1105 Cedrus Way - Fallsmead - $709,000

Listed by Long and Foster

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There has been a great deal of activity in Fallsmead over the past few months. The homes that are priced right and properly prepared for sale are selling quickly. Those that are not clean as a pin or overpriced are languishing.

This home is at the end of a cul-de-sac off Fallsmead Way. It is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home built in 1968. It looks nice from the street. The yard is tended, the position at the end of the court keeps traffic down and the Wootten Schools are a good draw.

The foyer is welcoming with a laminate tile throughout the foyer and updated powder room. The living room,,family room and dining room have hardwood that are in good condition. The family room also has a nice brick fireplace that warms the room.

The kitchen has been updated at some point, but the original avocado appliances remain. The floors seem to the the same laminate tile that is in the foyer and powder room, but the color does not match. It would be nice to have them consistent. The Smithsonian may have some interest in these older appliances, but someone paying $700K for a new home will not. The kitchen is on the short list for renovation.

There are 4 bedrooms upstairs with original baths. The older carpets do not show well and would be better off taken up. The home will show much better with the clean hardwood.

The basement is unfinished and has a walkout to the yard. The floor is finished in Linoleum square tile, probably original to the home. The basement has potential to be finished. It smelled dry and would be some welcome additional space in this smaller colonial.

This location has a lot going for it, but the home does not compete with others in the extended Fallsmead community. All of the homes currently on the market are in much better cosmetic condition. Cedrus has a better location since it is not on busy Fallsmead Way.

I will be curious to see how much the home on Infield settles for. It is under contract and settles tomorrow, March 16th. It was listed for $749,000 and I should settle at $725K or more. This home is gorgeous and showed beautifully. It had a lovely lot that showed much better then the Cedrus property. It has also been completely redone.

The final settled price of Infield will set a precedent for the Cedrus property. Cedrus would be more reasonably priced at $674,900 where it may get some traffic and maybe an offer.

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10610 Great Arbor - Red Coat Oaks - $975,000

Listed by Long and Foster

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Great Arbor is a long street just off Bells Mill Road. It is one of the few communities of Contemporary style homes in Potomac.

Lets start off by saying that contemporary homes are generally NOT my style. My personal taste is for more traditional homes which are plentiful in Potomac and surrounds. This home surprised me. I loved it.

This home is built into a hill and the exterior has been completely redone in stucco. Not a cheap stucco job, a very thoughtful, expensive stucco job. It looks great. The driveway is a bit steep, but azaleas and flowering trees surround you on your walk up the slope. There is a one car garage and parking pad that come off the side of the home near the front entrance.

A heavy wood door allows you into a hardwood foyer. Immediately to your right is a step down sitting area and coat closet. With the enormous amount of light from the skylights above, this would be a great place for a planting table where an indoor garden will thrive.

The floors are cherry/teak color and are throughout the home. The paint and decor is simple and superb. I could not wait to look further. There is an office on to your right side at the front of the home. There is enough space for 2 people and desks here. It is a large room. The powder room is fabulous. Vessel sink and open architecture stand, natural slate style tile and everything done right.

The kitchen is stunning simplicity. Clean lines, sleek black granite counters and back splash, cherry cabinets, Fisher and Paykel drawer style dishwasher and table space breakfast area...Wow! The family room and dining room are on the back of the home. The cathedral ceilings give enormous volume to this room. It is a "Great Room" style. The windows along the entire back wall bring the outside in. The sliders open to a great rail free deck. At one one of the deck there is an arbor with a built in hot tub below.

Upstairs has three large bedrooms. All of them beautifully decorated with 2 full baths one en-suite. The master has a great walk in closet outfitted with a high tech, sleek organization system. No expense was spared.

The lower level has a laundry area, a bedroom or office area and another small room. This area was the only space that I could not figure out what it would be in a moved in home. If there is a bedroom on the lower level you would have to walk through it to get to laundry. There is very little storage in the home, so that back room may be better allocated to storage and utility.

This home is a great value. My concern is it will not appraise at $975,000. There are not many if any comps in the community to support this price although the community is starting to renovate. I would advise clients to leave the appraisal clause in the offer to purchase. You may get an additional concession when the appraisal comes back.

8116 Paisley Court - Inverness Forest - $845,000

Listed By Prestige Properties

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Paisley Court is a lovely cul-de-sac just off Deborah Drive in the Inverness Forest community. This quarter acre lot backs to trees and offers great privacy and shade for nature lovers.

This is a pretty brick and vertical siding colonial with nice curb appeal. The first thing you notice when walking into this home is the white paint. Everything is freshly painted white. Not a bad option when renovating a home, but in this case there is too much of it. There is a lot of natural light in this home, and it may take a moment for your eyes to adjust. The living room and dining room are bright with shiny hardwood. The kitchen has been updated and has a nice tile floor. The windows in the rear of the home bring plenty of light into the kitchen and breakfast area.

The stairway upstairs is hardwood with a period wrought iron rail. The bedrooms are all decent sized and the baths have been renovated recently. The bright yellow tile from 1969 (Groovy baby!) will surprise you in the hall bath...be ready!

The basement is finished and has a Bilco style door to the back yard. The stairs here are steep. Because of the grade and steep slope in the backyard, the stairs could not stretch out too far into the yard. There is also a room with sink that is finished with lots of shelving. I would bet that at some point that this was a darkroom. It would make a perfect darkroom for anyone that still develops their own photos.

This home looks as though it was renovated quickly without any thought of living in it. It should be looked at as a clean canvas that someone buying can paint with their own vision. Door hardware is old and should be upgraded. The wrought iron stair rail could be replaced with a natural wood rail. It would make an enormous difference in the look of the place. A little color on the walls, instead of white will make this show a lot better. Paint the mouldings white and allow the wall colors to contrast.

The house is very nice and can be transformed into a much more attractive home with some paint and elbow grease. The lot is not the best because of the slope in the back, but it ensures privacy. I think that a good price to offer on this home is $800,000.

7704 Masters Drive - River Falls - $1,100,000

Listed by WC &AN Miller

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River Falls is a fabulous community sandwiched between Brickyard Road and McArthur Boulevard. This is a sought after community because of its great location, cohesive neighborhood and great schools.

This is a "Haverhill" model that was built in 1971. It was a popular model when new, and still has lots of fans. This home is still mostly original and will need extensive updating when sold.

The main level has hardwood throughout. There is worn carpet in many of the rooms, which hides the hardwood underneath. The kitchen is mostly original as is the rest of the first floor. The family room has a sliding glass door that exits on to a large screened cement patio in back. This is a nice feature and can be dressed up during the eventual renovation.

The basement is partially finished with a stairway exit to the back yard.

This home has 5 bedrooms upstairs. The rooms are all decent size, and two of the rooms have en-suite baths.

The bones of this home are good. I have seen fabulous things done with this model when remodeled. It is unfortunate that this home is priced as if partial renovation was already done. It is new to the market and may be an estate sale. The sellers may be taking a stab at the market with the current price with plans to lower it at some time in the future.

This home needs to be on the market at below $1mm. It will get good traffic at that price point and may attract an offer. The home should settle around $950K when all is said and done.

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