Catarina Bannier

Catarina is a transplant from Berlin, Germany. Born and raised in the shadow of the Wall, she has always felt a keen sense of history and its impact on everyday life. Urban housing and style have fascinated her since the day right out of high school when she negotiated her first real estate transaction: the successful lease of a rent-controlled old Berlin apartment that had been abandoned on purpose. Today, she takes a similar stand on behalf her clients.

Catarina’s first career was in print journalism, as a reporter and editor a large newspaper. After moving to DC in the 1990s, and buying her first home she became fascinated with real estate. She has been a full-time licensed Realtor and consultant the past 15 years, and joined forced with Marcie Sandalow to build a full-service team in 2011.

As a contributor to several real estate blogs, including the Washington Post, Catarina has been able to join her old passion with the new one—helping sellers and buyers maneuver the intricacies of the local market. Her special expertise has been in house history, specifically the DC area’s historic kit houses. As a collaborator with several historical societies, most recently HCCDC in Chevy Chase, she has helped authenticate DC’s unique inventory of these homes and has been interviewed as an expert by WTOP, the Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Catarina lives right on the District line with her husband, willful cat and teenage kids. She speaks—of course!—German in addition to English and has welcomed many international newcomers among her clients.