I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season spent with those you hold dear. As we welcome a new year, I think it's only fitting to take a look back at how the market performed in 2018, as well as look forward to what 2019 has in store for us. Plus some tips to make the most of the winter season in the DC area. Enjoy—I look forward to catching up soon!
Your Market Snapshot
Total sales volume for 2018 has declined by 2% in DC, 1.5% in Northern Virginia, and 1.7% in Montgomery County compared to 2017 figures. Average days on market also dropped year-over-year across the DMV—from 45 to 43 in DC, 60 to 53 in Northern Virginia, and 55 to 49 in Montgomery County. At the same time, median prices climbed by 1.8% in DC, 1.7% in Northern Virginia, and 2.5% in Montgomery County compared to the prior year.
(Data courtesy of BrokerMetrics)
Local Happenings
20 People, Phenomena and Trends to Watch in Washington in 2019
Interested to look into the glass ball and see what predictions are being made for our area for 2019? From real estate to cashless retail, 2019 is setting up to be a year to watch!
Mapping Out Your January Adventures
From Caps games, to restaurant week, to ice skating rinks galore, there's never been a better time to embrace the winter season like never before.
Marc's January Restaurant Recommendation
Another success story from Fabio Trabocchi, best known for his Italian gifts to the city — but none more seductive than Del Mar. Consider the maritime name a prompt to try diced raw tuna on clear tomato jelly garnished with tiny sea beans. Or a crock of shrimp that arrives in a haze of garlic and chiles. Definitely slide a spoon into paella stained black with squid ink and decked out with wild calamari, smoky from the grill. Really, though, almost everything that exits the open kitchen deserves applause, be it house-baked bread slathered with striking-red crushed tomatoes, creamy golden fritters capped with stamps of Iberico ham or a wedge of tender potato omelet ringed with dots of saffron aioli. Trabocchi and his wife and business partner, Maria, populate the restaurant with some of the sharpest waiters in town, offer the most beautiful private rooms and tend to guests’ comfort with niceties such as pashmina shawls in cold weather.
Marc's January Wine Recommendation
The 2014 Ripa Delle More Toscana IGT was awarded 91pts by Robert Parker: "From the Greve in Chianti sub zone, the 2014 Ripa delle More is an elegant and deeply attractive wine. The bouquet offers territorial typicity with tangy berry and the sassy spiciness you often get in Tuscan wines. The effect is lovely with warmer notes of earth, tobacco and leather on the finish."The Wine Estate has great historical significance. The Castello is found in the archives of Leonardo da Vinci, who was a guest of the estate when he painted the Mona Lisa.
Your Home Reimagined
"I'm going to make everything around me beautiful - that will be my life."
~Elsie De Wolfe
The Design Trends That Are In and Out in 2019
Oh, the joys of the new year. January 1st has become our opportunity for a reboot, and arbitrary as it may be (why not July 12th?), it's an opportunity to leave behind what's bad and embrace what's new and good. Here's what trends are big on the home front this year - and which ones have overstayed their welcome.
Elle Decor's Most Popular Images of 2018
It's no surprise that Instagram followers love good design, but over the course of 2018 they showed us what exactly what excites them the most. See the colors, trends and rooms that defined the year.
The Bathroom Trends to Keep on Your Radar in 2019.
A great way to celebrate the start of the new year is with simple renovations that go the distance. Before you begin sprucing up your home, consider the spaces that you use the most. Take a look at these insights from some of our go-to designers on the bathroom trends that are worth your attention in 2019.
