The Woodruffs’ Vallonia

sears Vallonia on Franklin

It’s always fun to follow up on some old blog posts, and even more fun when we can announce a historic mail-order home for sale in the process! A few years ago, we wrote about a popular Sears catalog model, the “Vallonia.” Its arts-and-crafts style and spacious expandable interior hit the taste of the 1920s and was loved in our area as well; about a dozen still existing specimen in DC and its close-in suburbs have been authenticated so far. We featured Vallonia owners Kathryn and Simon back then, and here’s the exciting news: You can see their lovely home from the inside now, and you could even purchase it! It’s listed for $619,000 and open this weekend.

The home’s first owner was a certain Miles L Woodruff, who–according to the DC City Directory from 1928–lived in the house with his wife, Myrtle, née England. Myrtle and Miles had only been married since 1923, when Miles was 24 years old and Myrtle was 22. The kids certainly got on with their lives a little faster a hundred years ago, didn’t they! They listed Sears Roebuck as the “architect” on their 1927 building permit, and the closest railroad tracks for the delivery of the parts was barely a couple of blocks away. We don’t know what Miles did for a living, but Myrtle was listed as a “dictaphone operator for the Aviation Institute of the US”. (Check this out if you have no clue what that might even have been.)

Fast-forward to the pandemic year of 2020, and you will find a fabulous 5-bedroom home with an awesome 21st-century kitchen and a huge backyard. (And in case you’ll ever find yourself going to an office again, the place is just about three and a half miles away from the U.S. Capitol.) It’s a nice mix of historic architectural detail (those narrow-width floors!) and modern conveniences. We loved Miles and Myrtle’s radiators and some iron ovens that perhaps could still heat up the basement.

As for Simon and Kathryn, we’re not at liberty to say where they ran off to, but just want to congratulate them on their adorable new baby boy. He’s a total charmer, and one day, they’ll probably take him back to visit 3003 Franklin St NE in Langdon. Brace yourself!

Join the Mailing List for our Annual Kit House Newsletter:

Sophisticated Suburban Spaces

(Click Here For The Full Listing) Please join us for our first open house at 5924 Johnson Ave, Bethesda MD 20817 on Sunday, March 1st, 2020.

It’s a spacious Bethesda colonial with warm tones and inviting Craftsman-inspired finishes. The smart, circular flow of the main floor is ideal for entertaining. In the front of the home, a large reception hall with coat closet and powder room leads to the generous formal dining room and a living room with built-ins. Both connect to the sunny, south-facing back of the home where an inviting eat-in kitchen opens to the family room with its cozy stone fireplace. A hall leads to the extra-wide 2-car garage with level 2 car charger, the laundry room and a private oce with a second half bath. An oversized skylight illuminates the stairs leading to four large upstairs bedrooms, including the master suite with a luxurious spa-style bath (did we mention the gorgeous heated floor?!) and a hall bath. On the lower level, there’s a wide playroom/recreation space with endless storage and possibilities. Fenced-in backyard. 5 bedrooms, 2 full and 2 half baths. (5th future bath roughed in on lower level.) One block to Ayrlawn Park and bus to Metro. Offered at $1,275,000. Open Sun 1-4.

Bridging The Path

Getting the house ready for the market with the Compass Concierge program – now even easier for sellers who want to move first

It’s a scenario we are all too familiar with: That 2-bedroom apartment looked huge when you bought it as newly-weds. But now that your second baby has arrived, it seems to burst out of its seams. You’d love to move. But how can you? Your equity is tied up in the condo, and qualifying for an entire second mortgage on the new home is out of the question.

What to do? Sell first, put the proceeds in the bank and move the family to a temporary rental? It’s a conservative solution but not necessarily a cheap one, and it would entail moving twice, possibly renting storage and could mean missing out on good offerings and low interest rates.

Alternatively, you might consider making an offer on your new house contingent on the sale of the current one — an option that is less likely to fly if you are buying in a more competitive market. It also often means you are forced to move the old home quickly, have less time for preparation and will likely sell for less money.

The third option is a bridge loan. But it’s often a scary one. While certain lenders might offer bridge loans to you based on your income and the equity in your home, this option makes many sellers uncomfortable. Just how long can they afford to pay two mortgages? And what if the house doesn’t sell right away? Where will the extra money come from that might be needed to move and make market-ready improvements?

That’s where our rather amazing new Compass bridge loan program — rolled out today — comes in. Combined with the interest-free Concierge loans (which can pay for cosmetic home improvements and sometimes even temporary living arrangements for the sellers) the bridge loan program potentially fronts you 6-months-worth of mortgage payments on the new residence, providing quite a bit of (previously unavailable) flexibility and control. Assuming you sell within those 6-months, you won’t have to pay any of this back until your current condo or house settles.

We don’t want to brag here, but it’s just one more way we can make your transition easier (or possible in the first place!) Find more info here, or just call us or fill out the form below to get started!

Why we love Compass Concierge!

Concierge lets you easily prepare your home for sale by fronting the cost of home improvement services like staging, painting and more. Let us help you sell your home faster and for more money.

No hidden fees, no interest charged—ever.

BEFORE
AFTER

Strategic

Your Compass agent will work with you to determine which services will help sell your home.

Efficient

The entire process is designed for speed, so that work can begin—and your home can sell—as soon as possible.

Simple

Your agent will be by your side throughout the process, advising you along the way.

Clear

You’ll never have to worry about hidden costs or interest fees: just repay the money spent upon closing.

Exclusive to Compass, our Concierge program is among a suite of services designed to prepare your home for the market. Whether it’s roofing repairs, painting, moving and storage costs, or additional needs, your Compass agent will work with you to assess every opportunity to elevate your home’s value and improve your selling experience. 

Once the necessary improvements have been determined, Compass will cover all upfront costs, collecting payment for the services rendered at the time of the property’s closing. By investing in your home’s potential, we aim to provide a swifter, more profitable sale.

Are there any services not covered by the program?

Our goal is for Concierge to help as many clients as possible. The program is intentionally flexible; we’ve developed Concierge to be used with most vendors for your convenience.

What costs are associated with Compass Concierge?

Compass will invoice you during or post-closing for the total cost of work covered through the program, and nothing more. There is no added cost for participating or interest owed to the company.

How can I find out if I qualify for the program?

Easy! Call your Compass agent today to discuss eligibility.F

Marcie Sandalow 301-758-4894 Marcie@Compass.com

Catarina Bannier 202-487-7177 Catarina@Compass.com

East Bethesda Beauty

Please join us for our first open house this Sunday, May 5 from 1-4pm.

4705 Maple Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

Get ready to fall in love with this lovely home offering 1920s charm and character and 21st century amenities. The custom architect-designed 3-story addition provides beautiful spaces and lots of light. This well-thought out home has it all: gracious formal rooms, a generous open kitchen and family room, cozy corners, three fireplaces, and gorgeously designed outdoor spaces. The lot measures 9,000+ s.f. with a deck, patio, front porch, off-street parking, a gazebo and a water feature.You’re steps from downtown Bethesda, shopping, dining and entertainment. WalkScore rates this superb location a 90 (“Walker’s Paradise”), and the Bethesda Metro station is just 0.5 miles away.

4911 Chevy Chase Boulevard, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Set on a quiet street just steps from Norwood Park, this brick colonial is close to downtown Bethesda and Friendship Heights. The unassuming exterior belies a bright and expansive interior space. 

The entry leads to an extensive kitchen/family room addition with southern exposures. In the front of the home, a charming living room with wood-burning fireplace opens to a formal dining room. Back in the addition, skylights, a vaulted ceiling and an arched gable transom bring in light and connect to the outdoors – a spacious, level fenced back yard with a patio. The kitchen has a large island and an abundance of cabinets. All first floor hardwoods have been newly refinished. Upstairs on the second level you’ll find a renovated hall bath along with two good size bedrooms. There is also a third room which can serve as an office or nursery. The third floor owner’s suite features a full bath, bedroom  and ample attic storage. 

The lower level is unfinished but freshly painted and houses the washer/dryer and a full bath.  It was formerly home to some pretty fierce ping-pong competitions!

Offered at $1,099,000

Open Saturday, March 6 from 2-4pm and Sunday, March 7 from 1-4pm.

For more photos go to: bit.ly/4911-Chevy-Chase

East Bethesda Cape Cod

4545 South Chelsea Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814

Arguably the prettiest cottage on the block, this 1930s brick Cape Cod resides in the Glenbrook Village section of East Bethesda. Walk to Metro (NIH Medical Center/Red Line is 0.7 miles), downtown Bethesda, Walter Reed, parks, hundreds of shops and restaurants, Harris Teeter and Starbucks. Walk Score® gives it a 74, which means most errands can be done on foot.

The newly renovated kitchen features stainless appliances, quartz countertops and a spacious butler’s pantry. It opens to a sunny, separate dining room. The living room has a wood burning fireplace and is open to a comfortable family/TV room (which the sellers are willing to return to its original bedroom layout upon request). A bedroom and a full bath complete the first level.

Upstairs you’ll find a generous bedroom running the entire width of the house, a walk-in-closet, a dressing room (currently used as a home office)  and a full bath.

The basement provides a spacious recreation room, a third full bath with a jetted tub,  a work shop/utility room, a guest room with a pull-down Murphy bed and a laundry room with an exit to the side yard.  The verdant outdoor space oozes with charm. The back yard features a raised deck, ample seating and dining spaces, a built-in hot tub, swing, large patio and a shed. There is private off-street parking.

Click here for more photos.

Open Sunday, April 14 from 1-4pm.

Offered at $799,000

For more information contact:

Marcie Sandalow/Compass 301-758-4894 or Marcie@Compass.com
or
Catarina Bannier/Compass 202-487-7177 or Catarina@Compass.com

6BR/3.5BA in Cleveland Park

3711 Idaho Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016

Classic 1920’s brick colonial in a lovely Cleveland Park setting. Light and bright, this expanded house offers abundant space throughout. The 2006 renovation/addition added amazing tree-top views from the third floor, a large master bedroom and a sunny family/breakfast room. The living room overlooks the front of the house with park views. The spacious dining room can seat a large party. The open kitchen offers a variety of stainless appliances (Bosch, Kitchen Aid & Dacor) and granite counter tops. The basement provides great overflow space with a recreation, exercise, laundry and storage rooms. There is a car port in the back along with a handsome stone patio. The yard was professionally landscaped and maintained, and even though the season doesn’t show it to its advantage right now, it’s lush and handsomely done. Sidwell Friends is just around the corner. Shopping, groceries and restaurants are a 3-block stroll. Metro is 0.8 miles, though buses to downtown DC can be found on Wisconsin Avenue. The house resides within the boundaries of the Cleveland Park Club which has a pool and party facilities.

First Open House: Sunday, February 17 from 1-4pm.

Offered at $1,895,000

The Stunning Stats Behind Real Estate Staging

It was early on Friday morning. The designer we had hired to stage an upcoming listing was just in the process of choosing the right pieces to show off the great space in the place when we received a text from the owner of the unit. Was the effectiveness of staging trackable, the seller wanted to know. Could I run a report on properties that were professionally staged when they came to market versus those that were not?

Vacant properties often seem uninviting to buyers, and smaller than they actually are.
Good staging is consistent with the architectural style of the home, helps buyers “understand” the space and does not impose strong tastes of any kind.

For a second, I felt irritated. We had been there. We knew staging sells. Empty houses look smaller than they are, and many buyers have a hard time envisioning where their couches or beds would fit. We’ve seen many homes that were shown vacant or in a beat-up, sad shape and didn’t sell until they came back on the market freshly painted or furnished. Or both.

But then I realized our seller had a point. Perhaps it’s all in our minds and not worth the effort? We needed some data.

Whether we like it or not, staging has become a reality. Sellers who skip it often lose out on netting top dollar.

So I ran some. The results were fascinating on many levels.

We used a set of basic criteria that resembled the listing we were preparing: all 2-bedroom, 2-bath condos closed in 2018 within the 20010 zip code. The first thing that was remarkable was that of the 90 listings that closed last year, only 3 (!) were shown completely vacant. Another 3 or 4 were either occupied or staged with existing furniture. There was a handful that were hard to judge–either the occupant had gotten rid of clutter or the realtors had done some “light staging” themselves the way we used to frequently handle condos as well. But the vast majority – by far! – had been staged professionally.

We then compared them to the expired or withdrawn listings from roughly the same period (listed 11/1/17 to 11/1/18 to make up for average marketing and escrow periods which I assumed to be about 2 months for this experiment). Of the 44 listings that didn’t sell, at least the first time around (some of them listed multiple times), about half were vacant. The actual percentage likely was even higher because, at closer inspection, some of the units were in new construction or rehab buildings and showed tour photos from a staged model unit on a different floor.

There were hardly any differences in average square footage (a little under 1,100 sf) or average condo fees (around $310) for the sold versus unsold 2 bedroom/2 bath units. The difference was all in the presentation — and ultimately in the price: The average list price of the expired or withdrawn condos was higher than that of the sold ones but NOT higher than the actual sold price as many of the well-positioned units were bid up in price. Obviously, if you ask more money for a less appealing property it will backfire.

As a check, I looked at the same setup in a different downtown zip code, as well as for single family houses in a suburban Chevy Chase neighborhood, and the results very similar.

Another interesting observation was that virtual staging — something I had secretly been flirting with, nerd that I am — actually didn’t do too well. One unit was listed several times with different cool-looking and very realistic digital furniture. It sat on the market. Obviously, the cool factor didn’t translate to reality when the people it attracted walked in the front door.

The takeaway: Whether we like it not, staging has become a reality. There’s no judgment. Not to play along can cost you a lot of time and money, especially if your property has some challenges such as an odd floor plan, poor light or awkward architectural features. Great stagers will help us overcome the flaws, emphasize the positives and add that little something that will make a buyer want to live there, no matter how different his or her own style would be once they’d moved in.

Staging sells. We knew this from experience, but now it felt good to have the numbers to back it up.

Vacant: a nice family room …
Home staging in Washington DC
… and the same room before an open house. It should make visitors feel like curling up in front of the fire, whether they like blue chairs or not.

P.S.: Feel free to drop us a line or reach out by phone if you want to know how staged homes have fared in your DMV neighborhood. Happy to help!

Spring Sale? Steps to Take This Winter.

It may seem like a long way away, but the spring market is just around the corner. In recent years, the hottest time in DC real estate has typically started not long after New Year’s. New listings start coming on by February, and the numbers grow in volume as spring progresses. But just because the market is undersupplied doesn’t mean that sellers can command any price or fail to prepare their house for sale. Not if they want the best price possible AND a quick sale. 

First of all, consider your situation. What are your priorities?  Money? Speed? Rent back? Sell before you buy? Work on the house? Do nothing? Timing? All of these items can impact the way a home is ultimately marketed and sold and should be discussed in full with your agent. 

As a seller, you get to decide on the condition of the “product” while your agent controls the marketing. Together, we team to sell the listing. Sometimes it involves some hefty tweaking of the property itself (revamped bathrooms, walls moved, new windows, etc). Other properties might require just cosmetic stuff (decluttering, minor landscaping or paint). There’s no right or wrong approach.  A lot of it depends on your budget, your tolerance for upheaval and construction, and timing. We recommend that you consult with a realtor early on to help prioritize your “to-do” list. 

Investing in physical improvements to a home can increase its sale price dramatically, but many clients aren’t able to spend that money. With Compass Concierge, we can now fund the cosmetic services that will increase the value of your property – staging, repairs, cleaning, landscaping- and when your home sells, you’ll simply add that amount (and nothing more) to the commission.

If you are concerned about the state of your aging home, you might consider hiring an inspector for a pre-listing inspection. We do NOT usually recommend this approach (ask us why!!). We do understand, however, that sometimes it’s better to take care of known issues now when you control the terms and the timing than to have them become a negotiating point when you are on the market. Plus, you get bragging rights for the repair/replacement. 

The next step is to start thinking like a buyer. What was it that attracted you to it in the first place? How is the neighborhood? These impressions once shared with your agent, can help with marketing. Be sure to tour other houses in the neighborhood. See how they are presented and how quickly they take to go under contract (we’ve got a great tool to help you keep up with this information). Follow up and see what price they got in the end. It all helps shape a strategy for your own home. 

December may have just begun, but February is just around the corner. If you’re looking to hit the market running in the Spring, then a Winter call is in order! We’d love to help.