It's 2025!

It's halfway thru January and Happy New Year-ing has gotten old, so let's just say "It's 2025" (for better or worse!)

It's dang frigid outside and we Washingtonians are bracing for more cold weather plus some pretty unpredictable changes coming down the pike. The inauguration barriers are going up, traffic is increasing, and we have an influx of out of town visitors.

Feel like you want to curl up under the covers and hide? So do we - we're not judging! But we've weathered it before, and we shall again, so when you're all finished with that, may we suggest that you do some things to make you happy? Plan a trip or visit, take a brisk walk in the cold, join a friend (or one of us!) for a coffee or a hot toddy, cook and share a comfort meal, or pet your dog for some oxytocin. Making plans, especially with friends and family, boosts motivation, purpose, and goals.

Speaking of goals, if you are dreaming of making a move, call us to help you plan it! Here's to 2025 and the special connections that create a sense of community, and the joy of finding that place you love to call home.

~ jeanne phil meg alex annie and christine

Real Estate in the News

Compass to acquire @properties, Christie's International Real Estate

The $444 million deal brings the 8th-largest brokerage firm into the Compass fold and represents the brokerage giant’s first major move into the global market.

Courtesy of Real Estate News

Why People Moved

The U.S. Census recently published several new data releases pertaining to housing. This chart reviews why, where and who moved in 2023. What's your reason?

Source: US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2023 Social and Economic Supplement, Geographic Mobility, Table 13. Published 12/2024

Pending Home Sales Rise for Fourth Straight Month

Pending Home Sales, which are signed contracts on existing homes, rose 2.2% from October to November 2024 per the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The index reached its highest level since February 2023 as sales were also 6.9% higher than they were a year earlier.

What's the bottom line? NAR's Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, noted that "consumers appeared to have recalibrated expectations regarding mortgage rates and are taking advantage of more available inventory." Yun added that, "Mortgage rates have averaged above 6% for the past 24 months. Buyers are no longer waiting for or expecting mortgage rates to fall substantially. Furthermore, buyers are in a better position to negotiate as the market shifts away from a seller's market." 

Source: National Association of Realtors® (NAR)

Team News

January 18, 2025 6-10 PM

13th ANNUAL BILLY BASH BENEFITTING HORTON'S KIDS

Join JPM Partner Meg Shapiro with family and friends for the party of the season at Crystal City Sports Club in Arlington, honoring the spirit of her late brother Billy Mitchell. All proceeds go to Horton's Kids, an organization which focuses on education and family support for underserved kids in SE DC. Over the last decade plus, we've been able to raise over $100,000 for HK!

Tickets and donation info HERE.

February 7, 2025 5-7 PM

JPM First Friday Happy Hour and COMPASS-versary! 🥂🍾

Jeanne, Phil, Meg, & Alex are Founding Agents of COMPASS' first expansion from NYC in 2015. Help us celebrate our 10 year COMPASS-versary this Feb, as we kick off 2025 with our FIRST First Friday Happy Hour at Maketto! We can't wait to hear about your 2025 plans and we hope these fun, regular gatherings will keep us all connected this year.

Maketto

1351 H St NE

WDC 20002

Eliot-Hine Swimmers: Take your mark!

JPM Partner and Coach Phil Guire and the Eliot-Hine Middle School Swim Team are back and flipturning right into another swim season with regular practices and will butterfly kickoff their season in the beginning of February with their first meet! The 65-member team has students of all experience levels. Best of luck for a successful season to this pool of talented swimmers!

Local Happenings

NOW THRU February 28

Kick those Xmas Trees to the Curb!

Out with the old!

The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) will collect holiday trees and greenery January 2- Febrary 28, 2025.

Click HERE to learn more!

mid-january 2025

RFK Stadium Demo

What will replace RFK is still a hot topic for DC residents (logging that our Team dreams of more tennis, pickleball, pools, dog parks, and bike paths.) Demo was set to begin Jan 13, so the famous rocking stands and peeling paint will soon be a distant nastalgic memory for DC natives.

Click HERE to learn more!

January 20th

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The nation's capital presents unique opportunities to reflect on the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Walk along his moving memorial along the Tidal Basin, visit the site of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, see photos and artifacts at the National Museum of African American History and Culture or attend an event such as the Peace Walk and Parade.

More Info HERE!

January 24th

Meet DC's New Pandas

The National Zoo's newest residents, Bao Li and Qing Bao, will be ready for their public debut on January 24th! The zoo's Giant Panda Cam will also return on the 24th.

Click HERE to learn more!

January 27 - February 2

DMV Winter

Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week is back, just in time to cure the Winter Blues! Enjoy deals at some of the most famed and acclaimed restaurants across the DMV.

Click HERE to learn more

All Winter Long

8 Great Wintery Hikes

Are you feeling the cabin fever this winter? Bundle up and explore some of our local hiking and walking trails in Northern Virginia.

Click HERE for a list of local hikes this winter!

Lifestyle Tips and Tricks

10 Tips for Finding the Right Place to Retire

You can live anywhere you want in retirement. So where should you go?

Courtesy of U.S. News

2025 Color Collection of the Year

Live a lifestyle that is trendless by designing a home that is timeless with hues from this cultured Collection...

Courtesy of HGTV

Sell Your House During the Winter Sweet Spot

A lot of people assume spring is the ideal time to sell a house. And sure, buyer demand usually picks up at that time of year. But here’s the catch: so does your competition because a lot of people put their homes on the market at the same time...

Courtesy of Keeping Current Matters

Why Use Private Exclusive?

How can Private Exclusive Listings be great for Sellers?

“Days on market” and “public price drops” are value killers for Sellers. Often, listing a property for a period in our COMPASS Private Exclusive platform is a great way to pre-market listings, receive pricing feedback from other COMPASS agents, and generate excitement for a property while Sellers are prepping their property for a full public listing. Sometimes, a COMPASS Buyer Agent may have the perfect Buyer match who makes an early offer on a property in PX, but even if the magic doesn't happen, PX listings do not accumulate days on market or show price history, so Sellers can hit the public market in MLS fully informed and generate the most interest, once they are ready.

How can Private Exclusives help our Buyers?

There is an exciting amount of inventory coming on the market in upcoming weeks and months! We might know of a home that Sellers choose to market privately rather than on the MLS, or are open to showing early to our vetted COMPASS Buyers. We are happy to discuss this opportunity with you and your friends and family!

Find out more HERE!

Collections

Collections is a tool we use to share a curated, visually-pleasing group of listings with our clients. Every month we set up new public listings as a collection so we keep our clients up to date on any new listings that have popped up. Check them out below and CALL US to discuss how we can help you find the home of your dreams!

Featured Listings

Capitol Hill - Private Exclusive

1131-1133 G Street Northeast

3 BD 2 BA 1600 SF $950,000

Trinidad - Private Exclusive

1200 Staples Street Northeast, Unit 1

2 BD 2 BA 1492 SF $569,000

Capitol Hill - sold

410 5th St NE, Unit 14

2 BD 2 BA approx 1203 SF $788,500

The Jeanne Phil Meg Team at Compass

jeannephilmeg@compass.com

jeanne harrison: (202) 841-7717

phil guire: (202) 255-8401

meg shapiro: (202) 329-4068

alex schindlbeck: (202) 699-0141

annie richardson: (202) 740-5084

christine o'reilly, team manager

office: (202) 545-6900