This house is located at 231 17th St, SE:


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The flier says:

“SUBSIDIZE YOUR ELECTRIC BILL WITH THIS GREEN, ENERGY EFFICIENT, WELL-LOCATED, SOARING SOLAR SENSATION THAT INCLUDES 3BR/2.5BA WITH GOURMET KITCHEN, PARKING, PATIO, SUN-SPLASHED MASTER SUITE WITH STROLL-THROUGH CLOSET, SEPARATE SHOWER AND SOAKING TUB, DOUBLE VANITY AND STEP OUT TOP-FLOOR DECK AND EZ SPOTTING OF MONUMENTS, FIREWORKS, CAPITOL DOME. 50+ENERGY SAVING BULBS!”

You can find more info here and photos here.

The reader writes, “I always marvel at how ugly this pop-up is, and now it’s for sale. The inside doesn’t impress me either. No way I would pay over $400K for it. I’m curious what others in PoPville think.”

What do you guys think of the house itself? Do you agree with the reader who sent it in or does $585,000 for this 3 bed/2.5 bath sound right?


Voted one of the best real estate agents in DC by the Washington City Paper Readers’ Choice Poll in 2009, hipchickindc aka the not-so-hip Suzanne Des Marais is the Principal Broker (DC) for Urban Pace, LLC. She lives (and sells a lot of houses) in Bloomingdale, but works all over DC, with everyone from first time buyers to highly regarded developers. 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: 759 Harvard St NW
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights
Original List Price: $349,900.
List Price at Contract: $349,900.
List Date: 02/07/2011
Days on Market: 9
Settled Sales Price: $350,000.
Settlement Date: 03/14/2011
Seller Subsidy: $5000.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional

Original Good Deal or Not post is: here.

The listing can be seen: here. To see pics, open the listing link, click on the listing then scroll through from the main pic.

This home is located between Sherman Ave NW and Georgia Ave NW on Harvard St NW, a primary eastbound route connecting NW DC to the major medical centers above the McMillan Reservoir. Built during the early 20th century (DC public records date these properties in the 1908-1913 range), these modest brick rowhomes typically have two to three bedrooms and relatively small lot sizes of 800 to 1000 square feet. Lots on the even side of the street are slightly larger than the odd numbered homes. Most homes on this block do not have offstreet parking.

Continues after the jump. (more…)


This home is located at 2633 15th St, NW:


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The flier says:

“WASHINGTONS BEST ADDRESSES. LIKE A FRENCH COUNTRY CHATEAU. TWO STORY GREAT RM W/ ARCHES, UPLIGHTS, 2 STORY WINDOW, FIREPL. LARGE KIT W/ GRANITE TOPS, WOOD CABS, S. S APPLS. RECENT UPDATES INCL. MOST WINDOWS, BATHRMS, CAC SYS. .NICE WOOD FLOORS THRUOUT 3BR+DEN, 2.5 BATHS. NICE PERIOD POWDER RM ON MAIN. LAUNDRY CLOSET W/ D HOOKUP. INCLUDES ONE OUTSIDE PRKG. SPACE.”

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

I’ve loved this buildings for a long time. So glad to finally get a look inside one of them. Pretty wild. What do you think of the home itself? Does $799,900 ($1,900 monthly homeowners fee) sound right for this 3 bed/2.5 bath?


This home is located at 1509 Swann St, NW:


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The flier says:

“LUXURY AT IT’S BEST. 4BR 3.5BA TOWN HOME ON PRETTY SWANN ST IN VIBRANT DUPONT. ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1886 THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN BEAUTIFULLY RENOVATED WITH TOP-OF-THE-LINE AMENITIES THROUGHOUT. FROM THE ROOF DECK WITH CITY VIEWS TO THE NEW LOWER LEVEL IN-LAW SUITE WITH SEP ENTRANCE. NO DETAIL HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED IN FIVE FLRS OF ELEGANT LIVING. PLUS PATIO AND GATED PARKING FOR TWO CARS.”

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

Oh man, I’m digging that roof deck. Just awesome. What do you think of the rest of the house? This 4 bed/3 bath is yours for $1,599,000.


This home is located at 1713 Harvard St, NW:


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The flier says:

“SO CLOSE TO THE ZOO YOU CAN HEAR LIONS ROAR. Cloistered behind lush trees, this modern beauty is part of award-winning row by famed architect Joseph Abel. Features sunny floor-to-ceiling wndws, HW flrs, open plan, cedar deck & hot tub, 2-car pkg. Steps from Zoo, short stroll to Mt. P, AM, Col Hts, U St restaurants/nitelife/shopping. Close to Woodley & Col Hts Metros.”

You can find more info here and photos here.

I’ve always been a big fan of this cool row. What do you think of the house itself? Does $619,000 sound right for this 3 bed/2 bath?


This home is located at 23 5th St, SE:


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The flier says:

“ENCHANTING Victorian bay-front in a picture-perfect location. Richly-detailed facade sets the tone for the interior–4 rooms deep, each a jewel. Formal LR & DR, Chef’s Kitchen opens to inviting Famkily Rm. 2 fpls! Master BR w/ adjacent luxury Ba, walk-in closet, tranquil rear BR, 2nd full Ba, Office Nook, Improved storage bsmt. Private patio too!”

You can find more info here and photos here.

Well the location is seriously tough to beat but what do you think of the house itself? This 2 bed/2bath is going for $679,500 – sound right?


This home is located at 4832 Illinois Ave, NW:


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The flier says:

“FULLY-LOADED @ ENTICING PRICE! RENOVATED RECENTLY B4 FORECLOSED. NATURAL LIGHT FR COUNTLESS NEWER WINDOWS. WOOD FLRS THROUGHOUT. FRENCH DRS LEAD TO DECK. NEWER KITCHEN, GRANITE, S/S APPL’S. NEWER BATHROOMS. BONUS 2-BEDROOM 2BATHROOM + FAMILY RM IN-LAW/ GUEST STE W/ GRANITE-COUNTERED KITCHENETTE. 2ND FLR BALCONY. OFFERS REC’D BUT NO ACCEPTANCE YET. PRE-INSPECTIONS ENCOURAGED. SAFE CONVEYS.”

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

This 6 bed/4.5 bath is going for $349,000.


Voted one of the best real estate agents in DC by the Washington City Paper Readers’ Choice Poll in 2009, hipchickindc aka the not-so-hip Suzanne Des Marais is the Principal Broker (DC) for Urban Pace, LLC. She lives (and sells a lot of houses) in Bloomingdale, but works all over DC, with everyone from first time buyers to highly regarded developers. 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: 334 8th St NE
Legal Subdivision: Old City #1
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Old City #1
Original List Price: $364,000.
List Price at Contract: $364,000.
List Date: 02/15/2011
Days on Market: 10
Settled Sales Price: $540,000.
Settlement Date: 03/31/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional

Original Good Deal or Not post is: here

The listing can be seen: here. To see pics, open the listing link, click on the listing then scroll through from the main pic.

The subject house here was actually a secondary property on a twofer Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post. This small two bedroom home with no basement or parking, located within two blocks of Stanton Park on The Hill, was an estate sale. Commenters to the original GDoN post noted that it was essentially priced for auction. Some weren’t too complimentary of the listing agent for bringing back the 2004 bidding wars, but she did her job for the seller and drew apparently in the range of 20 offers. Ultimately, the settled sale price is 148% of the original list price. My question to readers is, what do you think it would have sold for if it had actually been priced at, say, $539,900.?

To give an idea of the market in that specific location, Here is everything within a quarter mile that is an active, pending, or settled (since 10/01/2010) listing. City wide, the average list to sale price ratio for March 2011 was 93.2%. For the zip code of 20002, it was 95.3% (including this outlier). Citywide for all houses priced under $375,000., the average list to sale ratio for March 2011 was 97.19%.

By the way, the other house on that original GDoN settled also. 803 Maryland Ave NE was originally listed for $629,000. Pricing was reduced to $599,000., which led to a settled sale at that price with a subsidy of $18,094. It was on the market for 91 days. You can see the listing and pics here. This house had a basement and a garage and was fully renovated. I’m guessing no bidding war and the purchaser was able to utilize FHA financing. Considering the subsidy, it sold for $40,906. more than the property mentioned above. Who do you think got the better deal?


This home is located at 1531 Vermont Ave, NW:


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The flier says:

“Rarely available, beautifully appointed & updated grande dame less than a block off Logan Circle. Period & architectural details, high ceilings, large-scaled rooms perfect for entertaining, hardwood floors, expansive kitchen addition, landscaped patio & generous roof deck, wonderful Master Suite & 2nd floor den/family room, renovated 2 bedroom in-law suite with front & rear entrances.”

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

This 7 bed/3.5 bath is going for $1,520,000. How do you think it ranks among house porn posts?


This home is located at 718 Rhode Island Ave, NW:


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The flier says:

“END-UNIT, 3 LEVEL, ROW HOUSE, ALTERNATIVE TO CONDO LIVING W/ OUT THE FEES, LOADS OF LIGHT, HW FLOORS, 3 FIREPLACES, UNIQUE LOFT SPACES WITH MULTIPLE SPACES FOR ENTERTAINING, BRICK EXPOSED WALLS, LOFTED CEILINGS, LIVING ROOM SUSPENDED OVER THE KITCHEN, 2 FULL BATHS & 1 HALF-BATH, 1 OF THE 3 LIVING AREAS COULD BE USED AS A 2ND BR, MOVE-IN CONDITION, 1 BLOCK TO METRO,”

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

Well this is def. a unique one – what do you think of the layout? Pretty wild.

This 1 bed/2.5 bath is going for $499,000 – sound realistic?


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