Real Estate

GDoN Revisited – Half of a Dueling Edition 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: 1421 Varnum St NW

Original List Price: $485,000.

List Price at Contract: $465,000.

List Date: 02/06/2009

Days on Market: 42

Settled Sales Price: $455,000.

Settlement Date:  04/27/2009

Seller Subsidy:  $9,930.

Bank Owned?: No.  This was a family estate.

Type Of Financing: Conventional

Listing History: This property had been owned by the same family for many years.

Original GDoN Post is:  <a href=http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/02/good-deal-or-not-battle-of-renovated-vs-non-renovated-on-varnum-street/>Here</a>.

Recent Listing is: <a href=http://matrix.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Email.aspx?ID=30661264174>Here</a>.

The last time I sold a house on this block, it was to an architect, a few years ago.  Shortly after this home came on the market, I had clients, a couple who were both architects, make an offer.  The house was listed with one of my very favorite listing agents, real estate veteran and 16th Street Heights Maven, Denise Champion-Jones with Long and Foster.  (If you see any house with a sign that says, “Champion Collection”, it’s one of Denise’s listings).  We went back and forth for a while, but ultimately, based on what they figured they would have wanted to invest in renovations, we never came to an agreement.  The Sellers held out and, according to Denise, ended up selling to someone who had previously been looking at condos and thus saw the value of all that space and yard.  (My clients ended up getting a really cool and even bigger house off of 16th Street NW).

The general consensus of the “Good Deal or Not” (GDoN) commenters was that this unrenovated home would sell around $400,000.  Less the closing cost subsidy, it sold for $445,070 and was on the market for less than two months.

The other house from the GDoN post, that is on the same block, with some updates and priced much higher, is still on the market.

 

Good Deal or Not? “Cutest house on The Hill” Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

Ed. Note: Full disclosure – this property is being shown by PoP regular contributor, hipchickindc.

This home is located at 240 Parker Street, NE:


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The flier says:

“Cutest house on The Hill! Exposed brick, wood burning fireplace, Miele convection oven, TWO outdoor spaces (patio & upstairs deck), whirlpool tub, washer/dryer, recent double pane Pella wood windows. Possible parking (alley access). 1 block to Landmark Lofts, easy access to Metro/Union Station, H St Corridor, Capitol.”

More info and photos found here.

As H Street, NE becomes more popular I’ll be curious to see how the real estate prices are affected. If this home goes for asking then I’d say they’re doing pretty well. It can be yours for $450,000. Sound reasonable? And here’s another question that I have – do most people who buy in that area work on the Hill in some capacity? But more importantly – what do you think of the house?

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 3105 Macomb Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Historic gem in the very heart of Historic Cleveland Park. First time on the market since 1956. Immaculate exterior and gorgeous landscaped flowering yard. Off street driveway & garage parking. Sold strictly AS-IS, inspected and with full disclosures, needs interior makeover. So much potential – this historic beauty will steal your heart. Renovation financing available for qualified buyers.”

More info and a virtual tour found here.

Hmm, this will be an interesting one as the outside is amazing but the inside is just ok. Obviously it needs some kitchen and maybe bathroom updates but the rest of the house looked fine. I think the outdoor areas are far more “pornish” though. This is the home where I posted a photo of a stairway to a tree:

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The backyard is truly stunning. What do you think of the house and the property in general? It can be yours for $1,545,000.

Good Deal or Not? Reader Request

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 437 Manor Place, NW:


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The flier says:

“This sleek and stylish unit features soaring vaulted ceilings, exposed brick, a gas fire place, an open gourmet kitchen, luxurious bath with a jacuzzi tub. The unit also has a huge private deck off of bedroom, tons of overhead storage, and a separately deeded parking space. Enjoy the wonderful Columbia Heights location on a beautiful quiet street near two metros!”

More info and photos found here.

The photos look pretty good. I dig the exposed brick and it’s nice that it has that private deck. But I’d have to say this is most definitely in the Park View neighborhood. So the 2 bed 1 bath is going for $339,000. Sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? Finally on the Market Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

These condos are located at 3640 New Hampshire Avenue:


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The flier says:

“This is a fantastic top floor unit, 1 block from the metro and the redevelopment of Park Place. Being above the fray is wonderful and you will enjoy not only the view, the peace, but also all those lovely embellishments from recessed lighting, tub with jets, custom tile work, granite and stainless, as well as architectural details. The Woodrow is a lovely place to call home. & Furniture conveys”

More info but sadly no photos found here. I know I said I would try not to post homes without any photos but I think this is a worthy exception because its construction had been delayed for so long.

We looked at the carriage house unit of this condo back in March. Lots of folks were curious about the building in the front. I think it’ll be interesting to hear your thoughts on the price given the size and the location. Since the carriage house was a very nice renovation I assume this unit looks equally nice. Do you think $369,000 is reasonable for a 2 bed 2 bath on the top floor?

April 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 “April 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.

April Sales

20002 Sales

Good Deal or Not? Pride of Ownership Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 634 Otis Place, NW:


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The flier says:

“Location, Location, Location! Community reflect pride of ownership. Very stable Columbia Heights neighborhood. This three level homes is perfect for the first time home buyer including HPAP program participants. Close to public transportation, Howard University School and Hospital.”

More info and photos found here.

This looks like a home that lots of my friends live in. It is a classic rowhome not completely pimped out but very nice. But for the fact that there is only 1 bathroom I think this sounds pretty good at $350,000. Sound reasonable to you?

For those that just want some Friday fun the condo above is a 2 bed 2.5 bathroom located at 1229 10th St, NW. There is a sweet virtual tour here. It’s asking price is $669,000.

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: 1119 Clifton St NW

Original List Price: $869,900.

List Price at Contract: $839,900.

List Date: 11/06/2008

Days on Market: 94

Settled Sales Price: $810,000.

Settlement Date: 04/17/2009

Seller Subsidy: $5,000.

Bank Owned?: No

Type Of Financing: Conventional

Listing History: Last purchased in 2006 when it was in bad shape and pre-Target. Totally renovated since.

Original GDoN Post is: Here

Listings: Here are the listings from 2006 (first) and the most recent one. Unfortunately, the virtual tour is no longer active from the first listing so you can’t see the “before” pics. To see the lovely renovation, click the camera icon at top left of the 2nd listing.

Back in 2006, I headed a team with Re/Max and one of my licensed assistants represented the (then) buyer (now seller) of this property when it was in need of a lot of TLC. It’s a big house with a large lot, great bones and an even better view. The (then) buyers employed one of my favorite financing tools…a rehab loan…and it looks like they put it to good use. In 2006, they paid $520,000. and got back $10,000. toward closing. I forget how many other offers there were at the time, but the list price was $500,000.

In any case, the PoP GDoN commenters were rough on this one, so some will probably be surprised that it actually sold over $800,000., but it did.

Good Deal or Not? 400 Foot Deck Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 1806 Belmont Road, NW:


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The flier says:

“Charming spacious 2 br 1 ba in rare 5 unit brownstone. Picture window bay overlooking 18th & Belmont. Hardwood floors, updated marble bath, Kit with granite and stainless steel. Fireplace, recessed lighting, washer dryer, and 400 sq ft deck.”

More info and photos found here.

This one sounds and looks pretty sweet. Does $445,000 sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1511 Q Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“Stunning renovated townhome w/ 3 lvls, 4 BD & 4.5 BA(3 bedrm + carriage hse apt) & 2 car garage! 9.5ft ceil, 2 gas frpl, wd flrs, gourmet kitchen w/ brkfst bar, Viking stove & Bosch dishwasher & sep dining w/ views of garden/patio. Upstrs skylight, W/ D, mastr suite w/ lg walk-in closet & BA w/ jacuzzi tub & dbl vanity. In-law suite w/ ktchn, frpl, BD/BA & W/ D. 1 Blk to Whole Foods & more!”

More info and some sweet photos found here.

Whenever I walk by the stunning rowhomes in this area, especially on P, Q, R, S streets, I’m dying to know what it looks like on the inside. Thus my love weekly Wed. house porn. Anyway, I think the outdoor patio is one of the dopest I’ve seen in a while. What do you guys think of the house? And for the curious it’s yours for $1,599,000.

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