Dear PoPville

“Dear PoPville,

My husband and I met our agent to take ‘one last look’ at a potential new home in Brookland this past Sunday morning. All was going well, and I was getting more and more excited …. until we went to the basement to discover that, with all the rain, the front half of the basement had flooded. (On a side note: the door was also kicked in, and the basement bedroom had been slept in…). We notified the seller’s agent, who, after a later follow up call, informed us that the front drain was simply clogged, was snaked and all is well. (more…)

“Dear PoPville,

I am the owner of an Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) in DC that I wish to sell because I have gotten married and moved into my husband’s home. For those that may not know, before you can sell your ADU, you must notify the city of your intentions and request that they set a maximum sell price. Once that’s done, you can then sell your unit to a qualified buyer whose income is under a certain percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI). It’s not an easy process, but I knew what I signed up (or at least I thought I did).

To make a long story short, I submitted my sale request form and all documentation to the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in the beginning of March. Just shy of 5 months later and DHCD has still not set a sales price!

It took them 3 months just to tell me that my ADU unit is actually overseen by a different department in DHCD and that they transferred my request. THREE MONTHS!! (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric Spiegel

“Dear PoPville,

I’m not sure if anyone has noticed this or if I am just traveling these areas on a regular basis, but there appears to be a major uptick in the amount of crossing guards armed with whistles in the Columbia Heights/Petworth/Mt. Pleasant area lately. I’m not sure what the purpose of these guards is, especially at intersections that have extra crossing time before lights turn green built into their timers, they might make sense at a more tourist heavy area, or at an area known for its pedestrian/driver accidents, but I’m not sure those criteria are being met here, and to be frank, I think these folks are: (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

“Dear PoPville,

I’m looking for medical malpractice attorney recommendations in Northern Virginia or DC. I’ll spare you the long story, but I am trying to help my father explore his options for holding a certain group (that I don’t want to name) responsible for his severe surgical complications and extra 3-week long stay in a hospital, as well as the life-changing outcome he has unexpectedly ended up with. I’ve done some research online and truly believe we have a case, but I don’t know where to get started on finding a reputable lawyer to speak with. I’d be so grateful for any help that the community could provide as we navigate this emotionally and physically exhausting journey. Our goal is to ensure that this does not happen to anyone else.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

“Dear PoPville,

I’m thinking of installing a pergola on our balcony to create shade/a home for viney plants/good vibes. Does anyone have any experience with pergola kits you can buy online? There are several different retailers and I don’t really know where to start. If anyone has any experiences to share we’d be most appreciative for the intel!”