I went to an interesting real estate panel at the Washington Post yesterday. The goal was to look at the housing trends in DC and the surrounding area. One interesting point raised by Paolo Verrone (Broker Weichert Realtors DC) was that all sectors of the District (and touching neighborhoods) are seeing some very interesting real estate projects  being green lighted, leading to increased interest from buyers. This struck me as being right on the money and if we think about the projects being started in Bethesda and Norh Bethesda, we can see how our little town is bolstering this area wise positive feeling about growth and development.

More thoughts to follow on this later…..

Stephanie Coppula, a spokeswoman for the Bethesda Urban Partnership, a nonprofit that handles landscaping, maintenance and marketing of downtown. “It seems to be exactly what’s needed,” Hartman said. “The fact that they have a signed hotel is such a good sign for the economy and such a good sign for Bethesda.” County planners are seeing more projects in Bethesda, Krasnow said. “We are definitely seeing a flurry of activity right now,” she said. “Developers see a lot of opportunity for hotel and apartments.”

The whole article is certainly worth a read!

We are going to try something new on the real estate side of the site. Each week we will showcase one Open House that you may want to visit. Please feel free to email us with suggestions over the course of the week!

First up is an Open House that I will be holding in the Brookmont neighborhood this Sunday (April 17th) from 1-4pm.

The house itself is wonderful — it is a traditional home with a contempory addition. It has 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, slate and wood floors and the most wonderful views of High Island, the Potomac and the C&O canal.

As for the community itself, well Brookmont is fabulous and is a bit of a hidden gem in the Bethesda area. The WP ran a nice feature on it some years ago (see here) that started with this wonderful line: 

“Living in the Brookmont neighborhood of Bethesda and not kayaking, Bill Guerry often says, is like living in Aspen, Colo., and not knowing how to ski.”

And this portion of the article will give you a flavor of the area:

While front and back yards are small, the public space is vast. Because the neighborhood has only a single way to enter and leave, the streets are free from traffic. They are taken over instead by dog-walkers, cyclists, parents or nannies with children.

Along with the nearby C&O Canal towpath and Crescent biking trail, the neighborhood has its own playground and open field at one end, which is run by Montgomery County. A tree-lined grassy median runs the length of Broad Street, serving as front yard for the houses on that street and as a greenway for children to run from one end of the neighborhood to the other. The “Village Green” is also where many neighborhood-wide events are staged.

So if you have a little time free on Sunday to come and look at a delighful property in a super part of Bethesda, or if you or a friend or family member is looking for a new place to call home, please visit me at my Open House and please mention you saw this invite on Bethesda Actually! 

PS And do not hesitate to be in contact if I can help you with any real estate matters!

Cheers, Raj (2404863921 or rajlaw@yahoo.com)

Raj Purohit Weichert Realtors Bethesda

7200 Wisconsin Ave Bethesda MD 20814

(301)656-2500 (main)

(240)486-3921 (direct/cell)

Equal Housing Opportunity

“They just took the person past us. Still alive but not in good shape.:(“

Let’s hope that the accident victim pulls through…..

The metro at Bethesda is being single tracked this morning because a passenger has been hurt after falling on the tracks (according to people at the scene). Our thoughts go out to the victim.

Which one will you be visiting this week?

In a shocking shift in this tragic case the surviving “victim” has now been charged with murder:

Store employee Brittany Norwood, 27, was discovered tied and beaten alongside the body of Jayna Murray, 30, who was killed last Friday at the high-end athletic boutique where she worked, police said.

Montgomery County Police now allege that Norwood killed Murray and inflicted wounds on herself to appear as though she were a victim.

This is obviously an important update…..we will try and bring additional details to you as we get them.