Real Estate

Sold in 16 Days – “Something(s) about this property struck a nerve with commenters”

By Prince Of Petworth

Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) is a weekly post that reviews the settled sales data of a recent individual real estate transaction in the District of Columbia. Each post is intended as a case study and a snapshot of the real estate market at a particular moment in time. GDoN-R generally posts on Friday in the late morning.

GDoN-R has been written exclusively for PoPville since 2009 by Suzanne Des Marais. Suzanne is a practicing Realtor with Compass. 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 and/or Smartcharts by Showingtime. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1337 Rittenhouse St, NW
Legal Subdivision: Brightwood
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Brightwood
Bedrooms: 4 Baths: 3.5 Basement: Partially Finished Parking: Garage Ownership: Fee Simple
House Living Square Footage per Listing: 1957 square feet
Original List Price: $743,000. List Price at Contract: $720,000.
List Date: 1/4/2018 Days on Market: 16
Settled Sales Price: $730,000.
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Settlement Date: 2/20/2018
Transaction type: Standard

Original GDoN post can be seen: here.

The original listing can be seen here: here.

Something(s) about this property struck a nerve with commenters, as the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post attracted 62 comments. Many of the comments were in relation to the design of the renovation, which was not brand, brand new, but done in 2016. (more…)

“As a longtime home inspector, I write to bring to your attention a number of realtor practices I have encountered that violate agent obligations”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user brunofish

“Dear PoPville,

I filed a complaint with the DC and Maryland Real Estate Commission which I thought might be of interest to you and your readers.”

Honorable Josephine Ricks – Chair, 02-18-18
District of Columbia Real Estate Commission
DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
Occupational and Professional Licensing
1100 4th St., Southwest Suite 500E
Washington DC 20024

My name is James Delgado. As a longtime home inspector, I write to bring to your attention a number of realtor practices I have encountered that violate agent obligations to “protect and promote the interests of their client” and “avoid exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts relating to the property or transaction” (Article 1 and Article 2 of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of REALTORS). The realtor practices I have witnessed are listed below: (more…)

Sold in Four Days – 1909 8th Street, NW

By Prince Of Petworth



Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) is a weekly post that reviews the settled sales data of a recent individual real estate transaction in the District of Columbia. Each post is intended as a case study and a snapshot of the real estate market at a particular moment in time. GDoN-R generally posts on Friday in the late morning.

GDoN-R has been written exclusively for PoPville since 2009 by Suzanne Des Marais. Suzanne is a practicing Realtor with Compass. 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 and/or Smartcharts by Showingtime. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1909 8th St NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Shaw
Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 2 Basement: Connecting Stairway, Partial Parking: Street Ownership: Fee Simple
House Living Square Footage per Tax Record: 1464 square feet
Original List Price: $810,000. List Price at Contract: $810,000.
List Date: 1/8/2018 Days on Market: 4
Settled Sales Price: $855,000.
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Settlement Date: 2/09/2018
Transaction type: Standard

Original GDoN post can be seen: here.

The original listing can be seen here: here.

The next door neighbor to the subject property sold in January 2017 for $835,116. It was a very similar house, with an unfinished basement, radiator heat (which home inspectors generally like for being efficient), but with one less bathroom and a less updated kitchen. These homes are close to the Shaw/Howard Metro, and even closer to U Street (Brixton, Glen’s Garden Market, Nellie’s, Warby Parker, etc.) (more…)

Sold in Six Days

By Prince Of Petworth

Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) is a weekly post that reviews the settled sales data of a recent individual real estate transaction in the District of Columbia. Each post is intended as a case study and a snapshot of the real estate market at a particular moment in time. GDoN-R generally posts on Friday in the late morning.

GDoN-R has been written exclusively for PoPville since 2009 by Suzanne Des Marais. Suzanne is a practicing Realtor with Compass. 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 and/or Smartcharts by Showingtime. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1242 K Street, SE
Legal Subdivision: Old City #1
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Capitol Hill
Bedrooms: 2 Baths: 1.5 Basement: No Parking: Street Ownership: Fee Simple
House Living Square Footage per Tax Record: 804 square feet
Original List Price: $598,500. List Price at Contract: $598,500.
List Date: 1/4/2018 Days on Market: 6
Settled Sales Price: $627,500.
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Settlement Date: 1/31/2018
Transaction type: Standard

Original GDoN post can be seen: here.

The original listing can be seen here: here.

The house next door, at 1240 K St SE, was the subject of a GDoN-Revisited post last Fall. Of similar size and scale, that home was not as recently updated as the subject property, and settled at $596,000. The property apparently attracted a lot of interest, as it escalated $7000. above the list price. (more…)

“The winning bidder would have to create workforce housing under specific criteria and timeframes.”

By Prince Of Petworth

From DHCD:

“The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced today progress to provide more workforce housing in the District with the closing of an auction of 33 properties through Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Vacant To Vibrant DC initiative.

“Vacant to Vibrant DC is one more way we are getting Washingtonians in all eight wards on pathways to the middle class,” said Mayor Bowser. “The outpouring of support for this initiative is a reflection of our community’s commitment to finding new and innovative ways to build more affordable housing, create new job opportunities, and ensure that more residents are able to participate in our city’s prosperity.”

The five-day auction by Alex Cooper Auctioneers closed January 23, with all 33 sites–in neighborhoods such as Bellvue (Ward 8), Carver/Langston (Ward 5), Deanwood (Ward 7), and Park View (Ward 1)–receiving bids. The winning bidder would have to create workforce housing under specific criteria and timeframes. Now that the auction has closed, the winning bidder will be notified and administrative steps will be taken over the next several weeks to finalize the purchase agreement. (more…)

Sold in Six Days “Demand does not appear to be waning”

By Prince Of Petworth

Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) is a weekly post that reviews the settled sales data of a recent individual real estate transaction in the District of Columbia. Each post is intended as a case study and a snapshot of the real estate market at a particular moment in time. GDoN-R generally posts on Friday in the late morning.

GDoN-R has been written exclusively for PoPville since 2009 by Suzanne Des Marais. Suzanne is a practicing Realtor with Compass. 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 and/or Smartcharts by Showingtime. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1815 9th Street, NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: U Street-Shaw
Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 2.5 Parking: Note in listing: “Other” Ownership: Fee Simple
House Square Footage per Tax Record: 1746
Original List Price: $775,000. List Price at Contract: $775,000.
List Date: 12/15/2017 Days on Market: 6
Settled Sales Price: $781,219.
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Settlement Date: 1/9/2018
Transaction type: Standard

Original GDoN post can be seen: here.

The original listing can be seen here: here.

This week’s subject property is a small scale rowhome with a burgundy bathroom, near the Shaw/Howard University Metro.

Inventory of active listings in this neighborhood is notoriously tight, with consistently about 1.3 months worth of supply (the amount of time it would take based upon the current pace of the market to absorb the current amount of inventory). With six months of inventory considered a balanced market, this limited supply generally works in favor of sellers.

Demand does not appear to be waning, as the 20001 zip code saw more than a 14% increase in the number of homes sold in 2017 versus 2016. District-wide, the number of units sold increased by 8.56% in 2017 compared to 2016. (more…)

Sold in 54 Days, The “BANISHMENT HOUSE”

By Prince Of Petworth

Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) is a weekly post that reviews the settled sales data of a recent individual real estate transaction in the District of Columbia. Each post is intended as a case study and a snapshot of the real estate market at a particular moment in time. GDoN-R generally posts on Friday in the late morning.

GDoN-R has been written exclusively for PoPville since 2009 by Suzanne Des Marais. Suzanne is a practicing Realtor with Compass. 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 MRIS (Metropolitan Regional Information Systems), which is the local multiple listing system and/or Smartcharts by Showingtime. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 1636 13th St NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Logan Circle
Bedrooms: 2 Baths: 2 Parking: Street Ownership: Fee Simple
House Square Footage per Listing: 1300
Original List Price: $999,000. List Price at Contract: $945,000.
List Date: 9/28/2017 Days on Market: 54
Settled Sales Price: $935,000.
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Settlement Date: 1/5/2018
Transaction type: Standard
Original GDoN post can be seen: here.
The original listing can be seen here: here.

This Logan Circle townhome makes efficient use of a very small (360 square feet per tax record) lot. The very vertical fee simple house has a bedroom each on the main and top levels, and the kitchen is below grade, where it likely was when originally built. We used to see a lot more of these around, but the kitchens often get moved up to make room for rental units. The lower level kitchen is/was sometimes seen in homes based on shallow lots.

In poking around through the old MRIS listings for this property, I came across a very intriguing comment in the agent remarks from when it was on the market in 2000. Paul Sliwka, still very active in DC real estate and now the Broker for Central Properties on V St, wrote “SPECTACULAR, FRESH, CONTEMPORARY RENOVATION OF “BANISHMENT HOUSE”(SEE FARM REMARKS)”. (more…)

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