I start each morning by checking my email messages and a few posts on Active Rain while I am waiting for the coffee to drip. This morning I read an blog by Dean Jackson which gives four great topics to blog about from www.realestateblogideas.com. Dean noted that 1 person in 20 plans to buy a new house next year.
I confess that my day brightened when I read that 1 person out of every 20 plans to buy a new house. I imagined myself walking through a mall this afternoon surrounded by potential buyers - Every 20th person I saw was going to be a candidate to buy a house. I was definately ready to start my day with such a motivating image.
Intrigued by the website, I clicked through to it and saw that the title of article he had referenced from MSNBC actually was ONLY 5% PLAN TO BUY A HOME NEXT YEAR. The first paragraph reads as follows:
NEW YORK - Just one in twenty Americans say they plan to buy a home within the next year, and they're most likely to be 34 years old or younger and living in the South or West, according to a survey released Wednesday.
WOW - that's depressing. Only 5% plan on buying a home next year. How do you find that needle in a haystack?
Oh, wait. I passed 5th grade math, and am in fact smarter than a 3rd grader. 1 in 20 is the same as 5%, but somehow, 1 in 20 sounds better for some reason.
As always, and particularly in Washington, DC, presentation is everything. Spin over substance. But when you are self employed like we are, it is so important to keep up beat - to live on the peaks rather than mope in the valleys. So, I may in fact go to a mall this afternoon and look at all those 1 in 20 people walking around that will buy a house from me in 2010. That is the thought that I am going to hold on to, rather than the 95% of the population that won't!
If you are that one of the twenty looking for a new home, be sure to call Lise Howe at 240-401-5577 or check out her websites, www.dchomenews.com, www.homesinchevychasebethesda.com, and the newest addition, www.kenwood-forest.com to find that dream house! Lise will make sure that your purchase or sale is the easiest you have ever experienced! Put Lise and her team to work for you!
You did everything you were supposed to. You researched your choices carefully on the Internet using useful websites like www.dchomenews.com, that really guided you to all the good deals. You got your financing in line, and you found yourself a fabulous agent. After several months of looking in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, DC, and everywhere else,
As everyone knows, a short sale is never short! It can take months to close, leaving you, the buyer, in the dark as to what is happening. You sign a contract with the seller, but the contract is subject to third party review. The seller doesn't actually care any more what price he or she sells the house for. He isn't breaking even, so a small loss is the same as a big loss. Don't count on the fact that the seller accepted your offer.
You sit back to wait for the broker price opinion, and the process, the review, the paperwork. Rationally, you know that you don't have a "deal" yet, but in your mind, you are arranging furniture in your new house. You are picturing the flowers in the garden and the holiday dinners you are going to prepare. You are telling your friends about the lovely color that you are going to paint your bedroom, and the new comforter that you saw at Target.
BUT WAIT! REMEMBER..... YOU DON'T HAVE A DEAL YET. YOU AREN'T ACTUALLY COMPLETELY UNDER CONTRACT! You still have a HUGE contingency.
Sure, tell your heart what your brain doesn't want to remember.
It actually is important to remember that you don't have a contract with all the contingencies removed. The listing agent may call your agent and say that the bank has refused to accept your offer - even though the seller did agree - 2 months ago. The market is changing, and the banks may not be so willing to go along with contracts that were negotiated several months ago between the buyer and seller.
Another important thing to remember is that the banks have stockholders and they can't give away tens of thousands of dollars just because you got the seller to agree to sell the house at a rock bottom bargain basement price.
If you want to go for a short sale, don't count on that house until everything is signed and you have that third party approval. Better yet, call Lise Howe at 240-401-5577 and she will find you a great house that will close on your schedule!
If you are looking for perfect place in Chevy Chase, Maryland to call home, just a few blocks to the Metro and steps from the Crescent Trail, Kenwood Forest is definately the place for you. Kenwood Forest is a great place to live and it enjoys wonderful schools, like Somerset Elementary, Westland Middle School, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. It is just a few steps to the local public swimming pool at Little Falls, a block from the Norwood Park with tennis courts and baseball fields, and is surrounded by some of the best restaurants in the DC metro area.
Kenwood Forest offers homes from studio condos of 525 square feet to one bedroom condos, and townhouses with 2 bedrooms, 3, or 4 on 2 or 3 levels. Whatever your real estate needs, you will find the perfect choice in this pet friendly community of all ages and lifestyles, nestled in the talls trees of Chevy Chase.
Call Lise Howe and her team at 240-401-5577 for all your real estate questions and needs to find your new home. Want to start your search now? Check out www.kenwood-forest.com or www.homesinchevychasebethesda.com for all your real estate searches!
Cheinclude a visit to the National Press Club broadcast center and admission to the club's prestigious book fair. Up to 20 people may sign up for this event.
The menu sounds absolutely delicious! Appetizers worth getting your appetite worked up for - an Antipasto Platter, Black Pepper Shrimp, Hot Artichoke/Spinach dip, Hoisin Meatballs, BBQ Chicken Quesadilla wedges, and Sausage in Puff Pastry Fried ravioli w/marinara! Dinner is Caesar salad or Greek pasta salad, Cheese tortellini with pesto walnut sauce, Cajun Roast Chicken Breast w/mixed veggies over rice, and Pulled Pork Barbeque Sliders with slaw! Be sure to save room for desert - Bananas Foster Bread Pudding, mini deserts, and browies and cookies. I am hungry just writing about the menu!
B-CC is a fabulous school, deserving of your support, so if you are anywhere near the corner of Battery and Old Georgetown Rd on Friday the 13th at 6;30, you won't need to worry about any bad luck!
If you are looking for a home in this exceptional school district, then you should give Lise Howe and her team a call. Lise has been a realtor in the DC metro area for more than 20 years and has called Bethesda home for many more years than that. Homes in the B-CC school district start in the low 200s for a condo near the school on East - West highway and go up from there. Mid sized homes, such as townhouses in Kenwood Forest, are a great alternative to condos. Kenwood Forest has been a popular community since its development in the late 1970s. Townhouses in Kenwood Forest are two to four bedrooms on two or three levels and range in price from the mid 400s to the high 600s or low 700s, depending on the size and condition. Homes in Kenwood, a beautiful community along River Road and Little Falls, are surrounded by lovely cherry trees which burst into bloom each spring to the delight of residents and visitors alike.
Our Function as Realtors is to Provide Information for Our Clients' Analysis
Analysis Is the Key to Making Good Decisions
I just read a very useful blog by Bill Marriott, CEO of Marriott Hotels et al about analysis as the key to making good decisions. He referenced General George Custer, famous for being annihilated in Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn before the turn of the 19th century. He described Custer as a somewhat impetuous, but brilliant, officer, who became Brigadier General in the United States Army and was an important contributor to the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg by the age of 23.
As Bill Marriott noted Custer was always anxious to charge forward and get the job done. At the Battle of LIttle Big Horn, Custer should have stopped and assessed the situation and waited for the rest of his army to catch up. Instead, he rushed into battle and he and his troops were massacred.
It's so very important to get things done but it's also important to understand the field of play. In business, information is extremely important, and so is analysis. Our clients can find the houses that they want to see on the internet sometimes more quickly than we can since the only thing they are doing is looking for a house in a particular neighborhood. At times we seem reduced to the function of key carrier and door opener.
That is such a mistake. We need to demonstrate our value to our clients from the very beginning. When we first meet a client, it is helpful to bring some statistics and analysis of the DC neighborhoods they are interested in. Put together a comparative market analysis on the neighborhood in Bethesda or Chevy Chase, Maryland. Demonstrate your knowledge to them. Bring them information about schools or commuting patterns. Demonstrate to them how you intend to save them money or beat out the competition if there are multiple offers. Show them how you will help them analyze their purchase. Make them realize how valuable you are. Cement their loyalty to you.
If you have any questions about how to put together a winning offer to purchase, please call Lise Howe at 240-401-5577. She has been a realtor, associate broker, and attorney for over 20 years in the DC metro area.
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Associate Broker and a lawyer. As an Army Brat, I "get" relocating families. I have lived in DC for many years so I know the whole area. I support Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and am an Ice Hockey Mom
As a true advocate for my clients, I aggressively represent their interests to make sure they get the best deal possible in a constantly changing market. But in an effort to be as specific as possible, here are some reasons you may want to work with me:
1) With 20 years experience as an Associate Broker in the Metro Area, I WILL use my real
world legal expertise to protect you during the transaction
2) As a Multi-generational native Washingtonian, I WILL use my market knowledge to
you help you reach your goal
3) I WILL be responsive and accountability focused!
4) As a lawyer with 10 years experience negotiating international agreements for the U.S.
Government, I WILL aggressively negotiate on your behalf
5) I WILL fight for you!
6) I WILL WIN for you!
7) As a nationally recognized Blogger, I WILL demonstrate an advanced level of marketing
expertise needed to not only succeed today - but tomorrow!
8) I WILL be patient
9) I WILL be determined to listen to what is most important to you
10) I WILL NEVER quit until you are completely and wholly satisfied!
Spring Valley
Wesley Heights
American University Park
McLean Gardens
Chevy Chase DC
U Street Corridor,
Logan Circle
Dupont Circle,
Shaw
Georgetown
Bethesda
Chevy Chase
Friendship Heights
Kenwood Forest
Kenwood
Kenwood Park
Cohasset
Landon Woods
Oakwood Knolls
Woodacres
Springfield
Gaithersburg
Potomac
Baltimore MultiFamilies
McLean
Great Falls
Old Town Alexandria
I wanted to take this opportunity, now that I have fully moved in to my new home, to thank you for all of the wonderful support and guidance (and fun!) you have provided as my realtor during the past year. The situation was complicated by the incredibly changing market that made it difficult to calculate what I could afford based on the sale of my previous home. You were incredibly knowledgeable and patient with helping me to narrow my search to the area of Rockville that I now call home, looking at countless townhouses that were almost right. I always felt that you were doing the utmost to help me in putting together a successful offer and at making things go smoothly with the seller's agent and at settlement. You always did what needed to be done, even if it meant driving all over Montgomery County to get it done. Last, but certainly not least, you brought me a fabulous dinner just at the right time on moving day, which I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciated. It was like a miracle when I was too exhausted to even order out!
Anyway, I love my new home too much to think about moving any time soon, but I would recommend your services to anyone I know who is buying or selling in DC, Maryland or Virginia.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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