Carol Kennedy Realtor

06/02/2026

Renting your home to “wait out the market” can trigger a tax bill most sellers never see coming. Here’s the part that rarely comes up until it’s too late.
When a primary residence becomes a rental, two things start moving. The capital-gains exclusion — up to $250K single, $500K married — depends on having lived there 2 of the last 5 years. Rent past that window and it can disappear. And once a home is a rental, depreciation recapture can follow you all the way to the closing table.
None of this means renting is the wrong call. For some owners, it’s exactly right. But “waiting for the market” is only a winning move if the appreciation you’re hoping for outpaces what it costs to hold the property in the meantime.
Before you renew that lease, run the real numbers. (Your CPA can confirm the tax specifics for your situation.)
If you’d like a clear picture of what your options actually look like, I’m glad to help you build one.
— Carol

05/27/2026

Most sellers focus on getting an offer. The smart ones focus on keeping it. The Active Under Contract status requirement means every accepted offer — and every fallen one — becomes part of your listing’s public record. That changes how buyers see your home if you end up back on the market.
The right offer isn’t always the highest one. It’s the one most likely to close.
DM me if you want to talk through what that looks like for your home.

05/21/2026

Paint is not the most glamorous upgrade —but it’s the one buyers feel the moment they walk in. A flawless finish says this home has been loved. That perception is worth real money at closing.

05/20/2026

Most people don’t know what they’ll actually walk away with until they’re sitting at the closing table. I think you deserve an estimate of that number upfront. Every seller I work with receives a Seller Net Sheet before any decisions are made — because selling your home is a financial decision, and you should have the full picture first. Selling in DC or Virginia? Let’s talk. DM me or visit sellwithkennedy.com

05/18/2026

The waterfront hasn’t changed. The market has.
Is your Old Town home priced for 2026?
If you’ve been thinking about your timing — the data for Alexandria right now is worth seeing. I’m happy to share it.
Carol Kennedy | Luxury Real Estate | eXp Realty 📩 DM me or visit the link in bio.

05/15/2026

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱-à-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 $𝟱𝗠+.

Washington DC has been doing a version of this since 2011.

Here's what DC's vacant and blighted property tax actually looks like — and why it matters to anyone buying, selling, or holding property here:
Two classifications. Two tax rates.
🏚️ Vacant (Class 3) — A building that isn't continuously occupied. Currently taxed at $5 per $100 of assessed value. That's roughly 10x the standard residential rate.
🔴 Blighted (Class 4) — A vacant building that also threatens health, safety, or community welfare. Taxed at $10 per $100 of assessed value.

What just changed:
DC passed new legislation in 2025 that takes effect in tax year 2027. The rates become escalating — starting lower but increasing each year a property stays vacant, maxing out at the same 5% and 10% rates. The goal is to push owners to act sooner rather than later.

There's also a new appeals process, expanded exemption timelines (up to 5 years in a 12-year window), and expedited permitting for registered vacant properties.

What this means for sellers:
If you're between tenants, in the middle of a renovation, or have a property sitting while you decide what to do — exemptions exist. But they have deadlines, and they require active management.

This is the kind of policy detail that separates informed sellers from reactive ones.
Questions about how your DC property is classified? DM me.

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱𝘆 | 𝗲𝗫𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
(202)747-6060
[email protected]
📍 Washington DC | Northern Virginia - Hunt Country

05/15/2026

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

New York just reached a deal on a pied-à-terre tax. Rhode Island has its "Taylor Swift Tax" on high-value non-primary residences. San Diego voters are weighing an $8,000 flat fee on vacant second homes this June. At least eight states now have active or proposed second-home taxes — with more on the way.

For owners in markets like DC, Northern Virginia, and the surrounding region, this isn't just a New York story. It's a preview.

What's worth knowing:
→ The taxes take four different forms — higher property tax rates, surcharges, vacancy fees, and transfer taxes. Each triggers differently.

→ Even the Comptroller's Office in New York flagged that behavioral responses could reduce projected revenue by 32%. Translation: sophisticated owners are already repositioning.

→ The states implementing these taxes are among the most affordability-stressed in the nation. That pressure isn't going away.

For clients who own vacation homes or investment properties, the question isn't whether this trend will reach your market. It's whether you have the right strategy in place before it does.

I work with owners across the DMV who are navigating exactly these decisions — whether that means repositioning an asset, timing a sale strategically, or simply understanding what's coming.

Happy to have a confidential conversation if it's useful.
📩 [email protected] | 202-747-6060

As the housing affordability crisis continues to squeeze middle-class Americans, state and local lawmakers are increasingly looking toward a visible symbol of wealth to bridge budget gaps: the second home. Often referred to as a "pied-à-terre" tax (French for "foot on the ground"), these levies tar...

05/14/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁.

I don't do open houses for luxury properties. I do qualified showings — by appointment, by verification, by design.

If your home is worth protecting, your selling process should reflect that.

DM me. Let's talk about what a private sale strategy looks like for your property

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱𝘆 | 𝗲𝗫𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
(202)747-6060
[email protected]

📍 Washington DC | Northern Virginia - Hunt Country

05/14/2026

The housing market has a new power player — and it’s not who you think.

Baby boomers now account for 42% of home buyers and 55% of all sellers, according to a new NAR report — surpassing millennials as the largest buyer group for the first time.

And many of them are coming to the table with cash.

Decades of accumulated home equity have given boomer buyers the ability to sidestep today’s elevated interest rates entirely.

No financing contingencies.

No rate lock anxiety.

No deal falling apart at the last minute because a lender got cold feet.

For home sellers, that matters.

First-time buyers — who often need every dollar of financing to make a purchase work — have dropped to just 21% of the market, the lowest share in over 40 years. The buyer pool has shifted toward people who are financially ready to move and motivated to do it on their timeline.

The market isn’t slowing down. It’s just trading hands between a different generation of buyers — ones with the equity and flexibility to close with confidence.

If you’re thinking about selling, this is the market you’re selling into

The American housing market is undergoing a historic demographic shift. According to the latest generational trends report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Baby Boomers have officially reclaimed their title as the largest group of homebuyers in the United States, effectively sidelini