All Blog Posts (6)

BREAKING NEWS! President Bush has signed into law new consumer tax credits for energy efficiency home improvements, as well as purchases of plug-in hybrid vehicles. These provisions were included in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which the president signed on October 3, 2008. The homeowner tax credits are largely the same - but not identical - to those that expired at the end of 2007, and begin again on January 1, 2009. Taxpayers who claimed some but not all of the… Continue

I love YouTube.com and I have to control my myself in wanting to post hundreds of videos that are extremely interesting to me for one reason or another. Where else can you find such a diverse body of work in a format that you can take anywhere, even to your own website or blog. YouTube is accessible to one and all, so that makes no sense. I did come across a video, however, that my readers may have missed and I must post here. It is only five minutes long, but is a stunning exploration of statis… Continue

PBS has produced several wonderful "reality" documentaries about living in the past in America. The one I always think about around Thanksgiving is called "The Colonial House" (website link) produced in 2004, recreating with volunteers, life in America in 1628. The documentary itself is very interesting, but the website is fabulous and highly interactive with many photos & videos.… Continue

I have 2 words to say - wood stove. Being historic home enthusiasts, many of my readers already have wood stoves and are enjoying the benefits of heating without the use of fossil fuels. This makes political sense and economical sense. We installed a Jotul wood stove this year and my family could not be happier. We are not yet deep into winter, but our goal is not to use our oil furnace at all. Nada! That means the several common rooms that benefit from the stove will be comfortable, while the… Continue

There was a time when the unique “one of a kind” nature of a historic home would add value to its appraisal, now I am afraid that era appears to be passing. Though historic homes are rarely subject to distress sales and people traditionally have purchased historic homes as long term residences, not short-term investments, the market of the later in this area may have finally brought the appraisal values of these vintage beauties down. In a real estate market battered by a year of short sales, fo… Continue

The DC EXAMINER is a wonderful publication with a readership of over 500,000. It is a morning staple for K Street, government, Congress & the Pentagon. I am proud to announce that the EXAMINER has featured our listing The Joshua Turner House c.1880 & Merrymount Equestrian Center in its July 4th issue. For those of you who do not have access to the EXAMINER, below is a link to the article. Our listing… Continue