Colleen Barlow, Realtor

08/28/2021

With home prices continuing to deliver double-digit increases, some are concerned we’re in a housing bubble like the one in 2006.

05/09/2021

Funny! Unfortunately close to the truth these days... real estate during Covid. Love the Holderness Family parodies!

05/02/2021

Funny! Eerily similar to reality now in this market...

09/05/2019

Some good tips. I am guilty of not vacuuming my refrigerator coils for ages. Thanks, Michael Francis, for reminding me and helping me with that chore! He also fixed my fridge, because there's a tiny hole in the bottom of the freezer that allows condensation to drip to a tiny pan --- who knew? That hole was clogged, so I had this slow drip that was slowly starting to mar my new hardwood floor. I couldn't figure out why my "no frost" fridge would drip. Michael figured it out and fixed it in no time!

We all make mistakes, but there are definitely ways to avoid errors when you're doing everyday home maintenance. Take a look at this list for at least one 'a-ha' moment!

09/06/2018

Some good advice regarding disposing of the things that have accumulated in your home over the years.

Advice for boomers desperate to unload family heirlooms

08/28/2018

Good advice on how to not get scammed while looking to rental a home. Be safe. https://www.zillow.com/blog/5-tips-to-help-you-avoid-becom
ing-a-rental-scam-victim-31827/

Internet-originating scams are not uncommon. From work-at-home scams to phishing scams to email lottery scams, some are more obvious while others, such as

08/28/2018

New SCAM discovered using ZILLOW... I am a real estate agent (for those who don't know). I have 2 wonderful clients looking to buy or rent in the area. They have been looking at homes using Zillow, in addition to the MLS homes that they receive automated emails about from me. Often homes are listed on Zillow that are no longer available, etc. We went and saw a home last week with a street address of 13905 Grey C**t which was listd to rent for $2800/month. It was a nice home, but they weren't 100% ready to make an offer on that home. Yesterday an ad showed up in Zillow for a home with the same exact pictures and details --- they only thing was the address included an additional "1" -- i.e. 113905 Grey C**t not 13905. The ad said the rental price was reduced to $1500/month and the "Description" paragraph says to contact the agent directly, and lists a phone number. My clients called the number and spoke with a man who told them it was legit. They went to the home to meet with him, intending to give him a 2 month deposit check and sign a lease. Fortunately I heard back from the real agent just minutes before. I had looked it up in the MLS which said the price was still $2800/mo. This morning the real listing agent assured me that the list price was still $2800/month. I call my clients who were then sitting in front of the home at 13905 (thinking the extra "1" in the address on Zillow was just a typo). Another car was also sitting there waiting. WOW! So someone is adding listings to Zillow, duplicating an actual listing, and scamming people out of 2 months rent! Just another thing to watch out for. People pretending to be real estate agents, and putting up false ads on Zillow. What is wrong with these people? It's so immoral!

Here's a good article about it from Zillow:
https://www.zillow.com/blog/5-tips-to-help-you-avoid-becoming-a-rental-scam-victim-31827/

Information about the local real estate market in Montgomery County, MD with and emphasis on Potomac and Bethesda, but also serving Northern Virginia.

05/08/2018

My latest listing at 1404 Stateside Drive in Silver Spring, MD went under contract in less than a week. This is a nicely updated 4 bedroom/3 full bath home on a half acre of land (inside the Beltway!) with a large detached 2 car+ garage in Silver Spring. Close to the future metro stop, bike trails, and all types of stores and restaurants and more. Listed at $410,000, this home truly is an investor's dream. Until we settle, I cannot disclose details of the sale.

If I can help you or a friend buy or sell a home, please call or message me here. My cell phone # is 301-717-1663.
Thanks so much! 🙂