Numbers are in for the Petworth- zip code 20011 Real Estate Market Report for December 2008. The numbers are good. More houses sold last month than December 2007. And the average days of a house on the market that sold in Petworth is about the same as it was in December 2007. So here are the numbers for the Petworth-zip code 20011 Real Estate Market Report: Total sold dollar volume of houses for sale that sold in Petworth Washington DC zip code 20011 was $15,109,721 compared to $14,920,249 this same time last year a 1.27% increase.   Average sold price of a house for sale that sold in Petworth Washington DC was $335,772 compared to $466,258 this same time last year a 27.99% drop.   Median sold price of a house for sale that sold in Petworth Washington DC zip code 20011 was $307,000 comp... 01/23/2009

Exactly a week ago,I wrote a blog here about Your Website. What has it done for you lately? Part I. And as I promised,here is the second part to this series. Here are the DO's and DONT's of a Website. Website Do's Your website should be updated real time- As soon as current information is available,you want people viewing your website to know about it. You want a agent and customer friendly site. Include a property search ( IDX or RETS ) Consider your selection of domain name. Lead generation features. Site needs to be rich content for search optimization. Include good relevant local links. Refresh content often- Make it content rich. Advertise your website. Stick with .com- Its more popular than .net. Website Don'ts No property search feature. TMI- Too much information about you. TMJ- ... 01/23/2009

"It was sort of like Woodstock, except that every one had their clothes on!"  This was the description of the scene on the Mall last Tuesday from my sister, Bairbre, who opted for the swearing in instead of the parade.  And quite frankly, people who were crazed enough to even think about removing even a muffler should be institutionalized as a danger to themselves, if not others. And even more amazing, there was not one single arrest of anyone either at the Mall or at the parade.  Talk about a peaceful transfer of power! And one of the highlights for me (watching it on television at the "warming place" for the parade volunteers) was the John Williams "Air and Simple Gifts".  Having been married to a professional cellist, I was amazed that Yoyo Ma and Itzhak Perlman played outdoors in su... 01/23/2009

On Inauguration Day, as people from around the country and world were watching on TV and online, this Chicago Realtor was in D.C. in person for the swearing in of Barack Obama. As an agent, I am used to talking with strangers, and that is exactly what I did the entire time in D.C. I met so many people waiting in lines, standing in crowds, and riding the Metra. Everyone was from different backgrounds, but we shared a common purpose… to witness history. Here is what that day was like. Read more at www.liveandplayinchicago.com... 01/22/2009

Numbers are in for the Congress Heights Washington DC Real Estate Market Report -Zip code 20032 for December 2008. You know what they say,sometimes you can find good in something that is bad. The numbers doesn't look appealing at all to most home owners and sellers. But home buyers who knows a good thing when they see it,this will be a great time to buy a house in Congress Heights Washington DC Zip code 20032. Why? Less competition from other home buyers and you have a very good chance of the sellers accepting your offer only if you put in a reasonable offer. Just don't think you can submit an offer of $25,000 on a $250,000 house- Don't waste my time,the listing real estate agent's and the home owners/sellers time. Time is money. Home owners who are now selling their house didn't steal ... 01/21/2009

Yesterday, we had yet another peaceful transfer of power, and one of the great things about living in Washington, DC is that you get a choice of watching it from your comfy family room or office, or you can go down and be in the middle of the whole thing. So this time, I opted for the middle of the whole thing choice by volunteering to help at the Inaugural Parade. Getting there was half the fun!  My sister, Bairbre, drove, and we managed to talk our way into the "No Drive" zone with my red hat and credentials.  At 5:00 am, when I arrived at the volunteers sign in place at 14th and F Streets, there was already a line of people about six blocks long waiting to get in to see the parade.  I was to meet these folks later in the day! Then I met my teammates - we all had the cute stocking cap... 01/21/2009

01/21/2009

      Nehemiah Corporation is putting together a town hall meeting in regards to the seller-funded down payment assistance (DPA's) reform act of 2009 that introduces bill H.R. 600. This bill is last years version of H.R. 6694 and is being backed by Senator AL Green (D - TX).   If many have been following the news and my blogs since August 2008, you will understand that there has been very strong support for this bill. Right before the deadline last year, many members of congress came to an agreement and asked for certain things to be implemented. Such things as credit score requirements, which can be read about here.... Compromise to bill H.R. 6694   Scott Syphax, CEO of Nehemiah corporation will be heading up the meeting, with some important topics on the agenda. The main one is to hav... 01/20/2009

This is the last Washington DC Anacostia Market Report -Zip code 20020 for 2008. Good news? The same amount of houses that sold in Washington DC Anacostia this year was the same as last year. Also,total sold dollar volume of houses for sale that sold in Washington DC Anacostia was more than last year. Here are the numbers for the Washington DC Anacostia Real Estate Market Report $5,235,000 was the total dollar sold volume of houses for sale that sold in Washington DC Anacostia compared to $5,178,795 this time last year a 1.09% increase. Average sale price of a house for sale in Washington DC Anacostia that sold was $237,955 compared to $235,400 this time last year a 1.09% drop. Total houses for sale in Washington DC Anacostia that sold were 22 houses which was the same amount of houses ... 01/20/2009

While we are already 20 days into 2009,I am writing the last Deanwood Market Report -Zip code 20019 for 2008. Good news? More houses sold in Deanwood DC than they did last year. Also,total sold dollar volume of houses for sale that sold in Deanwood  DC was more than the previous year. Here are the numbers for the Deanwood Washington DC Real Estate Market Report $4,729,300 was the total dollar sold volume of houses for sale that sold in Deanwood DC compared to $4,518,697 this time last year a 4.66% increase- Good news. Average sale price of a house for sale in Deanwood that sold was $225,205 compared to $251,039 this time last year a 10.29% drop. Median sale price of a house for sale in Deanwood that sold was $232,000 compared to $245,000 this same time last year a 5.31% drop. Total hous... 01/20/2009

The numbers are in. While we are already 20 days into 2009,we are at the end of the road of 2008 Washington DC Real Estate Market Reports blogs. There is one good thing to report about this December 2008 Washington DC Real Estate Market Reports which is better than last year. You will discover that later on while reading this blog. So ever wanted to know how was the Washington DC Real Estate Market in 2008 from a Washington DC Real Estate Agent? How many houses were sold? What was the average days of houses that were sold in Washington DC? What kind of loan product was used? The answers to all of these questions are in this post. Total home sold dollar volume of houses for sale in Washington DC was $187,231,038 compared to $259,619,227 a 27.88% drop. Average sold price of a house for sa... 01/20/2009

I've seen a few presidential inaugurations over my 28 years.  I even marched in President Clinton's Inaugural Parade in 1997.  I haven't seen an inauguration or a presidency with so much hope and interest.  Let's celebrate the day and the coming "New Birth of Freedom" with some curious facts about today and Presidential Inaugurations from the past.  Feel free to share any amazing facts, stories, or words about this historic day. Presidential Inaugurations and Presidential Facts of Old Abraham Lincoln was the tallest U.S. President at 6′4″ and the first to include African-Americans in his parade in 1865. Women were first included in the inaugural parade in 1917 at Woodrow Wilson's second inauguration. The U.S. Marine Band has played at every presidential inauguration since 1801 when Tho... 01/20/2009

Several international investor clients recently asked me for information on the current market in the Washington DC area.  Here are some of my thoughts, as presented to them in a longer study on the rental market in the area. 1.     WHY NOW? THE BEST BUYERS' MARKET IN 10 YEARS   •·        Huge inventory of unsold homes, more sellers competing for fewer buyers. This means more negotiating power for buyer. •·         Many foreclosures (bank-owned)  and short sales (when owner cannot sell property for as much as he owes the mortgage lender) •·        These distressed property sales are exerting a downward price pressure on the "normal" sellers •·        The "normal" sellers will be putting their properties on the market soon, during the usual "spring market", thus adding to the inventory, ... 01/19/2009

Hello everyone. Welcome. Like I said in my last post Washington DC Events-January 17-19 2009,I could've been somewhere else because some guy coming to Washington DC with his family along with his new partner and his family for some event that is going to happen in Washington DC two days from now. What's the big deal anyway? I mean people acting like they haven't seen a famous person before-LOL. So why aren't a lot of events on here? I would more business are doing events that will make them money and with celebrities in town,people are folking to those events than events that wouldn't cost you a red cent. This weekend would be a great way to infuse much needed cash into our local economy. Hopefully this is a start of us recovering from this slumping economy. Anyway here is the "Free Was... 01/17/2009

Hello my two loyal viewers. Don't think like everyone else I have gotten caught up with all the hoopla going on in this country especially in Washington DC with the President Inauguration two days from now. So instead of being outside trying to breathe because my 6ft 0 inches,160 lbs fragile body is being squeezed to death among a wild but yet happy crowd in below 11 degrees temperature(It sure feels like it) so that they can get a glimpse and take pictures of the President elect Barack Obama along with his family and Vice President elect Joe Biden and his family,I am here in a nice warm room typing on my computer "Washington DC Weekend Guide-January 17-19 2009" only for you. Because if it wasn't for you my true loyal viewers/subscribers,where would I be? So here is the Washington DC We... 01/17/2009

One of my listings sold after about a month and a half on the market.  Unfortunately, the buyer lost her job about a month before settlement, and it all fell apaet!  So my beautiful listing is back on the market.  And this time, with the help of the economic meltdown, selling it is proving to be have additional challenges. It's a really appealing house in a popular DC neighborhood.  You can walk to Metro, fine dining and the Uptown Theater.  And the first couple to see the house the first time it was on the market came in with an offer last month.  But it was low.  Very low.  And it was contingent upon the sale of their current home at a quite optimisitc price.  And the would-be buyers were stunned when my sellers chose not to give then a counter offer.  After I had several conversation... 01/17/2009

This morning, I went outside to run some errands, and it was cold!  Really cold for these parts - like 17 degrees.  And I was cold!  Brrrrr! Yeah, yeah!  You guys in Wisconsin and Michigan and Minnesota are thinking, "Geeze!  What a wimp!"  And I wondered what it would feel like to be  someplace where your nose and ears are ready to drop off after a minute's exposure to minus 30! But what really gave me pause today was thinking that this Tuesday, I have volunteered to hang out along the Inaugural Parade route doing "recycling" which I think has something to do with making sure that empty water bottles go into the right trash containers.  And I started to think that a trip to LL Beans for some thermal undies, serious gloves, and wool socks was in order.  My neighbor and I headed out toge... 01/16/2009

As soon as school was over for Fall 2008,boy was I happy. With no more class assignments and tests to study for,I was able to rest and close my eyes longer (sleep that is) prior to the Fall semester. But boy does time fly. My four weeks or so went by quicker thanMilli Vanilli's career-And you know that is the truth (They sung "Girl you know it's true). So after feeling like a little boy being dragged to school by his mother because he doesn't want to go,I am back in school again at the University of the District of Columbia for the 2009 Winter Semester. Hopefully this semester will not go longer than my time MIA-Missing in action from school before I finally went back last semester. I am taking two classes. One is Advanced Remote Television Production and the other one is Advanced Studi... 01/16/2009

Monday, I wrote about my great good luck at being one of the 15,000 people selected as a volunteer for President-elect Obama's inaugural.  And I was assigned to the parade.  So at the training session, there were about 7,500 people with color coded strips of paper letting us know what part of the celebration we were assigned to help with.  And in my group, we pulled the Inaugural Parade.  Whoo Hoo!  That's one way to get to see it!  Well, maybe not. Some of us were going to be getting the bands organized.  Others would be helping people find their reserved seats.  And all of us had fantasies of getting assigned to the stand where the Obama family would be watching the bands march by. So today, I got the call from my team leader, telling me I got assigned to "recycling", which I think me... 01/14/2009

A few years ago, I was driving home from some family function in Baltimore, and I was flipping through radio stations.  When I got to CSPAN Radio some guy was talking and I stopped.  It was somebody giving a speech that they were re-broadcasting.  And I thought to myself - "Who is this?  Dang!  He's smart!  He should be President!"  Then the announcer broke in saying that this was Senator Barak Obama talking about foreign policy to some group in Chicago. Oh!  That guy!  Isn't he a little young? And next Tuesday, this young man is being sworn in as our new President, about eight years sooner than I thought, but not a minute too soon. My initial inclination was to watch President-elect Obama's swearing in and parade in my warm, cozy house, maybe with a couple of neighbors, some pate, smok... 01/12/2009