Last night as I was driving my daughter to basketball practice she asked me if the high school she will attend is a good one. What she really wanted to know was how it measured up against some other local high schools where her teammates will attend.

In late January/early February I took an informal poll in my office and asked all of the agents what they were experiencing so far in 2014. There was an overwhelming feeling that we were already in a full blown spring market. As snow continued to fall throughout February I began to feel that the momentum was lost.

Guest Blogger Kevin Dunn of First Portfolio Lending explains how buying a home in Washington, DC has never been more affordable thanks to a new program from the DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) called “DC Open Doors”.

You may have read a post I wrote in May of 2013 titled “Maryland Residents Excluded From Real Estate Investment Opportunities”. I was pretty upset that DC and Virginia residents were able to participate, but Maryland residents were not. I contacted FundRise and several of my state representatives to find out why I couldn’t invest.

It would only cost $100 per share to participate in a DC real estate venture and it seemed like a great way to get involved with very little up-front investment. I decided to buy two shares, one for each of my daughters, and pressed the button to invest. Sadly, they will not allow Maryland residents to participate.