A Friday Five Hundred That Isn’t Pending is Hard to Find, Notes Karen Eubank

This home at 517 Clermont is already pending. Why we love it: Hot Hollywood Heights neighborhood. Everyone loves a Tudor. Great interior.

Every week I troll Realtor.com and NTREIS, where current listings are posted in the MLS, and look for great homes. Before you pull out the tiny violin, let me tell you something — you already know there’s low inventory for buyers.

Guess what? That means there’s low inventory for writers. Our market is so hot that the houses are going to “pending” or “active option” before we can write them up. This week alone, five different homes up for consideration went pending before we could hit the “publish” button. You need a home for Friday so you pull the research on Wednesday, but it goes to pending on Thursday. So now you pull your copy and start over.

I’ve started over five times this week. See the homes that were so hot that they never even made it to the press!

This stunner at 11003 Fernald is Active Option. Why we love it: Gorgeous open bright space beautifully laid out and it showcases how to open up a ranch the right way.

You may wonder how we choose homes for the blog. They fit into categories. The “Tuesday Two Hundred,” for example, is always a home between $200,000 and $299,999. Sometimes we write about a home because it has an unusual feature, like an indoor pool or a virtual golf room or a chicken coop. We love chicken coops.

We write about things we want to read because we think those are the things that will interest our readers. There are some other considerations, of course. Homes absolutely must be professionally photographed. They must look good, and by that I mean someone has to have taken the time and effort to clean the property, arrange the furniture, and pack personal stuff away. It does not have to be professionally staged, it just needs to look great. Furnished homes are always more interesting to write about, and to read about, than vacant homes.

This beauty at 5823 Morningside is also Pending. Why we love it: M Streets home with great remodeling and stylish decor.

Sometimes we get a little jaded. However, we absolutely go bonkers over great houses, with emails flying back and forth discussing how adorable a cottage is or what cool midcentury modern just hit the market. We truly love houses at CandysDirt.com, and we get very excited about great homes.

This sleek home at 4623 Westside Drive is now Sold. Why we love it: Highland Park perfect home for young couple. Light, bright, and stylish.

There are thousands of homes on NTREIS. Most of them are just are not “blog worthy.” Our job is to enlighten, entertain, and educate.

So our Friday Four or Five Hundred is pending, has already gone to active option, or has sold.  We’re absolutely thrilled. It means you guys are buying and selling like crazy, and that’s the whole point.

The cool home at 6435 Velasco is also Pending. Why we love it: OMG that kitchen!