“a true force to be reckoned with.”
— Kathy, recent client
Half real estate.
Half awesome sh*t.
We believe that the real estate market can be crazy, and intimidating enough as it is.
So why make buying or selling a home even more unpleasant by poring over boring inspo images, researching with confusing articles, and working with an apathetic agent who doesn’t truly listen to you?
Instead, The RARE is about doing this real estate thang differently. We nerd out on cool spaces of all kinds, and love sharing what inspires us with our community of real estate junkies. And when it comes to buying and selling a home of your own, we pride ourselves on being just as knowledgeable as we are quirky. (But if you’re into numbers, we’ve already achieved $120 million+ in sales in neighborhoods all over DC, Virginia, and Maryland in the past 10 years and have a perfect 5/5 review score from past clients. Boom.)
So, yeah. We’re kinda like your new real estate agent besties. Love you, mean it.
The Faces Behind The RARE
Alison Scimeca
Alison has always had an eye for the unique, cool, and funky – in real estate, and in life. She thinks fashion and design are incredible platforms for self-expression, wears lots of skull jewelry, and has an unhealthy obsession with faux furs. Throughout her career, Alison has always thrived most in relationship-building roles, and she values honesty, authenticity, and clear communication above all else. Before going into real estate, Alison once hatched a plan to save enough money by working 3 jobs… just so she could quit them all and travel around the world by herself for a year. She left with 1 backpack, visited 17 countries, and came back with enough stories to entertain people for a lifetime.
Michael Fowler
Michael is as knowledgeable about real estate as he is fun. Known for his gregarious laugh, you'll just as easily find him dancing at a weekend nightclub, trying a new menu at one of his favorite DC restaurants, showing houses, or designing and staging homes. He knows a thing or two about real estate. He has served on numerous boards and committees for the DC Association of Realtors, where he served on the Board of Directors for several years, and the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors. This has made him a wealth of knowledge and an asset to his clients and teammates. After nearly a decade in real estate, his love of home design led him to complete a degree in Interior Design and Graphic and Media Design from Marymount University. Marrying his love of real estate with interiors, Michael started a new venture, Michael Fowler Creative. His staging and design consulting services have grown quickly and successfully into one of the DC area’s most unique, highly regarded, and effective staging companies.
The Friendship Story
Michael and Alison met over 15 years ago when working in a different industry well before they had partners, dogs, or real estate licenses. What started as a friendly work relationship grew into a friendship as the two realized they had similar interests and crazy loud laughs that didn't scare the other. Michael left that industry to begin his real estate career, and after his first year in real estate, was awarded the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors Rookie of the Year. Alison followed Michael into real estate a few years later, starting her journey at a small boutique brokerage followed by a stint working directly for a local innovative developer, Ditto Residential. What began as a mentor/mentee relationship at the start grew into a true partnership when they first joined forces in 2018. They’ve already hit the pinnacle of work titles with one another: work wife and work husband, and have started their adventure to dominate the real estate world soup to nuts from transacting to make a home truly your own.
The Collaboration
Realtors go on vacations, too! So what happens when Alison is underwater scuba diving in Indonesia or Michael is dancing the night away in Mexico? You don't have to worry because, as friends and real estate partners, they are there to support one another AND the others' clients. They aren't a package deal, unless, of course, you want them to be. But all of their clients need to know that when the heat is on, whether they're in the middle of offering on a super competitive home or are frantically trying to get their home ready for sale, Alison and Michael are both here to lend their support, expertise, and guidance to all RARE clients. So while you might not be able to just sit back and relax when one of us is away (because let's face it, real estate isn't usually relaxing), you CAN know that you'll never be without one of them to help you through any question or situation that may come up along the way!
We’re fun on Instagram, too.
