9426 Thrush Lane - Williamsburg Gardens - $1,195,000

Listed By Maryland REO

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Williamsburg Gardens is a lovely community of single family homes southwest of Potomac Village just off Falls Road. Built in the early 1960’s – this neighborhood has been a fantastic place to live for generations. Many kids that grew up here are bringing their families back to have the same wonderful experience. You can see the ongoing renovation projects all through the neighborhood as owners bring their homes up to date.

This is a larger Rambler built on a concrete slab. There is no basement – so the rooms tend to “ramble” over the lot. This has plenty of space. Tax records show just over 4000 square feet. It has been added onto over the years, and is still pretty much up to date with modern kitchen and baths.

The home was sold to the current owners in December of 2006 for $1,059,000. Although this was not the height of the market – prices were still somewhat inflated. The owners put quite a bit of work into the exterior of the property. Extensive professional landscaping and fencing made a bit difference in how it looks. A large circular driveway makes it easy to get to the front entry – and has room for quite a few cars.

The foyer is central and is floored in colored slate that was typical in the early 1960’s. The dining room is to the immediate right side which you must pass through to get to the updated kitchen. The white cabinets and tile countertop are showing their age – but still look good. The original garage was adjacent to the kitchen and was probably one car. This space has been opened up to the kitchen giving it more of an open, modern feel. It was used in the past for an office and family room. A counter overhangs into this room from the kitchen – and would be the typical place for guests to chat while entertaining.

There is a large 2 car garage just off this room with an entry door. This is a nice way to bring in the groceries after shopping in the village. A laundry area is on the back side of the kitchen. This room is open and has shelving, storage and a place to fold laundry.

The living area on the right side of the home has a large living room off the foyer. A bedroom and updated bath could be used as a master bedroom. There is a fireplace at the bedroom entry and a sitting area as well. The baths were updated at some point in the recent past – but are a little dated. A bit of updated hardware and fresh paint could bring them right back up to speed. No need for renovation. Another smaller bedroom is adjacent to this large bedroom.

The back side of the house has a full hall bath – with interesting stand up bath – probably at one time used for an elderly resident. It was probably expensive to install – but won’t be to everyone’s taste. A second large bedroom and bath could be a second master suite or nice guest suite. There is much more room in this house than meets the eye.

A family room or open library is tucked in between the front and back bedroom areas. Sliders give you access to patio area in the back yard.

The interesting and unusual feature to this house is an addition on the back that houses an indoor pool. It is not a wading pool, but a lap pool. When turned on the pool generates a current that you swim into. You literally “swim in place” to get in your daily exercise. This is a great feature for someone that loves to swim – and an expensive add on to a home.

Overall – this is a nice home. The corner lot has been beautifully landscaped and it would not take much to update the kitchen and baths to the current decade. When they put this home on the market at $1,300,000 early last year – I assumed that it was gutted and brought up to date. This is not the case.

Although I would like nothing more than to see this home sell at full price – I don’t believe it will. At this point – I must disclose that I live in the neighborhood. Other homes have sold here – with the same or more square footage, for less money. This is more likely to sell closer to the county assessed value than list price. Until they bring the list price closer to this number I believe this home will languish on the market. My guess is it will settle at $1,065,000

11928 Gainsborough Road - Willerburn Acres - $884,500

Listed by Long and Foster

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Homes usually don't last too long in Willeburn Acres. Located close to schools, Temple and shopping, when homes here are are priced fairly they sell quickly. Although built in the mid-1960's most of these homes have been upgraded over the years. The higher sales prices are usually directly correlated to recent renovations.

This home is lovely. With a steep roof and four gabled windows this home has good curb appeal. The landscaping is well maintained, the exterior tidy and the street reasonably quiet. A purple door leads you into an open hardwood foyer. You immediately notice the lack of clutter and nice paint. The hardwood runs through the entire first level and is in pristine condition. The living room and dining rooms are large and nicely furnished. The galley kitchen is beautifully renovated with cherry cabinets, brushed nickel pulls and granite counters. It was hard to believe that the renovation was 8 years old. Very nicely done.

There is also a full bath and bedroom on the first level. This would be great as an in-law suite or guest bedroom. The family room is bright with great views of the level backyard. I could not wait to see what they had done with the upstairs.

The master bedroom suite is very nice. Walk in closets, ceiling fan and bath all in great shape. The other bedrooms are nice size and share a hall bath that was recently updated. You could move right in to this home without having to worry about renovation or updating the decor.

The basement is finished with a large recreation room and laundry facilities. The carpet looks new and fits the space well. There is plenty of space for a large TV and surround sound.

This home shows beautifully. The colors of paint, the kitchen and the lack of clutter make you feel you could move your stuff in tomorrow. Although the price may be a bit aggressive, I don't think this home will last long. Willeburn is sought after and in this home all the work is already done. This deserves some premium. I see this one selling between $850-860K when the dust settles.

12229 Seline Way - Fallsreach - $934,800

Listed By Long and Foster

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Seline Way is a lovely street in the Fallsreach Community that backs to Watts Branch Stream Valley Park. With well maintained homes and mature trees, this is always a popular community for the move up buyer. This brick colonial has great curb appeal with nice landscaping and a premium cul-de-sac lot.

This center foyer has marble tile which extends into the living room. The library is decent size and would make a fine home office. The kitchen is nicely fitted with ceramic tile floor and a table space kitchen. A good size dining room has access to a long sun room on the back of the home overlooking the tiered deck.

The upstairs has 4 nice size bedrooms. The master is nicely done with a recently renovated bath which looks great. The other bedrooms share an additional full bath which has been updated. An unusual feature in this home is a half bath directly adjacent to the full bath. Anyone with a house full of school age kids that jockey for bathroom time will appreciate this feature.

The basement is finished with a wet bar and potential nanny suite. There is an exit to the backyard which leads to the lower level of the two level deck. There is a nice spa on this level which would be a fabulous place to sit and enjoy the wooded vista in the back yard.

This house is larger then it appears on the outside. The upper two levels have over 3000 square feet of finished space. The basement adds an additional 1500 square feet.

Although the decor in this home is a bit dated (Very 1980's), the structure is good. With a little paint, creativity and time this can be brought up to date without major expense. The listing agent has priced the house to reflect these issues. This is fairly priced at $934,800, and should settle between $915-925K.