Valentine's Kiss and Other Hues

When I grow up I want to be the person who names paint colors.

Did you ever wonder whose fertile imagination came up with shades like Volcanic Blast or Fiddle Leaf? And what was going through the mind of the men or women who coined American Anthem, Grandiose and Mythical? Was Soulful Music the outcome of an evening spent with old Billie Holliday LPs?

Real estate agents have been advising sellers to “neutralize” their homes for years. In many parts of the country, this still means painting your walls Builder Beige or Winter Snow, but in the DC market where beige equals boring, the infusion of color in a room can be a critical aspect of preparing a home for sale.

DC is a city of transients, where many people accept their government and corporate transfers and move on to their next location before their home is sold. My out-of-town buyers are always surprised to find that so many of the homes we tour are vacant.

While homeowners tend to paint their walls to complement their furnishings, once those items are removed the home can look disjointed. A prospective buyer may never know how fashionable the original room looked and will focus only on a color that no longer makes sense in an empty setting and may even appear garish on its own.

Fresh paint gives a buyer the impression that a home is clean and well cared for, but beige and white are frequently considered passé. Decorators and television hosts now insist that our homes be painted in “sophisticated neutrals” with names like Moleskin and Wheat Germ. Stealth Jet is the new Black.

Imagine you have been asked by your agent to repaint the living room in a nice, neutral color. What the heck is a neutral, you ask? Aren’t the Victorian and Hunt Club palettes more “sophisticated?” Must I now avoid the Bold Sangria that promotes a healthy appetite in the dining room or eschew the calming effects of Fresh Guacamole in the kitchen? What a conundrum!

You go to the local home improvement or paint store and are immediately engulfed by a dizzying array of colors, shades, tints and manufacturers. Overwhelmed and frustrated, you buy a couple of tester-sized bottles that line the counter and spend the rest of the afternoon painting nail polish-like stripes on the living room wall, babbling softly to yourself.

Need help? Well, let me suggest a few color combinations I have used that have received positive reviews from sellers, buyers and stagers.

An Earth tone like Glidden’s Whispering Wheat is very popular. Deeper and warmer than beige, it serves as a calming color for hallways and bedrooms. Pair it with Warm Caramel, a slightly darker shade, in the living room for a striking contrast. Are your kitchen cabinets white? Then take the walls a step darker with Gentle Fawn and watch your cabinets pop.

For a slightly cooler tone, try Duron’s Simplify Beige in darker rooms, graduating to Sand Dune in lighter rooms, then to Trusty Tan in the brightest or largest room.

Want something dramatic to set off that red sofa and those stainless steel light fixtures? Take a look at McCormick’s Ice Age (light), Platinum Plate (medium) and Cast in Stone (darker). These are also great colors to offset an exposed brick wall for an industrial look.

Keep things simple by painting ceilings and trim white. Use semi-gloss paint on trim, satin or eggshell on kitchen and bathroom walls and flat paint everywhere else for a professional look.

Remember that green tones will make you look jaundiced in the bathroom mirror and that decorative paint treatments such as Venetian plaster, marbleizing and rag rolling are best left for your new home.

Need more suggestions? Talk to your agent, decorator, or home stager.

In the meantime, I’ll be in my Heirloom Lace boudoir, lying on a Bed of Roses wearing my Relaxed Khaki slacks and Best Bronze sweater, drinking Iced Champagne and eating Chocolate Truffle candies while Ambitious Amber paints my house.

New Name, Same Game

Effective November 1, 2011, Prudential Carruthers REALTORS® will merge with PenFed Realty, LLC to become Prudential PenFed Realty.

I am excited that where other firms are tightening their belts and consolidating their offices, we are continuing to grow.

Prudential PenFed Realty will begin with 1000 agents and 35 offices in DC, Maryland & Virginia, as well as in North Carolina and Texas.  Look for us to expand into new territory and to continue to offer our clients the highest level of customer service.

I expect the transition to be relatively seamless and hope to be able to provide updates on the positive effect this merger will have in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned...

DCHomeQuest.com is New and Improved!

Come Monday morning, January 17, 2011, I will be unveiling the newest version of my website, http://www.dchomequest.com/.

Over the past three months, I have consulted with clients, web developers and marketing specialists in an attempt to provide a more comprehensive and useful site. I have been especially mindful of technology and ease of navigation in creating this third iteration.

Since I was among the first to have a personal website in 1998, my goal is to remain ahead of the curve and provide clients and would-be clients with the latest tools for gathering information about buying and selling houses, condos and coops in the DC metropolitan area.

You will find a host of improvements, including an advanced search engine, updated information and general advice, historical data and even some real estate-related mobile apps that you can download to your Smartphone.

Please take a look and browse awhile. I welcome your comments and suggestions!

A Contest without a Prize

Greetings!

For those of you who are reading this because you noticed my DC Arts & Crafts game in the September 10th issue of Metro Weekly, here are the answers to the questions I posed in the ad. This was essentially a contest without a prize and just a nice way to get to know a little something about the arts and architecture found here in DC.

1) What era constituted the American Arts & Crafts Movement?

The Arts and Crafts Movement was an international design movement that originated in England and flourished between 1880 and 1910, continuing its influence up to the 1930s. In the United States, the terms American Craftsman, or Craftsman style are often used to denote the style of architecture, interior design, and decorative arts that prevailed roughly between 1910 and 1925.

2) What are three characteristics of an Arts & Crafts-style home?

Exterior characteristics: wide eaves, exposed rafter tails and joists along the roof line, an emphasis on wood and natural materials. Interior characteristics: art glass, built-in cabinetry and wood details such as moulding and in-laid floors.

3) What three galleries are located in or near the DC Atlas District?

Studio H at 408a H Street, NE on the second floor
http://www.studiohdc.com/
City Gallery at 804 H Street, NE
http://www.citygallerydc.com/
Artful Gallery at 1349 Maryland Avenue, NE
http://www.artfulgallery.net/

4) Who was Harry Wardman and what is/was his claim to fame?

Harry Wardman (April 11, 1872–March 18, 1938) was a real estate developer in Washington, D.C. during the early 20th century whose developments included landmark hotels, luxury apartment buildings, and many rowhouses. Wardman built many of the city's rowhouses, especially in the neighborhoods of Columbia Heights, Bloomingdale, Eckington and Brightwood as well as the 1,200-room Wardman Park Hotel (now the site of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel and Conference Center) along Connecticut Avenue in Woodley Park.

5) What 2010 HGTV Design Star contestant calls DC home?

Local designer and St. Croix native Alex Sanchez made his television debut as a contestant on the fifth season of “HGTV Design Star.” While not the ultimate winner, we cheered him on and continue to do so as he beautifies the city, one condo at a time.

6) What local artist’s paintings feature colorful DC landmarks?

Daniel Kessler. You will recognize his work at http://www.kesslerart.com/.

7) Who was first on DC’s go-go music scene?

A handful of bands contributed to the early evolution of this uniquely regional music style of the mid- to late-1970s, but singer-guitarist Chuck Brown is credited with having developed most of the hallmarks of the style. His popular hit, Bustin’ Loose, has recently gone mainstream as the music heard in a television commercial for Chips Ahoy.

8) How drunk was Pierre L’Enfant when he designed DC’s layout?

If you are a recent resident of DC, you probably think he had tee many mar-toonis as he completed the wheels and spokes of our state-named streets, but the grid system is rather simple to navigate once you understand it – just allow a little extra time for driving around the circles several times at first to find the spoke you want.

9) When and where will the next DC Artomatic be held?

We would all love to know the answer to that question. Can anyone in the know chime in?

10) Which DC Realtor® will artfully craft an offer for your next home?

That would be me, naturellement.

It’s Showtime: Setting the Stage for Successful Selling

If you missed my article in the June 25th edition of The Washington Blade, read on.

Did that fabulous job in Manhattan finally come through? Is there a penthouse condo is SoBe calling your name? Perhaps you’ve fallen in love and you’re tired of the morning walk-of-shame from his place to yours. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided to sell your home.

It used to be that real estate was all about “location, location, location.” While a great location can still cause buyers to compromise on a less than stellar house, the mantra du jour is actually “location, condition and price.”

Since we cannot change the home’s location, real estate agents must rely even more on its condition and its price to achieve a successful sale. This article will address some ways to improve your home’s condition so that buyers are more likely to identify it as “The One.”

In nearly 13 years of selling real estate, I have had the pleasure of listing a dozen or so houses and condos where I didn’t need to change a thing. Most homes have needed at least some minor tweaking. Some have been candidates for Niecy Nash’s Messiest Home in the Country. And yes, a few others have been straight out of A&E TV’s Hoarders.

Often the most difficult thing for homeowners to do is to begin to think of the house they have poured blood, sweat, tears and money into as a product that will be sold to others. Like many of my colleagues, I help my sellers de-clutter, de-personalize and survive this transition so that a buyer who expects the look of a model home will not be disappointed. While you won’t find me vacuuming in my lingerie à la Annette Benning, I generally end up flexing my creative side by staging or even sometimes renovating each home I sell.

The National Association of REALTORS® has long suggested that staged homes sell more quickly and for higher prices than similar, unstaged homes. My experience has certainly shown that to be true. I have also found that staging an occupied home needn’t cost a fortune.

Here are 10 low-cost staging tips to keep in mind when living in your home while it’s on the market.
• Listen to your agent’s advice – candor is not meant to be mean-spirited.
• Pack and store non-essentials off-site; sell or donate what you no longer want.
• Experiment with new furniture arrangements to make spaces seem open and inviting.
• Use smaller area rugs to show off more of your hardwood floors.
• Refresh your paint; choose colors that tone down or rev up a room.
• Keep items on horizontal surfaces to a minimum; staging vignettes generally use no more than three items of varying heights.
• Invest in light bulbs and replace burned out bulbs immediately.
• Leave your blinds up and your toilet seats down.
• Repair or remove anything that stinks, clinks, squeaks, or leaks.
• Clean! Clean! Clean! Do it yourself or hire a service. Or call Annette Benning.

But what about a vacant house? Although some buyers see vacant space as an opportunity to turn what is into what could be, most people have a difficult time imagining how they will live in a home that is totally unfurnished. Professional staging helps your home outshine the competition by accentuating its best features. Think of it as dressing your home for a date or a job interview.

• Start with clean skin: a spotless home.
• Apply foundation: otherwise known in the trades as paint.
• Put on your favorite outfit: a great sofa, an elegant dining set, an antique desk.
• Add accessories: rugs, throw pillows, linens, art.
• Finish with a bit of bling: dishes on the table, crystal at the bar and light streaming through the windows.

With your efforts, the assistance of your agent and the talents of a professional stager, a successful sale will surely be imminent. To paraphrase Norma Desmond, “it’s just us, the virtual tour, and these wonderful people here at the open house.”

Is your house ready for its close-up? Mr. DeMille awaits.

Ode to The Washington Blade

Hello everyone! Did you miss me?

Blogging is great fun but very time consuming. Whatever you may have heard about a troubling real estate market, I have not found that to be the case and have been extremely busy this year.

Sadly, this year brought about the demise of The Washington Blade, where I have advertised for more than 10 years. Just before the paper folded, they celebrated their 40th anniversary in business so it was totally unexpected.

My colleagues, Karen Lucey-Guess from Mason-Dixon Funding, Inc. and David Kanstoroom of North American Title and I jointly purshased two ads recently - one for the 40th Anniversary issue and the other for the Best of Gay DC issue. As you can imagine, I count among my clientele some of the very best of Gay DC, so I am reprinting for you here what was my last advertisement in The Blade (with apologies to HGTV). Enjoy!

*******

Several months ago while my partner and I were trying to Get It Together on a Monday morning after a bit too much Extreme Living over the weekend, we decided that we were tired of being Property Virgins and called Valerie Blake to see if she would help us find our Dream House.

“How can I help you?” asked Valerie. “Well,” I replied, “we were out in Rebecca’s Garden on Sunday planting Red Hot and Green chili peppers and realized that we don’t want to be
Urban Outsiders anymore. We need some New Spaces and are Desperate to Buy before the $8000 tax credit expires on November 30th.

“I’m know of a wonderful place with a Divine Design and Myles of Style that would be a great Bang for Your Buck if you’re willing to invest some Sweat Equity,” replied Valerie. “I’ll e-mail you the virtual tour and then you can call Karen Lucey-Guess to get pre-approved for your loan.”

Well, the place just screamed, “Buy Me!” We didn’t even need to Sleep On It overnight, so my partner called Karen while I e-mailed my sister.

“Dear Genevieve,” I wrote, “We’ve found our new home. It’s a bit of a Designer’s Challenge, but it’s got great Curb Appeal and I’m sure our cousin Carter Can help us find its Hidden Potential.”

“We’re approved!” called my partner from the other room. (Since we had recently found some Cash in the Attic and knew our credit score wasn’t Beyond Repair, Karen had told us, “Don’t Sweat It,” but she also cautioned, “It’s important that you don’t get Over Your Head in debt.” )

If Walls Could Talk, they would tell you that the seller had told his agent, “Get it Sold,” so within a few weeks we were at the settlement table with David Kanstoroom, who did a Double Take when he saw what a great deal we got.

And after months of dealing with Renovation Realities and Gardening by the Yard, we are finally celebrating The Big Reveal of our new home, thanks to Valerie, Karen and David.

*******

I can't wait to see what the former employees of The Blade have in store next for DC.

The Renovation Dissertation, Part 6

Our group continues to expand and become even more international. Tony, Luke’s brother and our master carpenter, returned from Miami this week to be on hand to supervise the framing, cabinet and millwork installation, and to give me a hug since I hadn’t seen him for about five years. Freshly back from the Sunshine State, he noticed it had started to rain and then, in mid-conversation, ran out to his new car to find he had left his sunroof open – soggy seats and a wet ride home for poor Tony, I expect.

Mack’s crew of electricians came as a surprise – they’re from the Ukraine! One of them reminds me of the bad-guy-from-another-planet, Talec, played by German-born actor Matthias Hues in the 1990 Dolph Lundgren movie, I Come in Peace, albeit with more hair and less muscle. (Hey, I never claimed to be a highbrow film enthusiast!)

Tomorrow we order the kitchen cabinets, a beautiful tight-grained Alder in a flat panel, frameless design with a warm brown, Chestnut finish. Yum! The open den on the second floor will contain a built-in office credenza and bookshelves in a similar style with a finish called Rouge, slightly redder than the Chestnut as you might imagine, but very elegant. To top it off, the cabinets in the master suite “refreshment center” (see photo) will echo those in the den, and that area will be outfitted with a bar sink, a small refrigerator and a mini-microwave for popcorn, sodas and a movie in bed or that first cup of coffee in the morning. (Sounds like a real estate ad, doesn’t it?)

Karen and I had great fun at the condo board meeting last Thursday. Everyone welcomed us warmly and we got to meet several neighbors. We learned that the condo is incredibly well-sustained and has reserves of $94,000 – not bad for a group of only 53 homes! We also got a parking pass and chatted with John D., the appointed “enforcer” of parking and monitor of work done by the condo’s subcontractors. Good man to know. With any luck, we’ll not encounter him in his official position.

So far, we are on target for plumbing and electrical inspections by the middle of the coming week. I am headed over today with four new bathroom fans to be roughed in before inspection and on Tuesday, I will be meeting with a representative from a company that fabricates cable railings to price out our contemporary staircase rails and posts. What a treat! Then I can post a posting about posts. Whaddyathink?

Moving and Other Pastimes

People’s jaws drop when I tell them I have moved 40 times.

In the beginning, I followed the family. My father was in city management and promotions meant moving from a smaller city to a bigger one over and over. It wasn’t until I went to college that I finally memorized my address: the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house at Florida State University.

(FSU was a self-proclaimed “party school” known for its Seminoles football team, its Flying High Circus alumnus Burt Reynolds and the 70’s streaking craze. Being a college kid in the early 70’s, it’s a wonder I can remember anything at all, but Tallahassee, Florida was south of the Mason-Dixon Line; it couldn’t compete with Ann Arbor or Berkeley when it came to recreational drugs and radical politics. That part of the 70’s just passed me by.)

After graduation, I began relocating in earnest with most moves being job-related. I greeted airline passengers in Florida, inspected cargo vessels in Michigan, checked passports in The Bahamas, wrote national policy in Virginia, hosted diplomatic parties in Germany, started a home improvement company in Maryland, trained law enforcement officers in New Mexico, administered benefits programs in Minnesota, developed property in California and ran a bed and breakfast in Washington. Until 1997, my average length of stay in a given area was 30 months.

I used to be at a loss for words when someone would ask, “Where are you from?” After all, I was homeless, a nomad, a will-of-the-wisp. To some, that sounded romantic; to others, absurd; to me, perfectly normal. But then I began to notice a pattern.

In 1981, I bought a little townhouse in Alexandria where I stayed until 1982. Then I bought a tract colonial in Silver Spring where I resided until 1986. In 1988, I returned to the area and bought a detached contemporary in Upper Marlboro and lived there until 1990. I came back to DC again in 1997, first to a Victorian rowhouse on Capitol Hill, then to another contemporary in 16th Street Heights, then to a duplex condo in McLean Gardens.

Wait a minute - it was now 2005! What was happening here? Despite all the house shuffling, was I starting to put down roots?!

Well, last month, after a short detour along the west coast, I made my latest move – the 40th – to a stone-front colonial in the NE DC suburb of Brookland. It’s a great house on a one-block, tree-lined street in a friendly, well cared for neighborhood. I love it here.

If you see me on the street, please say hello. Just don’t ask me if this is my last move…unless you want to see me grin like the Cheshire cat.