Giving a Facelift to a Dated Exterior
February 6, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Hard to believe, isn’t it? But look closely and you’ll see the remains of the original home. On the main level, the owners added a welcoming front porch, and swapped the window out for a bay window. Then they “popped the top” and added a second floor, and extended the chimney up. Then they painted [...]
Unique Risks in Buying New Construction Condos
January 19, 2008 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
There are risks in any real estate transaction, but buying new construction has several unique ones: 1) Contract Risk – builders use their own contract and rarely (if ever) allow changes. Obviously the contract is written in the builder’s favor, but how will you know which terms are commonplace in the local market and which [...]
Parkside Alexandria
October 8, 2007 by Katie Wethman · 2 Comments
Here’s an interesting new twist for builders trying to liquidate inventory: the live auction. Parkside Alexandria, a condo community on Van Dorn St, is selling 30 condos with a minimum bid of $225K for a 2BR/1.5BA unit. There certainly aren’t too many 2BR units inside the beltway for that price. There are some catches, of [...]
22 Condo Projects Canceled? Come on, now…get serious.
August 15, 2007 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Let’s get serious. Here’s another “the sky is falling” example from the press. Today’s Post has a good article on some condo projects that have been canceled, and how that situation leaves buyers in the lurch. Sure they get a refund, but no place to live, and no compensation for their efforts. (A good warning [...]
Builder Permit Drop: If this is bad, then what counts as GOOD?
May 17, 2007 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Real estate articles in the Post often drive me batty. Take an article in today’s paper with this headline: “Builders’ Permit Requests Tumble; Drop Seen as Bad Sign for Housing” The article goes on to describe that permits for future construction dropped by the largest amount in 17 years, and that this is yet another [...]
