The moving truck has just pulled away from your house, and you are totally, completely, 100 percent pooped! You spent most of the day before cleaning up years of grime and cob webs your sellers left you, and now you're looking at decades worth of all kinds of nastiness in your old house - dust bunnies (enough to knit a sweater), the mother of all bathtub rings, crust in the oven, and a cure for the next pandemic in the corners of the refrigerator's meat tray.There's a reason that MOVE is a 4-letter word!
In most parts of the country, the written contract between the buyer and seller discuss just how clean you have to have your house for the new buyers - and how clean your sellers have to leave your new place.
When you're selling, the standard is way too clean.
When you're buying, the standard is filthy!
In this area, your place is supposed to be "broom clean" with all trash and debris gone by settlement time. And, as in most real estate contracts, the definition of clean is a little ambiguous.
Whatever the contract says, my advice to my sellers is to hire a professional to do the job.
First, it's just tacky to leave a dirty house for your buyers. And, second, I promise you won't be in the mood to pull out the oven cleaner or scouring powder to do it yourself. Finally, the last thing you want to do is invite an argument at the settlement table over whether or not you've fulfilled this part of your contract.
The condition of your house at the walk-through could very well set the tone for the entire settlement!
My advice is that, no matter what your contract say you must do, leave the place clean as a whistle - inside and out!
Have the floors swept and carpet vacuumed. Have the bathrooms and kitchen scrubbed and sparkling. Appliances, including fridge and oven, should be as close to showroom clean as you can get them. And have the windows and mirrors cleaned.
A lot of sellers forget about the garage and basement. I've been to walk-throughs where there were all kinds of cans of awful looking stuff rusting out. Sometimes it's old paint. Sometimes it's old cleaning stuff that has morphed into clutter. You are not being thoughtful leaving behind things you think your buyers might need. They don't want your old stuff! Have it hauled away!
And while you are preparing to leave your place sparkling, there is no guarantee for you on the buying end! Your sellers might be total pigs who are unembarrassed by the thought of appearing tacky! If it's totally short of whatever standard your contract sets, ask for a closing cost credit to pay for a professional cleaning.
And it's not "Do unto Others as Others will do unto You." But leaving a house clean for the next people is a great way to amass good karma.
If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help! I am licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. You may call, email or text me at:
Housepat@mac.com, 202-549-5167
At a recent property showing, my clients and I walked into a townhouse in a pretty nice neighborhood. And the showing went pretty well, until we went to the walk-out lower level family room and found these:
The buyers didn't notice the built-in bookcases or the woodburing fireplace. All they saw was some imaginary masked bad guy trying to break into the house.
When I first moved from Manhattan to Washington, I was amazed that so few homes here had burglar bars. In New York, anyone who lived within a long ladder's reach of the street had them - or perhaps they thought of it as "decorative grill work". And I started to think how all of the New York burglars could just move to DC and their jobs would become so much easier.
But after a few decades in our nation's Capital, I realize that in most areas, they are not really necessary. Between Willie the Labradoodle and an alarm system, I feel pretty comfortable going bar-less in my inner city neighborhood And when I list a property that has them, I usually try to talk the seller into taking them down.
If you have this little security feature, is it really a selling plus?
No. At least not for most buyers.
First, they are bars. Bars are associated with prison cells, or in my case, raccoon traps. And they do not make a room more attractive.
Furthermore, they won't make most buyers feel safe. They are more apt to look at the your bars and wonder why they are there. Have you had a lot of home invasions? Will it be safe walking from the Metro stop to the house, or will they run a high risk of being mugged?
Now, if you do live in a dodgy part of town, they might be a great idea - even a necessity. But in neighborhoods that are relatively safe, you are probably better off without them.
In any big city, there will be some issues. I remember years ago, the Australian Ambassador's wife was mugged walking their dog in the most elegant part of Washington, withn site of the Executive Protective Service guys who were in front of the embassy. It can happen anywhere, and you need to be smart about protecting your house. If someone is determined to break into your house, bars like this are unlikely to stop them. A loud obnoxious blare from an alarm system, however, is likely to send them flying to their getaway car.
If your buyers are concerned about personal safety, seeing burglar bars will heighten their feelings of insecurity about your home. An alarm system do not seem to bother buyers - unless I manage to set it off trying to show the house. And for me, an alarm system has been a great deterrent. Well, not to detract from Willie's efforts to scare off any bad guys who might think about trying to enter the house.
If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help! I am licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. You may call, email or text me at:
Housepat@mac.com, 202-549-5167
I was driving home from a long day of showing houses in Northern Virginia when I noticed the evening sky was quite red. And it was reflected in the Potomac River, making it look a bit like pink lemonade.
Still I wouldn't want to drink the stuff!
I took this shot as I was about to merge onto Rock Creek Parkway (OK, the car was totally stopped waiting for a light to change) after crossing Memorial Bridge. And I took it with the camera on my IPhone.
If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help! I am licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. You may call, email or text me at:
Housepat@mac.com, 202-549-5167
I was driving east on Q Street from Georgetown and ran across this piece of fancy on the front yard of the Phillips Collection. I ran home and Googled the Phillips to try to figure out who was responsible for this whimsical sculpture. Turns out it was done by Will Ryman. We'll miss it when it goes to its next home.
If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help! I am licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. You may call, email or text me at:
Housepat@mac.com, 202-549-5167
I Got Wowed Tonight by Marty at Macy's Houseware's Department!
I needed a pair of glass candlesticks, and didn't want pay a fortune - I just needed some for staging props. I tried Tuesday Morning, TJ Maxx and the Target at Wheaton Mall in suburban Maryland. No luck. As I was about to give up and go home, 
there was Macy's and I remembered! They have a decent houseware's department.
When I got there, a very polite sales clerk named Marty offered to watch my huge shopping bags (full of towels and pillows) and asked what I needed. When I asked if they had any glass candlesticks. He brought be over to the candlestick department, and there were some really, really beautiful crystal ones.
And they looked expensive, and much too beautiful to stage the dining room table of a new listing. But as Marty showed my how they reflected the light, I had to have them! After the house sells, they would be perfect for my own dining table!
By the time he added in a 25% off coupon and another discount for using my Macy's card, guess what? They were a bargain that I could not pass up. OK, that was only part of the wow service.
Once he rang up the sale, I gathered up my three overstuffed shopping bags, and guess what? He offered to help me drag them to my car!
Macy's has always been a favorite place to shop. I guess it dates back to my first days in New York. But I hadn't been there much lately. Maybe it's time to put my Macy's charge to better use.
So, Macy's! If you Google yourselves and happen to read this, give Marty in Housewares in your Wheaton Mall store a great big raise. The guy is terrific!
Pat Kennedy, author of "The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate", has been selling homes in the Washington, DC area for almost 30 years. She's licensed in DC, Maryland & Virginia
Washington, DC is the seat of government for the United States, and most visitors see the White House, the Supreme Court and the Capitol. But in these days with heightened security, it's usually just the outsides of these buildings from a tour bus!
They may also see a lot of the monuments, those to Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson.
And they often miss my Washington and that of the half-million people who make our nation's capital their homes.
Some of us work for the government, some for law firms that practice before various federal agencies, others are teachers, fire fighters and real estate agents!
Our neighborhoods are full of history! There are houses where presidents slept or died. Sometimes a tour of a newly listed home will include the rooms that were used to hide escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad.
Like visitors to Washington, the locals visit the fabulous museums and galleries. We also know where to find the work of talented local artists.
Visitors often enjoy productions at the National Theater and Kennedy Center. We also support local groups, including Wooley Mammoth, Arena Stage, The Studio Theater, and other theaters that have made Washington second only to New York as a provider of paying jobs to stage actors!
And the by-product of any serious unrest anywhere in the world is often a group of immigrants who come to open fabulous restaurants serving their local cuisine!
Many of the blogs I write are about Washington, and I try hard to bring my readers a sense of what it's like to live here. I've also posted photos and information about our neighborhoods, restaurants, the Zoo, and other things I hope you will find useful.
And, here is Washington, they throw a huge fireworks demonstration on the Mall at the drop of a hat - not just the 4th of July!
Whether your thing is a luxury condo overlooking the Potomac River, a house in horse country in Virginia or Maryland or something in-between, you'll be able to find the perfect place!
In Washington, DC and its close-in suburbs, we have gone from a white-hot real estate market to one that is balanced. In some of the suburbs that are further from the city, the market is a bit slower, and you can find some wonderful values.
It's a great time to buy - there are fewer bidding wars, and you don't have to offer sellers your first-born child to have your offer accepted. And, it's a good time to sell, because while the market has slowed, prices in most close-in neighborhoods have not substantially fallen.
People relocating to the nation's capital are often floored by housing prices - yes, I do carry smelling salts in my glove compartment! The prices are balanced out by great employment opportunities and by the fun factor of life in Washington.
You can search for homes and explore neighborhoods in the entire region by clicking on this link:
SEARCH ALL LISTINGS IN THE DC METRO AREA
And when the time comes to make your move, please contact me. I'd be honored to help.
A few years ago, I wrote the book on real estate, The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate.
And I give a copies to my clients so they'll know what to expect during the transactions.
I've tried to give good advice, making points with true stories that are often hilarious or occasionally pathetic. And I work to make the process fun - for both myself and my clients.
And I'm currently working on my Second Edition!
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