If you can't afford a home alarm system or don't want the bother of
having one installed and worry about our safety, there's a very
inexpensive alternative! We forget about a very simple device that most
of us already own and could save our lives. Keep your car key chain next
to your bed at night. If you have a thief or other person breaking in,
click the panic button on your key chain setting off your car honking
loudly outside your house or in your garage. Everyone in the
neighborhood will be alerted. Either the person breaking in will be
scared off or the car will keep honking until you shut it off or the
neighbors call the police and come to your aid.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Feeling Nosy about DC? MD? VA?
Ok, I know you're probably not planning on moving this very second, but here's this week's list of interesting-looking listings that have just come on the market. Mind you, they may not actually be my personal listings --- just intriguing properties I've come across that week.
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
And you thought prices in DC were too high!
Tiny London apartment on sale for $335K
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press
Location, location, location. Almost anywhere else, the tiny dilapidated studio wouldn't attract much more than mice. But this is London and the 77-square-foot former storage room — slightly bigger than a prison cell and without electricity — is going for $335,000.
The closet-sized space in the exclusive Knightsbridge neighborhood may be only "about the size of a ship's galley, said real estate agent Andrew Scott, who's handling the sale. "But it's permanently anchored to one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world."
At more than $4,340 a square foot, the mortgage buys a spot within walking distance of tony stores like Harrods and London's iconic Hyde Park. Originally conceived as a maid's room, the apartment at 18 Cadogan Place hasn't been used for years and is littered with trash bags and crumbling paint.
A coffin-sized shower is en suite, and storage is provided by a shallow closet and 10-inch-deep shelves cut into the wall. Two hot plates and a small sink make up the kitchen. Two dirty windows allow light to filter into the basement room, and the fire escape could conceivably double as a shared patio.
With no electricity or heating, Scott said it would cost an additional $59,000 to make the room habitable.
"It is an investment," he said, as he stretched his arms the width of the room, laying his palms flat on opposite sides of the wall.
The sale of this dark, mildewy room illustrates the astronomical rise in property values across London, which in the past year has seen average residential property prices increase 22.4 percent, to about $703,000, according to figures released Monday by Rightmove, which tracks the British property market.
Prices in London's most desirable neighborhoods have grown even faster, with average house prices in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea — where Cadogan Place is located — rising 61.8 percent over the past year to a jaw-dropping $2.2 million.
Ultra high-end property prices in London are the most expensive in the world, with some recent sales hitting $5,900 per square foot — making the Cadogan Place studio a bargain by comparison, according to research published last year by CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.
Similar properties in New York can go for about $5,300 per square foot, while those in Hong Kong sell at around $3,950 per square foot.
Scott said he already had three offers on the property, which might go to auction. Size, he added, is in the "eye of the beholder."
"If you thought of this as the cabin on a boat, you'd say, 'It's pretty spacious,' " Scott said.
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press
Location, location, location. Almost anywhere else, the tiny dilapidated studio wouldn't attract much more than mice. But this is London and the 77-square-foot former storage room — slightly bigger than a prison cell and without electricity — is going for $335,000.
The closet-sized space in the exclusive Knightsbridge neighborhood may be only "about the size of a ship's galley, said real estate agent Andrew Scott, who's handling the sale. "But it's permanently anchored to one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world."
At more than $4,340 a square foot, the mortgage buys a spot within walking distance of tony stores like Harrods and London's iconic Hyde Park. Originally conceived as a maid's room, the apartment at 18 Cadogan Place hasn't been used for years and is littered with trash bags and crumbling paint.
A coffin-sized shower is en suite, and storage is provided by a shallow closet and 10-inch-deep shelves cut into the wall. Two hot plates and a small sink make up the kitchen. Two dirty windows allow light to filter into the basement room, and the fire escape could conceivably double as a shared patio.
With no electricity or heating, Scott said it would cost an additional $59,000 to make the room habitable.
"It is an investment," he said, as he stretched his arms the width of the room, laying his palms flat on opposite sides of the wall.
The sale of this dark, mildewy room illustrates the astronomical rise in property values across London, which in the past year has seen average residential property prices increase 22.4 percent, to about $703,000, according to figures released Monday by Rightmove, which tracks the British property market.
Prices in London's most desirable neighborhoods have grown even faster, with average house prices in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea — where Cadogan Place is located — rising 61.8 percent over the past year to a jaw-dropping $2.2 million.
Ultra high-end property prices in London are the most expensive in the world, with some recent sales hitting $5,900 per square foot — making the Cadogan Place studio a bargain by comparison, according to research published last year by CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.
Similar properties in New York can go for about $5,300 per square foot, while those in Hong Kong sell at around $3,950 per square foot.
Scott said he already had three offers on the property, which might go to auction. Size, he added, is in the "eye of the beholder."
"If you thought of this as the cabin on a boat, you'd say, 'It's pretty spacious,' " Scott said.
Judge: Seinfeld to Pay Realtor Fee
According to the National Realty News ...
"NEW YORK - A New York judge has ruled against comedian Jerry Seinfeld in a dispute over a commission on a real estate transaction. Seinfeld was ordered to pay real estate broker Tamara Cohen $98,000 after allegedly trying to avoid giving her a sales commission by buying directly from the owner of an Upper West Side townhouse, the New York Post reported Sunday. Seinfeld tried to avoid paying the commission because Cohen, a Jew who observes the Sabbath, was not available when Seinfeld wanted to view the house, the Post said. In accordance with Jewish law, Cohen's phone was turned off on the particular Saturday when Seinfeld and his wife wanted to view the house. The only real issue here ... is whether the broker's fee was 5 or 6 percent, the judge said in the ruling. Cohen could get as much as $118,500 if the fee is found to be 6 percent."
"NEW YORK - A New York judge has ruled against comedian Jerry Seinfeld in a dispute over a commission on a real estate transaction. Seinfeld was ordered to pay real estate broker Tamara Cohen $98,000 after allegedly trying to avoid giving her a sales commission by buying directly from the owner of an Upper West Side townhouse, the New York Post reported Sunday. Seinfeld tried to avoid paying the commission because Cohen, a Jew who observes the Sabbath, was not available when Seinfeld wanted to view the house, the Post said. In accordance with Jewish law, Cohen's phone was turned off on the particular Saturday when Seinfeld and his wife wanted to view the house. The only real issue here ... is whether the broker's fee was 5 or 6 percent, the judge said in the ruling. Cohen could get as much as $118,500 if the fee is found to be 6 percent."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Feeling Nosy about DC? MD? VA?
Ok, I know you're probably not planning on moving this very second, but here's this week's list of interesting-looking listings that have just come on the market. Mind you, they may not actually be my personal listings --- just intriguing properties I've come across that week.
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Feeling Nosy about DC? MD? VA?
Ok, I know you're probably not planning on moving this very second, but here's this week's list of interesting-looking listings that have just come on the market. Mind you, they may not actually be my personal listings --- just intriguing properties I've come across that week.
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
Monday, January 08, 2007
NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index Suggests the Housing Market is Stabilizing
RISMEDIA, Jan. 5, 2007-(CNN.com)-Pending sales of existing U.S. homes fell 0.5% in November but held above the low hit in July, suggesting the housing market is stabilizing, a real estate agents' trade association said on Thursday.
The trade association said there was a smaller decrease in home sales from year-ago levels as a sign that the troubled U.S. housing market was stabilizing.
"The index is pointing toward fairly stable home sales in the near future," David Lereah, chief economist for the trade association said in a statement. "That is another indicator that home sales likely bottomed-out in September."
Home sales climbed the two months after September.
The index covers pending sales of existing single-family units, condominiums and co-ops. A home sale is pending when a contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed.
Pending sales typically close within one or two months of contract signing.
The trade association said there was a smaller decrease in home sales from year-ago levels as a sign that the troubled U.S. housing market was stabilizing.
"The index is pointing toward fairly stable home sales in the near future," David Lereah, chief economist for the trade association said in a statement. "That is another indicator that home sales likely bottomed-out in September."
Home sales climbed the two months after September.
The index covers pending sales of existing single-family units, condominiums and co-ops. A home sale is pending when a contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed.
Pending sales typically close within one or two months of contract signing.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Feeling Nosy about DC? MD? VA?
Ok, I know you're probably not planning on moving this very second, but here's this week's list of interesting-looking listings that have just come on the market. Mind you, they may not actually be my personal listings --- just intriguing properties I've come across that week.
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
Feeling nosy about the District of Columbia?
Feeling nosy about Virginia?
Feeling nosy about Maryland?
If you know someone who might be interested in this list, please forward it on to him or her. And if there's a listing that you're curious about yourself, just let me know ... and I'll show it to you ... just for the hell of it ... no obligation ... *I promise*. Really. (One of the perks of being the friend of a real estate agent ought to be that you get to freely snoop around other peoples' homes!
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