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This home is located at 425 Decatur Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Fully available! Hot Petworth, granite counters, stainless appliances, hardwood floors, ceramic tile, solid maple cabinets, jacuzzi, closet space, finished basement, covered deck, off street parking, and more. Needs paint, carpet, and one smart buyer. One bank, but be patient to get this great deal. We’ll get it done, and you’ll get instant equity!!”

You can find more info and photos here.

It was originally going for $400,000 but has now dropped to $345,000. Sound reasonable? What do you think of the house itself?



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This coop is located at 429 Kenyon Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Lower-level, two bedroom unit offers one full bathroom and lots of closet space. In good condition but needs a little TLC. Great opportunity, great price. Enjoy co-op ownership (co-op fee includes all utilities, taxes, operating expenses and underlying mortgage) and lower closing costs! Seller will replace all appliances and install carpet prior to closing.”

You can find more info here.

Sadly there are no interior photos but I thought the price was too incredible for a 2 bedroom not to discuss. Given that the rooms may need some updating do you think $150,000 sounds reasonable for this 2bed/1 bath?


This home is located at 2857 Brandywine Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Stately Brick Colonial built in 1941 on 9000+ sq. ft. w/ Great Room flooded with light from cathedral ceilings and numerous skylights, Kitchen w/ granite counter and new appliances, 5BR, 3.5BA and 1 car gar. Lg secluded beautifully landscaped lot with terraced gardens.”

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

While this home is under contract I had to show it because I’ve been featuring so many homes in Forrest Hills. Sadly the other home I had from Forrest Hills had no internal photos. This house has an incredible sun room. What do you think of the home itself? This house was originally listed at $1,299,000 and went under contract when the asking price was $1,099,000.



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This home is located at 128 Longfellow Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“This is a Freddie Mac Foreclosure! Stunning Renovation! Hardwood Floors, Top of the Line Stainless Steel Appliances. 4 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths & Main level Powder room. Granite Countertops. All New fixtures/crown molding. Skylight in Master Bath. New Berber Carpet in Fully Finished Walkout Level Basement. Fully Fenced Backyard with Off street Parking. New Deck off kitchen.”

You can find more info and photos here.

What do you think of the renovation itself? The reader who sent this one in (who lives nearby) was surprised in the price drop from $358,800 to $280,000. I wish the pictures showed all 5 bedrooms. Nevertheless, do you think $280,000 sounds reasonable for this 5 bed/3.5 bath?


Since we didn’t have any house porn last week I thought I’d start the week this good looking house located at 1925 15th Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Wonderfully renovated beauty – offers modern living & flexibility – as a grand 5 bed/3.5 ba home on 3 luxury levels or as a 3 bed/2.5 ba home on 2 levels + sep metered 2 bed/1 bath legal CofO rental in LL (could get $2000+ mo). Meticulously redone, dramatic dual stairways, entertain size open spaces, custom doors & details, 5 FPs, open spaces, 2 car secure parking!”

You can find more info here and a mouse on house virtual tour here.

What do you think of the renovation itself? Think it can go for the asking price of $1,175,000 (dropped from $1,249,000)?


This home is located at 1622 6th Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Newly Priced bayfront beauty and carriage house with 2-car parking. Exposed brick walls, tall ceilings, crown moldings, wood floors and 3 working fireplaces add warmth and character to this perfectly staged home. Short walk to two Metros, Convention Center, Logan Circle, Gallery Place. Oh . . and don’t miss the 1 BR in-law suite w/ private entry.”

You can find more info and photos here.

From the outside I had no idea the inside was gonna look this nice. What do you think of the house itself? It even has a carriage house/garage! It was originally going for $839,900 but is now on the market for $825,000, sound reasonable?



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This home is located at 129 U Street, NE:


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The flier says:

“Wonderful 3 BR 1 FB classic townhome in Eckington. Beaut. dark wood trim with inlayed HWD floors. All new paint. Full BSMT waiting for buyers personal touches. Lvl fenced back yard with access to alley. Has many orig. classic features found in the early 1900 townhomes.”

You can find more info and photos here.

The reader writes:

“I’ve been looking to buy my first home and have noticed a lot of recent home sales in Bloomingdale and Eckington. My realtor tells me that this is due to an influx of new home buyers taking advantage of the tax credit and the fact that these neighborhoods have a bunch of historic homes at relatively low prices. I know that there are some disadvantages to living in this neighborhood but would appreciate feedback from your readers as to the deal of this particular home.”

This 3 bed/1 bath is going for $229,900. Sound reasonable?


This house is located at 1720 Newton Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Striking quality renov of sunny 1904 Vict TH into 21st century beauty! Soaring ceilings, big low-e wood windows, exposed nat brick, gorg oak flrs & stairs, huge granite/SS chef’s kitchen, Pakistani marble baths. All new from studs out. More closets, kitchen counter & cabinet space than most houses! Elegant marble hallway leads to parking (included). Best of Mt Pleasant!”

You can find more info on Unit A here and more info on Unit B here and a virtual tour on Unit A here and a virtual tour on Unit B here.

The reader writes:

“Just wanted to let you know that there’s 2 units for sale in a rowhouse on Newton St NW between 18th St. and Mt. Pleasant Rd, right across from Bancroft Elementary. I used to live a couple doors down and saw construction going on for a year….totally gutted the building.”

I am a sucker for exposed brick but these do look pretty nice to me. I’m thinking they might be priced a bit on the high side since they are both only 2 bedrooms. What do you guys think of the renovation? Unit A is going for $625,000 and Unit B is going for $649,000. Sound reasonable?


This condo is located at 1418 W Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“East facing unit. SQFT per Tax Record. Large, open Living & Dining rooms w/ space for home office. Gourmet kitchen with dark granite counters. Spacious Bedroom, W/ D in unit, hardwoods + plush carpet. 3 blocks – U St METRO. RENTAL PKG AVAIL. Seller reserves right to accept/reject all offers.”

More info found here and a virtual tour found here.

I have a serious question – what is considered the best direction to have for a condo? East? West? So I think this is a good looking condo but the major detraction, to me, is that it sits right next to a gas station. How much discount (if any) do you think there should be for being directly next to a gas station? Does $399,555 sound reasonable for this 1 bed/1 bath?


In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia and Virginia, 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: 613 Upshur St NW

Original List Price: $549,000.

List Price at Contract: $549,000.

List Date: 10/23/2009

Days on Market: 4

Settled Sales Price: $549,000.

Settlement Date: 11/30/2009

Seller Subsidy: $0.

Bank Owned?: No. Tax records indicate that it was sold by an investor (non-owner occupant).

Type Of Financing: Conventional with $137,250. down payment

Original GDoN Post is: here.

Recent Listing is:
here. Virtual tour is here.

Full price sale. $549,000. Under contract in four days…Fantastic.

This one drew a lot of comments for a Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post. Most readers seemed to like the renovation, although some pondered when we shall see an end to the granite/stainless trend of the 2000s. Located on Upshur, just a few blocks from Metro, Domku, and the organic market, this nicely done rehab featured the unusual amenity of a loft in the owners’ suite.

The recent sellers were investors out of McLean, VA and acquired the property for $181,000. in July 2009. I did not find a prior listing or any foreclosure records for the property, so my guess is that it was a direct buy from an estate. Someone mentioned that investors paying cash for the lower priced homes is frustrating for home buyers attempting to purchase for themselves. As an agent, I agree that it can be tough on owner occupant buyers, however, in my opinion, tougher lending standards for investors have led to a better quality of renovations. The lower prices have brought back the investors and subsequently areas like Petworth are seeing a surge in stunning rehabs. This is great for Petworth homeowners, as the values and desirability of the neighborhood are strong. Given that available inventory has dwindled over the past six months or so, prospective buyers are, in some cases, surprised to find themselves competing in what they expected to be a Buyers market.


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