Gainsborough Road - Fox Hills - $699,000

Does advertising a home as the "Lowest Price in Fox Hills" constitute a bargain?
Not necessarily.

When this home was built in 1965, who could have anticipated that Gainsborough Road would be this busy? Used as a cut through, there is significant traffic on Gainsborough that passes this home. Perched up on a hill, the noise can be heard in the home.

Built by Pulte, this home has been updated, but still needs some work. The kitchen has been nicely updated, and so have the baths. The wood floors are in good shape, so most of the work needed is cosmetic. It does not show all that well, but it seems to have good bones.

The basement is finished, but chopped up. The design stinks, but redoing the space may be a great investment. The Family room is small, so investing in the basement will provide space for a TV area and some room for the kids.

The pool in the back is nice. It is small, but fits the space. The landscape and retaining walls seem to be leaning and would worry me as a buyer. The seller should get a landscaper to come in and dress things up. Clean the leaves, plant some mums, and make the yard look nice.

This home may be the least expensive in Fox Hills, but it will have to come down in price. This will be more reasonable in the $650K range and has a chance of selling quickly.

SOLD - Laurel Leaf - Fawsett Farms Manor - $1,143,000

This is a great home for anyone looking in this price range that works in D.C.

On the Cabin John side of Potomac, this neighborhood is a hop , skip and jump from MacArthur Boulevard and the Parkway for a quick commute into D.C.

Fawsett Farms Manor is a beautifully maintained community built in the late 1980's. This home is on a quiet street backing to woods. This home is perched on a 1/3 acre lot with a steep grade in the rear. The view from all windows is trees and will please the nature lover. Those that want to use the yard for recreation will be disappointed as much of the lot is unusable because of the slope.

This is a good looking home. The brick exterior is conservative and suits the neighborhood. The interior has high ceilings and high level of finish. I was told that this was a builders personal residence and many upgrades you see, are not found in other neighborhood homes.

Although nice, the home is a bit dated. I think the price reflects this fact and takes into consideration that some updates will need to be made. On a square footage basis the price is fair for the neighborhood. It is just a matter of time to find the right person or family that will appreciate it.

SOLD - 11614 Deborah Drive - Regency Estates - $649,000

SOLD for $550,000 on 12-23

This is a nice looking home with good bones and decent curb appeal. A short sale with Countrywide, this one will take some time to negotiate, but a bargain may be at hand.

This is 4 bedroom split, with 2 full baths on the upper level. There is an additional half bath on the main level, and a full bath in the lower (basement) level.

The yard is pretty, with some specimen plants. Someone in the past was a gardener here and there is potential to shine. The current residents have not done much to maintain the gardens but should.

The home is in desperate need of a face lift. The home is badly dated, and there is going to be some time and effort invested to remove wallpaper from various rooms and hallways. This home looks its age. At 43 years, it is beyond just cosmetic improvements, it needs attention.

Although this home has already been assigned an attorney to negotiate the short sale, at $699K they are not being realistic. This home is at least 100K overpriced. It will need quite a bit of cash to update and the neighborhood does not warrant the investment at this price.

I predict that this home stays on the market until the bank considers an offer around $550K.

Stable House Court - Potomac Commons - $925,000

This well maintained Georgetown model has an extension in the rear to provide great space.

This home is a 5 bedroom colonial with great curb appeal in the Potomac Commons neighborhood. Built in 1971, this Georgetown model has been expanded. The owners added to the rear of the home to increase the space in the breakfast area and family room. The windows in the breakfast area flood the space with light and make the space seem open and airy. The family room addition is a step down and has high cielings and gas fireplace.

All of the bedrooms upstairs are a good size. The 5th bedroom upstairs was an add on with the addition, and the 3 full baths are plenty large to keep the family happy. All of the baths have been updated since the home was built in 1971. Although they are not new, they are functional and need not be updated right away.

The basement is good size and finished with beadboard. Somewhat dated, the space could be inexpensively upgraded to drywall with space for home theatre.

The only issue I have with this home is the traffic flow on the main level. With the Georgetown model, you have to go around through the family room or dining room to get to the back of the house. While for some folks this is an advantage, for those that like to entertain it is a problem. The kitchen and family room are needing to be updated. For less then 10K, you can take up the 8x8 tile and replace the whole thing with hardwood or Pergo. It would make a huge difference in the presentation.

This home is worth $925K. It won't get it because these updates were not completed in advance. To warrant top dollar, you need to take the time and spend the money to make these improvements to knock a buyer's socks off. Because the work was not done, this home will end up selling for less then it is worth. Look for a final sales price of $885K.