Real Estate

Good Deal or Not? Reader Request Near “the entrance of picturesque Rock Creek Park” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 4121 Arkansas Ave, NW:


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The flier says:

“This great home is located minutes to the Metro and buses, and is adjacent to the entrance of picturesque Rock Creek Park. The open floorplan ensures gracious entertaining w/ gleaming hardwood floors, and features a beautifully executed new kitchen with granite counters and S/S appliances. As an added bonus, the home has a sunroom, a large basement with full bath, and 2 parking spaces.”

More info found here and a virtual tour found here.

This is the home that is located across the street from today’s house of the day. The virtual tour looks pretty fantastic but the reader cautions that the some of the rooms are actual quite small. While the listing says it is located in Columbia Heights it actually falls in that border area between Crestwood and Petworth. It’s been on the market 205 days. Originally it was going for $515,000 but is now on the market for $459,900. Does that sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? Right by the Giant Condo Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 1330 Park Road, NW:


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The flier says:

“City dwellers delight!!! Updated and upgraded terrace level condo in heart of Columbia Heights. Open floor plan. Stainless, granite, custom cabinetry. Hardwood floors throughout. European master bath w/ tumbled marble. Large master walk-in closet. Close to metro and shopping.”

More info and photos found here.

I was really excited about this unit until I realized it was a lower level unit. The renovation itself looks fantastic and it does seem to get natural light so maybe the lower level isn’t a big deal. What do you think of the condo itself? Does $409,000 sound reasonable for this 2 bed/2 bath?

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 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: 1816 Irving St NW

Original List Price: $499,999.

List Price at Contract: $365,000.

List Date: 10/22/2008

Days on Market: 155

Settled Sales Price: $310,000.

Settlement Date:  07/06/2009

Seller Subsidy:  $9,300.

Bank Owned?: No. 

Type Of Financing: Cash

Listing History: No sales history info on MRIS, so was possibly an estate.  Tax records show a transfer with no price in April 2009, which also suggests that it was part of an estate.

Original GDoN Post is: Here.

Recent Listing is: Here.  To see pics, click the arrows on the main picture.

Despite the “needs some work” condition of this property, commenters on the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post for this property thought it was an okay deal for the neighborhood when it was listed at $499,999. One person noted that, “this is the kind of listing that has me worried about home values. when was the last time a house in any condition sold for less than 500k in mount pleasant? I certainly haven’t seen anything this low in mount pleasant since I have been paying attention to listings.”

Given the comments and the number of my own buyer clients who inquired about the house, it surprises me that it stayed on the market for as long as it did. As some of the GDoN posters mentioned, it is small and needed a lot of work. Even being small and in crappy condition, at a net a tad over $300,000., I’d say the buyer got a pretty good deal. Just to reassure everybody that the values in Mount Pleasant are not totally taking a nose dive, here are the two and three bedroom sold comps since the beginning of 2009. You’ll see that the next lowest sold price to this sale is greater by more than $150,000.

Good Deal or Not? Half Grass/Half Gravel Complete Reno Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1423 New Jersey Ave, NW:


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The flier says:

“Wonderful complete NEW redo – roof, systems, entire inside! Gorgeous HW flrs, marble entry, new stairs, Great kitchen with granite, SS appliances and nice cabinets, custom closets, recessed lights, marble baths, off street parking, fenced rear garden, extra storage. High quality full renovation with attention to detail. WOW new 3 level redo rowhouse – less than a 2 bed condo!! Great find!!”

More info found here and a virtual tour found here.

This looks like a nice reno but I’m curious what you think because it’s been on the market 128 days. I’m guessing folks will have a lot to say about the location. It was originally going for $524,900 but is now on the market for $499,000. Sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 433 M Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Incomparable! Renovated, Restored, & HUGE Victorian in Mt Vernon walking distance to Convention Ctr, Metro, shopping and tons of new restaurants. Basement unit is a RENTED one bedroom with C of O; Carriage House IN-LAW SUITE above TWO CAR garage. PLUS 4 BRs, 3.5 Renovated Baths in Main House. TO DIE FOR New Kitchen! Exquisite Moldings! 10 Ft Ceilings!”

More info found here and a virtual tour here.

Wow, this house is huge. Normally I’m finding houses like this converted into condos. It’s cool to see one renovated without being chopped up. So what do you think of the home and renovations? It’s yours for $1,099,000.

June Home/Condo Sales

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks again to DC realtor Kevin Wood for compiling this list of home/condo sales for zip codes – 20011, 20010, 20009, 20002, and 20001. Click below on “June Sales” for the full list in pdf format. Please let me know if there are other zipcodes you’d like included in future home sales reports.

June Sales

Good Deal or Not? “Refreshing, purse-pleasing Palace” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 651 8th Street, NE:


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The flier says:

“FIREWORKS! Refreshing, purse-pleasing Palace with full-sized 2BR/2.5BA (includes en suite MASTER and 1st flr powder), brand new and stylish kitchen, fresh walk-out basement, fireplace and classic mantel, HWF, Original stairs and posts, delightful deck, front-load Bosch laundry-Skip Up to Union Station, Hop Over to H Street Hot Spots, Escape to Eastern Market, Lunge to Lincoln Park!”

More info and photos found here.

This looks like a nice reno that has kept some original details. What do you think of the house itself? Does $599,000 sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? Former “Judging Buildings” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This building is located at 1838 6th Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Hip & Stylish duplex Penthouse in Booming LeDroit Park/Shaw Neighborhood. Enter this gracious unit on the top two floors, presenting you into the LR/DR with views of the Capitol. Custom Chef’s Kitchen w/ SS Appliances & granite. Lrg private balcony. Continue upstairs to 2 Master Suites w/ granite baths, loads of closets & storage. 2 GARAGE PARKING SPACES & 1 Block to Metro & Shops.”

More info and photos found here.

As I’ve said before I love finding buildings that we’ve judged on the outside so that we can take a peak inside. What do you think of this unit? Does $599,000 sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? I Love Brown Street Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 3416 Brown Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“NEW PRICE!! INCREDIBLE VALUE. This 2120 sq ft home has A CONDO FEE of 100/MO, a gourmet kitchen w/ granite and SS appliances, custom lighting, paint by interior designer, surround sound in Living RM and Master BR, Full Bath Main lvl, Huge Storage Unit Main lvl, Master BR w/ 2 walkin closets, Master BA w/ SPA shower, 2nd Master, 2 parking spaces, Huge storage unit.”

More info, photos and a virtual tour found here.

I’ve always been a big fan of Brown Street in Mt. Pleasant. There is one section that has new(ish) rowhouses. It looks like they were built in 2004. I’m glad to see what they look like on the inside. How do you think they came out? $729,950 sound reasonable?

Ed. Note: Unit A is also available for $699,000.

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 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: 605 Browns Ct SE

Original List Price: $547,500.

List Price at Contract: $519,000.

List Date: 11/07/2008

Days on Market: 205

Settled Sales Price: $499,000.

Settlement Date: 06/26/2009

Seller Subsidy: $0

Bank Owned?: No.

Type Of Financing: FHA

Listing History: Last changed hands in 1998. More info below.

Original GDoN Post is: Here.

Recent Listing is: Here. To see pics, click the arrows on the main picture.

I’ve always liked this little alley court tucked away within a short distance of Eastern Market.  At the original list price of $547,500. comments on the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post questioned the value of this tiny home.  After a nearly ten percent reduction in the price, the final purchase price reflects $507. paid per square foot. This is the highest sale price for a home on Browns Court to date.  (630 Browns Court sold in April 2009 for $460,000.)

Additional GDoN discussion turned to the age of the properties on this block.  Public records indicate that the subject property was built in 1908 and was extensively remodeled in 1998.  The last ownership transfer of this property happened at that time, for $143,000.  Phyllis Jane Young with Coldwell Banker was the listing agent back in 1998 and again in 2008-2009.

A little bit of poking around public records indicates quite a bit of new-ish construction activity in this corner of The Hill.  While 636 Browns Court is a carriage house built in 1903, neighbor 628 Browns Ct was constructed in 1992, 630 preceded it in 1991, and 632 and 632 ½ came about in 1985.  

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