Your Realtor should be able to counsel you accordingly. You should be okay but you must let you lender know so he can prepare the loan accordingly. The gift tax should not be a concern but the loan program you choose could have limits. Your lender will need to "source the funds". Advise your parents that in addition to the gift letter that you will need to show the funds came from their account (bank statement). Get the funds from them as soon as possible to minimize any issues. If you change the funding on the lender, the are required to redisclose the loan terms to you and could affect your closing if its close to the closing date.

Flat tops seem to be preferred by my buyer clients if gas is not available

I think you will find that the schools in Montgomery County are generally better than DC and are highly rated. Two of the best areas for schools on the County are in Potomac and Bethesda. Check out GreatSchools.net for more information.

Home sale contingent offers are difficult to get accepted. You would be better off getting your home under contract and include a home of choice contingency. Once the contingencies are removed on your sale, you could move forward with your new purchase based solely upon the settlement of your home. Better yet, go to settlement and take a rent back from the buyer(s). If you must do a home sale contingent offer, be sure to include the information to show your home should sell in a timely manner. Know the statistics for the community. The sellers would expect your home to be put on the market within days.

@14:21 5.98% increase is year over year.

Both of the homes I have lived in have radon mediation units in them and you likely find that many of your friends homes have them as well. Even if you found a home that tested low, it could test high at a later time. Install the remediation system and have it retested. Visit the EPA.gov site for more information.

I would always suggest obtaining two or three estimates. 20K for a bathroom seems high. As for the addition, it would depend upon the work needed and how expansive of an addition you would be considering. I suggest getting a couple of estimates and weigh the benefits against the cost. If you don't think that the return on investment is good enough, than sell as-is.

You're correct. The only question would be is if you can get more for the house by adding the second bathroom than it may cost and if you personally benefit during the next few years.

A second bathroom is always a benefit to the buyer but more so if it is on the main bedroom level. If your master bedroom is spacious enough, you could consider adding a half bath and than work with a shared shower on the upper level. I would suggest examining the comparable sales to see the difference in selling prices.

Good question. Radon is a naturally occurring gas and can be anywhere. Please visit http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html for more information. If your purchase contract calls for a radon test, the seller may be responsible for the remediation depending upon the structure of your contract. After the remediation unit is installed, they should retest to verify. Read the information from the EPA and you should be more comfortable. There are no radon free zones that I am aware of nor would I ever attest to one as radon levels could increase at any point.