9801 Kendale Road - McAuley Park - $989,000

Listed by Burr Residential

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McAuley Park has always been one of my favorite Potomac neighborhoods. A mix of colonials, ramblers and newer custom homes, the community is a pleaser. Prices run the gamut from just under $1mm to $3mm+.

This is one of the original ramblers built in McAuley Park back in 1973. At the corner of Kendale and Kentsdale Drive, you could not ask for a better location. Sited on exactly 1/2 acre, this home looks regal sitting on a small knoll.

There is a circular driveway that suits this home well. Brick and frame with attractive landscape, this home has great curb appeal. It looks as though it has really been taken care of over the years.

You walk into a nice foyer and immediately see the kitchen on the right. It is large with blue delft tile and lots of light. A gas fireplace welcomes you to the space, and even though very dated, there is something warm and comfortable about the design. This would be a great home for a party. The kitchen is open and flow is circular. The kitchen will be expensive to re-do, but has the potential to be a stunner.

Behind the kitchen is a large dining room open to a living room on one side, and a solarium on the other. Lots of nice mouldings and hardwood floors. Some of the design will have to be updated, but what great bones this home has!

. There is an outdoor patio surrounded by a lovely brick wall. You get some great privacy for a cocktail, bar-b-que or simply a glass of wine mulling over the day. I really liked the way they built this outdoor space. It would cost a fortune to do this now.

There are 3 bedrooms on the first floor. All of them are good size with hardwood floors. The baths will need rehab, but you could certainly live with them as is. The basement has 2 additional bedrooms and a full bath. A large paneled recreation room with full bar is definitely from the 70's era, but the space itself would lend well for a large home theatre or rec room. There is also lots of storage space that is unfinished. Someone with vision could really expand the finished basement area for something special downstairs.

This home is well priced at $989,000. To get into McAuley Park under $1mm on a corner lot is a good deal. This home is assessed in 2010 at $1,245,000. You are not stealing it at its current price, cause it may cost $125K to update. Once updated though - you will have a gem. I see you getting $2 back for each dollar you spend on a good renovation. Look for this one selling within 30 days at $965,000.

9404 Tobin Circle - McAuley Park - $1,245,000

WC & AN Miller

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McAuley Park is a lovely upscale community off of Bradley Boulevard where Potomac borders Bethesda. Halfway between the beltway and Potomac Village, the location is very desirable. Homes here will get a premium over similar communities deeper in Potomac.

This home is just off Kentsdale Drive across from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. It is all brick and roofed with nice architectural shingles. With nicely manicured landscape this home has great curb appeal.

This 2 story colonial is traditional in layout with the exception of a spacious 2 story foyer. The floors are dark oak and run throughout the first floor. The living room has a fireplace with marble surround with lovely chair rail and crown moulding. Behind the living room is a small room with a wet bar. It could be used as a library or office. The kitchen is open and spacious. The kitchen will need an update. It has quality cherry cabinets, but dated corian tops and resilient sheet good flooring. There is a large laundry room behind the garage with cabinet storage and access to the outside.

The stairwell in the foyer leads you to an open landing overlooking the foyer. There are 2 smaller bedrooms to your left and a single larger bedroom to the right. The 2 bedrooms share a Jack and Jill style bath and the larger single bedroom is adjacent to a separate hall bath.

The master suite is at the top of the landing towards the back of the home. This is a suite, with sitting room, an upgraded full bath with skylight and plenty of closet space. The space seems somewhat flexible, as I was not initially sure which room in the suite holds the bed. I see this as a plus. You can have a small room with bed and large as a sitting room, or visa versa.

The basement is finished with a nice masonry fireplace and full bath. There is a room with French Doors that is semi-private. There is direct access to the bath from this room. This access would be a great spot for a guest bedroom or nanny bedroom. There is plenty of storage in an unfinished area as well as an area way for direct access to the rear yard.

This floor plan is super and home is well built. It is a shame the owners did not invest $10,000 to make this star shine. It would allow the home to show much better and make it easier to garner top dollar. In my opinion the $10K investment would yield a net price $40K to $50K higher. As it sits, I see this house settling for between $1.10 and 1.125mm.

9441 Tobin Circle - McAuley Park - $1,499,000

Listed by Long and Foster

McAuley Park is a lovely community that runs along Kentsdale Drive and borders Cabin John Regional Park. This is a well maintained enclave of homes that feeds into the Churchill High School Cluster. It is consistently a sought after community.

This home is a pretty brick colonial on a nicely landscaped lot. There is good curb appeal. The foyer has brand new hardwood floors that run through to the powder room adjacent. The living room and dining room are on the right side of the home with formal mouldings and plenty of room.

The back of the home has been extended. There is a large breakfast room in the back of the home just behind the kitchen. Encased in glass, it brings the outside in with plenty of natural light and views of Cabin John Regional Park behind the home. A deck with elaborate (Expensive) rails is spacious and attractive. There could be some fabulous Potomac parties in this space.

Because of the extension the kitchen is now in the center of the home. Large and open it is due for a makeover. The space would accommodate a spectacular kitchen with all the latest updates. Currently it is a bit tired and dated. It will be on the short list of things to renovate.

The family room is adjacent to the kitchen and has a large stacked stone fireplace that is super. The family room was also extended and has lots of space for the family and entertaining. With cathedral ceilings it has huge potential once the home is renovated.

Behind the garage and addition has been added to the home housing a Master bedroom wing. Very nicely done, with modern design this will WOW the right buyer. It is a lovely escape from the main home and offers privacy and seclusion after a long day of work.

The upstairs has 4 bedrooms. Currently one of them is open to the family room downstairs and is used as a loft work area. The other 3 baths are en-suite and decent size. All of the baths in this home will need renovation sooner rather then later.

If you can look past the old kitchen and baths, this is a fabulous home. The new master suite will steal someones heart, but at $1,499,000 it is no bargain. It needs quite a bit of additional renovation to ever sell at that price. I see this more in the $1.3mm range once settled.

9540 Purcell Drive - McAuley Park - $2,469,000

Listed By Craftstar Homes

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This area of McAuley park has seen an influx of new construction. The location is fantastic, and it is hard not to like the up to date design and polish of new construction.

This home is built by Craftmark. With 5 large bedrooms and 6.5 baths, there is plenty of room for the family and domestic help. The design is open, bright and beautifully finished. It is hard not to like what you see.

The home is built into a hill which gives it great curb appeal. It looks HUGE, towering over the cul-de-sac. There are 2 fights of stairs going up to the stately entry in addition to a non-staired entry next to the garage. For those that have difficulty with stairs, there is an elevator that serves the 4 levels.

The foyer is bright, nicely appointed with shiny light oak floors throughout. The main foyer looks through the house to the backyard, a nice architectural feature. There are 2 gas fireplaces on the first floor with a VIKING appointed kitchen. This is a very nice floor plan.

In order to bring in the light, there are windows everywhere. There are 2 rooms that have full windows on 3 sides of the room. I call this the fishbowl effect. It looks great when the house is empty, and can sometimes cause problems when looking to place furniture. How are you supposed to feel comfortable lounging around in your pajamas at night when everyone can see in?

The upstairs has Five bedrooms. Four are on the second level and one is on the third level. The master is well appointed with an especially nice shower. The other bedrooms are large and will fit even the bulkiest of bedroom sets.

The basement is perfectly set up for a home theatre. 12+ foot ceilings allow plenty of room for a large wall screen. Space for in-wall speakers give great potential for those Videophiles. A full wet bar will tend the largest parties, and leaves plenty of room for the popcorn machine.

Although a beautiful home, this is a very competitive price range. There are better values to be had in the neighborhood in this challenging market. This will appeal to the person that wants new construction, but they will pay a premium to realize their dream. This competes with homes in the $2mm range. I see this selling at a 15% discount to list price once sold.

9504 Hemswell Place - McAuley Park - $1,789,000

Listed by Long and Foster

Google Map Here

McAuley Park is a large neighborhood of upscale homes that borders Bethesda.

It's close in location, and well kept homes make this a very popular destination for those looking for homes in the $1.5 to $2.5mm price range.

Someone once described the McAuley Park community as "Neat as a Pin". In retrospect it was a very apt description. The neighborhood is nicely kept with beautiful homes and manicured lawns. This community has remained ever-popular because of the highly rated schools and its close proximity to D.C., Virginia and transportation.

This home is lovely. About 12 years old and just hitting its stride, this .82 acre lot sits at the end of a culdesac. There are mature trees and the landscaping has had time to mature and develop some character of its own. The brick front on the home has coined details which add interest to the look of the home. None of this comes cheap, and the home certainly looks like quality work.

The foyer of this home is probably its best design feature. Wide open and spacious, the cathedral space makes the home seem huge. A dramatic stair leads you up to a large upstairs open hall. The decor and paint is beautiful. The owners spent some time and money to apply a faux finish in the foyer and dining area. While often these finishes can be overdone, in this case the work was of good quality and the design sedate....it works wonderfully.

The 5 bedrooms upstairs are all of good size. The master suite would satisfy even the most critical of home buyers and the 4 additional bedrooms are all large enough for even the most spoiled of children. While the paint in a few of the rooms is a bit bright, it will certainly appeal to the kids. Having 2 tween girls, I know.

The basement has a bedroom for an au-pair, a large TV and recreation area and a walk out to the yard. Plenty of light, this space is large enough for any family.

This is a beautiful home that should be on the list of anyone in the sub $2mm market. It shows beautifully, and would satisfy Mom, Dad and kids (A rare feat). Although the home is certainly worth the asking price, in this difficult market it may settle at 5% less.

Purcell Court - McAuley Park - $1,975,000

Someone has to remind Potomac area sellers that we are in a "buyers market". It is no longer 2005 when you could put almost any price on a home and get attention.

McAuley Park is located off of Kentlands Drive in Potomac. A lovely community, this area has lots of home all $1mm and higher. This home is on a lovely cul-de-sac and beautifully sited on a 1/2 acre lot. Built in 2000, this home is in good condition and shows well.

With 6 bedrooms and 5.5 baths, this home has plenty of room for a family. With high ceilings and nice room sizes it is what you would expect from a 1mm+ home in the Potomac area. The colors are neutral, the home well decorated and it is easy to visualize what it would look like with YOUR furnishings inside.

So, what is the problem? The price. This home is 300K overpriced. There is so much competition in this price range. This home does not hold a candle to its competitors in the $2mm range.

Normally I would blame a mis-priced home on the agents. More and more I am finding that even the great agents in our area are not able to talk sense into homeowners. Unfortunately, when this happens, everyone loses.

This home will languish on the market at this price. It may stand a chance of selling at $1.695mm, $300k less then its current list price. With that said, it would probably settle at between $1.6mm and $1.65mm when the papers are finally signed.