We've been pretty busy!

February 16, 2022 | Issue 2, Volume 2

Longer days are coming.

I see the sun moving higher in beautiful, bright blue skies as I gaze out my office window today. I sense my spirits lifting as sunset nears the 6:00 hour rather than the 5:00 hour. I feel slightly headachy from the earliest pollen spores as teeny buds appear on the trees...and I pop an Advil and say...BRING IT ON!!!!

We are so ready for spring and all of the excitement it brings, even with a few headaches along the way. We are going to need those extra daylight hours as our pipeline is filling with exciting listings and the team is already working overtime to meet the needs of our wonderful sellers and eager buyers. Will there be headaches? Of course! But it's all part of this adventure-filled, sometimes-stressful, endlessly-rewarding job we do with team members and clients we love. Let's go! ~Cathy

This is one of my favorite pictures from a summer walk in Kings Park West. We are ready for spring--and summer--and warm weather!

Well, that was easy.

Rusty Nail

As Mike and I have continued with our "one cocktail a day adventure," nothing makes ME happier than a two-ingredient drink success!

1 ounce blended Scotch Whiskey
1 ounce Drambuie

In a mixing glass, add the Scotch and the Drambuie. Add the ice and stir to chill. Pour into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with lemon (optional).

Well done, Mary!

After just a few days on the market, and with multiple offers, Mary and Doug closed on the sale of their house in Kings Park West for $950,068! This is the highest sale ever for a Baron which comes as no surprise. Mary had done such a great job updating her home over the years and it was stunning. Congratulations to you both!!! Click here to see the video of the Hovlands' beautiful home!

An open house, a chicken, and cookies!

Bored? Stop by to see Kevin at his open house on Sunday at 5366 Gainsborough Drive! When this house came on the market in 2019, it wasn't our listing and we were pretty bummed. It was a Prince with a fantastic view of the lake but, presented humbly, was one of the lowest Prince sales that year which made us sad. We were so excited then to be invited to sell this gem and with a few tweaks, we think it's going to be a top performer in 2022!

Don't be surprised if while at the open house you encounter this friendly little lady--not Autumn; the chicken! She's been in the house, in the staging van, in the yard, and in our hearts! 🐔

New, Refaced, or Painted?

Q: Hi Cathy! I am excited to get my house ready for the market but I'm unsure what to do about my kitchen. I have the original kitchen cabinets in my house and I'm worried it will take too long and be too expensive to completely renovate and replace them--but something must be done with my kitchen! I'm thinking about refacing them. Do you know a company that does this? Thanks! ~Kathy S.

A: Hi Kathy! Oh boy, we get this question a lot and I do understand your concerns about timing and cost. Unfortunately, our experience suggests that refacing cabinets is neither cheaper nor faster than painting or even replacing your cabinets. The refacing process takes time because it's all custom work. The refacing company must visit your home, take careful measurements of your existing kitchen cabinets boxes, and then manufacture new doors and door fronts. Since there's so much variation in these old cabinets, it can really take a long time to get the new doors made AND it is quite costly!

We recently had a client who had contracted with a refacing company prior to calling us to list their home. Ultimately, the cost (which was higher than what we typically pay for cabinets, appliances, and flooring) plus timing delays would have resulted in our clients losing out on the purchase of the house of their dreams. Luckily, we were able to call in our cabinet painter and to get the house on the market and under contract so our clients could move forward with the purchase of their new home.

Let's get prices for painting your cabinets and for replacing them and then look at the overall budget so you can decide what makes the most sense for you and your goals! ~Cathy

Looking for a cabinet painter? We use Cabinet Paint by Design and couldn't be happier!

Cabinet Paint by Design

202.253.7396

estimate@cabinetpaintdesign.com

Need some help?

Email me your questions:

cathy.deloach@longandfoster.com

"Oh, for Pete's sake." ~Nicki McGuill

I'm guessing all cat owners can relate to these pictures of Kasper, one of Nicki McGuill's two new(ish) kitty-cats, claiming a spot on the desk. Our clients might recognize that Kasper is lounging on some of our home prep spreadsheets. Move along, little kitty. Move along...

"A cat will do what it wants when it wants,

and there's not a thing you can do about it."

~Frank Perkins (American Composer)

And so it starts...

With snow, hopefully, behind us and based on our own pipeline and talk amongst other agents, it seems likely that inventory will increase dramatically over the next six weeks to three months. Sellers, continue to approach your sale with focus on intention (properly prepare your homes!) because even in a seller's market, there are sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars separating the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A word of caution to buyers! We are seeing last year's fixer-uppers and private sales pop back on the market in the form of really awful flips with shoddy construction. I feel for the future buyers of those homes.

Looking for more in-depth market information? Get the details in the next section.

We asked and you delivered! Thank you!!!

We close with a BIG thanks to those of you who contributed a Google review after reading our last newsletter. We more than tripled our review count and have had a blast reading your reviews! We are almost halfway to our goal of 50 reviews! Thank you, thank you!

Want to help? Here's the link: Google Review for The Mary & Cathy Team!

Have you had the opportunity to meet Luke yet? Luke Arnold, my darling nephew, has joined The Mary & Cathy Team as our social media director. Luke is really livening things up on the team and we are having a lot of fun learning about reels, TikTok, and other social media outlets. Luke is learning a lot about real estate and I suspect will be the social media director AND a real estate agent sometime soon! Pretty exciting stuff! Click here to learn more about Luke!