5.28.2012

Coho Cottage for Sale

This LEED Platinum 3 bedroom/2 bathroom 1,271 sqft Cottage with detached garage is now for sale for $329K. It's a beautiful home with stunning hardwood floors and natural light, located in a quiet corner of Pringle Creek Community. If you are interested in learning more, let us know, we are happy to show you around!



Greenroofs in full bloom

It's that time of year again when the greenroofs at Pringle Creek burst to life. This year we saw the new arrival of several camas lilies (which apparently take two years to mature and bloom). Bulbs such as these, and others (fawn lily, onion and other alliums) really thrive up here -- they can tolerate wet feet and a dry dormant summer. Below is the view outside our bedroom window! We've seen all sorts of birds and bumblebees, and it is way more interesting that looking out over a regular metal or flat roof, in addition to the fact that this roof type lasts longer (shielded from UV light) and provides a big environmental benefit (acts like a giant sponge) reducing impact on the watershed.


Yes, this is a rooftop garden.....

Walkable Communities & Property Value

Wondering what kinds of properties will hold value in the future?
From the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/opinion/sunday/now-coveted-a-walkable-convenient-place.html


May 25, 2012
Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place

By CHRISTOPHER B. LEINBERGER

WALKING isn’t just good for you. It has become an indicator of your socioeconomic status.

Until the 1990s, exclusive suburban homes that were accessible only by car cost more, per square foot, than other kinds of American housing. Now, however, these suburbs have become overbuilt, and housing values have fallen. Today, the most valuable real estate lies in walkable urban locations. Many of these now pricey places were slums just 30 years ago.

Mariela Alfonzo and I just released a Brookings Institution study that measures values of commercial and residential real estate in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, which includes the surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. Our research shows that real estate values increase as neighborhoods became more walkable, where everyday needs, including working, can