Andrew Kohn

http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2009060201?OpenDocument

• Northeast: The Pending Home Sales Index shot up 32.6 percent to 78.9 in April and is 0.8 percent above a year ago.
• Midwest: The index rose 9.8 percent to 90.4 and is 11.1 percent above April 2008.
• South: The index slipped 0.2 percent to 93 in April but is 3.5 percent higher than a year ago.
• West: The index rose 1.8 percent to 94.8 but is 2.9 percent below April 2008.

You know you're a major city when you finally get the Real World! But where will they live? "Up and coming" or "established"? It'll be fun to see!

http://14thandyou.blogspot.com/2009/06/real-world-coming-to-dupont.html

"According to DCist, it seems that the forthcoming "Real World" series set in DC will in fact be based at a house in Dupont. Now, the question in our minds is: is this in *real* Dupont, which ends on or about 16th Street? Or is this "real estate agent" Dupont, which extends over to around 12th Street or so? Inquiring minds in Logan would like to know..."

Some interesting stats on downtown BID effects...

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2009/06/01/in-12-years-dcs-developed-over-96-downtown-surface-lotsdevelopment-sites/

"From 1997 through 2008, $9.5 billion was invested in Downtown BID area development, reducing the number of surface parking lots and development sites from 115 in 1997 to just 19 today..."

An interesting discussion on historical preservation.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=2514

"The first post on Greater Greater Washington about historic preservation that didn't deal with Third Church dates to March 10, 2008, and bears the title, "Historic preservation: a blunt instrument for design review." Today, the historic preservation process remains a very blunt instrument for design review, and an even more blunt instrument for use regulation. Yet it also remains the only real tool for most properties. When a set of buildings aren't really that historic, like Meads Row on H Street, there is no public policy recourse against seeing old row houses replaced with a surface parking lot.

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2009/05/dc-proposes-tax-on-co-op-sales.html

"The Washington, DC Council has proposed taxing the sale of co-ops in the District, a move that would bring the transaction tax on co-op units into tax parity with the sale of fee simple and condominium sales. The new tax measure, buried deep in the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Support Act of 2009, proposed by Chairman Vincent Grey, proposes to add a transaction fee to the sale of a co-op unit for both the buyer and the seller - 1.1% for sales under $400,000, 1.45% otherwise..."