Fresh Finds For March 🍀
Your Guide to the Latest Real Estate Trends and Inspirations!
March Market Overview
In the bustling real estate market of the Washington, D.C. metro area, high prices and increased mortgage rates have not deterred eager buyers. During this first quarter of 2024, we saw a slight decrease in showing activity and new pending sales compared to the previous year, but this dip doesn't signal a drop in demand.
The primary challenge affecting the market continues to be the limited inventory available to prospective homebuyers. Mortgage rates play a significant role in buyers' decisions, with even small fluctuations impacting their purchasing power.
While rates have seen some minor increases recently, the overall trend since fall 2023 has been a decrease, now standing a full percentage point lower than the previous high near 8%.
It's important to note that trying to time the real estate market solely based on mortgage rates, especially small changes, is often ineffective, as life events like starting a family, getting married, or changing jobs are the true drivers behind real estate decisions. Even if you’re thinking of making a move in the months, or even years, to com - let’s connect NOW! Having a plan will set you up for success!
March Home Maintenance Checklist
Inspect Roof: Roof leaks can cause a ton of collateral damage to insulation, ceilings, walls and furnishings. The trick is to identify and fix problems before they lead to leaks — and to recognize ahead of time when you should schedule a roof replacement. Walk around your house with binoculars to check for moss, debris and shingles that are missing or curled.
Deep Clean Your Freezer: March 6th is National Frozen Food Day, first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Yes, it’s silly. But it’s a good reminder to dig deep and rediscover what you’ve stored in the freezer.
Clean All Shower heads: If a shower head is sluggish and no longer sprays evenly, it’s probably clogged with mineral deposits. Soak them away with a solution of half-vinegar, half-water. You might even be able to do this without removing the shower head: Tie and tape a plastic bag filled with the solution around the head, and completely immerse the nozzles. Or unscrew the shower head and soak it in a container filled with enough of the solution to submerge the nozzles. Vinegar is acidic, and with prolonged contact, it can eat into metallic finishes, so don’t soak the shower head for longer than 30 minutes.
Dates To Remember
There are many dates to celebrate in March - the arrival of Spring, Spring Break, St Patricks Day, and more! Here are a few to mark on your calendar:
International Women’s Day, March 8th
National Girl Scout Day, March 12th
St. Patrick’s Day, March 16th
First Day Of Spring, March 19th
Spring Break (Fairfax & Loudoun Counties), March 25th-29th
Easter, March 31st
Hot Home Trend: Colorful Appliances
It’s another way to brighten up an all-white kitchen without paint!
Stainless steel still dominates in kitchen appliances, but manufacturers are daring to dream in different colors. Your choices are growing, from colorful refrigerators and cooktops to coffee makers and mixers. Check it out:
KitchenAid Serves Color: From oven ranges in colors like Yellow Pepper, Misty Blue, Scorched Orange, and Avocado Cream (yes, that color from the 1970s), to mixers and blenders featuring Hibiscus as its Color of the Year (Viva Magenta!). So many ways to easily give your kitchen a pop of color this Spring!
Going Tech-nicolor: At last month’s CES 2024 (Consumer Electronics Show), the tech industry’s flagship trade show, Samsung showed off a rainbow of color choices for panels on its high-tech refrigerator. Select from options like a navy, light pink or artistic, wallpaper-like panel doors. LG’s MoodUp refrigerator has more than 190,000 color combinations to choose from that “let your mood dictate the vibe your refrigerator gives off,” the company notes. The refrigerator’s colors can be controlled from your smartphone. You can even sync the refrigerator to music so it “dances” in a ray of colors.
What do you think? Let us know if you give your kitchen a refresh with some new colorful accessories, or if you make the investment with some hi-tech colorful appliances!
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