Real Estate Information Archive

BEAUTIFULLY APPOINTED ROOMS! Spectacular 3000+ sq ft home only 3 yrs young! Features lg kitchen w/42" cabinets, pantry & slider to deck overlooking lg yard backing to woods. Formal LR w/hdwd floors, main level famrm. Upper level "loft" makes a great 2nd famrm. Mstr bdrm w/hdwd floor, walk in closet & full bath. Fully finished bsmt w/huge rec room, 4th bdrm & another full bath. Shows beautifully! New St Charles HS district. See more interior photos of this home!

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CLOSE TO EVERYTHING!!Plenty of space in this 4 bdrm Cape Cod. Laminate flooring on main level. Living room w/bay window & built-in book shelves. kitchen w/dining area has large pantry & French doors that lead to patio & large fenced backyard. Two nice size bedrooms on the upper level with ceramic tile bathroom. Master bath has jetted tub, separate shower & skylight. Needs some work but TONS of potential!! Make it your own!  See more interior pictures of this one!

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HISTORIC PORT TOBACCO offers the perfect setting for this fully upgraded home, with ample rooms for entertaining family and friends, and a gourmet kitchen that would make any chef in the house proud! It sits just seconds from popular Historic venues, that feature quaint small-town events such as the popular CRMC Wine tasting, scenic bicycle rallies and educational tours. This is a MUST SEE!!

A LIFESTYLE MOST PEOPLE DREAM ABOUT BUT RARELY EXPERIENCE! This upscale Colonial is nestled amongst the trees on 3 acres just off of a scenic country road, popular to bicyclists. It includes water access to the Port Tobacco River, making it perfect for the boat or jet ski owner! With multiple levels, and a great room bump-out, spaciousness abounds. It's loaded with upgrades, built-ins & more!!

Click here for more interior photos!

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The title sounds like the start of a riddle, and yet the answer is simple and can be complex.

Those of us (agents) that have been in the real estate industry for a long time all know each other.  We grew up together, attended high school and college together, our kids play together, we are friends, family, roommates, and in some cases spouses that work for different real estate brokerages.  Our local agent network is really not that large.  And we work and learn with each other, daily!

Often we all hear the same question from prospective clients; "What is the difference between real estate brokerages?" or "Why should I go with your company over XYZ National Brokerage?" When it comes down to it, what benefits do consumers have using one brokerage over another? What's the difference?  The difference is "nothing and everything".  Sorry to be so paradoxical about the answer, because it is so simple.  The difference is not in the brokerage. The difference is in the individual agent.

As agents, we choose the place where we are most comfortable hanging our hat, where the work place is inviting, nurturing and productive. I have also known real estate agents who have been affiliated with almost every local real estate brokerage at one time or another.  And the service they provided at one brokerage was no different than the service they provided at another.

It used to be that an agent would choose a brokerage over the tools it offered to make their jobs easier and more manageable, or the quality of in-house training programs. Quite frankly, now, the training is the same, and in some cases, the EXACT same. Just today I attended a class sponsored by Exit Realty, and have attended classes put on by Keller Williams, Remax, Century 21 and Coldwell Banker. The Webinar has also changed the playing field, creating an even opportunity for every agent regardless of if they are with a national franchise or an independently owned real estate brokerage.

Sometimes agents choose one company over the other because of the technological support. Again, another area where the Internet has created the same opportunities for all agents to take advantage of.  The same tools are available to every real estate brokerage regardless of if you are with Remax in Maryland or Century 21 in California. They are the same tools with a different label. 

The truth is most real estate brokerages are set up to support the agents, not the consumer.  It is the agent that makes the difference.  If a brokerage offers all kinds of marketing tools and the agent chooses or fails to utilize them, is that the brokerages fault?  Real Estate Agents are independent contractors.  They are a self contained businesses within a franchise name.Ten agents in the same brokerage are going to conduct business in ten different ways.  The important factor here is work ethic, know-how and results.

If you hire an agent with a strong work ethic, who is knowledgeable about their field, and has a track record of success, it does not matter if they are with Keller Williams Realty, Remax, Century 21 or any of the thousands of franchises, or if they have their own brand. 

Word of mouth used to be a popular method for finding a good quality agent. In Today's technology-driven world, it is fairly easy to identify who the hard-working, successful agents are.  And savvy home buyers and sellers will tell you, they "take to the net" and find out what other home buyers and sellers experiences are like by looking through feedback sites like Trulia, Zillow, Google, Yelp, Facebook,RateABIZ and dozens of others. Check out the testimonials.   No longer can an agent hide from a dissatisfied client, and likewise, when a real estate transaction has gone especially well, consumers will let you know.

The difference is as unique as the individual agent. 

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Don DeHanas, Broker of DeHanas Real Estate Services in Waldorf introduced Kris Zaccarelli as the newest member of the DeHanas Team.  “I am proud and pleased that Kris has joined us.” Says DeHanas.  “Our families have known each other for years. Kris’ husband Dominic and my brother played football together in high school. The Zaccarelli’s have played a big part in the community and in the Charles County Public School system, and Kris brings the same enthusiasm to real estate that has made her successful in her previous 25 year career.”  Zaccarelli says, “I decided to affiliate with DeHanas Real Estate because of the family atmosphere, and professional work environment. DeHanas has an excellent reputation in the community, and I am excited to join them.”

Kris is a Southern Maryland native growing up in La Plata, and then raising her own family in the same location. She is a charismatic wife, loving mother of three- and wonderful “Grammy” to her sweet granddaughter. She is ecstatic to begin her Realtor career after 25 years serving families all over Southern Maryland in her daycare business. She enjoys getting to know a family and doing everything she can to meet their needs. She looks forward to making the home buying process an exciting one. As a local Kris is able to provide excellent information on the different areas of Southern Maryland and can help match families to homes based on their expectations.  Let Kris help you find the perfect home for you and your loved ones

DeHanas Real Estate Services is owned by Rachel DeHanas and her son Don. They have been helping families move to and from Southern Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia for more the 15 years, specializing in residential home sales, property management, Bank owned homes, short sales and property investment.

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As a real estate professional, I have found that educating the public is a large part of my business. You may remember the catch-phrase used by The Men’s Warehouse clothing company; “Our best customer is an educated customer.” No truer words have been spoken when it comes to selling residential real estate. When I work with a buyer or seller who is aware of the market conditions, and understands the value of ‘doing things right from the beginning’, there tends to be a much smoother, and gratifying experience for all involved.

So why is it that some homes sit on the market and never sell (and current statistics indicate that 41% of the homes on the market in Southern Maryland will not sell), while others sell in a relatively short period of time? Two reasons; “sellability” and “Pricing”. When you make improvements to a home, like replacing the carpeting, freshening up the paint and sprucing up the landscaping, you are adding to the sellability, not to be confused with “Value”. The afore mentioned improvements do not create value. The second reason is “price”, and the biggest reason homes do not sell.

There is a common misconception about the difference between a Comparative Market Analysis, commonly known as a CMA, usually prepared by a licensed real estate agent, and an appraisal, which must be compiled by a licensed appraiser. Unfortunately, sellers will often times confuse market value with market price, which prompts unrealistic expectations of what their home will sell for.

Keeping in mind that ‘a home is worth only what a buyer is willing to pay for it’, it stands to reason that when supply outweighs demand there is more to chose from, putting pressure on pricing, and thus creating a buyers market. Maryland real estate cannot be lumped, as a whole, into one category.  There are parts of it that are experiencing significant price pressure, while other areas, like Southern Maryland are seeing flat to only slightly negative appreciation.

The secret to pricing a home that will sell (here is the real tell-all) is to price it 2%-5% in front of the market comparisons in the direction of the trend.  In an up trending market, you would price a home higher than the last home sold for, while in a down trending market, a home should be priced slightly lower that the last group of comparisons sold for.  In Charles County, for example, recent home-sale statistics show the average ‘sold’ price was –1.44% over homes sold a year ago. If you want to sell your home under the current conditions, you would price it about 2% below the CMA recommended price for your property.

Often I will hear a seller say that “it appraised for more”…….And here is the reason for confusion; there are a number of reasons a seller will get an appraisal. It could be for a home equity line, a refi, a bridge loan, or an appraisal of resale. Each of these appraisals is compiled for different reasons, and is merely supporting documentation that is required by the bank to justify the loan they have made to the homeowner. It is not uncommon at all for three different appraisals to have three different values. Also, the typical comparison appraisal only uses 3 comparables, while a CMA generated by a real estate agent uses all of the comparables within the neighborhood, providing a larger picture of the market trend. Also, the information in a CMA and an appraisal is only good for 30 days. Don’t rely on the pricing opinion you received 3 months earlier, as it will have changed.

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