Welcome to this wonderful pied-a-terre located in the heart of Dupont Circle, just steps from all the action. Trader Joe’s is 2-1/2 blocks away, as is Safeway and numerous shops and restaurants (all open at great hours!). With a WalkScore of 97 it’s hard to beat the location. The renovated kitchen features a Viking stove, granite countertops and an abundance of cabinet storage space. Two large windows provide plenty of natural sunlight. The bath features a shower and a large closet with adjustable shelving. Laundry is free and conveniently located.
The unit stays warm in the winter and nice and cool in the summer. Average heating cost has been $41/month and gas has been $6.50/month over the past year (the previous four years have been similar). Overall the unit is very quiet and feels secluded to live in (feedback from tenants).
From an investor’s standpoint, the unit has rented quickly (4x over the past 4 years). There was an interest list of 30-50 applicants each time allowing for quality renters.
For more information please contact friendly agents:
Marcie Sandalow
Evers & Co. Real Estate, Inc.
301-758-4894
marciesandalow@gmail.com
or
Catarina Bannier
Evers & Co. Real Estate, Inc.
202-487-7177
cbannier@eversco.com
We’re quite pleased to be one of the sponsors of the upcoming Takoma Park House and Garden Tour taking place on May 1 from 1-5pm. For tickets and more information visit www.historictakoma.org
Verification, if any: Visual, original hardware, and unique molding detail[space]
The House
Sitting on an enormous 1/2-acre lot, this former beauty has seen better days. And, better sales prices, too. It sold for just under $760,000 back in 2006. Today, far worse for wear, it’s listed as a bank-owned property at $179,900. What a fall.
One of us thinks it’s a great opportunity. The other (no names, here) thinks that might be a tall order. It needs everything except maybe a new roof. Regardless, to buy a half acre property in Silver Spring with a Ride-on bus just outside your door is a pretty good thing. If you’re interested in owning your own Sears kit house, including this one, please give us a call! We’re real estate agents AND kit house enthusiasts!
Plinth block gone wrong: the (normally vertically installed) simple rectangles were supposed to make the junction between pieces of trim easier for the amateur carpenter.Standard plinth block for Sears kit homes
One odd-ball discovery we made had to do with the main stairway. Sears originally provided “plinth blocks” to ease the transition at tricky corners most often found on stairwells. The builder of this particular Silver Spring Fullerton either didn’t want the look, or forgot about them until the last minute. We located them at the top of the stairs looking a little forelorn (this is a real kit house nerd detail).[space]
Check out the photo of the bench at the bottom of the stairway in comparison to the catalog detail. It’s exact! (click on images to enlarge)[space]
[space]Washington DC Area Sears Fullerton Photo Library
Are you Interested in Kit House History? We can help!
Cati and Marcie are realtors by day and house history enthusiasts by night. We specialize in the Wahington, DC area. House History–the hidden stories behind the walls of the homes we sell or walk by every day–has long been a passion of ours (In fact, for Cati, a former journalist, it was what ultimately brought her to the world of DC real estate).
We have written about many house-stories in our individual blogs over the years, and we sometimes have surprised (and delighted!) clients with our research findings. When the time allows, we love digging in archives, city records and historic collections. What we find, is sometimes funny, sad or scary, but it’s always a part of the DC area’s story as well. And when it comes to history of any kind, there could not be a better place for that than the metropolitan area of the Nation’s Capital!
If you have followed us for even a short while, you probably know that one of our special interests are the mail-order homes of the early 20th century. In many Washington, DC, neighborhoods and in the city’s older suburbs, we can find an abundance of those historic kit houses. (More often than not, the owners have no idea that some 90 or 100 years ago, their house arrived neatly packaged on a railroad car, in thousands of numbered pieces.)
You can learn more about catalog homes here, “like” our Facebook page for updates or email or tweet us with questions or suggestions for houses to write about.
A recent news report revealed that 30% of all purchases in DC last November (2015) were all cash. Wow.
Another report (New York Times) alludes to the fact that the US Treasury will now start tracking “secret” and all-cash purchases of luxury real estate in Manhattan and Miami. Apparently a lot of cash is being bandied about in these markets, and not always legally.
These are two entirely different issues, but clearly, cash is on a lot of people’s minds!
Cash has long been king. A lot of builders in the area use it to purchase tear-down properties, competing with younger buyers who can only finance a purchase. It’s transformed a number of neighborhoods, both in appearance and demographics.
If you’ve got it, use it. It certainly gives one the edge when things get competitive. You can always take a loan out later if you like. In this under-supplied marketplace, you need to use all of your advantages as a buyer. Cash is one of them.
Buyers and Sellers, take note! Renovation money spent wisely now can reap big rewards in the future. As agents, we feel really lucky when a house presents nicely and has had the benefit of a proper architect or designer. However, there are good renovations and there are bad renovations.
A renovation gone awry in Brookland. The house BEFORE (left) and AFTER (right)
For want of a nail…
We once had a seller who fondly spoke of a napkin he had framed with the initial sketch from a builder who put an addition on his house. Builders should not be confused with architects. You get what you pay for. That’s not to say that all design/build firms are hopeless. But in this case, it didn’t work out so well. Other local homes with additions roughly the same size had reliably sold within a specific price range. This particular house was such an oddball that buyers didn’t know how to react, and it sold for a good 25% less than counterparts. That’s some serious money. For what might have run @ $5,000- $10,000 at the time of construction (in architectural fees), these sellers sacrificed close to $200,000 25-years later. For want of an architect, a fortune was lost.
Destroy Renovations
This is our term for “fixes” that sacrifice the charm of an original home. When solid wooden doors in a hundred-year old house are swapped for hollow Home Depot specials, or when original brass doorknobs and hinges are replaced with something shiny and cheap. You’ve seen the flips with plastic overhead fan/lights instead of the quaint lighting fixture that preceded it. Don’t get us started on the siding salesmen who, as kit house expert Rosemary Thornton likes to say, “had their way” with the exterior of an unsuspecting and taste-free homeowner’s abode. Examples are too numerous to cite, but maybe these photos will help illustrate our frustration.
Expansion of historic “Martha Washington” Sears house in Forest Hills, BEFORE and AFTER. The architect was perhaps a little too creative as he designed the side addition with a two-story foyer, but there still a love for the preserved original house palpable
There are, on the other hand, numerous examples of beautiful expansions, renovations and even modernizations that work respectfully and often lovingly with the original character of the house. This recent addition to a home in the Takoma Park Historic District, done by a local design/build firm for instance, showcases this very well. (Click on the picture below for a description of the project.)
We can help!
We don’t just sell houses. We’re also passionate about architectural integrity and historic preservation, namely of our city’s homes, and are available for consultations (free!) if you are trying to figure out what best to do (or avoid) when renovating or expanding your older home. We know what buyers are looking for and we know what sells. If you’re not sure that your home really needs an expensive X, Y or Z, we can certainly offer up an opinion.
Many of you have been warned not to sell your Bethesda home during the holidays and to wait until Spring when your house looks it’s best. Phooey, we say. There are a lot of reasons for ignoring this advice.
Inventory is still low
While the market is slightly more balanced than in years past, it’s still pretty much a sellers market as long as homes are presented properly. If you’ve got a nice home to sell and you don’t over-price it, there are buyers out there looking.
Holiday Buyers are not tire kickers
True! Life gets crazed at this time of year. Fitting in a house tour between shopping for turkey or Chanukah candles is not for the faint of heart. These buyers are serious and ready. As a seller, you may get fewer showings, but they’ll be of a higher quality.
Homes look their best during the Holidays
Holiday decorations can liven up any property. As long as you can keep the kitsch to a minimum and not overcrowd the property, you’ll be creating an inviting atmosphere, which future buyers may want to replicate. Turn up the thermostat a degree or two if it’s chilly outside. Think warm and cozy. Buyers will!
Beat the Spring rush
Listing a house in November or December can help you stand out. Come January/February you will be one of many. If you want to be the belle of the ball it’s best to arrive early.
How to avoid the Inspection Jitters – a checklist of things a Seller can do before the home inspector arrives.
Asking Price vs Selling Price – the spread between the asking and selling price lets you know about the mental health of the real estate market.
Use the additional helpful articles to get information on selling your home in any season. These tips will help whether it is before or after the holidays are over.
About the Authors: The above Real Estate information on Should you sell your Bethesda home during the holidays was provided by Marcie Sandalow & Catarina Bannier, award winning real estate agents in the DC region. They can be reached via email at cbannier@eversco.com or marcie@bccdcrealestate.com or info@DCHouseSmarts.com or by phone at 202-487-7177 (Cati) or 301-758-4894 (Marcie). Marcie & Cati have helped hundreds of people move in and out of multiple DC-area locations for the last 15+ Years.
Thinking of selling your home? We have a passion for Real Estate and love to share our marketing expertise!
We service Real Estate sales in the following areas: Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Silver Spring and Takoma Park, MD. Washington DC markets with an emphasis on Colonial Village, Rock Creek Park, Shephard Park, Rosemary Hills, Chevy Chase and numerous downtown locations including Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park, Kalorama, Shaw, and more. Last, but not least, we are also licensed in Virginia and service those areas closest to DC.
Historic Kit Houses of Cleveland Park, Tuesday, June 23rd, 7:30 pm
Cleveland Park Congregational Church, 3400 Lowell St., NW
Join our very own local kit house expert Catarina Bannier for an illustrated talk on early-20th-century kit houses by Sears, Aladdin, Lewis, and other companies. Learn about kit houses in Cleveland Park and how to tell whether your house was built from a kit.
Gather for refreshments at 7:30; the talk will start at 7:45.
Space is limited to 50 people and registration is required. Tickets are free for current Cleveland Park Historical Society members and $10 for non-members. (You may join CPHS on the ticket form here. If you have joined or renewed since October 2014, your membership is current!)
As of this posting (January 13, 2015) there are 196 active listings within the Bethesda Chevy Chase marketplace (zip codes 20812, 20814, 20815, 20816, 20817 & 20818). The median asking price for a single family or townhome is $1,595,000.The median days on market is 109.When you average the numbers they both go up. The average asking price for a Bethesda Chevy Chase listing is $1,749,006 and the average days on market is 134.
The least expensive house to be had currently in BCC is located at 8318 Brook Lane, listed at $550,000.
If you have to ask, the answer is NOW! Sellers- the local DC market remains strong. Inventory is low. If your house has been sitting for two weeks or more, lower your price. Failure to do so can result in a house that is stigmatized. Buyers see the days on market and wonder what’s wrong with your house. You could have a perfectly nice house, in great condition. Price it too high and you’ll be a disappointment to those looking to buy AND you’ll miss your target audience (assuming they can’t afford your inflated asking price).
Here’s the scary part. By the time you do get around to lowering your price, the damage may well have been done. You’ve missed out on taking advantage of the flurry of activity that occurs when a listing is new (and priced correctly). Nope, you’ve wasted that on a crowd that won’t be buying your overpriced home. You can’t get that back.
Ironically, when a house is overpriced and manages to get an offer, often it’s the best offer that house will receive. On more than one occasion I have seen sellers turn down a reasonable offer, only to accept a lower price at a later date, after their listing has languished.
Cati is jealous. She’s been scoping out the only known Aladdin “Brentwood” in the District for about 4+ years now, and THE WEEKEND that it hits the market, yup, she’s out of town. Poor thing. Her trusty sidekick had to step in and take a peek.
And what a peek. This particular Brentwood was built in 1912* (according to the public records, that is). It’s one of the earliest kit homes here, and it hasn’t changed hands since 1923. Time capsule doesn’t begin to describe it. Click on the link- you’ll find pages from an Aladdin Brentwood- 1917– catalog – I don’t have access to the 1912 one just yet. It’s pretty near perfect. Certainly some modifications have been made over the last hundred years- though some of the alterations might be original? If you would like to learn more about kit houses (aka catalog houses), click here.
The pictures really do the talking. If you get a chance to take a look, it’s open this Sunday, September 28 from 1-3 pm. It’s listed with Long and Foster, though we would be happy to take you in for a look. Of course!
*April 2018 Correction: The home actually was built a few years later than the tax record claims. The now accessible historic building permit was issued on June 2, 1915. We have have to assume that the home was constructed either later that year or in 1916. – Cati
