Concrete Jungle DC

I spy...

two interesting listings that are perfect for first time home buyers!  The first is 1324 Euclid St, NW #101.  It's a corner unit 2 bedroom (1 bedroom + den), 1 bath for 399K.  It's a 1000 sf (!!!), has all the prerequisite DC standards: stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, open floor plan.  It also has 10 ft ceilings, a bay window, a marble bath and an Elfa closet. 

The second is 1661 Park St, NW #206.   It's also 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo but it's located Mt. Pleasant.  It's 831 sf, has hardwood floors, a renovated, open kitchen (ideal for entertaining), a renovated bath and both bedrooms are sizable.

Either of these would be a good buy for buyers looking for a two bedroom that's *relatively* affordable.  (Affordable in DC.  I know what 399K buys everywhere else in the country.  Gotta love DC prices.)  

*photos courtesy of Matrix

The Numbers: How Much Certain Improvements Add To Your Sales Price

Listing agents tell sellers repeatedly that certain improvements will add dollars to their sales price.  They tell owners to repaint, to de-clutter, update kitchen and bathrooms and replace carpet.  Many sellers resist making these changes.  This was evident as I perused the new listings on the market this week. I saw numerous photos where sellers didn't listen.  There was clutter, brightly painted walls, dated fixtures and appliances.  Ugh.  

 (Beautifully edited but buyers don't want a red and yellow dining room)

Two articles recently took the improvements mentioned above (or lack therefore) and added values.  Quantifying these steps emphasizes the importance of performing these tweaks before selling your property.  The first article I referenced in an earlier blog post:  "The Top 5 Home Improvements Based on Average Cost and Return on Investment."  This is fascinating:

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering – ($290 cost / $1,990 price increase / 586% ROI)
2. Lightening and brightening – ($375 cost / $1,550 price increase / 313% ROI)
3. Home staging – ($550 cost / $2,194 price increase / 299% ROI)
4. Landscaping – ($540 cost / $1,932 price increase / 258% ROI)
5. Repairing electrical or plumbing – ($535 cost / $1,505 price increase / 181% ROI)

Another article that notes various improvements and how much they add or subtract from your price is "To Sell An Apartment, No Detail Is Too Small." from the NY Times.  Below are a few of the topics discussed in the article:


1. Clutter: Subtract 5 to 15 percent. 
2. Dirty rugs: subtract $5,000.
3. Replacing cabinets: add $107,000.
 
At the end of the day, a Realtors job is to get the best possible price for their client.  In order to do so, implementing the ideas a Realtor suggests will give sellers the results they desire.  Here's the numbers to prove it.

Do Over

Last October, I wrote about my desire to redo my guest bathroom. As I searched blogs and magazines for inspiration, I wrote about the fantastic skull wallpaper that I found by Graham&Brown.;  After a lot of consideration, I passed on the wallpaper.  Although I loved it, my pragmatism overruled. 

Instead, I used an image from The Sartorialist as my inspiration.  There's something about a sharply dressed man in charcoal and camel that appealed to my sensibilities.  Why couldn't I recreate the look in my bathroom?

I already had the camel travertine tile.  The next step was finding the appropriate charcoal paint.  After trying several samples, I chose Pewter by Valspar.  The final result was exactly what I wanted.  The paint appears to have purple undertones in the pictures.  In reality, it doesn't.  (It's hard to photograph a bathroom with no natural light.  I included the pictures with/without the lights for that reason.)

To complete the new look, I added a poster by MadeByGirl.com and black and white photographs.  The photo of the New River bridge in WV was a wedding gift.  (Thanks Keffers!)  The two small photos are postcards from Capri that I framed.  The ferris wheel photo is from the Esty shop of Bliss Goodloe.  When you compare the finished result (above) to the guest bathroom before (below), you can see why the guest bathroom needed a "do over." 

 

(How sad are those two little postcards before I re-framed them??)

 

 

*photo of man in camel/charcoal courtesy of The Sartorialist

Geometrics

I read a lot of blogs.  It's one of my favorite ways to relax, catch up on the latest trends in home design and fashion, find out what's happening locally and keep current with the latest happenings in real estate.

I've been reading a design blog called COCOCOZY for about two months.  The author, Coco, has recently launched a line of home goods that I love.  It's a known fact that I am obsessed with all things geometric (florals begone!) and her collection delivers.  It's Coco's first collection and she's focusing on pillows, throws, bedding, fabrics and drapes.  Below is a sample of one of my favorite pillows from her collection.  It's definitely worth checking out.   

Quatrefoil in black and white.  Photo courtesy of COCOCOZY.

Holy shmoly..Mt. Pleasant 3 bedroom house for 475K

1626 Oak St, NW is the latest deal I've discovered.  It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom rowhouse in Mt Pleasant for 475K.  It's 1001 sf, it has a back yard for grilling and two car parking.  It's located off 16th Street.  DC USA and the metro are a 15 minute walk.  There's an Open House tomorrow, 2/20 from 12-2pm, if you want to check it out yourself.  I bet they have a ton of traffic at the Open tomorrow.  There aren't a lot of single family homes in this price range in Mt. Pleasant.   

*photos courtesy of Matrix