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It’s ‘Holly Days’ Time at Eastern Market Main Street

Eastern Market Main Street kicks off its Holly Days season on Saturday, November 24 — also known as Small Business Saturday.

On that day, over 30 of the businesses inside the Capitol Hill historic corridor will begin celebrating the holidays with promotions intended to foster local shopping and encourage investment in the local economy.

Eastern Market Main Street will be set up outside the Eastern Market Metro station on Nov. 24, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The first 200 shoppers to visit will receive a Small Business Saturday goody bag and free hot chocolate will be available throughout the event.

“We hope that by highlighting the variety and unique aspects of our own corridor, we will increase awareness of the importance of investing in your local economy and provide tangible support to our amazing businesses that extends beyond the holiday season,” said Madeleine Odendahl, executive director of EMMS.

The Holly Days is a 37-day extravaganza of events, festivities, restaurant specials and merchandise sales. Shops will be decorated with wreaths and garland, accenting the singular mix of the historic with the modern that makes the neighborhood uniquely distinctive.

The Holly Days celebration continues until December 31. If time is running out on your holiday shopping, get some ideas at the The Holly Days Last Minute Gift Guide.

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Real Estate Fresh Finds: Nov. 14

By PoP Sponsor (a)

Real Estate Fresh Finds is a weekly selection of newly-listed properties in the District, brought to you by Real Living At Home.

Featured Property of the Week: 443 Ridge Street NW

  • Located in the convenient Logan Circle/Shaw neighborhood with a Walk Score of 93, this 3 BR/2.5 BA townhouse has been redeveloped for the 21st century with modern finishes, stainless appliances and exposed brick walls.

Other Notable Fresh Listings:

DC Open House List for This Weekend

By PoP Sponsor (a)

The election is finally over, with mixed results depending on your side of the aisle. Now that you can stop scratching your ears out over incessant political ads, you can focus on your home search and some of our suggested DC Open Houses occurring this weekend.

To see the entire DC Open House List, click here.

  • 443 Ridge Street NW — $1,079,000 — Shaw
    Open Sat. 1-3 p.m. & Sun. 1-4 p.m. — Ellen Klein
    The “third contemporary reincarnation” of this 3 BR/2.5 BA home has been “more than doubled in size” across 3 levels and a great rear patio.
  • 4208 Hillside Road SE — $509,999 — Benning Ridge
    Open Sun. 2-4 p.m. — Alexandra Burrell-Hodges
    4 BR single family home with “brand new everything.”
  • 1827 Channing Street NE #1827.5 — $174,990 — Langdon
    Open Sun. 2-4 p.m. — Trish Ofori
    Fully renovated 1 BR with stainless steel appliances, wine cooler, in-unit washer/dryer and an included parking space.
  • 4603 Illinois Avenue NW — $1,100,000 — Petworth
    Open Sun. 1-3 p.m. — Dale Mattison
    Remodeled 4 BR/3.5 BA townhouse with a legit lower level
  • 560 N Street SW #N609 — $297,500 — Southwest Waterfront
    Open Sun. 1-3 p.m. — Steve Dean
    A fairly standard 1 BR floor plan in Harbour Square, one of the most active SW Waterfront condominium buildings.

The State of DC: Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

By PoP Sponsor (a)

This column is written by Metro DC Houses, a local real estate team serving DC, MD, VA made up of Colin Johnson, the immediate past President for the D.C. Association of Realtors and Christopher Suranna, the current President for the D.C. Association of Realtors.

This last week we had the privilege to talk with Jeff Speck, notable city planner and lecturer, in an intimate group of real estate professionals throughout the country at the National Association of Realtors (NAR) conference in Boston.

If you are not familiar with Mr. Speck check out his TED talk on walkable cities — it has over 1 million views and is pretty great.

The NAR published data from a survey on community preferences that shows 47% of the US population would prefer to live in a city or a suburban neighborhood with a mix of houses, shops and business while only 12% would prefer to live in a suburban neighborhood with only houses.

Subsequently, in a white paper published in 2009, CEO’s for Cities found that properties in more walkable neighborhoods market for $2,000 more per square foot than non-walkable neighborhoods. All of this seems very obvious or is it?

There is only one company currently publishing walkable factors, WalkScore, a company now owned by Redfin, which as we know is a real estate brokerage; which makes its money on real estate commissions.

WalkScore, currently operates their algorithm by issuing a score for a location or address as a crow flies meaning it creates concentric circles to produce a number based on factors such as transit, entertainment and groceries.

Most cities are designed with corridors and commuting as the significant influence on zoning and thus the further one’s address is from streets like H Street, U Street or 14th Street for example, in theory the lower your walk score.

However, since 2006 we have many disrupters like Airbnb, bikeshare, scooters and carshares all beginning to shift the consumer’s concept of not only micro-commuting, but also property right and use. To get a better idea, check out DC’s master plan, updated in 2006 and amended in 2011.

Another kink to ponder: Walkable as a term could be considered a Fair Housing Violation.

What?!!!! That’s right and not necessarily because of obvious concerns like individuals with disabilities, but because classifying neighborhoods as anything other than a fact could be considered blockbusting or steering or redlining. Why does this matter?

Well, if sellers can’t market the very thing that makes their property unique compared to their neighbors has the consumer really taken it into consideration?

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Real Estate Fresh Finds: Nov. 7

By PoP Sponsor (a)

Real Estate Fresh Finds is a weekly selection of newly-listed properties in the District, brought to you by Real Living At Home.

Featured Property of the Week: 1830 17th Street NW #104

  • 2 BR/1.5 BA open floor plan duplex in Dupont Circle features a gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, luxury bathroom, parking and a storage room all with a convenient Walk Score of 97!

Other Notable Fresh Listings:

  • The Most Expensive Home of the Week is a two level 4 BR/4.5 BA penthouse unit at The Residences at the Ritz Carlton listed for $7.75M with a 2,000 sq. ft. terrace overlooking the Potomac.
  • Townhouse style 2-level 3 BR/3 BA Petworth condo in the brand-new series of modern luxury units at Petworth Crossing.
  • Your REO/Bank Owned Property of the Week is an impressive 6 BR in Crestwood in need of some interior work and paint, but shouldn’t take much to get this place to shine.
  • 1 BR unit modernized to the max with appliances, lighting, storage and Smart technology as well as a great private back patio with an included hot tub

DC Open House List for This Weekend

By PoP Sponsor (a)

A new month and another new batch of suggested DC Open Houses are here. With Halloween over and Thanksgiving around the corner, you better get to looking before the holidays engulf your lives. To see the entire DC Open House List, click here.

  • 1209 G Street SE #5 — $435,000 — Hill East/Potomac Ave
    Open Sun. 2-4 p.m. — John Coleman
    3-year-young 1 BR condo with tons of natural light and a great roof deck.
  • 1286 Morse Street NE — $1,648,000 — Trinidad
    Open Sun. 1-4 p.m. — Thomas Spier
    $127k price reduction on this “Complete gut renovation & expansion of Trinidad rowhouse.”
  • 430 Kenyon Street NW #1 — $739,000 — Park View
    Open Sun. 1-3 p.m. — James Kastner
    New 3 BR condo conversion with parking back on the market!
  • 1845 Channing Street NE — $487,500 — Langdon
    Open Sat. 11 a.m. -2 p.m. — Seth Haskins
    3 BR semi-detached Colonial within walking distance to Echostage.
  • 355 I Street SW #511 — $474,900 — Southwest Waterfront
    Open Sun. 1-4 p.m. — Mehrnaz Bazargan
    “Bright and charming one bedroom with Den/Office/2nd bedroom, and one bathroom Southwest Waterfront condo.”

Whitman and the American Legacy, in Song and Conversation at the National Cathedral (Plus a World Premiere)

What would Walt Whitman have thought about the 2018 midterm election campaigns?

The question is not as rhetorical as it sounds: Who knows what profound insight on our divisive political process will be revealed Monday, November 5, in a special performance of songs set to the great poet’s work and followed by a moderated discussion at the majestic Washington National Cathedral.

The Election Eve performance is cleverly called “I Sing the Body Electoral: Celebrating Walt Whitman” and features renowned baritone William Sharp and pianist Wan-Chi Su in an enriching program of Kurt Weill’s “Four Whitman Songs” and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Three Poems by Walt Whitman.”

As a musical bonus, the evening will see the world premiere of American composer Curt Cacioppos’ “I, madly struggling, cry,” a setting of stanzas by Whitman and commissioned by the PostClassical Ensemble, the experimental orchestral laboratory that is sponsoring the event.

The music starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion hosted by PBS NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Brown. Panelists include:

  • Martin Murray, Founder of the Washington Friends of Walt Whitman, on Whitman, Washington, D.C., and the Civil War;
  • Brian Youthers, University of Texas at El Paso English professor, on Whitman and immigration;
  • Lorenzo Candelaria, Dean of the School of the Arts at Purchase College, on Whitman and “The American Dream.”

Admission is $65; reservations can be made here. The Washington National Cathedral is at 3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW; you can not miss it.

Still wondering what Whitman would have thought about the elections? Here’s a clue: “America is not for special types, for the caste, but for the great mass of people — vast, surging, hopeful.”

A New Option for Internet. Finally.

Hi PoPville, I’m with Starry Internet — a new internet provider in the D.C. area. We keep things simple, we only offer one plan (with speeds of 200 mbps download/100 mbps upload) and it’s a flat $50.00/month.

No long-term contracts, fees or escalating prices over time. We also provide our awesome router, the Starry Station, to every user at no cost.

We’re serious about service, with easy access to 24-7 support. Our support team will help you with everything from setting up a Roku to advising on the best streaming TV service based on your favorite shows/channels.

Check out if we’re in your building by entering your address on our website. If we aren’t there yet, you can help bring Starry to your building by telling your condo’s HOA board or your apartment building’s property manager that you want Starry. They can fill out this form and our team will reach out.

Have questions about our service, company or tech? Drop questions in the comments or on Twitter anytime!

Happy Interneting,

Natalie from Starry

Real Estate Fresh Finds: Oct. 31

By PoP Sponsor (a)

Real Estate Fresh Finds is a weekly selection of newly-listed properties in the District, brought to you by Real Living At Home.

Featured Fresh Find of the Week: 2211 10th Street NW

  • All treats and no tricks on this 3-level, 3-bedroom contemporary loft layout townhouse in a prime location Walk Score of 98 and features an updated kitchen, floating staircase and a full-floor 3rd-level master suite.

Other Notable Fresh Listings:

  • Your Most Expensive Home of the Week is this $2.7M 5-bedroom Colonial in Wesley Heights but beware, the ghost of a bitter Packers fan may still be around.
  • 2-bedroom condo at The Mint in Eckington “has 2 true master bedrooms” and includes a community fitness center and roof deck with 360° views.
  • The price on the REO/Bank-Owned Property of the Week won’t frighten you at all — a 1 BR in NW for less than $225k, even if it needs work is a killer deal.
  • Petworth townhouse built in 2018 can only mean one thing… it’s too new to be haunted by any ghosts, so get in there and be the first!

The Ultimate Football Tailgate Comes to The Bullpen

The Bullpen, D.C.’s favorite outdoor venue, is hosting an ultimate tailgate for the Alabama versus LSU showdown on November 3!

Mark your calendars for the watch party of the season featuring live music, $5 drinks, cornhole, door prizes and a Low Country Boil you won’t want to miss.

Admission to The Bullpen is always free and a ticket provides entry to the Low Country Boil, an all-you-can-eat feast of shrimp, andouille sausage, potatoes & corn.

The Bullpen doors open at 3 p.m. and the game starts at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit the following sites:

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