Welcome

Thank you for checking out HousePat.com. This is a new website for me, and it’s a work in progress, with the goal of creating a place where you can come for information and advice for living in Washington, DC

Washington is our nation’s capital, a place people around the country see on the news every night. There are monuments to presidents, war heroes, and other people who made a huge difference. And it is also a city of neighborhoods with their own unique homes, many with a history. It’s where I work as a matchmaker, putting people and homes together.

So I’ll be adding information on neighborhoods, condo developments, architecture. And I’m putting together links for what you need to know about the amenities that different parts of the city offer, how to find great schools, and navigating the area’s public transportation.

And if you need a Realtor to help you form and realize your vision for how and where you want to live, I hope you’ll contact me for help.

For Sellers: here is a good place to start for help in turning the place you live into buyer bait!

For Buyers: start here for the information you’ll need to create a vision for your new place, and get it without doing anything crazy.



Latest News

Getting Ready to Sell – Even a Few Years from Now

July 15, 2019

Recently, I met with a woman who wanted to sell her townhouse and move to something smaller.  And she was all ready to go. During our meeting, she proudly showed me around the place, pointing out all of the “improvements” she had made to get her house more than ready ...

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Aging in place? And if so, which place?

A couple of years ago, my neighborhood association established a committee to explore what services our residents might need to stay in their homes as they get older.  And while I think it’s better to be in a home of one’s own for as long as possible, I question the ...

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Reading and Listening to the Real Estate News

January 31, 2019

OK, I won’t go so far as to call the real estate reports in the national media as “fake” news.  But most of what you read and hear about your real estate market in the media is based on data that applies to the nation as a whole, and all ...

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Your Family Calls Him “Fido”. Your Realtor Calls Him “Fang”.

During my first week of real estate school, one of the first sessions covered how to suck up to the family dog (or cat) to get a listing.  It’s a critical skill for any serious Realtor. But what they didn’t cover – and should have – is how to speak ...

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Real Estate and Politics – Neutralizing Your Home

Here in DC, our residents tend to be quite focused on politics. Many of my clients have worked as reporters, attorneys or lobbyists who are concerned with what Congress, the regulatory agencies and the White House might be doing.  Others work for on the Hill or at the Department of Whatever.  So ...

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What “Pet Friendly” Really Means

September 17, 2018

  Many of the buyers I’ve helped find new homes are, like me, animal lovers.  And it’s important that they find a place where the furry family member is welcome.  With houses, there usually isn’t an issue, but condos and coops are a very different story. Most condo and coop ...

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