To go, or not to go - to an Open House

I can think of a few very good reasons to visit open houses even if you are not in the market to buy. I can think of  a few bad reasons to avoid open houses. I can also think of one very, very good reason NOT to go to an open house.

Good reasons to go:

1. Get to know your neighborhood and community - Even if you are not planning to buy or sell it's good to be knowledeable about your neighbohood, and in fact, about the surrounding communities. You will learn market trends, find out about community events, and tons of information that you'd miss out on if you stayed home. 
2. Find a pro you like - You just never know when you may get the bug to move or need to move. It's best you have some idea of who you'd call when/if that day comes. Open houses are a terrific place to meet Realtors in a professional, but relaxed setting. 
3. Share the info with friends and colleagues - Real estate is a topic that comes up often in social and work settings. It's likely you will hear from someone who is in the market to buy a home and you can tell them about your community, including specifics on houses you've visited.
4. Pick you neighbors - If you do find yourself telling someone about a home you visited you are in effect choosing your neighbor. Who better to influence who lives nearby than YOU?

Bad reasons to avoid open houses.

1. Realtors/sellers don't want nosy neighbors rooting through their houses - Quite the contrary. We do want you to visit. We want to introduce ourselves and to be of service. We want to tell you what we know about your community. Sellers want exposure and neighbors talking about homes for sale in their community is a great way to achieve that.  
2. You don't want pushy Realtors calling and emailing you - Fair enough. I personally do not call unless I am asked to. I do not do mail or email marketing either. But if I did and you asked me not to solicit you I absolutely would not. Just politely let the Realtor know that you prefer not to be added to any marketing programs and they will oblige. They won't be mad . They will understand. 
3. You can't afford that house - No? But someone you know might. Or someone your teenager knows. I once sold a house to a family who learned about it from their 13 year old daughter's friend who was spending the night at their house. 

One excellent reason you should NOT to go to an open house.

1. If you are in the market to buy and you've chosen a Realtor to work with you should not under any circumstances go to an open house that you would consider buying. In real estate we have something called "procuring cause" which basically means that the Realtor who caused the buyer to learn about the house gets the sale. So if you are driving by, see a sign, and walk in, that means the Realtor hosting the open caused the sale. Which means your agent can technically still represent you, but would not be paid for his work. Obviously no one wants this confusion so it's best to only visit homes that you are interested in with your chosen Realtor. You want to be represented and you want your pro to be paid, so let them do their job of showing you houses rather than visiting opens on your own. 

If you like real estate and you enjoy visiting open houses then you should go. If open houses bore you and you can think of better ways to spend an afternoon then by all means do what pleases you. But don't think that we don't want you or that your presence at our open would be unwelcome. 

So... see you Sunday?

The Difference One Year Makes

I've just returned from two weeks of camping deep in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. My husband and I really love that area. We find ourselves there several times a year and plan to continue to visit for many years to come. Naturally, we've window shopped for a cabin. Last year we took the wild step of driving past a house and we nearly called a Realtor. Crazy... I know.

But, we decided we didn't want to have to go there and that we would feel we had to if we had a house there. Ultimately we've realized that we don't go anywhere else because we like it there so much and that a cabin would be a nice thing to have. So I looked on Trulia.com today. Trulia looks quite a bit different now than it did last year.

This is the house we drove by, walked around, and had to stuff our cell phones deep into our pockets to hold ourselves back from calling on. It sold in November 2012 for $37,000.

This is a similar house a few miles away. There are a few small differences - like it only has 1 bedroom and the one last year had two. It is also further from the highway and further from the activities we enjoy. Oh, and it doesn't have electricity. It was just listed for $82,000.

Seriously kicking myself.

New Look, New Start

Since there could never be too many forums for me to vent, rant, brag, or otherwise share my days, I've spent the early morning hours giving my old blog a new face. I really like the new look!

Mission Accomplished

The intention of my real estate practice is to help people live in a place that enables them to get the most our of their lives. No matter what their passion, I want to help them live it - or at least live nearby. Mission accomplished. 

First Time Marathon Training

This was the first of the First Time Marathoners Program runs. I'm in the 12:30 pace group. Our actual moving pace was 12:22 but we stopped periodically for water and street crossings so the Garmin says it was a bit slower. I'll learn how to pause the gizmo eventually. I'm told we have 793 training miles remaining before the Marine Corps Marathon in October. 


I love running in groups - so much so that I generally do my solo long runs in urban areas just so that there are people around and things to see. I also enjoy short, intense solo runs on trails where you've got to be focused on your footing and low hanging branches. This run was on a trail bordering Kensington and Garrett Park so it provided the best of both worlds. The trail was paved but rough and muddy in places. 


The company was fantastic. I chatted most of the run with a beautiful woman named Flora who's just returned to the DC area after living in Vermont for years. I talked briefly at the end with a nice gal named Tammy who's only been running about a year and a half (like me) and who had not run a long run in a while (like me). 

Pikes Peek 10K

Of all the wonderful places to play in this area the last place you'd think of is Rockville Pike, unless you enjoy heinous traffic, fast food and strip malls - except for today. Today was the Pikes Peek 10K which begins at the Shady Grove Metro Station and ends at White Flint Mall. There's hardly anything more fun than being able to run smack down the middle of one of the busiest roads in the region. Besides, it's a net downhill race so it's fast and easy to PR, which I did, which is sweet.


Highlights of the day: Meeting Margaret Valega, a fellow Poolesville resident who runs just a bit faster than me and is also doing the First Time Marathon Program through MCRRC. New running friends are priceless! Seeing my family at the finish line was the best! I do know what it takes for them to get up at the crack of dawn to stand in the cold waiting to cheer me on for just a few seconds and I'm beyond grateful.

My Top 5

It's no secret to anyone that I absolutely love my job. Even the most routine transactions are immensely satisfying. There are, however, certain very special houses and special clients that stand out in my mind for very specific reasons and I thought it would be nice to walk down memory lane.

In no particular order I present to you my all-time top five favorites.

Jennings Road, Kensington
This is a very small cottage on a lovely lot in Kensington. It's most amazing because of what an utterly perfect fit it is for the woman who bought it. The house is warm and earthy with beautiful wood ceiling and trim. The kitchen is rustic yet fully functional with every modern amenity you could wish to have.

I recall the look on her face when she walked in. It was magical. She is a kayaker and the natural elements, clean, easy feel of this house... well, it was love at first sight.

Bayard Boulevard, Bethesda
This house is special and a sure favorite because it was owned by a woman who died and left it to her daughter who left it to her daughter. Three generations of wonderful women lived in, raised their families, and loved this home. They meticulously cared for it, rarely updating it, and the end result for the buyer was a home that was much the same in 2010 as it was in 1938 with most of the original finishes and fixtures. It's a time capsule ready for a new line of strong women.

Springfield Road, Darnestown
Mrs. Buyer called me to inquire about homes in Darnestown that were colonials, with finished basements, renovated and updated and within a very optimistic price range (which is to say she wanted to spend far less than the market would bear for a house that met her criteria). A quick search of homes and I found one in her price range - a rambler, on a slab, no basement, an estate sale, in miserable, dated condition. I told her about it and gave her the address and promised to keep an eye out for something that would be a better fit.

Later that day she called me from the drive way of this wreck and was very emotional. She said she knew this was the perfect house. She'd called her husband and he was en route from Bethesda. She asked if I could come show them the interior. They both loved it. They made an offer on the anti-ideal house that night (despite my urging that they sleep on it).

An inspection revealed, among other huge problems, a massive termite infestation - so bad that there was significant structural damage that would be difficult and very costly to repair. Furthermore, the house needed just about everything, including a new kitchen, bathrooms, appliances, and cosmetic repairs. Not to mention that a finished basement, which was so important to them, was an impossibility. I tried desperately to convince them to move on but they would not be deterred.

A few months after settlement Mr. Buyer stopped in my office on his way home from work. He invited me to come see the house now that most of the repairs were done and the kitchen had been remodeled. Walking in to the house I could see and feel how much this family loved it. I was very happy that they ignored my advice and followed their hearts. I would still try to talk them out of it - knowing that ultimately they'll be glad I cared and that they'll do what's right for them anyway.

Masonwood Drive, Darnestown
This house is hardly a favorite because the house was so beautiful or the clients were people I was drawn to personally. Quite the opposite, in fact. The house, while very beautiful, is not my cup of tea and the buyers were lovely but we did not connect personally. It was very much a professional relationship.

The reason this house is a favorite is not a squishy, warm story. My former boss's wife was about to ratify an offer for $1.4 million which would have been a record for our small company which routinely sold luxury homes around a million. At the same time I was working on selling this to-be-built home which had a base price of $1,152,500 and looked like it would sell for about $1.25 million. At the 11th hour the buyer decided on some options and customizations I'd suggested that brought the final price to $1,557,473. The boss's wife had to settle for second place when she ratified her contract a couple of days later. Yes, I am that competitive.

Park Overlook Drive, Bethesda
This house was listed for $749,900 - slightly more than my buyers could afford and in 2005 homes were generally selling within minutes of being listed with multiple offers, often for much more than the asking price. At $749K it was a steal and surely would generate multiple offers.

This was a FSBO so offers were presented directly to the owner - a 90-some year old German man with a heavy accent. The buyers made an offer for $734,000 and I had them include a handwritten personal note telling the seller about themselves and explaining their low offer in such a competitive market. They did just that and the seller accepted their offer. He would say later that he saw his young family in them and that he wanted to give them the same wonderful life he'd had raising his family in Bethesda.

I'm convinced he could have gotten close to $800,000 if he'd entertained other offers. In a market with escalation clauses and rabid greed this kind man sacrificed a good bit of his children's inheritance in order to provide total strangers the opportunity to be in the school district they wanted but could not afford, the commute that would allow them time to eat meals together in the evening, and the life they dreamed of. Pretty sweet.

Over the years I've met the most wonderful people and helped them buy and sell some pretty fantastic homes. My latest projects include a handful of very distressed houses in up and coming areas. I'm looking forward to seeing these houses restored and returned to the community. It's a beautiful thing to look back on such a rewarding career while also looking forward to the many more great opportunities to come.