10409 Garden Way - Williamsburg Gardens - $849,900

Listed by L&F

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FORECLOSURES? In Potomac? In MY neighborhood?

YES. YES and YES. It is happening everywhere and very few areas are insulated from the economic problems that have plagued the US for the past 4 years. Expensive neighborhoods are no less susceptible than lower priced neighborhoods during this crisis. In the interest of full disclosure, I live a few blocks away.

This home is at the corner of Garden Way and Falls Road. It is a short walk to Potomac Village, and is situated on a half acre. The home is sited sideways on the lot - so the back yard is narrow with lots of room on the sides of the home. The driveway is large and can easily fit 4 cars in addition to the garage.

The home has a brick front, brick stoop and huge columns in front. The columns are a little overdone for my taste - but are not out of place. The landscape and outside can use a little TLC - but has some potential to look good with a little work.

The interior has a shallow foyer with ceramic tile. The mirrored dining room is to the left and a formal living room to the right. Both of these rooms have nice hardwood floors.

The ceramic continues through to the kitchen - which is nicely updated with white cabinets and granite. A gas range on the island is a nice touch - and a bright breakfast area has doors out to a raised deck in the back. The family room is nice with high ceilings and a lovely fireplace. Another set of French doors brings you out to the deck. This would be nice for circulation during parties. A powder room, laundry room and garage finished off the first level - and so far - so good.

Going upstairs you could see water damage on the ceiling in a few spots. The bank has done what it can to limit the damage - but certainly the drywall will have to be repaired in a few spots. The Master bedroom is a good size with a large master bath. The fixtures are a bit dated, but that is an easy fix. There is a separate room with a commode that has a skylight and shower. There is mold or mildew throughout this area. A large walk in closet is shelved out - but could be used more efficiently with additional shelving to make better use of the limited space.

There are 3 other teen size bedrooms on the upper floor. All of them are in decent shape - there is some minor drywall and painting work from damage around where curtains and ceiling lights previously existed. A hall bath is large and would be plenty of space for the teens in residence on this floor.

The basement door opened - and you can see where carpet has been removed from the stairwell and floors. Water damage is minimal and the space downstairs is nicely apportioned. A nanny suite with full bath and plenty of room for the family and home theater exists down here. A walk out door to the yard provides some light - and the space here works just fine. A bit of paint, drywall repair and nice carpet will make the world of difference down here.

Overall - this is a decent house on an OK lot. The neighborhood and location are blue chip. The schools are blue chip. It may be a great opportunity for someone to move to this side of Potomac for a great price. The home will need at least $20K to repair and paint and carpet. If the house was brought up to date and looked fabulous - it would sell in the $900K to $930K range. I see this selling at close to asking price within 45 days.

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

10405 Garden Way - Williamsburg Gardens - $899,999

Listed By DJ Banjavic

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Williamsburg Gardens is located just off Falls Road within walking distance to Potomac Village. A mix of home styles and builders, this community is constantly in high demand because of its convenience and fabulous schools.

This is a good looking brick colonial on a level 1.29 acre lot. The house is set back from the street leaving a large front yard and long driveway. The landscaping has been recently pruned back to prepare it for sale - and more work will have to be done when the spring arrives. This is a great canvas for a landscape designer to start from scratch and really make this home shine.

The home was built in 1964 and has good bones. A bit smaller then many in the area - this home was typical size for Potomac when it was a sleepy suburb in the early 1960's. The formal foyer has tile with a large living room on the left and a small dining room on the right. Both have hardwood floors that are in pretty decent shape. A fireplace is centered in the living room and is a focal point for the space.

A stairwell and hall share the space walking back to the kitchen. The tile floor is out of style but easily replaced. The kitchen has been updated in the past - but will need some update from the new owners. Resilient flooring is worn and would be best replaced when the kitchen is redone. The kitchen has a nice breakfast area and is open to a large family room with built in bookshelves and fireplace. A slider leads out to a large screened porch and a big back yard.

There is a passage off the kitchen leading to a side load 2 car garage. A room off this passage is listed as a first floor bedroom - but is better listed as a library or den. Once again - this design is a bit out of date - but has potential for someone with vision that wants a great neighborhood.

Upstairs has 4 bedrooms including a nice size master. The connected master bath had been upgraded in the past - but is past due for another upgrade. The hall bath too will need updating. The other 3 bedrooms are very good size and all have nice hardwood floors.

The basement has been newly carpeted and looks like it was recently drywalled. The carpet is nice - but the finish job on the drywall - especially around the windows is poorly done. Someone will have to re-frame and fix this area to make it right.

This is a nice lot in a great neighborhood. It is tempting at this price to buy the house - knock it down - and put up a much larger home. It is also tempting to put some money into it and keep it as it is. The design is a bit dated but the home is priced to take much of that into consideration. The neighboring home sold in August for $965,000 - and was a bit larger and more recently updated. Because of the low inventory and large lot - this one is not unreasonable as priced.

10317 Holbrook Drive Potomac - Williamsburg Gardens - $800,000

Listed by Long and Foster

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Williamsburg Gardens is a wonderful community located about a mile southwest of Potomac Village. Built in the early 1960's, this is one of the few communities in Potomac where you can find contemporary homes.

Situated on about 1/2 acre, this lot is filled with mature azaleas and flowering shrubs. Although a bit overgrown, this lot has great potential for a homeowner with a green thumb that knows how to resurrect the landscape. This yard must be a showplace in the spring - filled with color.

This contemporary is typical of those built in the 1960's. A basic rectangle, this split foyer was updated and expanded in 2003. An open foyer between floors is bright and filled with interesting art. The upstairs has a huge room for living area open to the updated kitchen. Done in light color cabinets the kitchen space looks into the expanded living area in the front of the house. The dining room is adjacent, with a sliding glass door that goes out to a deck overlooking the back yard. The deck is nice, but needs some maintenance. The railing is a bit rickety - and will need to be repaired. Overall though, a nice spot to eat dinner on cool autumn evenings.

On the other side of the home upstairs are three bedrooms and two full baths. The master bedroom is on the small side, and has one of the baths to itself. The current owners have moved their Master suite to the basement.

Downstairs has a large family room with masonry fireplace. There is a door to the carport off this room, with a storage closet behind. The right side of the lower level has a laundry area, storage and currently a master bedroom with full bath. The lot slopes upward from the front of the home to the rear, so you do get light and have windows in this downstairs bedroom. Once the new homeowner does some necessary pruning of the shrubbery in the front of the home, this room will be much brighter.

Overall, for someone that likes contemporary design, this is a nicely updated home. With the added space from the renovation and addition, this home gained extra space where it was most important - in the living area. This neighborhood certainly warrants the $800K price tag. Most homes on this side of Potomac are well above this price.

The last contemporary home that sold in the neighborhood settled for considerably less money. ($700,000) Although that home did not have a basement, it did have a 2 car garage and was located on a quiet court. It appraised for $675K, and the purchasers were willing to pay $25,000 above the appraised value to complete the sale. Another home on the same court is also under contract at less then $700K. Even though these homes are not in the Williamsburg Gardens community, they are the closest sales activity in the area. This is going to cause problems with the appraisal on Holbrook.

In order to get this home sold the price will have to come down below the current $800K. Even should someone come in with a full price offer, there is going to be great difficulty in getting this home to appraise. Because of its location, great schools and recent expansion, this home may appraise at $740K. When all is said and done, when and if this home sells, it will be in that price range.

10401 Garden Way - Williamsburg Gardens - $1,135,000

Listed by Long and Foster

Google Map Here

This is a lovely community about a third of a mile from the Village. This large (1.25ac) lot will attract both home buyers and builders looking for land to build a larger home.

I love the location of this home. With easy access to the village, the beltway and McArthur Boulevard, it is a commuters dream. The community has access to a small park around the corner, a lively swim and tennis club within a few blocks and Great Falls a bit over a mile away.

The home seems to be in decent shape for a 1965 build. It has decent curb appeal. The home sits back on this large lot with an expansive front yard. The home has been recently painted - albeit all beige including trim. It looks a bit washed out without any contrasting trim or Shutter color. This is easily solved with a bit of paint in the spring.

The foyer is tiled in a brown color. Most of the other rooms are hardwood. The kitchen has been updated, and looks very nice. Pickled oak makes me think that it is about 10 years old. There is a nice bright "garden room" in the area between the 2 car garage and house. Although unheated, it seems like a great spot to read the paper and enjoy your coffee in the morning.

The upstairs has four good sized bedrooms and 2 full baths. There is an additional bedroom and full bath in the basement. A large recreation room and exterior exit provides plenty of space for entertaining.

The value of this property has a lot to do with the lot size. The home, although in good condition, will need some updating. The home has been well prepared for sale, without clutter and is squeaky clean. This would get more traffic below $1.1mm. This should sell between $1,075,000 to $1.1mm when all is said and done.

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