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Saturday, November 15, 2008
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31 comments:
This place sat on the market for 3 months at $748,738. So they took it off the market, fixed the kitchen, and raised the price by $50,000. Oh, and the neighbor's house, which is much, much, nicer, just sold for $100k less than your new price. Morons.
old MLS: FX6772219
http://tinyurl.com/5nowvo
new MLS: FX6912282
http://www.franklymls.com/FX6912282
The competition:
Same price: www.franklymls.com/FX6895097
$75k less and much, much nicer: www.franklymls.com/FX6867708
The cure to the start of a really bad hangover?
Find some more boose!
http://tinyurl.com/5acpbc
Novawatcher, why they wouldn't have bothered to spend the additional small amount of money to take out the bulkhead/dropped ceilings, and put in 42 inch cabinets is beyond me. Maybe the ceilings are really high and the cabinets just look small.
Contemp. fans, I went to the open house of the new Mickey Simpson 11 foot wide contemporary at 711 N. Barton. The placed was packed with interested people, maybe some of you? This suggests to me that there is a much bigger market for modern architecture than people realize here (I realize many were simply curious looky loos, like me, but it still shows interest). The house actually has a small yard, which surprised me, and the deck isn't on the roof but rather, on the side of the house. Unfortunately, on one side of the house is a parking lot, in front of it - a bit to the side - is a church, and behind it is a commercial building of some type. Not attractive. Some of the materials looked cheap although they might not be. And it really does feel narrow and tight. I would think people who could settle for its shortcomings would get more for their money in some of the nice condo or townhouse developments in Arlington. Someone will fall madely in love with it and buy it, I'm sure. But a much better buy for about the same $$$ I expect the selling prices to be, IMHO, is at 905 Kensington, if you like how traditional it is, don't mind the I-66 road noise, don't need to be very close to a metro. Gotta look past some odd paint/furniture/artwork choices, though.
"madly", not "madely."
Ace: I didn't notice it at first, but I see what you mean about the cabinets.
Some of the houses in this neighborhood are exquisite. And then we have some like this house. For those that skipped, be sure to check out the old pictures (I'll repeat the tinyutl below).
This house is a good size, in a forested enclave, with good architecture and a good yard. It's not terribly far from 66, the beltway, Vienna metro, or the toll road.
But, my god, what is up with the interior? It's like they bought this place new in 1977 and furnished it with furniture left over from their dorm room. The old pictures of the interior make me think that the owners could barely afford the place (for the last 30 years), or at least didn't give a crap about it. It seriously makes me wonder about the upkeep of the place. Even if it sold for half as much, the lack of 'caring' would make me nervous.
http://tinyurl.com/5nowvo
And then you've got a place like this:
http://www.franklymls.com/FX6838427
Yeah, it's overpriced, but everything in Oakton/Vienna still is. But compared to the one above, it is in a whole 'nother class. Yeah, it's a little dated in some ways, but the details in this place are impressive, as is the huge backyard and landscaping. Yet, it costs $50k less.
Novawatcher, both of those houses really need HGTV or someone similar to come in and stage them. The furniture in that first place was hysterical! But I agree the 2nd one has many more nice features/updates - they just need to get rid of some of that wallpaper and declutter. Both have beautiful lots.
ace, I didn't make it to the Barton St. open house. Is it finished and move in ready?
the barton st home has gone under contract.
I was there Sunday at Barton St and that house sucked! It was smaller than a townhouse and that street was really busy. The house felt very unsafe also, and lacked privacy.
The kitchen had nice appliances ( SubZero/Wolf ) and the master bath had nice tile, ect, but that is not a house to raise a family.
Ace, the Kensington st house you are talking about - is that the one with the finished loft over the 2 car garage?
That house is sweet, but kinda close to 66, and overpriced. Still as a home to raise a family, it trounces Barton St. If it dropped to say, 800-900k, I think it would be a good house, but thats a long way to fall from 1.195M.
Doug, yes, that's the one (on Kensington). The owners paid over $1.3 million for it in 2005, which even then was overpaying. The agent told me the owners had 9 kids and were moving to Alaska, but according to the Arl. Co. assessor records, they are currently living in Harvard, MA.
I think it will go for more than $900K. Other faults that will matter to some buyers but not to others: not much sun in the front or back yards (bad for gardeners) and it's next to impossible to fence in the back yard due to the large space taken up by the driveway and "motor pad". Invisible fences, which they have now, may work for dogs but aren't good for cats or kids.
tester, interesting, I predicted it!
John, there was still work needed in the basement level but not major.
tester, the mls doesn't show it as being under contract. do you have another source?
http://franklymls.com/AR6920391
thanks for the update ace.
I'm surprised there still are no interior photos at frankly...
I would post this in the bits buckets on rentals but I'm guessing no one would go back and read it.
Guess what? We got our pet and security deposits back from our MD apartment (Less than $400 total due to our good credit rating), deposited it 3 days later on Nov 10th, and just checked our account online this weekend and apparently it bounced.
Read into this what you will. Is this an indicator of weakness in the rental market? Or just that we should be glad to get away from that particular management company? Inconveniently, they're closed on Mondays, so I won't be able to call and "politely request" a new check plus the $10 bounce fee our bank dinged us with, until tomorrow.
many of you might remember this 22207 listing. after sitting 416 days price gone up 7% yesterday. maybe the agent/owner are seeing something we're not? or maybe it was not positioning in the right market with the $699K price tag? (or maybe it was entered wrong, that it meant to go DOWN another 7%?)
Hey, look! They've got a green ironing board and a basket full of dirty laundry! I'm sold!
Cara, that Mickey Simpson guy never posts photos. If you dont know about him, he makes those "bungalow" style homes that people go gaga for. Ive never been blown away by their build quality ( seems like they are never quite finished when Ive seen them, and there are LOTS of nicks and dings about ) and he is very selective where he puts the high end stuff.
He always seems to get obscene amounts of money for them. Same thing with that SpringStreet guy who makes those craftsman teardowns in N. Arlington. Somehow he gets 300-400k more than you would think also.
IMHO the N. Barton home looks like a flat fish. I LOVE when people post their What were they thinking (WWTT) pics! I wish I had one to share...
This home went under contract after 6 months of sitting (AR6818417).
Note the pricing history. Price was lowered to 1.15m for two weeks in October. When a sale did not occur, price was increased back to 1.239m. A sale then occurred.
Obviously, I am curious to find out the price at which it is under contract. Were I the buyer, I would argue for no more than 1.15m, since the seller was willing to take that not 3 weeks ago.
bubbleboy, AR6818417 doesn't appear to be under contract per the mls.
Bubbleboy, it's very strange; I'm also curious to see the eventually selling price. That house was actually on the market for nearly a year (maybe listed with someone else prior to 6 months ago). Seems like a nice house for someone with a big family, but a bad location on a very busy street.
http://www.franklymls.com/AR6818417
I believe that homesdatabase.com shows it is under contract/kick out, probably meaning that the buyer's house has to sell first. So it will be interesting to see if it actually does close.
Well, 15 minutes later and AR6818417 is now showing as under contract.
If someone was really dumb enough to come in and pay the increased price I'll be floored.
Ace:
6310 Wash is a very odd house. I looked at it when it was first on the market. For a massive home it has a very small MBR. The kitchen is also rather small and confining. Much of its square footage is stuck in a 4th floor loft, which takes you up a staircase straight out of a Hitchcock movie.
Another thing that struck me as odd about this home is its most direct competition: AR6916751, which is not sitting on Wash Blvd and has a much better yard. I have not seen 6237 21st on the inside, but from photos it looks like the only significant fault is that it has no basement (for some a basement is a must).
Bubbleboy, interesting. Honestly, I just don't know how some architects/builders stay in business when they don't seem to build what buyers want. Some design choices seem to be made completely without thought. I guess the answer is, during the peak bubble years, they figured that people would buy anything, and they were often right, since there was so much unfair competition from people who really couldn't afford the homes. But today, almost no one is going to pay over a million for a house with those flaws.
I did tour the house on 21st St. and it is cramped, a little smelly, and unappealing. It's old and not in a good way (whereas the house on Wash. Blvd. is spanking new). The photos make it look much nicer than it is. The kitchen is tiny, with an ugly floor; the floor plan is awkward; some bedrooms are on the 3rd floor (would be 4th floor if there were a basement), etc. Strangely, the garage floor is gravel, if I recall correctly. The price needs to fall further.
Million-dollar tract homes on busy streets with upgraded upper-mid-tier appliances.
I have to wonder what these people are thinking:
A) Places near metro stops will never go down
B) Dollars will be worthless soon, so might as well use them.
C) Interest rates will soon go to the moon so better to get something now.
D) Stars somehow aligned?
New listing, same old delusions:
http://franklymls.com/AR6924424
"I can take care of basic maintenance over the years--nothing special--and leave my old wallpaper and decorations lying about, and my house will be worth $329,000 more than Arlington says it is worth."
These sellers can offer all the Wizards tickets they can get their hands on, but if they don't get real about their price, their house will sit, like the dozens of other overpriced houses in this range.
Ace: that was awfully nice of them to leave their silver sitting out on the table. If anyone is needing the pattern, I know where to go...
Also, did any of their furniture match?
Ace,
That's the kitchen on a million dollar home? Are you freakin kidding me? How could you possibly prepare a meal worthy of that wonderful silver and cramped dining room with 2 unmatched counters and a dishwasher?
Kool-aid I tell you, step away from the kool-aid. The big windowed in room is nice, in theory, but I'd rather it be screened in, and it's not worth that price.
LOL, Novawatcher and Cara!
the Barton St house is showing Active and will have another OH on 11/23. wasn't it under contract yesterday?
MM, I think tester reported that it was under contract, but didn't provide a link. Maybe s/he was thinking about another house.
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