Large Split Level with Attached Garage

Our Listing

Large Split Level with Attached Garage

2808 BLAINE DR, CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815

List Price:  $587,500

Barbara Nalls and Long and Foster Real Estate are very happy to welcome you to this affordable opportunity to make your home in super popular Rock Creek Forest. The property is an original mid-century split level, home to the same family for many years, maintained in very sound condition, and now ready for a new owner.Everything you are looking for is here, just waiting for your personal touches. A spacious, open main floor with Foyer Entry, generous Living Room with a big picture window, a full Dining Room, a bright Eat-in Kitchen, and a Screened Porch. Upstairs there are 3 terrific Bedrooms, all with great light and 2 Full Baths, one of which is an en-suite Master Bath, a nice Hall and linen storage. At the grade level there is a paneled Den or 4th Bedroom with a large window, another Full Bath, a Laundry / Storage / Mudroom that walks out to the fenced backyard and an Attached Garage - a rare luxury in this part of town. Downstairs there is a huge, open Recreation Room with a fireplace and the Mechanical / Utility room.

There are oak hardwood floors throughout the main and upper levels, new vinyl tile flooring in some rooms, switched and overhead lighting. There is electric Central Air Conditioning, Gas forced air Heat and Hot water. The main electrical panel is on a modern breaker system. All the utilities are believed to be in proper working order and are quite recent (Furnace 2002, AC 2006, Roof 2000). Some appliances and fixtures have also been fairly recently replaced. The seller is offering a home warranty to provide for any unexpected repairs and does ask for a contract in as-is condition.

Priced well below comparable listings at $587,500, this listing is a great opportunity and likely to go quickly. Let us know what we can do to help make it yours. Welcome Home!

* Estimated tax and non tax charges in the first fiscal year of ownership $5,612.00

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Expansive Bethesda Craftsman

Our Listing

Expansive Bethesda Craftsman

7701 MARBURY RD, BETHESDA, MD 20817

Price: $2,189,000

Exceptionally large five year young, 7500+ square foot custom built home with four remarkable finished levels on oversize .28 acre lot. Breathtaking details and design abound throughout the home and include intricate moldings, wainscoting, ten foot tray ceilings, built-in mill work and exquisite beadboard panels. This distinctive residence offers an elegant living room, formal dining room, substantial family room with a custom built-in fireplace with casework and decorative mantle, magnificent state-of-the-art chef's kitchen with high-end stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and a huge island / breakfast bar with both ample seating and a prep area; a convenient mudroom with built-in cubbies and a pantry connects the garage and kitchen; a private first floor library / sitting room, and a powder room. There are four bedrooms on the second level, including impeccably appointed owner's suite, three full baths, and a large laundry room. The master suite, which features tray ceilings, molding and beadboard paneling, has a large sitting room, a HUGE walk-in closet with organizing system and a decadent master bath with corner soaking tub, separate large shower and two vanity areas all with beautifully appointed custom tilework. The sun-filled third level bedroom suite features a full bath, an office area and two closets. Downstairs, a bright, finished walkout lower level includes a media room, recreation room, crafts room, 6th bedroom, dual entry full bath and ample storage. The home is beautifully sited on a large, level fenced lot with mature landscaping, a charming front porch, a large Trex deck and a wonderful rear custom built basketball court. Ideally located very near Pyle Middle School, Whitman High School, and the Landon School as well as vibrant Downtown Bethesda, the Capital Beltway, and only minutes to public transportation...Welcome Home!

Estimated tax and non-tax xharges in the first fiscal year of ownership $18,883.75

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Home Prices Show Strongest Gain in 6 Years: NAR

By: Mark Lieberman, Five Star Institute Economist

Existing-home sales rose to 4.62 million (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) in April from a downwardly revised March rate of 4.47 million, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Tuesday. Economists had forecast the April sales pace would be 4.66 million.

The median price of an existing home climbed 10.1 percent to $177,400 from $161,100 in April 2011, the strongest year-to-year gain since January 2006. The median price in April reached its highest level since July 2010 when it was $182,100.
The inventory of homes for sale in April rose to 2.54 million, the highest level since last November, bringing the months’ supply of homes on the market to 6.6.

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Housing Recovery to Occur in Two Phases: Demand Institute

05/15/2012

By: Esther Cho

The housing recovery will come in two phases. First, home prices will rise by just under 1 percent in the second half of 2012. In 2013, prices will rise by 1.5 percent, then go up another 2.5 percent in 2014. For the second phase, home prices will increase 3 to 3.5 percent between 2015 and 2017. These are the predictions from a report released by the Demand Institute, which is jointly operated by The Conference Board and Nielsen.

The report, titled The Shifting Nature of U.S. Housing Demand, stated investors who buy rental properties will lead phase one of the recovery, as opposed to buyers who purchase properties as their own residence.

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Fannie Mae: Confidence in Economy and Home Values Increasing

05/07/2012 By: Esther Cho

Both the expectation for home prices and the percentage of those who think the U.S. economy is on the right path reached record highs in Fannie Mae’s April 2012 National Housing Survey.

Americans continue to expect home prices to go up, with the projection averaging 1.3 percent over the next 12 months, the highest value recorded.
At 71 percent, a high percentage of Americans still say it is a good time to buy while the percentage who said it is a good time to sell was 15 percent, a 1 point increase from March.

“Overall, consumer views of housing market conditions have become more supportive of home purchases, and sustained healthy hiring is required to help realize these improved expectations,” said Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae chief economist. 

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Home buying at most affordable level in decades

By Les Christie @CNNMoney May 17, 2012: 12:52 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Buying a home has reached its most affordable level in more than two decades.

Nearly 78% of homes sold during the first quarter were affordable to those earning the national median income of $65,000, according to a report released Thursday by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. The reason: Home prices nationwide are off about 36% from their peak. Median income has risen by about 10%. And mortgage rates are below 4%. There is one catch for home buyers, however: Mortgage availability. "Homes in this year's first quarter were more affordable than they have been at any time in more than 20 years, yet many potential sales are not happening," said Barry Rutenberg, NAHB's chairman and a homebuilder in Gainesville, Fla. He said that's mainly due to overly tight lending conditions.

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Foreclosures fall to lowest level since 2007

By Les Christie @CNNMoney May 17, 2012: 11:18 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Foreclosure filings in April fell for the third straight month to the lowest level since July 2007.

Total foreclosure activity for April, including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, was down 5% from March, according to RealtyTrac. Bank repossessions declined significantly -- there were 51,415 repossessions last month, down 26% from a year ago, and about half the 102,000 monthly repossessions at the peak in September 2010.

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Posted at 05:30 AM ET, 05/16/2012

My relocation: Why we chose Carderock Springs

By Amy Moore

Amy writes a series of posts about her recent move to the Bethesda area. She is a blogger at Bethesdan.
Like most couples embarking on a house hunt, my husband and I frequently discussed both the needs and wants that would shape our search.
Our needs included three bedrooms, two bathrooms, great schools, a safe neighborhood and close proximity to family. Our wants included four bedrooms, three bathrooms, high ceilings, a finished basement and an attached garage. We had a well-defined upper- and lower-limit on the price of the home, and we decided to focus our search in Bethesda, where my husband’s family lives.

A real estate map in Carderock Springs showing few houses on the market. (Screenshot — Amy Moore; Map - Redfin)


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Back from foreclosure to homeownership

Americans, trying to escape rising rents, are venturing back into housing despite prior default

© Carlos Barria / Reuters  /  REUTERS

Daniel and Robin Akerman inspect their new house after buying in short sale in Pensacola, Fla.

By Jilian Mincer

updated 5/16/2012 10:17:59 AM ET

When Jennifer Anderson's family could no longer afford their mortgage and lost their home, she expected many years to pass before they would again become property owners. But less than two years later, in March, they purchased a $297,000 house outside Phoenix, Arizona, after qualifying for a loan backed by the U.S. government. They joined a small but growing number of Americans who are making a surprisingly quick return to homeownership after defaulting on their loans or being forced into short sales that cost their banks money. "We didn't really expect it," said Anderson, 40. "We were resigned to the fact that we were going to be in a rental property for a while." Financial problems arose after she lost her job as a customer service representative for a health insurance company and her husband's hours at an automaker were cut. To make matters worse, they used up her retirement savings trying to keep their home. Data is not available, but interviews with more than 30 lenders, builders, Realtors and consumers suggest that a growing number of Americans are getting back into the housing market, even though they went through a foreclosure, bankruptcy or short sale in recent years.

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Rising Home Prices: Coming to a Market Near You

One month ago, we introduced the Trulia Price Monitor and Trulia Rent Monitor as the earliest leading indicators of how asking prices and rents are trending nationally and locally. So what happened to prices and rents in April?

April’s Price Rise Makes a Three-Month Streak

Nationally, housing prices have bottomed and are on the rise. Asking prices onfor-sale homes were 1.9% higher in April than one quarter ago. A 0.5% month-over-month rise in April, on top of month-over-month price increases in March and February, makes for three months in a row of rising asking prices, after adjusting for typical seasonal trends. In fact, prices have been stable or rising for the past eight months, except for a dip in December 2011. This marks a new milestone: asking prices were 0.2% higher in April than a year ago. Before April, prices were still falling year-over-year.

Not only are rising prices starting to look like a real trend: they’re also coming to a market near you — if they haven’t already. Asking prices increased year-over-year in 44 out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas, with Miami andPhoenix leading the charge.

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Buying a home won't get much cheaper

By Les Christie @CNNMoney May 3, 2012: 11:48 AM ET

Several housing experts are predicting that this year will be the last chance for homebuyers to cash in on the weak housing market.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Buying a home may never get any cheaper than this. Several housing experts are predicting that this year will be the last chance for bargain hunters to cash in on the best deals of the weak housing market. With home prices down 34% nationally since 2006 and mortgage rates at historic lows, homes have never been more affordable -- but it won't stay this way for much longer. Stuart Hoffman, chief economist for PNC Financial Services (PNC, Fortune 500), said he expects home prices to flatten out by the third quarter and start climbing by next year. A number of factors will help bolster the housing market, he said, including a decline in the number of foreclosures and continued job growth. In addition, homebuyers will have better access to mortgages as they get their finances in order and improve their credit scores.

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Posted at 05:30 AM ET, 05/01/2012

How to find the best home loan for you

By Doug Lebda

Right now, Washington is one of the top 10 real estate markets in the country, enjoying some of the lowest mortgage rates in the nation with an average of 4.08 percent for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. For
(MARK R. RUMMEL - AP) those looking to buy a new home, now is the perfect time to get off the fence and take action. But what option is best for your financial future? This is a question too few people take the time to thoroughly research and find out.

Consumers are burdened with untangling complicated housing policy and regulation when it comes to achieving the dream of home ownership. For example, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently revised its policies regarding home loans and refinancing. Starting in July, borrowers in ongoing disputes with creditors over debts of $1,000 or more may no longer qualify for FHA-insured loans — even if they have perfect credit. This will cause complications for millions of people, not only in Washington, but across the nation.

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