DC Real Estate News : James Finds Homes

Just Listed - Bethesda Maryland

2008-11-09T14:46:43-05:00

Huge Townhouse - Great Location

4941 Crescent St, Bethesda, MD 20816 View Map

Welcome Home to this huge townhouse in Bethesda. This great location is right off Western Ave and close to Metro, yet on a nice tree-lined street. The 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths come complete with lots of closet space, a great family room with a entrance to a small private yard AND 2 fireplaces. Complete this with parking and a Home Warranty and you are ready to move-in!

www.DCRealEstateNews.com
www.JimKnowsDC.com

James T. Downing
REALTOR, ABR
Licensed in Maryland, Virginia & Washington DC

703.244.3971 Direct
Jim@JimDowning.com Email

Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage
5028 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20016
202-362-5800 Office

Details

Asking Price:

$739,000

MLS:

MC6909750

Sq. Feet:

2471

Bedrooms:

Bathrooms:

3.5

# of Floors:

HOA/Maintenance Fees:

325

Subdivision:

Bethesda / Chevy Chase

Year Built:

1967

Property Amenities

Contact Info

James Downing
REALTOR, ABR

Main 202-362-5800
Dir 703-244-3971
Email | Website

US Coast Guard PCS Relocation - Real Estate Directory

2008-02-27T22:33:19-05:00

PCS moves are a fact of life for the families of the United States Coast Guard.

Military Relocation Expert, Margaet Woda, helped to create Directories for other branches of the military (see links at the bottom of this directory.) I want to Thank her for her efforts and ideas for this format.

Moving to a new city across-country is never easy for Coast Guard families. I have worked hard to find agents that not only WANT to work with relocating Coast Guard families, but understand the special needs and situations.

These REALTORS are the local experts that understand these special needs and sometimes difficult moves. They can answer questions about neighborhoods, home prices, commute times, even where to shop and the best restaurants. They also have Websites and Real Estate Blogs; which provide information to families and individuals planning a relocation to a new part of the country.

If your destination base or a local agent is not listed, I will find a local Coast Guard-friendly agent for you. Just Contact James Downing, Washington DC REALTOR, with the name of your base, your contact information, and your anticipated arrival date.

This Directory is updated monthly. REALTORS who wish be added, or to recommend a REALTOR you have worked with in a previous move; contact James Downing.

USCG BASES/STATIONS and REALTORS WHO SERVE THE AREA

Updated (2/27/08)

ALASKA -

Air Station Kodiak - ISC Kodiak

Sector Juneau

CALIFORNIA -

Air Station San Diego - Sector an Diego

Air Station Los Angeles - Sector Los Angeles / Long Beach

Air Station San Francisco - Sector San Francisco

CONNECTICUT -

USCG Academy (New London)

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -

USCG Headquarters - Airstation DC - Station DC

James Downing- I specialize in Relocations into the DC Metro area as well as 1st Time buyers and will be able to answer as many questions about home buying as you can ask! As an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR); I have additional training and experience to represent buyers in their Real Estate purchase.

Chelle Gassan - Military Relocation Specialist. I understand all to well what it is like to move so often and I take that to heart when helping my fellow military families relocate. I have also helped several Navy, Army and Air Force whose new duty station is the Pentagon. Not to mention, all the Marines who call Quantico home.

FLORIDA

Air Station Clearwater - Station Sand Key - Sector St. Petersburg

Air Station Miami - Sector Miami - Station Miami
Cyndee Haydon - Serving Clearwater | St Petersburg | Tampa Bay | All Beach Communities | Waterfront Luxury Homes | Waterfront Condos | Pool Homes | Military Relocations | at 727-710-8035| http://www.sandbarstosunsets.com

Sector Mayport (Jacksonville)
Brittany Stewart- I have dedicated myself to building rapport with successful professions in the area to get you the most for your dollar. My targeted areas in Jacksonville consist of Northeast Jacksonville, Southside, Ft. Caroline, Intercoast West, The Beaches, Mayport NS, USCG Sector Jacksonville and new construction. However, I conduct business anywhere in the Jacksonville area.

Sector Key West

GEORGIA -

Air Station Savannah

HAWAII -

Sector Honolulu

Sally Cheeseman - Applying 120% effort through all real estate transactions for a smooth and safe landing! Specializing in Military and Relocations to Hawaii. Representing Buyers/Sellers in residential sales.

David Kucic- My blog is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces serving in Hawaii, enroute to Hawaii or dreaming of an assignment in Hawaii. David J Kucic LLC, RA, CRS, GRI, ABR, AHWD, e-PRO.

LOUSIANNA -

ISC New Orleans - Sector New Orleans
Lisa Heindel- New Orleans West Bank Real Estate Specialist. Helping home buyers, home sellers and military transfers in Algiers, Algiers Point, Gretna, Belle Chasse, Terrytown, Harvey, Marrero, Westwego and more.

MARYLAND -

Coast Guard Yard - ELC Baltimore - Station Annapolis - Sector Baltimore

Margaret Woda - Helping Maryland home buyers, sellers and military transferees in the Baltimore/Annapolis/D.C. triangle - specializing in Anne Arundel County and nearby Howard and Prince George's Counties.

MASSACHUSETTS -

Air Station Cape Cod

Sector Boston - Station Boston - ISC Boston

MICHIGAN -

Station Grand Haven
Renee Parker - Greater Lansing Area Realtor ~ Servicing all your real estate needs from the first time home buyer, relocating to the area, investor to retirement downsizing. "Honest and Hard Working, like you!

NEW JERSEY -

Air Station Atlantic City

NORTH CAROLINA -

Air Station Elizabeth City - ISC Elizabeth City

SOUTH CAROLINA -

Sector Charleston

TEXAS -

Sector Corpus Christi - Air Station Corpus Christi

Sector Houston/Galveston - Air Station Houston

VIRGINIA -

NAVCEN - TISCOM - Personel Command - The Pentagon

Cindy Jones - Utilizing Technology, Experience and Uncompromising Service to make your Northern Virginia real estate transaction as stress free as possible. Serving buyers, sellers and military relocations in VA.

Magaret Woda - Helping Maryland home buyers, sellers and military transferees in the Baltimore/Annapolis/D.C. triangle - specializing in Anne Arundel County and nearby Howard and Prince George's Counties.

Brian Block - Brian Block is proud to serve the Northern Virginia real estate market. View his website for the latest listings and homes for sale in Northern Virginia and search all active homes.

WASHINGTON STATE -

ISC Seattle - Polar Ice Breakers - Station Seattle
Leslie Bloss- Leslie loves her job--the referrals she receives reflects the great job she does! Listings/Relos in Seattle/Bellevue areas, including Queen Anne, Madison Park, Capitol Hill, and Wallingford.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: This directory is provided to assist Coast Guard personnel, their families and other consumers; No endorsement of any agent or guarantee of satisfaction is intended or implied by ActiveRain or James Downing and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

Other military base directories include AIR FORCE PCS Relocation - Real Estate Directory, U.S. NAVY PCS Relocation - Real Estate Directory, Marine PCS Relocation - Real Estate Directory and Army PCS Relocation - Real Estate Directory .

How Many Months of Current Home Inventory in the Washington DC area?

2008-02-27T18:01:50-05:00

It is a Buyer's Market or a Seller's Market?

How does one know if there are more buyers than sellers? REALTORS look at a couple of different pieces if data. The number of homes on the market; how many homes are selling and the average days a home sits on the market.

A "Balanced Market" is considered to be when there is about a 6-month supply of homes on the market. If there are less homes it is considered a Sellers Market - more than a 6-month supply and we have a Buyer's market.

This data is based on the number of homes (condos + single family) compared to the (3-month) average of homes selling in a 1 - month period.

If the same number of homes sell every month (based upon these 3-month averages); it would take almost 20 months to sell on the homes in the market in Prince Georges County. That is assuming that NO OTHER new homes came on the market. Which is certainly an impossibility.

The good news is; more homes sell in the Spring time than this '3-month average' suggests.

As we can see - it IS a Buyer's market. Arlington County is closer to a balanced market; whereas Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties are strong Buyer's Markets.

Days on the market (also a 3-month average); is also lowest in Arlington and highest in Prince Georges County.

Homes are taking an average of 3 to 4 months to sell. However; homes that are in good condition and priced well - do still sell quicker!

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing Montgomery County,Prince George County, Arlington and the rest of the Surrounding Washington DC area.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Chevy Chase
5028 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 100
Washington DC 20016
202-351-5800 Main Office
Licensed in DC,MD,VA

Where did that Email come from? Track the IP Address !

2008-02-27T17:44:44-05:00

These are the days of Phishers and Spammers. How many of those emails have you received from folks wanting to "do business with you"? All you need to do is provide them with your Bank Account #, PIN, Middle Initial, etc.

Why just last week; - I won 2 Million British Pounds in some lottery.... - Had not 1 but 3 Notices from the IRS, that I have overpaid (yeah right) and they wanted to "Rush" me my refund! .... - I even had the Personal Assistant of Aristide, the former President of Haiti. He needed me to help the former President with transferring some "funds".

Lucky me! Everyone wants my help!

Then we have those folks who answer our Craigs List Ads. Do you know how many Drs want to rent or buy my places in DC? It is incredible. All they want to do is wire some money to me!

BUT TODAY..... a New one..... LOOK - It's a contact Email from Active Rain !!!

However... an alarm sounded in my head. Some one wants to discuss using my services ASAP. I needed to contact them via their email address.

Hmmm....

But wait - all E Mails from Active Rain show the IP Address at the bottom....

What is an IP Address? Well the long version is here. The short version... it tracks where the computer is that sent the email.

There is a great tool I found (I am sure there are others - but here is one I use): IP Tracker

When I keyed in the IP Address provided by Active Rain Guess What? It came from:

ISP	AVISONET, ISP Cote d'Ivoire
Country	Cote d'Ivoire

Well, I will have to pass on helping out another person from the Ivory Coast. I am sure I have won another lottery!

IF you are not sure where something is coming from.... Track the IP address.... It may save you some future Spam or a headache!

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing Dupont Circle and the entire Washington DC Metro area.

Washington, DC : Market Update 2/25/2008

2008-02-27T17:38:31-05:00

Washington, DC : Market Update 2/25/2008

Current Number of Homes Active and Under Contract in the Washington DC area:

Here is the breakdown as of February 25th, 2008

In the Washington DC area, The number of Homes on the market continues to increase and should continue to increase until early July.

The Washington DC Real Estate Market; does have a considerably larger inventory this year; comparedto the same time last year. There are over 50% more homes for buyers to choose from vs. end of February of '07. How this will play into going into spring; it yet to be seen.

Here are the number of homes on the market including the number of homes that were taken Off (EXPIRED) the market last week.

example: Single Family Homes in DC; 22 more on market from last week, but 22 "expired" - in reality 44 new listings came on the market.

Washington DC

Single Family: Actives: 1791 (Up 22 from last week) Expired: 22 Under Contract: 412

Condos: Actives: 1426 (Up 11 from last week) Expired: 11 Under Contract: 363

Arlington County

Single Family: Actives: 466 (Up 7 from last week) Expired: 3 Under Contract: 125

Condos: Actives: 515 (Up 18 from last week) Expired: 5 Under Contract: 122

Prince Georges County

Single Family: Actives: 6509 (Up 58 from last week) Expired: 65 Under Contract: 572

Condos: Actives: 818 (Down 2 from last week) Expired: 14 Under Contract: 97

Montgomery County

Single Family: Actives: 4482 (Up 42 from last week) Expired: 29 Under Contract: 830

Condos: Actives: 1342 (Up 3 from last week) Expired: 10 Under Contract: 301

It is important to see the number of homes taken "Off" the market. While many of these homes will return to the marketplace a week or two; seeing a listing "expire" means that the seller and agent thought or expected the home to be sold by now.

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing Montgomery County,Prince George County, Arlington and the rest of the Surrounding Washington DC area.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
5028 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20016
202-362-5800 Main Office
Licensed in DC,MD,VA

Relocating to Washington DC?

2008-02-21T00:57:29-05:00

Relocating to Washington DC?

You need a Buyers Representative who Specializes in Relocations.

Sellers and Landlord pay my fees - not you.

I specialize in Relocations into the DC Metro area as well as 1st Time buyers and will be able to answer as many questions about home buying as you can ask! As an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR); I have additional training and experience to represent buyers in their Real Estate purchase.

I maintain three Real Estate Licenses to serve you all around the beltway; in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

My experience includes working with Buyers, Sellers AND Renters in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. My office is part of RE/MAX Allegiance, which is The World's Number One Selling RE/MAX Company.

* Selling or Buying

* First Time Home Buyers

* Condos or Co ops

* Military Relocations

Who's helping you find a home? Call or Email me today!

The Home Buyers Scouting Report - Allows you to search for homes 24/7 without getting out of your easy chair.

Best of all - It's FREE !!!

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing DC, Virginia, Maryland and the Greater Washington DC Metro area.

RE/MAX Allegiance - Georgetown
1720 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
202-338-8900 Main Office
Licensed in DC,MD,VA

Mt Vernon Square Coffee Shop Reopens near Washington DC Convention Center

2008-02-06T23:45:46-05:00

Breakwells Coffee, one of the welcomed new businesses near the Washington DC convention center; has reopened.

The coffee shop that was only about a year old; when an accidental electrical fire broke out and shut the local shop down last September.

Located at the corner of 9th and M Street NW; the locally owned coffee shop is loved by the neighborhood folks, not just for the morning jolt of caffeine; but I hear the breakfast burritos are a MUST have!

Many new businesses are opening around the Washington Convention Center; in the heart of the Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood and the local residents are excited with this increased number of new restaurants and services opening in the neighborhood.

Breakwells Coffee. 900 M Street NW. Washington, DC 20001. Tel: (202) 289-4601

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing DC, Virginia, Maryland and the Greater Washington DC Metro area.

RE/MAX Allegiance - Georgetown
1720 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
202-338-8900 Main Office
Licensed in DC,MD,VA

Washington DC Market Report for December

2008-01-23T18:03:57-05:00

The month of December had mixed results around the DC Metro area.

Most areas (inside the beltway) saw an Average Sold Price, higher than it was for last December. The exception being Prince Georges County, where the average sold price continues to fall due to such a high inventory of homes for sale.

Number of Homes Sold; continues to be lower than last year. In fact only DC and Arlington had positive numbers (in the Spring) for any month this year.

DAYS on the Market; shows how many days it is taking to sell a home. Arlington County has the lowest Days on the Market of any of these areas of the DC metro area.

% of List Price; is the AVERAGE % of the LIST Price that a home is selling. In December the % sold vs List price is the LOWEST it has been all year. Even though December traditionally has the lowest %; every jurisdiction is lower than last year.

AV sold Price

Price vs. LST YR

Units Sold

Unit Sold vs. LST YR

DOM

DOM vs. Lst YR.

% Sales Price

Washington DC

$ 550,041 +8.75 % 472 -20.54 % 80 15.94 % 90.63%

Arlington County (VA)

$ 576,159 +4.33% 184 -26.40% 73 1.39% 93.75%

Montgomery County (MD)

$ 519,017 +1.19% 576 -40.19% 113 36.14 % 92.08%

Prince Georges County (MD)

$ 336,506 -3.07% 390 -55.68% 118 78.79% 91.95%

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing Prince George County, Arlington and the rest of the Surrounding Washington DC area.

Washington, DC : Logan/Mt Vernon Square Neighborhoods Market Report

2008-01-23T18:03:06-05:00

What's Selling - DC - Logan/Mt Vernon Square Neighborhoods

Here are the Properties that sold in this Washington DC Neighborhood: 1/14 - 1/20

Type of Property #BR/Baths List Price Closed Price # Days on Market

Condo 1/1 $374,400 $395,000 2*

Co-op 2/2 $389,000 $389,000 115

Condo 1/1 $335,000 $335,000 146

Condo 1/1 $359,000 $350,000 138

Row House 4/4/2 $440,000 $440,000 139

Condo 1/1 $290,000 $285,000 122

Semi-Detached 2/2 $599,000 $567,500 91

Condo 2/2 $449,000 $460,000 69

Row House 4/2.5 $765,000 $750,000 36

Condo 2/1 $475,000 $445,000 39

Row House 2/2.5 $659,000 $620,000 13

*Units were part of multi-unit, newly-built complexes; DOM may not be accurate

This area boarders U Street to the North; 16th Street to the West; H street to the South and 3rd Street to the East.

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing Logan Circle, Mt Vernon Square and the Greater Washington DC area.

Fed cuts Interest Rate : But does it help Mortgage Interest rates?

2008-01-23T18:01:46-05:00

The Fed cut the FED funds rate by a huge .75% this morning. News reports say that the "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke approved the large rate cut after an emergency video conference on Monday night, a day when global markets had been pounded by rising concerns that weakness in the world's largest economy was spreading worldwide." AP

The Fed has also stated that further cuts are possible. The rate was cut from 4.25 percent down to 3.5 percent - which is the largest cut on records going back to 1990. This was the first time that the Fed changed rates between meetings since the post 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Does it help Mortgage Interest Rates? While the Fed funds rate typically does not impact mortgage interest rates so directly. However; typically these rate cuts are expected and planned.

Over the next few weeks, interest rates will fall on home equity loans and mostvariable-rate credit cards. Yields on shorter-term cd's and Interest-Bearing savings & checking accounts will fall.

While it is too early to predict how the Fed rate cut will affect the mortgage interest rates, because of this unexpected change - there should be an impact - and quickly.

Currently; many lenders are reporting fixed interest rates at or near 2 year lows. The hope is that this will drive buyers back into the housing market.

If nothing else - it could be great time to Refi (I am actually starting a refi on one of my own properties).

Current Interest rates in the Washington DC area:

5.25% - 5.5% 30YR Fixed (conforming loan) 5.5% - 6.0% 5/1 ARM (conforming loan)

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing DC, Virginia, Maryland and the Greater Washington DC Metro area.