Lise Howe, Assoc. Broker and Attorney Licensed in DC, MD, VA,Coldwell Banker

I have been doing Market Leader for a little less than a month, and I am delighted to report that I am working with one very active buyer and am actively emailing a young doctor in Florida who will be moving to DC this summer. I am happy with the results so far, even though I don't seem to be meeting my total performance quotas according to the weekly status checks from Market Leader (worse than talking to my manager!). I definately will give it another month at least, and I even recommended it to another agent. I think the website name is really important to get the activity that you should be getting. Good luck to everyone else trying it!

A huge new mixed-use project is coming to Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle area,thanks to the Donohoe Corportation and WDG Architecture. The new project, Woodmont Central, will be a multi-phase, mixed-use project office with office, retail and apartments along Wisconsin Ave.

The first part of the development will be the 8280 Wisconsin - a commercial complex with 80,792 square feet of office space, along with 10,820 square feet of ground floor retail, at Battery Lane and Wisconsin Avenue, which is currently a Texaco gas station.

The next phase will be at the corner of Rugby and Del Ray Avenues, which currently is a surface parking lot and some old two story buildings. This will be the Gallery at Bethesda - a high-rise with 457 rental apartments (including 51 MPDUs), 9,051 square feet of ground floor retail and public park, and public space.

Look for these exciting new additions to Bethesda in 2012 or 2013! For all you r real estate needs, contact lise@lisehowe.com or check out my new wensite - www.homesinchevychasebethesda.com!

On spring break with my 15 year old, I tried to race one of her friends on the slalom course and it ended predictably - My daughter's friend won and I fell and fractured my leg - at least I didn't tear my ACL. Instead, I spent the rest of my spring break recuperating on the sofa in the condo while my daughter and her friend skied all over Vail mountain. I was pretty happy with my computer and time to work without interruptions and grateful for the really superior medical treatment that I received from the Vail doctors. Not surprisingly, they know knee injuries inside and out!

Then I came home and needed to see a doctor here in DC. The Vail doctors referred me to a doctor who had just moved to DC from Vail. I had complete confidence in this newly relocated doctor since he is trained by the Vail doctors.

My first doctor's appointment was two weeks ago and somehow the conversation turned to the housing market (I can't imagine how!). What I didn't consider is that since he just moved to DC he hasn't bought a house yet. You guessed it .... he needs a realtor. He and his wife are looking for a home in Bethesda or Chevy Chase, exactly where I have just created a new website, www.homesinchevychasebethesda.com. I started telling him about some of the listings I have seen recently since I have another client looking for basically the same type, price, and size home.

Ever welcoming to newcomers to the DC area, I offered to send him links to those listings. Today, I saw him again. My leg is mended and he has been driving around checking out some of the houses I had sent him. I told him about another new listing, will send him the link tonight, and then will take him and his wife to see it. We seem to be getting along and I think there amy be a future here!

You know, sometimes, getting hurt can have its own rewards!

After months of secrecy (that really wasn't a secret), the new Apple store has opened on Bethesda Ave in Bethesda. The new space is directly across from the old Apple store, but easily three times as big as the old location. I ducked in to the new location today to retrieve my 15 year old daughter who was hungrily eyeing a new computer - funny how her "old" IBM is suddenly unsalvageable! The store is beautiful, even on a grey rainy day, but I was struck by how empty it seemed. There probably were just as many people in the new store as there had been on similar days in the space across the street, but the new space is so big that people seemed lost in it. The old space which almost crushed everyone into one another created a visual energy level that said to passersby that something exciting was going on inside. How could it not be exciting - look at all those people there. No doubt Bethesda will grow into the new space quickly. Betheda Avenue is enhanced by the sleek storefront which replaced the old Blockbuster, but I miss the congestion of the old location!

For any questions about real estate in Bethesda or Chevy Chase, or if you are planning to relocate to my home town, just give me a call at 240-401-5577 or check out my website, www.homesinchevychasebethesda.com

I want to brag about Bethesda, Maryland, my home town. Bethesda now ranks number two on Forbes.com's list of America's Most Livable Cities, right behind Portland, Oregon, which got top honors. The financial magazine makes its annual list on the basis of quality of life, including five-year income growth per household, cost of living, crime data, the culture index and unemployment. In January, Forbes.com named Bethesda as the "Most Educated Small Town" in the U.S. About two years ago Bethesda was recognized as having more restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States. Talk about a diverse set of awards! If you are looking for a home in Bethesda or its next door neighbor, Chevy Chase, check out my website, www.homesinchevychasebethesda.com, for all your real estate needs.