Dear PoPville,

I need your help, i’m the owner of 1007 Florida Ave NE. About 2 years ago construction started in the lots immediately next to my house at 1009 and 1011 Florida Ave NE. However, the site has been left abandoned by inexperienced Virginia developers leaving a 30 X 60 ft gaping hole that is an eyesore, a cause of significant health concerns and a massive safety issue.

I’ve reached out to my ANC 6A01 rep, Tommy Wells Office, DCRA and the Mayors office asking for assistance in dealing with this owner, but i’ve gotten nowhere.

I’ve been very amenable to work with with the owners in order to complete this project. I signed authorization documents and were very patient as they repaired damage they caused to our home. I’ve been in contact with the owners and have listened to repeated instance that construction will commence when permit issues are resolved. Two years later still no building and now no plan to complete the long abandoned project.

The attached pictures show the lots and since they are open holes after any rain they become a haven for mosquito’s in the summer. This causes an issue for the entire neighborhood.

Last night @DCPoliceDept tweeted:

“Shooting_2000 hours_1000 Bladensburg Rd NE_LOF a B/M, 5’11″, 20 yoa, med complex, dreads, green jacket”

The Post reports that the women was eight months pregnant and taken to the hospital.

More info as it becomes available.

This house is located at 1019 Florida Avenue, NE:

View Larger Map

The listing says:

“Centered staircase creates serpentine effect; a smooth stretch that coils up in one pocket, extends to the next in one fluid movement.. Tempting in Eden. A winding road worth the trip w/scenic overlooks along the way. Curl up, cat-nap, in a sun-beamed bay…maybe indoor fetch? (bottle of red & 4 glasses please!) Warm wood, cool stone, industrial-strength systems + ultimate feature? Price silly!”

You can see more photos here.

This 4 bed/3.5 bath is going for $638,500.

This unit is located at 1018 Florida Avenue, NE:

View Larger Map

The listing says:

“Fantastic 2 level condo close to the H Street action. Main level is the open living/dining/kitchen GREAT ROOM and Master Bedroom/Bath. On the lower level is a second bedroom or family room, full bath, and private patio. South-facing bright and sunny condo all day long. HWF, W/D, Granite, Stainless all in a boutique building.”

You can see a virtual tour here.

This 2 bed/2 bath is going for $359,000 ($197 monthly fee.)

“Dear PoPville,

I found this dog in the alleys of Trinidad on May 1. If anyone recognizes him, please contact me nhayes25(at)gmail(dot)com.”

@DCPoliceDept tweeted:

“Shooting_0750 hrs_1200 B/O RAUM ST NE AND /LOF B/M LSW GRAY/GREEN HOODED JKT”

@IAFF36 tweeted:

“Update – 1200blk Raum St NE – 2nd pt, shot multiple times, treating & transporting to trauma center, pri 1 #dcfd”

View Larger Map

From WMATA:

The problem is a crack in the electrified third rail between NoMa-Gallaudet and Rhode Island Avenue stations. As a result, one of the two Red Line tracks is out of service until repairs can be completed. Trains are single tracking between NoMa-Gallaudet and Fort Totten stations.

Personnel successfully completed repairs to the third rail as of 7:50 a.m. Trains are no longer single tracking.

Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a popville.com advertiser. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1228 Florida Ave NE
Legal Subdivision: Trinidad
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Trinidad
Bedrooms: 6 Baths: 4.5
Original List Price: $926,500
List Price at Contract: $898,400.
List Date: 1/31/2013
Days on Market: 18
Settled Sales Price: $926,000
Seller Subsidy: $27,780.
Settlement Date: 04/04/2013
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see pics, click on the camera icon after opening the link.

When a Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post garners 110 comments, there’s got to be some controversy. In this case, it’s a nearly $900,000. net sale for a particularly large fully renovated house in the NE DC neighborhood of Trinidad, on busy Florida Ave, no less.

To date, the next highest sale in the Trinidad neighborhood was a January sale down the street at 1222 Florida Ave NE for $590,000. The property is within less than half a mile to neighborhoods that are regularly seeing high end prices (notably south of H St NE and closer to Lincoln Park, although prices are also rising at the lower part of Eckington to the west).

In May 2012, some apparently savvy investors paid $286,000. in cash for the property.

The listing agent was Matt Tekmen of Fairfax Realty, Inc. Dyanne Branand of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage represented the purchaser.

This house is located at 1120 Oates Street, NE:

View Larger Map

The listing says:

“Great 3 bedroom 2 bath w/parking. Well maintained & ready to move in. Central A/C, updated kitchen. Spacious addition off seperate dining room and kitchen. Upstairs addition provides dressing/sitting areas off rear bdrms.”

You can see more photos here.

This 3 bed/3 bath is going for $474,500.

From MPD:

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Unit announced that an arrest has been made in a fatal pedestrian hit and run collision that occurred in the 1100 block of Florida Avenue, NE.

On Thursday, March 21, 2013, at approximately 8:21 pm, units from the Fifth District responded to a pedestrian traffic collision in the 1100 block of Florida Avenue, NE. The investigation revealed the driver of a silver 2010 Mercury Mountaineer was traveling eastbound in the right lane as the pedestrian was walking north to south in a marked crosswalk. The driver of the Mercury Mountaineer struck the pedestrian and fled the scene. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the pedestrian to an area hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.

The vehicle was later located on Elliott and F Streets, NE. The driver, 32 year-old Joel Russell Bromwell of Annapolis, MD, was later located in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, NE. He was arrested and charged with Involuntary Manslaughter.

The decedent has been identified as 71 year-old Ruby Whitfield of Northeast, DC

The Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Unit is investigating this crash.

Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a popville.com advertiser. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1923 Bennett Place NE
Legal Subdivision: Trinidad
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Trinidad
Bedrooms: 2 Baths: 2.5
Original List Price: $299,000
List Price at Contract: $299,000
List Date: 2/14/13
Days on Market: 4
Settled Sales Price: $375,000
Seller Subsidy: $0
Settlement Date: 3/1/13
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see pics, click on the camera icon after opening the link.

The listing agent, Tom Lewis, was kind enough to chime in on the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) comments. I am hoping he comes back to tell us how many offers they ended up with. Given the list to sale price ratio, which is a whopping 25% increase, let’s assume there was some competition.

In previous GDoN-Revisited posts, we’ve looked at sales in Trinidad west of Bladensburg Road. This property is located east of Bladensburg Road and north of Benning Road, in a triangular parcel that is geographically somewhat sectioned off from the rest of the neighborhood. Similar to most neighborhoods in DC, prices rose in this area from the early to mid 2000’s. In 2005, this home sold for net $355,000. In 2011, it sold as a foreclosure at net $208,081. Currently, there are no actively listed houses in this immediate area. There are four under contract, though, ranging from list prices of $174,917 to $452,000.

Although the tight inventory and high demand are driving prices up throughout the city, current prices actually seem to be on track for where they would have been if there had been steady incremental appreciation. Personally, I expect to see the current momentum continue for a while, but not indefinitely. I had my first Sequestration-related listing appointment with someone who expects to have less income in the near future and is thinking about retiring early, and then a conversation later the same day with someone else who is bracing for a decrease in income.

Thomas Lewis with Redfin Corporation represented the seller. Ashton Vessali with Weichert, Realtors represented the buyer.