Is Washington's Market Making a Slow Recovery?

Elizabeth Razzi, Washington Post writer, chatted over lunch with two deans of the brokerage business, John McEnearney, 81, founder of McEnearney Associates, and P. Wesley Foster Jr., 74, founder of Long & Foster Real Estate. Her hope was to gain some perspective on the Washington-area housing market.

Some of the things the trio touched on were:
1. How does this market compare with others you've seen?
2. How much longer might the market go on like this?
3. How much of the run-up in prices was due to inflation, and how much to changes in the Washington area?
4. What should buyers do now?
5. Advice for sellers?
6. What if the economy doesn't recover soon?
7. Is traffic a housing issue?

If any of these questions are of interest to you, click here to read Brokerage Barons See Washington Making a Slow Recovery article from Saturdays Washington Post.

Until next week..

Angela Jones
AngelaJonesRealEstate.com

DO I NEED . . . A Carbon Monoxide Detector?

WHAT IT IS: A device that detects the presence of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, potentially lethal gas produced by incomplete combustion.

WHAT IT COSTS: First Alert and Kidde sell battery-powered versions for about $40.

WHO NEEDS IT: Anyone who has a covered garage or combustion-fueled appliances such as those that run on gas, oil or wood.

WHERE TO FIND IT: Home centers, hardware stores and online retailers.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Buy a CO detector with a digital display that has a peak level recorder, which tracks the highest readings, and a battery backup.

Click here to read more on Carbon Monoxide in the Washington Post

Have a safe week...

Angela Jones
AngelaJonesRealEstate.com

Is This Home Truly Affordable?

Can I afford to buy this new home? What area of DC should I buy? Would it be easier if I left home earlier? Would I be better off riding a train? How bad will my commute be in five years? A new Web-based tool developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology can help put facts behind questions like those. The CNT developed a Web site, at http://htaindex.cnt.org/, that takes into account household expenditures for transportation, along with home prices, to estimate whether a home is truly affordable for households with moderate incomes. This may be a good tool for you to use if you are planning a move, but a good rule of thumb is to also check things out the "old fashioned way". A few other tips may be:

1. Always do a trial commute during rush hour before you make an offer on a home. Time the ride and estimate your gas consumption. If you're thinking of taking Metro or commuter rail, price out the weekly expense.

2. As you size up neighborhoods, take the time to figure out where you will worship, buy groceries, go to the movies, enroll the kids in dance class or pick up an extra gallon of milk. Is bus or rail service available, even if only as a backup for days when your car is in the shop? Will your children be able to ride bicycles to the pool, or does a six-lane highway make that too dangerous?
3. It's easy to underestimate your total transportation budget when you house-hunt on a quiet Sunday afternoon. And misjudging your travel needs can seriously derail your after-purchase budget.

Click here to read the whole Washington Post article written by Elizabeth Razzi.
Click here to visit my website for some other very useful tools.

Angela Jones
http://www.angelajonesrealestate.com/

40 Years Ago Today...Thru the Eyes of a 6 Year Old

F orty years ago today, the District was emerging from three days of riots that began after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This wonderful story recounts the days and months that followed...through the eyes of a 6 year old. Follow this link to read the whole WP story.


Have a great week!
Angela Jones
AngelaJonesRealEstate.com