Real Estate

Good Deal or Not? “garden level condo” Edition (Reader Request)

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 2103 S Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Embrace chic city living in this 1,165 sf 2BR/1BA garden level condo steps from Dupont Metro. Warm hwd flrs; rec lighting; LR w/ cozy frpl; window filled turreted DR; eat-in kit w/ 42″ cabinets and a sizable pantry; PLENTY of closet space & spacious room sizes. Enjoy peace & quiet in the private courtyard garden- a rare find in the city.”

You can find more info and photos here.

The reader writes:

“I stumbled across this listing and it kind of surprised me.

A: It’s huge
B: It’s quite nice, but does need some updating in the kitchen/baths
C: It’s CHEAP for that location, it seems

Just surprising. My partner & I just purchased a 2 bedroom in Kalorama/Adams Morgan, but this listing gives me a bit of buyer’s remorse! With the lack of good, affordable 2-bedroom inventory in the area, I can’t imagine this will last long.”

What do you guys think – is this 2 bed/1bath a good deal at $499,000 ($398 condo fee)?

Good Deal or Not? “Capitol Gem!” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This house is located at 808 G Street, SE:


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The flier says:

“Capitol Gem! Featured on the Annual House and Garden tour, this stunning, historic residence exudes Southern charm and old world craftsmanship. Originally built in 1867, and extensively restored by the current owners, this 5 bedroom and 4.5 bath residence offers three levels of gracious living, plus a lower level suite.”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

I know this is technically two house porns for this week but I couldn’t resist. This house just rocketed up the list of homes I covet… What’s your favorite part? It’s yours for $1,599,000.

Ed. Note: I promise that next week I’ll also try and find some affordable properties. If you come across some interesting properties shoot me an email.

GDoN Revisited by Hipchickindc

By Prince Of Petworth

In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia, and as a real estate salesperson in Maryland. 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 Properties: 1830 18th St NW (Four Condo Units)

Original List Prices: $753,900.-$847,900.

List Price at Contract: $639,000.-$764,000.

List Date: 09/14/2009

Days on Market: Average for all 4 listings is 114 days

Settled Sales Price for first settled unit: $775,000.

Settlement Date for first settled unit: 04/22/2010

Seller Subsidy for first settled unit: $0.

Bank Owned?: No

Type Of Financing: FHA…Another Super Conforming (last week’s GDoN-R featured one as well). Until the end of this year, the upper limit for FHA loans remains at $729,000. A “Super Conforming” or “Jumbo Conforming” is a loan that is above the conforming loan limit of $417,000. yet below the current upper limit. There are lobbying efforts in place to make the higher limits permanent, which is significant for a high dollar market area like DC. A purchaser in this price range would have to put more than 3.5% down (the typical down payment for FHA loans) in order to not finance more than $729,000.

Original GDoN Post is: here.

Listings for the building are: here.

The original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post for this new construction building with four condo units appeared back in October 2009, when the original pricing for these units was in place. At that time, the units were priced with a very broad range of $453 per square foot all the way up to $642 per square foot. In December 2009, pricing was reduced 10-15%, which seems to have been a good move. We only have settled sales information for the one unit that recently settled, but it appears that this unit went under contract shortly after the price redux. The settled sales price is $11,000. above list which could mean that either the Purchaser negotiated a parking space into the deal or that there were possibly competing offers. (If it was for a deeded parking space, that’s a helluva deal in this location where deeded spaces can easily sell in the range of $35,000-$50,000.) Two additional units are under contract, and one unit (1669 square feet listed for $639,000) is available. Continues after the jump. (more…)

Good Deal or Not? Former House of the Day Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 1741 Q Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“STUNNING PENTHOUSE CONDO IN DUPONT BROWNSTONE. DRAMATIC OPEN SPACE WHICH OCCUPIES TOP 2 FLOORS, WITH CATHEDRAL CEILINGS & SKYLIGHT PROVIDING AN AMAZING EFFECT. HARDWOOD THROUGHOUT, PRIVATE ROOFTOP DECK! 1 CAR COVERED GARAGE. 2 BDRM/2 FULL BATHS MAKE THIS A RARE FIND ON TREE LINED Q STREET. WALK TO DUPONT METRO, SHOPS, RESTAURANTS. PETS ALLOWED. .. LOW CONDO FEE $324/month”

You can find more info and photos here.

I’ve always wanted to see what that circular room looks like from the inside. No doubt these are some fresh digs but do you think this 2 bed/2 bath will go for $875,000?

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 3007th St, NW:


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The flier says:

“Rarely available “Cooke’s Row” is an historic opportunity. This Second Empire residence has undergone an exquisite restoration and renovation. Soaring entertaining spaces, massive gourmet kitchen. Luxurious master suite plus four bedrooms and family room. Au pair suite plus substantial storage/cellar. Large, private garden and terrace. 3-car parking.”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

Well, I think I’ve found some proper house porn again. All I can say is enjoy. It’s yours for $6,500,000.

Ed. Note: I was chatting with a neighbor who was telling me some interesting history about these homes. Apparently they were built for the daughters of the first Gov. of DC or something like that. I was looking for a heritage sign but didn’t find one…

Good Deal or Not? “Huge up-market kitchen” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 2207 13th Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Sunny end TH w/ over 2,500 (tax records) restored square ft on 2-levels plus full, finished basement with guest suite & top end bath. Huge up-market kitchen w/ Subzero, Viking, 1/2 bath, big DR, LR w/ fireplace, deck, terrace/parking. Deck, 2 bedrooms + den, 2 incredible marble baths on 2nd floor. Walk to Metro, grocery, Busboys & Poets.”

You can find more info and photos here.

I was psyched to see this house for sale because I walk past it all the time. The inside does not disappoint. What do you think of the house itself? Any chance they’ll be able to get $849,000 for it?

Good Deal or Not? Awesome Carriage House Edition (Reader Submitted)

By Prince Of Petworth

This carriage house is located at 210 10th Street, SE:


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The flier says:

“Seductive, secluded, surrounded, surreal. .. yep all those are usuable. The garish baths are elaborate, sensual & not your usual shower baths, the stairs have bronze railings, Catwaba stone wall the surrounds and stairs. .. Venetian Crystal, handwrought palladium doorways. .. for one or two persons or more intimately.”

You can find more info here and an amazing virtual tour here.

The reader writes:

“ok, here is a completely insane carriage house. I looked at the virtual tour and cannot believe this place is for real. They certainly didn’t do the usual “staging” to make the place bland enough for potential buyers to see themselves in it.”

This virtual tour left me speechless. I’ve been doing these ‘Good Deal or Not?’ posts for a while, but this one really blew me away. Parts of it are definitely a bit insane. Thanks again to the reader for sending it in. It’s yours for $400,000. How long do you think it’ll last and what’s your favorite part of the house?

Good Deal or Not? “multi-level two bedroom penthouse condo” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 703 6th Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Gorgeous multi-level two bedroom penthouse condo in the heart of Penn Quarter. Beautiful 600 sq. ft private roof deck with view. Dual entry, 10″ ceilings, hardwoods, open floor plan, gourmet kitchen with stainless, granite, six burner stove, wine frig, center island, LL media room, cedar closet, jet tub. Perfect for entertaining and luxurious city living!”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

I would consider doing something illegal for that roof deck. Holy cow. But what do you guys think of the condo itself? Do you like the staircase? Does $649,900 ($436 monthly condo fee) sound reasonable for this 2 bed/1.5 bath? I can’t stop thinking about that roof deck…

GDoN Revisited by Hipchickindc – 3600 13th St NW

By Prince Of Petworth

In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia, and as a real estate salesperson in Maryland. 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 Properties: 3600 13th St NW

Original List Price: $1,195,000.

List Price at Contract: $1,075,000.

List Date: 05/01/2009

Days on Market: 321

Settled Sales Price: $975,000.

Settlement Date: 04/16/2010

Seller Subsidy: $5,000.

Bank Owned?: No

Type Of Financing: FHA…Super Conforming. Until the end of this year, the upper limit for FHA loans remains at $729,000. A “Super Conforming” or “Jumbo Conforming” is a loan that is above the conforming loan limit of $417,000. yet below the current upper limit. There are lobbying efforts in place to make the higher limits permanent, which is significant for a high dollar market area like DC.

Original GDoN Post is: here. Note that the original GDoN was from back in late July 2009.

Listing is: here.

There have been several requests from readers to profile this home, which has finally, finally gone to successful settlement this week. Denise Champion-Jones, a most awesome agent with Long and Foster, represented the Seller and reported that there were a few contracts along the way that did not work out. The property was on the market for nearly a year. Continues after the jump. (more…)

Good Deal or Not? I Guess it was a Good Deal (Reader Request)

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 38 Rhode Island Ave, NE:


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The flier says:

“True luxury living at the home of well known designer! A gem of a house and a steal at this price! Features include electronic entry system, surround sound speakers in every room, high ceilings, gourmet kitchen, two luxurious bathrooms, two fireplaces, exposed brick, views of Capitol & Monument, recessed lighting. Within steps of Metro, dining, shopping & nightlife.”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

I normally don’t like to show houses already under contract but I decided to show this one because it was a reader request and it’s an area of DC that I don’t normally show. So firstly, what neighborhood is this exactly – Edgewood, Eckington? I think Redfin lists Brookland, which can’t be right…

Anyway, the house looks pretty amazing. Since it went under contract so quickly was $450,000 a ridiculously good deal?

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