Continued from Page 18 prices) and areas of concern (anemic sales figures). But the full story won’t be known until January rolls around and the final figures are in. 2012: Presidential politics dominates the year, and voters in November return Barack Obama with a decisive but not overwhelming victory. Republicans lose seats in Congress. Economic conditions remain soft, while questions remain about the amount of U.S. debt. The Redskins rebound in the second half of the year to reach the playoffs, while the Nationals also have a good season. Whitney Houston, Neil Armstrong, Dick Clark and Andy Griffith were among those who died during the year, while Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian dominated gossip sites. “Honey BooBoo” became famous through cable TV. The Northern Virginia real estate market showed a rebound both in total sales (up 11.6 percent from a year before) and average sales price (up 4.4 percent and again over the half-milliondollar mark). 2013: The stock market rebounded, unemployment receded a bit and more people were questioning why the rich got richer while everyone else didn’t
during the economic rebound. President Obama’s approval ratings declined, in part to a botched rollout of his health-care package, but Republicans didn’t benefit much. A partial shutdown of the federal government served to reinforce the view of many that the nation’s leaders seemed to either not know, or not care, what they were doing. The travails of the Washington Redskins took center stage for much of the fall, with the team posting a lousy record and coach Mike Shanahan sent packing with a going-away gift of millions of dollars. Virginians reversed course, electing Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor – but Republicans kept their tight grip on control of the House of Delegates.
Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Tom Clancy, James Gandolfini and Eydie Gorme were among those who left us. The local real estate market continued its rebound, with average prices in the inner suburbs of Northern Virginia setting a record at $540,043 and the number of sales surpassing the 20,000 mark for the first time since 2006. 2014: The search for a missing Malaysian airliner captivated cable-TV viewers during the year, and ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine led to a Malaysian aircraft being shot out of the sky. Racial tensions ranged from a police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., to the remarks that cost an NBA owner his franchise. The economy seemed to be
in two-steps-forward-one-back mode, while the potential that the Ebola virus might impact the U.S. was on the minds of many. Republicans cleaned up in the midterm elections, and prospective candidates for the 2016 presidential election started their preparations. Among those who left our midst during the year: Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, Marion Barry Jr., Shirley Temple Black and Mickey Rooney. It was a relatively soft year for local real estate, with the Northern Virginia market posting year-over-year declines every month but December, when it rebounded with a double-digit increase. With 18,696 sales, the market was down 8.2 percent from a year before, but the average price rose to a record $552,139.
January 22, 2015
Looking Back at 40 Years of N.Va. Real Estate
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Eileen Summers 703.244.3190 Karen Washburn 703.598.2841 Twee Ramos 703.217.0200
Temperature Continued from Page 13
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to be comfortable. What you don’t want are extremes. A house should feel like your house should feel if you lived in it.” John McNamara, TTR Sotheby’s: “The home needs to be warm, a minimum of 68 to 70 degrees when a buyer walks through in the winter. A cold home can be a mindset and a turnoff. It’s the same in the summer for the upstairs if a house is hot. You want a house set at 70 to 74 in the summer. The upstairs can be cooled by adjusting the vents.” Steve Wydler, Long & Foster: “I always tell my listing clients to keep it at a comfortable level. In the winter you can have it a little cooler and in the summer a little bit warmer. You want to make a property a pleasant environment for the buyers to tour.” Casey Margenau, Re/Max Distinctive: “If a house is occupied, the temperature is whatever the occupant feels comfortable with. If it’s vacant, you need to control the temperature to protect the wood products and keep the moulding from cracking. Too cold and too hot will damage the property. But no one is not going to buy a house if the temperature is two degrees off what they like.” Terry Belt, Keller Williams: “I always recommend that the thermostat be set and kept to whatever temperature will provide a comfortable feeling for the season, where one does not need to put on or take off clothing to remain comfortably warm in the fall/winter and cool in the spring/summer. Not all thermostats and HVAC systems work the same – a 72-degree setting in one home could feel like 68 degrees in another. So whatever temperature in a particular home will achieve the comfort objective.”
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