Dear PoP

Dear PoP,

I was hoping to hit you up for a little advice on a rental. We found one on Upshur street at Georgia AVE. It is a 4 bedroom townhouse that is not in the best shape. The pictures they sent showed a toilet in the backyard. They claim it will be cleaned up. I asked if they could reduce the rent because of the condition and they are willing to go to $1900. Do you think this is too much to pay for a dump in Petworth?

Thank you for any thoughts,

DC Bound

Dear DC Bound,

I think Upshur is a terrific street because you’d be right near a great little restaurant called Domku and you’d only be about a 5-10 minute walk to the metro. Also Upshur St. seems likely to become even more vibrant. An antique shop has just opened up and I believe the city also has some street improvement plans that will beautify Upshur. My one hesitation would be that Georgia Ave is a main thoroughfare and can be very noisy with both car and pedestrian traffic. Oh, I guess my second hesitation would be the toilet in the backyard that they sent in a photo. That’s pretty messed up. Unless there were flowers planted in the toilet… But as for the price $1900 seems very reasonable for a whole house. Obviously it will be very important to check out the condition of the house. But if it is in decent condition I’d say $1900 is market rate. Once again, if possible I’d make sure to visit and see if you feel comfortable living right next to a busy thoroughfare like Georgia Ave.

Cheers,

PoP

So what do you guys think – is $1900 reasonable for a 4 bedroom townhouse on Upshur and Georgia?