Real Estate

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 635 C Street, NE:


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The flier says:

“Designed by renowned architect Waddy Butler Wood, this spectacular Victorian was built to impress! 4 large ( & livable) BRs, 2.5Bas + pwd rm. 2-car GARAGE & divine south-facing garden. HWFs, working FP, great KIT w/ pantry, SS appls, granite counters. Spa Master Bath w/ Carrera marble. Huge walk-in closet. Big bsmt 4 exercise/storage.”

You can find more info and photos here.

I’m digging the living room here. Has anyone heard of the architect Waddy Butler Wood? If so has this architect done many other homes in DC? It’s yours for $949,900.

Good Deal or Not? “Exquisite Tudor” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1807 Ingelside Terrace, NW:


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The flier says:

“EXQUISITE TUDOR, BACKING UP TO RCK CRK PK, MOVE-IN COND, NU WNDWS, NU KIT, NU MARBLE HALL BA (2ND FLR), REFIN FLRS, STEP-DOWN LIV RM W/ FRPLC, ORIG WROUGHT-IRON RAIL BET LR & STEP-UP DR. MBR/BA UP + 2 OTHER BRS. FINISHED LOWER LVL W/ FRPLC & 3RD BA, , 1 CAR BLT-IN GAR. YOU WILL LOVE THE WARMTH AND FEEL OF THIS HOME.”

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

Ingelside Terrace is one of my favorite streets in Mt. Pleasant so I was excited to see one of these tudors for sale. What do you think of the virtual tour? I was pretty blown away. Does $699,000 sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? Knights in Shining Armor Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1344 Taylor Street, NW.

The flier says:

“REDUCE 25K! SHORT SALE! Gorgeous, large row house restored to orig. 2 yrs ago, Gourmet kitchen, granite counters, s/s appl hardwood floors, 2 blocks from Rock Creek Park, Great setback from street, wrought iron gate in front w/ stonework, beautiful front porch. Enclosed back yard w/ landscaped garden, outdoor kitchen & deck, 2 car garage+1 pkg spac. 1BR BSMT APT $1,250 Mnth. Third party approval req”

You can find more info and photos here.

Wow, we had a talk about this house a couple years ago when I was admiring the knights. I was pretty psyched at the opportunity to see some photos from inside. What do you think of the renovation? The price has dropped pretty significantly. It was originally on the market for $675,000 and is now asking $495,000. Sound reasonable? Do you think the knights are included…?

Good Deal or Not? Stones Throw From Moroni’s Pizza Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 927 Delafield Place, NW:


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The flier says:

“Semidetached totally renovated quality renovation by Banana DC Enterprises. Sunfilled from over 20 windows, finished basement with 3rd full bath, 2 master suites w 10 ft. ceilings, beautiful wood floors, carpeted bedrooms & basement, skylite , ceiling fans, gorgeous kitchen, sun deck, patio/parking pad and all 1 mi. to Petworth metro.”

You can see more info and photos here.

Given all the potential coming to Georgia Ave and the fact that this home is a stone’s throw from two great restaurants – Fusion and Moroni’s, I’m super curious to know what you think about this price. Well, first after you check the photos you can see this is a complete renovation. Do you thing they did a good job? I was surprised to see that it was a 2 bed/3 bath. Does $399,500 sound reasonable?

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 Property: 1838 Monroe St NW

Original List Price: $599,000.

List Price at Contract: $599,000.

List Date: 11/13/2009

Days on Market: 6

Settled Sales Price: $659,000.

Settlement Date: 12/22/2009

Seller Subsidy: $0.

Bank Owned?: No

Type Of Financing: Conventional with a $326,310. down payment

Original GDoN Post is: here.

Recent Listing is: here.

Good Deal or Not (GDoN) commenters were quite optimistic about this property. There was some discussion regarding, um, some safety matters on the block, but one anonymous reader went as far as to say, “I think the Hipchick follow up on this one will show it goes for 25k over asking.” It actually ended up selling a hefty $60,000. above the list price.

Entering a new decade has prompted me to review real estate numbers over the past ten years for specific neighborhoods. I’m seeing some interesting contrasts. Not all neighborhoods in DC have responded the same to the erratic changes in the marketplace. If this information is of interest, I will include it in future posts for other neighborhoods. See below for a picture of the real estate activity in Mount Pleasant. Note that this set of data focuses on single family houses, and excludes condos. Data after the jump. (more…)

Good Deal or Not? Studio Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 1718 P Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Popular Webster House condo. Updates galore: granite counters, roomy kitchen, built-in bookshelves, California closets, fabulous flooring, balcony patio with western exposure, crown moulding, custom window treatments, pet-friendly, on-site rental parking, swimming pool, all utilities in fee, staffed front desk, walk to METRO, shopping, restaurants and more.”

You can find more info and photos here.

Well, it has been a while since we’ve looked at a studio apartment. The photos look nice but it is only 500 square feet. Does $249,750 sound reasonable given the location? What do you think of the layout of the studio itself?

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1453 Q Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Beautiful 4BR/3.5 bath row home, renovated. Gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, island, decroative fire place. Living room with built in bookshelves. Wood floors, bay windows, eat-in kitchen and master suite on second floor. Generously sized bedrooms. In-law suite on lower level generates $1500/mo. Spacious outdoor deck.”

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

Do you think this house is worthy of house porn status? It’s yours for $1,199,000.

Good Deal or Not? “Closets Galore” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1017 Fairmont Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Totally Renov 3-Lvl Brick TH * 3-Bdrms 3-Full Baths Master Bdrm Suite w/ Jacuzzi & Closet Sp Galore Gourmet/Chef’s Kit 42″Cabs SS Appl Granite Counter Tops Open Sp Flr Plan w/ Surround Sounds HW Flrs Hi-Ceilings w/ Recessed Lighting CAC & Heating & Washer/Dryer Rr Priv Fenced Garden Designer Stair Railing Skylites Galore”

You can find more info and photos here.

I was surprised to learn that this was a 3 bedroom. From the outside I thought it would only have 2 bedrooms. What do you think of the renovation itself? Does $449,995 sound reasonable for this 3 bed/3bath?

Dear PoP – What are the Benefits of Using a Realtor?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I’ve found a house I’m strongly considering putting an offer on. I don’t yet have an agent. If I already have found the house– and can prequalify for a loan on my own, what is the benefit of hiring an agent? By hiring an agent, don’t I give up a minimum of 3% negotiating room? If I don’t have an agent– the seller saves 3% in agent commissions– so I would think that they would be more willing to pass that 3% along to me. Am I mistaken? What are your reader’s opinions on using an agent if you’ve already found the house you want to buy?”

I’ll be interested to hear what folks think. I know when I bought my house I was so green I didn’t know anything and wouldn’t have been able to do it without a realtor. I also didn’t know DC’s neighborhoods that well at the time so the realtor was able to show me many more properties than I probably would’ve seen on my own. But if you’ve already found the house I guess the equation would change. What do you guys think are the pros or cons of using a realtor if you’ve already found a house on your own?

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