Spring home and garden tours 2011

By Megan Buerger, Wednesday, April 20, 10:48 AM

This spring, homes and gardens across the region are opening their doors for tours. Here is a selection of what’s happening over the next six weeks.

(Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post/ ) - The Bishops' 

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A landscape architect’s rules of thumb

View Photo Gallery —  A historic Virginia house shows off a new landscape

By Adrian Higgins, Wednesday, April 20, 9:27 AM                                                  

(Washington Post)

Landscape designers approach each project differently, driven by a site’s size, context, topography, the needs of the owners and, of course, the budget. But some of the basic challenges and fixes at Orlean House in Orlean, Va., involved considerations that apply universally.

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Learn to identify — and plant — your favorite springtime blossoms

By Joel M. Lerner, Friday, April 22, 1:52 PM

(washingtonpost.com)

Spring is one of the showiest times of the year in the Washington region. Have you noticed all the flowers and foliage that appeared within the past week — just in time for Easter?

To truly appreciate the lushness and color of this exhilarating season, take a trip north to Boston or upstate New York for several days. Once you return to Washington, the transition will feel like the change in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” when the film switched from black and white to full color. If you haven’t taken notice of the rainbow of colors, here are some of the blossoms that are around us.

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Avoid 4 common remodeling mistakes

By Josh Garskof, Money magazineApril 11, 2011: 3:53 PM ET

(MONEY Magazine) -- The road to bad remodeling is paved with good intentions. Anyone tackling a major project wants his home to look and work better -- and to get a reasonable return on investment. But renos are packed with so much stress and emotion that it's easy to go wrong.

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Inhabit: Tysons Corner area condo owner reboots his living space

View Photo Gallery — Marc Bransky of Virginia decided to turn his 1970s condo into one that is modern with a minimalist style.

By Nancy McKeon, Friday, April 22, 1:03 PM

On April 12, 2010, Marc Bransky decided to plunge his 1970s condo into the 21st century. Out went his clunky old stereo components and his CDs; the bulky desktop computer and monitor got the heave-ho; dozens of books went to Fairfax library; the bedroom bureau, chest and file cabinet went to friends, and 20 garbage bags filled with clothes went to Goodwill.

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Harris Rosenblatt
Senior Mortgage Banker
12505 Park Potomac Avenue
Suite 510
Potomac, MD 20854
301-738-7208 (Direct)
301-841-9805 (eFax)
hrosenblatt@eaglebankcorp.com

As a lender in this community for 20 years I am amazed at how wildly the market can swing.   Lately it has been underwriting guidelines which have swung in such conservative bent dealing with buyer expectations is the most challenging thing.  I have found that the team at Nalls home partners have been just that “Partners” in a challenging market the quality of your partnership is the answer to long term success.

Restore your winter damaged yard

 
By Amanda Gengler, staff writer
 April 13, 2011: 6:36 PM ET

(MONEY Magazine) -- Old Man Winter may have finally blown out of town, but the evidence of his foul temper remains. The harsh storms that battered much of the country -- even places as far south as Atlanta and Dallas -- have left millions of homeowners staring not at the fresh new growth of spring but at broken tree branches, browned shrubs, and sick-looking lawns.
That damage doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to rip out and replace for big bucks. MONEY asked landscape experts for the most cost-effective ways to get your yard back in shape -- an especially pressing concern if you plan to put your house on the market this summer. Their fixes for four common problems follow.

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5 things to understand about your home loan

Despite gravity of the decision, most people put more research into a car purchase

Photodisc via Getty Images stock

However, most people fail to think about mortgages because they find the topic too complex.

 

By Jill Simmons

updated 4/19/2011 8:05:21 AM ET

The recent mortgage meltdown should have driven home the lesson that understanding one's home loan is critically important. However, most people fail to think about mortgages because they find the topic too complex. 

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Six common mistakes that home sellers make

With many deals closing at a loss, buyers know they are in the drivers seat

AP

If you set a price too high, your house will sit. This will inevitably lead to price reductions, which could signal to buyers there is much more room for negotiation.

 

By Jill Simmons

updated 4/12/2011 7:38:13 AM ET

Selling a home during this real estate downturn can be stressful on the seller. It’s not unusual for some homes to sit on the market for months on end, and many areas are still working through a backlog of foreclosure inventory, which also drives down home prices. Fact: 36 percent of homes nationwide sold for a loss in January. As we enter spring’s home shopping season, buyers are in the driver’s seat in many markets, and they know it. That’s why if you’re planning on putting your home on the market, it’s crucial to understand the time-honored mistakes sellers make, and how to avoid them. 

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Homes with the most outrageous amenities

From koi streams to water parks, homeowners went wild adding amenities to these abodes

realtor.com

Batman would be proud of this Lagun Beach, Calif., estate's secret subterranean garage and hydraulic car lift, accessible only via a hidden entrance.

 

By Morgan Brennan

Whether a home is newly purchased or long inhabited, an updated kitchen, a new deck or even a coat of fresh paint can make it feel spiffier. When it comes to luxury real estate, however, some homeowners take upgrades to an extreme, spending big bucks on outrageous amenities. 

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Our favorite rooms of the 2011 DC Design House

Gallery: 2011 DC Design House: Get the details on how nine designers put together their showcase spaces for this ultimate open house benefiting the Children’s National Medical Center.

 

By Jura Koncius, Terri Sapienza and photos by John McDonnell, Wednesday, April 6, 5:33 PM

A 1925 Tudor with a beamed ballroom and outdoor dance floor is dressed up for a party again. The fourth annual DC Design House, which has become the blue-chip showcase for local interior designers, opens for business April 9 in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Northwest Washington.

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Get A Tax Break For Going Green In 2011

Apr. 1 2011 - 3:35 pm 

By ASHLEA EBELING

At Home: Stephen and Elaine Levine

For the 2011 Forbes Tax Guide, click here.
In Pictures: 10 Green Tax Breaks For 2011
When Stephen and Elaine Levine of Somerset, N.J., both 73, file their 2010 tax return this spring, they’ll be getting a $15,000federal tax credit for going solar. They were expecting to get an additional $11,000 state rebate too, but newly-elected Republican Gov. Chris Christie raided the N.J. Clean Energy Fund last year to help balance the state budget, so the pot of rebate money ran dry. Yet even without the promised state rebate, the Levines calculate that their $50,000 investment will be paid off in five years thanks to the federal tax credit and other incentives.

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Wells Fargo's John Stumpf: How to fix the mortgage mess

By John Stumpf, chairman, president, and CEO, Wells FargoApril 4, 2011: 6:09 AM ET

FORTUNE -- For most Americans, their home is the largest and most important investment they will ever make. Ensuring that they have the right kind of mortgage is critical to their financial well-being and -- as we've seen recently -- critical to our entire economy.
That means we have to solve the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac problem and eventually figure out the proper role of the federal government in supporting a secondary market for home mortgages. Doing that right is one of the most important issues facing Congress and the Obama administration.

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