Pat Kennedy - Your Washington, DC Real Estate Connection

This was one of those days when I had almost no energy at all. 

So I spent the whole day (almost) goofing off.  I played Snood (a dangerously addictive computer game) and played with Willie the hyper-active Labradoodle puppy.   Then I caught up on some of my blog reading and comments.    And yeah, I felt a little guilty.  This was not a planned day off, and my to-do list, at least most of it, is going to be staring me in the face tomorrow.

And I have to wonder, does it make any sense to try to interact with clients when my energy level is in the toilet?

It was like a convergence of nasty weather, a squirrely alignment of the planets, and bio-rhythms - OK, I know nothing about bio-rhythms.  But you get the idea.

I did force myself to write a draft fact sheet for a new listing - more about that after tomorrow's photo shoot.  And you know what?  I sort of had writer's block - my sellers are both journalists, so it had to be great.  And it was one of those things I did only because I said I would do it, though I wasn't even close to being in the mood.   And it will be great before I'm finished with it. 

So now, more goofing off!  I'm vegging out in front of the television set watching my weekly addiction, Dancing With The Stars, a show with incredibly high energy competitors.  Geez!  I'm like slug bait next to these guys!   And once in a while, that's OK.

Real estate agents are covered by the"Do Not Call" list.  Under most circumstances, we can't even call a FSBO with a yard sign inviting everyone else in the world to call for information.

So why does my cute little Blackberry, with a number that's been on the list since Day One, get calls with peope on the other end doing this?

It rings.  

I pick up, although I don't recognize the number.  I mean, ya never know!

"Hi, do you have a minute?"

"That depends," I reply, knowing what's probably coming and wanting to sound not too bitchy up front. 

"Well, I have some great news!  My company can fix your web site so it's the Number One Site of any kind on Google!  Would you like that?"

"Well, #@*&!!" I reply, adding, "Oh, and what is the name of your company again?  Uh huh.  And where are you located?"

Then I explain how there is a simple procedure by which I will file a "formal complaint" with the Feds that will tie the caller's company up in litigation for the rest of the 21st century. 

"Oh, and you will also be blog fodder on Active Rain!"  I inform them.

So next week, I'm checking out the exact procedure to use.  A formal complaint is different than just writing a letter to the Feds, but only with respect to the format.  Then the bad guys really do have to hire a gazzillion dollar an hour Washington law firm to defend themselves.  It's a royal pain in the butt.   And it's one of those handy life skills I picked up in my former life as a Nader's Raider!

So next week, I'll post the exact details on how to do it.  By the way, it's actually fun!

Here in DC, it hasn't snowed a whole lot this winter.  But yesterday, as I was looking out my office window at the blooming azaleas and dogwoods, I found a virtual tour for a hugely expensive house, and there was snow on the ground from - last December?

Even the ice bridge to Erid Kodner's Madeline Island  has melted!   So it's time for us to melt the ice on or winter vitural tours, especially if we live someplace where everyone really remembers that day it snowed way back when! 

On the east coast, it's a great time to update exterior photos because the houses actually look better than usual!  A flowering dogwood or azalea  bush helps curb appeal almost as much as a coat of fresh paint!  

In the case of the old virtual tour I was thinking of showing, that picture said more than a thousand words about how long the place has been on the market! 

The house at the right is in a neighborhood in Bethesda, right across the DC line in Maryland.  It's neighbors are pretty architecturally diverse, but typical of homes built between 1930 to 1955.  Some of them can be described on the MRIS profiles as "farm houses" and some are bungalows, a few cottages and, yes this place, which falls under "other".

It is the infamous "Mushroom House".  I've driven by it  lots of times showing other houses in the neighborhood, and my buyers have not generally thought of as a selling point.   

And I have to wonder, what were the owners thinking when they remodeled and reinvented what probably started out as a mid-century colonial?  

I've seen my share of odd houses.  Some are what we call "buyer specific", appealing to a few people, but the few who do like it really like it a lot.  But if the mushroom house ever came onto the market, who on earth would the target market be?  How do you find the probable purchaser for this place?

Here in Washington, lot of people (encouraged by their agents) put their homes on the market during the month  of April.  And there's a reason.

Here in our nation's capital, almost every tree and puts out beautiful blossoms during the month of April.  There are the famous cherry trees down by the tidal basin, and there are trees in almost everyone's front yard.  In April, Washington is, I think, at it's best.

It's the time of the year when you don't mind walking the dog because you see amazing combinations of dogwoods, redbuds, cherry trees and azalea bushes.  I especially love the azaleas when they are not groomed to within an inch of their lives!

This week, my little redbud tree is in full bloom, as is my neighbor's cherry tree.   And some of the ground cover is starting to flower. 

It's no wonder this is not only the best time of the year for tourists to visit Washington!  It's also the best time of the year for sellers to have their homes look totally fabulous to buyers - and the weather is even perfect!

Yesterday, I was checking out stuff in my neighborhood on our MLS.  And Oh!  My!  God!  There was a house that I’d missed!  A stone Tudor, circa 1925, listed by Eddie Dugas, one of my absolutely favorite colleagues.  And the price was in the five hundreds – the price of a hovel in this neighborhood.  And this was not a hovel.  Was it?

OK, there was a catch.  The MLS information said it was funky in the extreme.  But that’s fine.  I know someone who thinks that funky is good!  That would be master renovator, Henry Canby.  He waves his magic toolkit over the house and it becomes totally amazing. 

So the showing instructions said the lister had to be there for showings.   I called Eddie to see if we could get in this evening at seven.  He said sure.   And he trusted me to show the place without him.  But there were some things we had to watch out for.

There was a bedroom and bath on the first floor, but we couldn’t walk in because the floors were “spongy”. 

We shouldn’t walk into the back two bedrooms on the second floor because the floors were, yes, “spongy”. 

Be careful of the raccoons that had moved in. 

Bring a good flashlight because the electricity is off.

Oh, and be really really careful about going down to the basement.  It’s um, intense down there.

And a branch from a big tree fell on the roof, about four years ago, and there was a wee, well a huge, bit of water penetration.

“And Pat,” Eddie warned, “don’t wear your Ferregamo’s to this one!”   Fine, so it’ll be army boots!

Henry came by in his contractormobile to pick me up and we headed for Argyle Terrace a few blocks away. 

It was raining pretty hard, but I’m not that sweet.  I won’t melt.   And we pulled up and I opened the lock box then the front door. 

Duh duh duh DUH!  Duh duh duh DUH!

It’s the Adamms Family house!

There were not any small animals – the mice and raccoons had probably succumbed to lead poisoning from the layers of old paint that were dripping like stalagmites from the ceiling.  But the floors were spongy, as promised.  And I told Henry that if he wanted to see the basement, he would have to do it without me.  He did.  As promised, it was intense.

This house had been amazing – stone construction on a gigantic lot in a fabulous  neighborhood.  And as we stood out back looking at the huge wooded lot, we saw a red fox with a big bushy tail skulk across the property. 

This house is what we call a grand dame in need of a face lift – sort of like me!  And Henry is the world’s best house plastic surgeon.   He could make this place totally amazing.

But Cousin Itt would have to move out first!

I saw a really pretty house today.  It had fabulous curb appeal, and a location in one of DC's favorite neighborhoods on a tree-lined street.  The kitchen had been expensively renovated, the hardwood floors gleamed, and the bathrooms were even nicer than mine.  The staging was perfect, because it didn't look staged - you'd think these people were great housekeepers with fabulous taste.  And the price was up there, but certainly not too high to put off a buyer - maybe more than one.

But - yes there was a "but".

No.  There were butts!  Cigarette butts.  They weren't out in plain sight - no gross ashtrays or anything like that.  But you could smell stale smoke. 

Like anyone who's been in the business for a while, I've had clients with fabulous houses who were smokers. 

In one case, I got them to agree to keep the house a no-smoking area, starting about a month before it went on the market.  The smell pretty much went away, and the house sold in a week for top dollar.

The other one, a mansion furnished with fabulous antiques from around the world, smelled like an all night poker game.  The guy not only smoked.  He smoked these nasty French things.  And his house took three months to sell and went for at least $100,000 less than had it been odor free. 

It's not even a matter of political correctness or picking on smokers.  It's a matter of money.  Even smokers are grossed out when they walk into a smoky house - not matter how nice it might be.  And even if buyers do manage to get beyond the odor, they are going to discount the price.

I was previewing it to possibly show the place to a favorite client.  I'm not sure how he'll react.  I'll prepare him, letting him know that it's a fabulous house that fails the "sniff test".  He doesn't smoke.  He's a doctor.  

I dunno! 

Like most real estate agents, I have mixed feelings when my buyers bring someone along on a house hunting trip.  On the one hand, the helpers probably know a lot less about real estate than I do.  They may, however, know a lot more about the buyer than I do.

When this happens, it's important to me to know something about this person.  Is this a family member, a fiance or fiance wanna be?  How long has she known the buyer?  What exactly is the relationship?

When there is an extra person or two along for the ride, I try to give them a fair share of my attention.  I ask them questions.  Where do they live?  How long have they known the buyer?  Do they own a place or rent?  And I pay attention to their interaction with the buyer.

Over the years, I've learned the hard way not go be hostile toward the helper.  

Years back, I showed a house that the buyer loved.  We went back with a woman of uncertain (to me) importance in his life.  The woman was sort of a drip - dour and in a rather foul mood.  The house was fabulous.  He loved it.

Then he said she said she wasn't crazy about the place.  My response?

"So dump her!"

They got married the next month and he bought from another agent. 

I think these home buyer helpers are a part of our lives, and I've learned that sometimes you just have to sort of suck up and let them play their role.  This is especially true if the helper is someone who is an important part of the buyer's life! 

We've all heard it said that when a marriage is in trouble, the Realtor is often the first to know.  I think there is something to it!

One of my favorite things about working with a "good" couple is the way they negotiate the differences in their Dream House.  One loves mid-century modern and the other is turned way on by an old Victorian with a wrap-around porch.  Or maybe one loves the vibrancy and excitement of being right down town, while the other dreams of a couple of acres with a pool and room for a pony.  So our challenge is trying to please everybody and have fun working out the compromises.

A favorite couple resolved the city/country thing with an upscale townhouse abutting Rock Creek Park.  There was lots of green.  It was peaceful.  It was a 20-minute drive to the White House.  

Other times it's not so easy.

There was one couple who constantly bickered about everything.  The husband was passionate about having an electric stove.  The wife hated electric stoves and wanted gas.  But wait!  Upon closer questioning, I discovered that the husband thought it unmanly to cook - or wash dishes for that matter.  OK, so could the wife have her freakin' stove, please?  A couple of times, I wanted to pull the car over to the curb and just say, "GET OUT!!!"  But I didn't.  And they eventually found something - a compromise for both - and then bickered all the way to the settlement table.

I dunno.  Maybe it was make-up sex that held this one together!

Every once in a while, I get a call from past clients who are splitting up, and they are trying to figure out what to do with the house.  Sell?  Have one buy out the other?  And it's sort of sad.  

And sometimes the call is a total surprise, but more often than not, this Realtor saw it coming!

Once again I hear the sound of happy music coming from a boombox in what's about to be my new master bedroom. 

Since I bought my house a long time ago,  the walls have been a little quirky.  The sweet little old lady who lived here for many years liked wallpaper.  She put it everywhere - every wall and ceiling in the house.  The next owners didn't care for it , so they covered it with a bunch of paint - probably lead based.  So now, the seams are showing and the ceilings, especially on the second floor, are starting to pull down and they look really awful.

Recently, I had both bathrooms renovated, and they turned out so nice that they made the rest of the second floor look raally shabby.So my new favorite guy, Carlos, and his team are starting in the back and transforming the place.

Like many of my clients I moved into my house with the best of intentions, but helped pave the way to hell.  I finally decided that I wouldn't wait until just before I'm ready to put the place on the market before making the whole house beautiful.  I want to enjoy the fix-ups for a while before I pass this onto someone else.  

And, God forbid, I don't want whoever buys my house to talk about the quirky things I did to it - like wallpapering the ceilings! 

So it's going to be a little disruptive, but I'm psyched!  And I'm actually taking the advice that I give to my clients.