Yesterday, I got an email with a link to a site called NewGeography, and an interesting post by a guy named Peter Smirniotopoulos.  And wow!  Talk about being optimistic about the immediate future for business in my town - he's predicting that the election will generate 40,000 real estate transactions. I wish.  But I think Peter is overly optimistic, even by my standards! Here's how it really works. Yes, there will be some people leaving federal jobs and returning to wherever they moved here from.   And there will be a bunch of jobs to fill.  And oh my!  If that's all it took to create a real estate transaction!  But here's how it really works. Of the people leaving government, many will stay put and take jobs in local law firms and consulting outfits - in or out of government, these pe... 11/17/2008

Over half the time I get behind the wheel, it means a drive through Rock Creek Park to reach my destination.  Whether it's a trip to the office or to Whole Foods, on my way, I am surrounded by nature at its most awesome. Today, there was little traffic and I had my camera handy, so it gave me a chance to snap a few.   Most, but not all, of the leaves have fallen to the ground, and there are still patches of color. Of course, I was looking for Bambi and her buck, but they were probaly making out like lusty teenagers and found a more private place. 11/15/2008

Looking for something to do this weekend but you just don't feel like spending any cash? I mean you probably would've if a cup of Starbucks coffee didn't go up as high as a gallon of gas.(Even though gas prices are still falling,gas prices are still high). So here is my "Free Washington DC Weekend Guide" for this weekend. Hope you find something here that you will like to do.                                                              FRIDAY Maxwell Kennedy discusses and signs copies of Danger's Hour at Politics and Prose on 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC. 202-364-1919.                                                             SATURDAY Saturday Soul Sessions-Louis P. will be performing with special guests at the Almaz. The Almaz is located on 1212 U St NW Washington DC. It is ... 11/14/2008

Hello everybody! You are now tuned in to the only show that will guide you in your search for the latest activities currently happening in Washington DC. It is once again Friday. And any of you still looking for a house to stay in Washington DC for the Inauguration? Good luck. Chances are everywhere is booked. But I still have your Washington DC Weekend Guide for you. Here is what's happening this weekend in Washington DC.                                                                   FRIDAY Regina Belle will be performing at the Blues Alley. The Blues Alley is a Jazz club located at 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington DC. Cost: $43. Call 202-337-4141 for more information. Henry IV, Part I play will be be at the Folgers Theatre at 201 East Capitol St.SE Washington DC. Price:$25-$55. Cal... 11/14/2008

Last weekend, I attended the Green Festival held at the Washington D.C. Convention Center.  While I don't consider myself a tree-hugger or an "environmental whacko,"  I certainly believe that everyone can do their part to make the world a cleaner place, use less chemicals and pollutants in our own homes, and live life in a more sustainable way. So, it was time to learn for this REALTOR & Green Newbie . Not to mention, my sister was in town because her company, Pangea Organics was a sponsorship partner at the Green Festival.  Pangea Organics makes wonderful, organic, hygiene and beauty products, including lip balms, facial cleansers and toners, shampoos, body lotions, and bar soaps.  The stuff is great!  My sister's the national sales director, and no she didn't pay me for this plug. Aft... 11/13/2008

If you live and drive in Washington, DC, especially if you use the roads that thread through Rock Creek Park, you might have noticed that our deer are acting strange.  They are coming into residential neighborhoods, and it's not unusual to see a group of them far from the Park on a neighbor's front yard.  And they are running around, flirting, cavorting and acting downright silly.  Loopy even! Well, the Park Service reminds us that it's mating season, usually the first two weeks in November.  The little guys are loopy, not on Grey Goose, but  horny loopy - on hormones.  They are all looking for action and not looking where they are going!  Last night I was driving along Broad Branch Road, and there was a buck lookin' for love in very wrong places.  He was standing in the middle of the r... 11/12/2008

Sell Your House Fast! Washington DC- District of Columbia Are you searching the Internet to find a way to sell your home quickly in the Washington DC area? If you want to sell your District of Columbia home quickly, then you have found the right website! CityHomeBuyers.net is the Internets number one source for selling your home in District of Columbia fast. We Buy Houses in any area in any condition just like yours. How can we buy your house so quickly? We are group of highly trained professional home buyers who buy houses from people in neighborhoods just like yours, in any location, condition or price range across the District of Columbia. We buy houses in Washington and the other District of Columbia cities and counties. We buy District of Columbia houses that are new, old, pretty ... 11/12/2008

In this market, when offers are few and far between, sellers can feel very excited when something finally comes in.  But also in this market, many of the offers are low, funky or both. As they weight their options, there are three basic choices: Accept the offer exactly as it is written and, once the buyers remove the contingencies, the house is sold; Reject the offer and send the buyers on their way; or  Make a counter-offer, changing the price or the terms.  The buyer might agree, make another counter or accept the counter and buy the house.  Or they vanish from the scene, moving onto the next house. Homes are staying on the market for longer periods of time than they were a couple of years ago.  And watching my sellers reminds me every day of how stressful it can be to live in a hous... 11/10/2008

Everyone I’m working with is looking to me for insight on what’s going to happen to the Washington area real estate market.  And darned if I know!  But there are some observations worth noting.Prices in many District neighborhoods have held up, at least so far, especially areas that are close-in and near Metro, like Cleveland and Woodley Park.  But some very desirable neighborhoods along the 16th Street corridor, like Crestwood and Colonial Village, have some major bargains.There is no question that our market has slowed down with the big economic meltdown, and we seem to be at some sort of a crossroad.  So here’s what I think. We are seeing a sort of “buy and hold” market here.  So if you are looking for someplace to buy long term as a home or rental, buying is probably your best bet. ... 11/09/2008

Now that the election is over, life is sort of getting back to normal.  And there are some things I miss.  Like ... Political ads running down opponents.  Now we're back to ads for Viagra, maxi pads, cars, diamonds, and the cure for restless leg syndrome.  Tina Fey.  She will be out of a job on Saturday Night Live until maybe 2012 when Sarah Palin runs for President.  I can always watch Tina on 30 Rock! Robocalls asking for my vote.  When my land line rings, it's actual telemarketers trying to sell me qualified leads. Political rants on Active Rain.  Bloggers are back to writing about real estate!  I'm so glad it's over!  Now it's time to get back to business.  Gotta sell some of the outgoing Republican's houses to some incoming Democrats. You have to be pretty non-partisan in this market! 11/08/2008

During the first week of real estate school, we were all taught how to come up with a magic number that would get a house sold for top dollar in a reasonable amount of time.  You know, check the comps!  Compare what's sold to what you're selling, and voila!  You set your price close to that number and should have an offer in hand soon. Well, not so fast! There seems to be a new factor that buyers want to feed into the equation:  Post Economic Meltdown Syndrome. I am working with some buyers who want to move.  They don't have a gun to their head or anything, but they're outgrowing their Georgetown doll house, and we've found a great move-upper, complete with garage.  Um, a garage is a huge thing in Georgetown. The possible new house has been in the same family for four decades, and while... 11/08/2008

If you move to Washington to work for President Obama, you'll soon qualify for membership in Workahaulics Anonymous.  But you'll need a place to sleep, and hang your clothes and store your Cheerios.  That's where a knowledgable Realtor comes in.  You'll be moving to the area where prices might be higher than what you're used to, but they're not as bad as they were a couple of years ago.  There are great possibilities in every price range - well, every price range over a few hundred thousand dollars.  And that's where a good real estate  agent cones in. How much do you want to spend? How much space do you need? How close do you want to be to down town? You'll be working really hard.  And you'll want to come home to a place that works for your down time!  You know.  Sleeping.  Eating brea... 11/07/2008

Right now, I have two offers in play.  One, I wrote on a house in Georgetown, representing the buyers.  The other is an offer that came in on a listing I have in Cleveland Park. In both cases, the buyers feel they have the upper hand.  And with many of the houses that are for sale in the Washington metro area, they would.  After all, isn't it a buyers' market?  Isn't it? But what, exactly does that mean? One thing that is becoming very apparent is that sellers in many cases are just saying "No!" to offers that do not work for them. In both of the offers I'm working with, the buyers love the houses they made low offers on.  And in both cases, the sellers would prefer to sell, but they are not going to sell for less than whatever their magic number might be. For these sellers, their lives... 11/07/2008

No you are not seeing double. Starting this week,I am going to be having a free Washington DC Weekend Guide along with my regular Washington DC Weekend Guides Washington DC Weekend Guide Nov.7th-9th . In these tough times especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up soon,we need to save as much money as we can. Sometimes we need to do somethings that are free instead of always spending money on doing things. So for my first Free Washington DC Weekend Guide,(Though I think I have done this once before),here are some things to do this weekend in Washington DC -Enjoy!                                                                 FRIDAY Pultizer Prize winning comic and author Art Spielgelmann will be at Politics and Prose to talk about his new book "Breakdowns" an illustrated memo... 11/07/2008

As Conan O'brien sometimes say whenever he addresses the audience of his late night talk show "Hello my babies." How is everything? I hope you as good as I feel. Its great to be alive and a citizen of the United States of America. Of course it's friday. And we have elected our 44th President of the United States of America-Barack Obama. Congratulations to the next president of the United States of America-Barack Obama. A new era is here. Now to some of you who are still celebrating post election day,I have some things for you to occupy your weekend.                                                                FRIDAY Hirshhorn after hours. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden-Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institute is located at Indendence Ave at Seventh Street SW. Price:$12,$1... 11/07/2008

This afternoon, I went down to the DC Board of Elections and cast my ballot.  And I certainly was not alone.  The line was pretty long when I got there, and by the time I was finished about half an hour later, it snaked out of the building and around the block. Here in our nation's capital, we take our politics very seriously, and many of us are traveling to help out in the so called "battleground" states to help drive old ladies to the polls or whatever they need us to do. Now voting is important. It's a huge privilege that a lot of people have given their lives to protect for us.  And when we exercise our right to vote, it's a way of honoring them.  Yet, in this country, we have historically had one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world.  Go figure! If you vote, you retain bitch p... 10/31/2008

Forest City Washington have reached an agreement with the District of Columbia to build a $42 million park along the Anacostia River. The 5.5 acre park project in Southeast Washington DC is part of the Yards,a 42-acre development that will include offices,apartments and 400,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants. The park will also include a large lawn and a riverfront esplanade and courtyard surrounded by retail pavilions. The park will be built block away from the Washington Nationals baseball stadium. If you are in the market to buy and/or sell a house in Washington DC,please visit my website Houses for sale in Washington,DC to register and receive your free list of "Houses for sale in Washington DC". I can be reached at (202) 378-0283 (Direct) or (301) 560-6700 x1154 (Offic... 10/31/2008

It is the end of the week once again. It is of course the end of the month. But most importantly,it is time for another Washington DC Weekend Guide by yours truly. Since today is Halloween and you're probably going to receive scary e-mails or see something that looks very scary or creepy looking,I decided to write a post that will have nothing to do with Halloween.                                                                  FRIDAY Break out star from "The Dave Chapelle Show" Charlie Murphy will be performing at the DC Improv at 8pm. Price:$30. DC Improv is located on 1140 Connecticut Ave NW (202)296-7008. A Beautiful View at Studio Theatre Stage 4 2nd Stage. Daniel MacIvor's A Beautiful View is black-box stripped down experimental theatre only two chairs and a tents share the stage... 10/31/2008

This is becoming an annual thing.  Adorable little kids in costume and their parents stage a parade through the neighborhood.  And there is a one-man marching band.  I sat at my desk and heard an "Ump-ah" getting progressively louder.  Has one of the neighborhood kids taken up the tuba? There go the real estate prices! Then I remembered, it's Halloween!  It's the parade!  So I grabbed my camera and ran outside for the photo op. Like last year, the kids were adorable.  The costumes were all pretty wholesome - no vice-presidential candidates.  Princesses and dinosours.  And as I edited the photos, I realized that the leaves on the tree outside my office window are more gold than green!  So, I was glad that I decided to work at home this morning!  10/31/2008

Buenos Dias amigos! Yeah! I bet you all never knew I speak Spanish even though that's all I know how to speak. Which reminds me that I need to either enroll in a Spanish class,join a Spanish club or get that Rosetta Stone CD that Michael Phelps endorses that teaches you how to speak Spanish. All right enough of that. Here is the Congress Heights Washington DC Real Estate Market Report Statistics Zip code 20032. I must admit with what we are experiencing in this housing market ( even though Real Estate is local,) it has been very tough. And I am sure some real estate professionals feel the same way too when they review and write their real estate market report statistics in their area. As less houses are selling in a area,more inventory continues to pile up on a real estate market that i... 10/29/2008