property, but isn’t easily incorporated into the rest of the house. Buyer specific. Days on Market: 1
8511 Halston Way, $965,000
Nope, this isn’t a typo. Two townhomes are available and they are next door to each other. The only difference is a mere 3 feet and an extra full bath (this unit is “larger” and more bathy). 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths, and 4 levels. 1-car garage. Refinished floors and a hot tub. Days on Market: 1 Read the rest of this entry »
The Evers & Co. February 2012 Real Estate Report
February showed a marked improvement in the close-in Metro area, compared to January, when the numbers were almost the same as the previous year. The dollar volume of sales was up 9% from last February, average price was up 4.3% and days-on-the- market (DOM) was down 3.3%. Once again, the big leader in our area was the District, with a huge 21% increase in dollar volume of sales, an 8% increase in average price and a noticeable 20 day decrease in DOM.
The attraction for first-time homebuyers and empty-nesters of living in “walkable” neighborhoods contributes to the success of the District. Added to that is the fact that much of Washington has many neighborhoods of comfortable homes and condominiums on attractive tree-lined streets, near Metro stops and just minutes from the heart of downtown, which is unusual for most big cities in the US.
*Statistics are taken from the Metropolitan Regional Information System for three areas: Washington, DC; Montgomery County, Maryland; and Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia.
My Offer Is In… How Long Will It Take?
A lot of buyers want to know how long it will take to hear back about their offer. Over the years I’ve run into a variety of responses to offers I’ve presented on behalf of my buyers:
- Sometimes they will get back to you right away
- Some Sellers like to review the offer and sleep on it
- Others are pretty quick to turn down your offer, or counter
- A few agents out there will call to say that their Sellers have agreed to the offer, and then they don’t follow through with the paperwork (which means no agreement)
- And then there are those who just don’t respond
I once presented an offer, and traveling sellers and crazed schedules prevented them from responding for FOUR days – an eternity when Read the rest of this entry »
East Bethesda Colonial for Sale
Update 1/27/12 – UNDER CONTRACT
4411 Maple Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
Welcome to this classic East Bethesda, center-hall brick colonial home featuring 3+ bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Located on a lovely tree-lined street, this fabulous house is a half-block walk to Lynbrook Park, a short walk to Bethesda Metro, 3-blocks to the Capital Crescent Trail, a few blocks to B-CC High School, and an easy stroll into downtown Bethesda. The location can’t be beat!
The first floor has beautiful hardwood floors. As you enter the house, a lovely living room with a fireplace can be found to your left. To the right of the entryway is the dining room with chair railings and lots of sunshine. The renovated kitchen is bright and cheerful with decent cabinet space, overlooking the back yard. Just beyond the living room is a family room with a half-bath, opening to a brick patio in the back yard.
Second floor features 3 bedrooms and one full bath with a tub. All the floors are carpeted… but wood floors reside underneath. We’ve pulled up a corner in one of the closets to give you an idea of what they look like.
The lower level features a finished walk-out rec room (currently used as a spare bedroom) with an abundance of sunlight. The sellers installed a 2nd full bath in 2009. The utility room has houses the W/D, furnace and sturdy shelving for all of your storage needs.
There is a driveway in the front yard, along with ample street parking for residents.
Estimated taxes for FY13 are $6,622
Offered at $699,000
Directions: From DC, North on Connecticut Avenue, R- Maple Avenue to 4411.
4411 Maple Avenue, East Bethesda, MD 20814
If you’re unable to make it to the open house, please call to schedule an appointment.
Marcie Sandalow: Telephone: 301/758-4894. E-mail: [email protected]
Catarina Bannier: Telephone 202/487-7177. E-mail: [email protected]
Click here for information on The Top 10 Reasons to Live in East Bethesda
FHA Raises Loan Limits!
Despite recent grumblings about lack of inventory and lackluster numbers, there is a bright spot on the horizon. Dave Jacobin, long time lender, and on my list of favorites, is here to tell us a little bit about the new loan limits:
Great News! FHA loan limits have gone back to $729,750 in High Cost Areas (that’s our DC marketplace). This is good news for local homebuyers.
Features of FHA financing include (but are not limited to) the following;
- Only 3.5% down payment required
- Down Payment and closing cost can come from a gift from a relative
- The Seller may contribute up to 6% of the Sales Price towards closing costs and pre-paids
- Higher qualifying ratios vs. conventional allowed
- Please note the increase in Read the rest of this entry »
Live Near the Red Line
Traffic these days is a miserable thing. People want to live near Metro so they can stay away from their cars. So, if you’re looking to buy a house in a neighborhood that’s convenient to the Red Line, search no further. I’ve got the skinny on the best neighborhoods within walking distance of Metro AND within the beltway:
NIH/Medical Center Metro: Since they closed access to NIH right after 911, your best and only access to the metro stop here is on the east side of the campus just off of Wisconsin Avenue. The closest neighborhoods include the north side of East Bethesda (aka Glenbrook Village), Locust Hill Estates, Alta Vista/Maplewood and Parkview Estates.
- Glenbrook Village/East Bethesda is a great neighborhood with about 300 homes. Most of the houses started off as modest colonials and capes, but many have added sizable additions and/or been replaced over the years with new construction. Houses in this neighborhood start at roughly $600,000 and top off around $1,500,000. The average walk to metro can range from 5-15 minutes depending on the lights.
- Locust Hill is a lovely enclave of older, more distinguished homes and larger Read the rest of this entry »
Another Cool Real Estate App
Finding the perfect house just got a little easier. Or maybe I should say “remembering stuff about your perfect house just got a little easier.” As a real estate agent I see a lot of houses. Sometimes my recall is spot on (when I’m in my idiot savant mode), but often I get that deer in the headlights look when asked to recall specifics of a property. It’s a trait I’m sure I share with a lot of people looking for a house. So… someone got smart and finally designed an app specifically to help you remember your most recent house tour (or even the one that took place 2 months ago).
House Hunter is a pretty nifty little app. It offers up the ability to go into detail about property features and rate them. You can take photos of your specific house and add them to the address file. You can share all the info you’ve gathered with your Read the rest of this entry »
Garage Wannabes
Over the years, as a real estate agent, I’ve seen people do a lot of neat things with their garage. Some have turned their garage into an artist studio or workshop. Some are offices. Some are just for cars. Others have been converted into guest houses or hot tub cabanas. And one of my favorites belongs to an old client… they managed to get some HGTV-type show to pay for their renovation- they turned theirs into a practice studio for a band. Fun!
Recently a client contacted me about what he could/couldn’t do with a garage on a property he was considering. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Hire the Best Contractor- 13 Easy Steps
Getting the right contractor for the job is key to any project’s success. Trust me… I’ve been there. According to Angie’s List, the two items critical to a job’s success are verifying a contractors license and READING the home improvement contract before signing it. In addition, you’ll want to focus on the following hiring guidelines:
1. Who will Manage the Job?: If your job involves more than 3-4 different specialists (electrician, drywall, plumbing, masonry, etc) things will go better if you have a general contractor to oversee the various tasks and timelines.
2. Define your project: Before you jump in, know what you want. And if you don’t know what you want, learn about what’s out there by reading remodeling magazines, taking a picture of a friend’s kitchen (or bathroom or entryway). Put these ideas on paper to give a potential contractor a sense of what you hope to achieve. Read the rest of this entry »
The Evers & Co. Sept. 2011 Real Estate Report
The average price in our Washington, DC marketplace was up for the 17th consecutive month, 3% higher than September 2010. The number of days a property stays on the market was up 8.7%, and the dollar volume of sales was down 3.3 % this month,- both being attributed to consumer concern to recent fluctuations in the economy.
While mortgage interest rates were at record lows for most of September and banks have money to lend, lenders are restricted in the amount of loans and the loan-to- value ratio, which in turn limits buyers’ ability to purchase. These restrictions were a reaction to the mortgage meltdown our economy experienced a few years ago and should ease up in the coming months, allowing more purchasers to enter the marketplace. Meanwhile, we expect prices to improve modestly and steadily, and that goes for the state of the close-in Metro market in general.
*Statistics are taken from the Metropolitan Regional Information System for three areas: Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Maryland; and Fairfax County, Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church in Virginia.
Topics
Archives
- May 2012 (7)
- April 2012 (10)
- March 2012 (11)
- February 2012 (12)
- January 2012 (11)
- December 2011 (11)
- November 2011 (14)
- October 2011 (15)
- September 2011 (13)
- August 2011 (16)
- July 2011 (12)
- June 2011 (12)
- May 2011 (15)
- April 2011 (14)
- March 2011 (18)
- February 2011 (14)
- January 2011 (21)
- December 2010 (23)
- November 2010 (21)
- October 2010 (31)
- September 2010 (21)
- August 2010 (21)
- July 2010 (13)
- June 2010 (13)
- May 2010 (18)
- April 2010 (19)
- March 2010 (2)
