Ask the Realtor

Darrell Parsons • November 3, 2011

-I want to begin the process of buying a condo, but I don’t know where to begin. I know it is recommended that I find an agent to help me look, but I don’t want to get stuck in some arrangement which I might not like. How do I get started?
— John H., West End

Dear John:
I understand your hesitance to engage the services of a real estate agent. I know it can seem like a commitment you don’t necessarily want to get into, especially at the beginning of your search. At the same time, agents are best situated to know about properties coming on the market, and are a great help in lining up financing and inspections, and helping you work your way through the contract forms, disclosures, etc. Statistics show that around 87 percent of all buyers start their search on the Web. I recommend that to you as a way to get started. As you sift through properties, you will begin to get some idea of prices and neighborhoods, and will likely run across agents who seem to be prominent in given neighborhoods or price ranges. At any point in your search you can contact one of those agents to explore a working relationship.

The second thing I suggest is to go to open houses on Sundays. In that process you will meet many agents, and see many work styles. Invariably one of them will appeal to you, and then you can explore a working relationship with that person.

Finally, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently launched www.houselogic.com. This is a free, comprehensive consumer Web site about all aspects of home ownership. It provides timely articles and news, home improvement advice and info about taxes, home finances and insurance. This site would give you a good basic introduction to the world of home ownership. Buying a home is a reasonably complex process, from learning neighborhoods to making offers to negotiating to inspecting. A professional realtor can be invaluable in every facet of that process.

Darrell Parsons is the managing broker of the Georgetown Long and Foster office and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity regulations. Have a real estate question? E-mail him at darrell@lnf.com. He blogs at georgetownrealestatenews.blogspot.com.

Georgetowner •

-Dear Darrell: I am going to be putting my house up for sale pretty soon, and I know it could use some sprucing up. What improvements will bring me the best payback on the cost of the work? (I’m planning on doing most of the work myself.) -Norma T., Tenleytown

Dear Norma: I know you didn’t ask, but I’ll give you an answer anyway: if there is any way you can swing it, don’t do the work yourself, unless you are particularly skilled at what you will be doing. Nothing turns off a buyer faster than going through a house and seeing that repair and touch up work has been done by an amateur. Not only does the work not look as appealing, it also raises questions in the buyer’s mind (and that of the buyer agent) as to what unseen things might be problematic in the house. Even if the buyer can’t quite put his or her finger on the uncertainty about the property, a succession of even small issues accumulates into major doubt about buying the property.

So to your actual question: there is no hard and fast rule about what things bring the best return when fixing up a property, but these are the most likely areas: kitchens, bathrooms, decks (or the like), paint, landscaping. You might say to yourself, “I can paint! I’ll go to the store, get some paint and brushes and have a painting party.” Hopefully you would respond with, “Didn’t you read Darrell’s advice above?” (Of course, if you find yourself talking to yourself, you may be under a lot of stress, and this may not be the best time in your life to sell a property!) In any case, yes you could have a painting party, and the walls would get covered in paint, but the finer points of a paint job would be missing. And most prospective buyers would notice. This is not to mention someone stepping in the paint tray and tracking paint on your hardwood floors, the drips on your toe molding, the purchasing and cleanup time, and so on. If you are going to do it yourself, it’s important to select a neutral but appealing color (not all white, or all tan), and apply it very carefully, giving attention to the details. Only you will know if you have the patience for that.

If you can hang in there for another week, I’ll write more about the other fix-ups I mentioned above. Good luck!

Dear Darrell: My house in Northwest has been on the market for a long time — three months — and no one has even made an offer. It’s in a great location and it’s in great condition. The problem is that it is an unusual design. I keep thinking there is something I should be doing to it to make someone like it. -Maureen S., Cleveland Park

Dear Maureen: First of all, three months is not so unusual these days, depending on the price of your property. I’m assuming yours is towards the upper end of the price range in D.C. Secondly, once you have dealt with location and condition, the only other thing to do (besides renovating) is to take a hard look at the price. Third, one of the things which makes our area so appealing is the variety of choices the buyers have. Think of a piece of music. It’s made up of many different notes, e.g. eighth, quarter, half, whole. If a symphony had only whole notes or only quarter notes it would be pretty boring. As one of the notes in the symphony known as D.C., your property may be one that jazzes us up a bit. That may not appeal to the majority of buyers, but there will be a buyer who will resonate with your “note.” Of course, if all else fails, reduce the price!

Dear Darrell: I’m thinking of putting my house on the market. I’ve talked to a number of friends about it, and have gotten a variety of responses about how their process was, and about agents they know of. How do I know if an agent is going to be the “right” one for my house? -Michael C., Glover Park

Dear Michael: I think you are on the right track by talking with friends who have had recent experience with this. It’s a great place to start. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you visit several different Sunday open houses so you can get a feel for the style of the particular agent at the open house. For instance, is the agent quiet, dramatic, intense, laid-back, funny, seemingly uninterested, etc.? I suggest this approach because you and your chosen agent will be spending a lot of time together. Style is a very important part of the success of that relationship. The experience of friends is good information, because it puts potential listing agents in a known context. But it’s also important for you to experience the agent for yourself. As I mentioned, open houses is a good way to do that.

Next, I would focus on “substance.” Is the agent knowledgeable, responsive, skillful, creative, thoughtful, energetic, confident, smart, communicative?

Finally, I would talk with them about their track record. I don’t put this first on the list, because I don’t think it is the most important aspect of the process. Insofar as agents can point to success in the past, it is a measure of their skill. But you are presumably interviewing several skilled agents, each of which is likely to have a different style. The better your communication with your listing agent, the easier it will be for you to trust one another, be open with one another, and make the sale of your property a team effort.

Darrell Parsons is the managing broker of the Georgetown Long and Foster office and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity regulations. Have a real estate question? E-mail him at darrell@lnf.com. He blogs at georgetownrealestatenews.blogspot.com.

Darrell Parsons • December 1, 2010

-Dear Darrell:

I picked up a copy of The Georgetowner last weekend, and once again began to think about moving to the city from our home in the suburbs. I love the energy of the city and think I would love living in D.C., but we have a one-year-old and another child on the way. I worry that living here will be difficult for the children, and that the cost of owning real estate in D.C. is way more than where we now live. This isn’t exactly a “real estate” question, but I would appreciate your thoughts.

— Melissa H, Gaithersburg, MD

Dear Melissa:

Great question, and a very difficult one, because the choice of where to live is based on so many case-by-case variables. In principle, I believe very strongly that children can thrive in the city environment, and in some ways the city model is more like small-town living than suburban life is. In Georgetown, for instance, there is a town center, and one can walk to the post office, the library, parks, schools, tennis courts, restaurants, and the town “stream” (i.e. the Potomac). Kids still play on various sports teams and belong to youth clubs — two which come to mind immediately are the Jelleff Boys & Girls Club and the Guy Mason Park rec center complex. Imagine living on R Street, rolling out of bed, and taking the kids across the street to Rose Park to run in the fields, play on the playground, hit a tennis ball or hike down to Rock Creek Park to throw rocks in the stream. The about-to-open renovated Georgetown library is two blocks away. There are French, Turkish, Korean, and Egyptian restaurants — not to mention Ledo’s Pizza — a stone’s throw away, and countless other restaurants within a few blocks. It’s an easy stroll to a showplace Safeway, and there is the easy access to the museums, monuments, galleries and music venues of downtown D.C.

Then there are the properties themselves: one-level, two-level, three-level row houses, condos and co-ops, many with decks, patios or back yards. With a little work, I believe you can find a property which would suit your family.

In general, the prices are likely to be higher than suburban property, but the tradeoff is the community, more time off the roads, less money on commuting costs, less stress, and easy access to the incredible variety of life in the city. I’ve described Georgetown above, but same applies to numerous other communities all over D.C.

Obviously I can’t tell you that your children would be content in the District, but my guess is that if you are content here, they will be also. Children learn from their environment, and they will certainly learn things peculiar to city life, things which I believe will enrich their lives in a very special way. And, of course, yours too!

Darrell Parsons is the managing broker of the Georgetown Long and Foster office and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity regulations. Have a real estate question? E-mail him at darrell@lnf.com. He blogs at georgetownrealestatenews.blogspot.com.

Georgetowner •

Dear Darrell,

Is there any advantage in my trying to buy a property before the end of the year, rather than waiting for early Spring of next year?

Bill E

Dear Bill,

From a tax standpoint, there might very well be an advantage for you to buy and close before the end of the year. But each person’s financial situation is unique to that person and is something you should discuss with your accountant or financial advisor.

From a real estate standpoint, there are a couple of useful things to keep in mind:

– If you look at a newly built property, it’s very possible that the builder will be offering end of the year incentives.

– Certain owners may be facing tax consequences of one kind or another, which would be ameliorated by selling before the end of the year. These sellers might be more flexible than usual.

– Prices and interest rates are low—interest rates, historically low. No one knows how these two will change between now and spring of 2011.

Many economists predict that we will see a slow, steady improvement in the economy over the next year or two. If this does happen, it is likely that prices and interest rates will rise. So, the question is: do you want to bet that the economy will be better or worse come spring? Prices already seem to have stabilized in DC. We’ve been fortunate in that regard. Whatever your decision, I encourage you to be in touch with a local Realtor who has a view into our local market. Most of what one hears in the news is based on the national market. To make informed decisions, you need to know what is happening locally.

Darrell Parsons is the Managing Broker of the Georgetown Long & Foster Office. Darrell@LNF.com or 202.944.8400. He blogs at: www.GeorgetownRealEstateNews.blogspot.com

Georgetowner •

Dear Darrell,
I am working with a Realtor to buy a house. He keeps asking me for more and more of my financial information. I like working with him and think he is a good agent, but am a little put off by having to give my financial particulars. I also don’t want to be rude by telling him this is private and that I don’t want to share it. Is it common for agents to request this sort of thing?

Amanda R.

Dear Amanda,

Without knowing exactly what the Realtor is asking you for, it’s a bit hard to answer your question. But assuming the Realtor is asking questions related to the resources you have available for purchasing a property, these are legitimate questions. Part of the work of a good Realtor is to educate his client. There are a couple of ways to go about this when discussing financial information. One is for the agent to ask the questions (as is happening in this case). Another is for the agent to encourage you to talk with a mortgage broker who can tell you about a wide variety of loan programs which might be suitable for you. Either way, it is important for you to understand the costs of buying a home—the immediate costs and the long term costs. As evidenced by the huge number of people who have gotten into trouble because they were overextended financially, it is critical that you be certain that you have both the cash (down payment and closing costs, etc.), and the income to support the monthly mortgage cost. If you are uncomfortable giving this information to your agent, you can certainly give it directly to a mortgage broker, and that person can counsel you on financial matters. If you don’t know a mortgage broker I suggest you talk with friends or ask your agent for a recommendation or two. One other very important aspect of this process is that in light of the recent systemic financial problems, lenders are being far more cautious. This makes the process longer, and requires a fair amount more documentation and review. Your agent no doubt knows this and is probably trying to help you get your ducks in a row early on, so that when you find the property you want, you will be prepared to make an offer and move forward.