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 an Associate Broker with Urban Pace. 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: 1860 Upshur St NW
Legal Subdivision: Crestwood
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Crestwood
Original List Price: $895,000.
List Price at Contract: $799,000.
List Date: 04/26/2010
Days on Market: 149
Settled Sales Price: $795,000.
Settlement Date: 11/08/2010
Seller Subsidy: $250.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional

Original GDoN is: here.

The Listing can be seen: here. Here is the virtual tour.

I’ve been working on a listing in Crestwood since early Spring (currently under contract), and I have to say that I am surprised that more buyers on the hunt for a detached single family house do not include Crestwood in their searches. Sandwiched between Rock Creek Park and 16th Street NW, Crestwood is an enclave of handsome and often unique properties surrounded by parkland, yet with easy access to downtown. Recent sales in Crestwood have included the house built by Giant Foods powerhouse Izzy Cohen, as well as the home that the prolific Crestwood developer, Paul Stone, built for himself in 1938. Those listings can be seen here.

Continues after the jump. (more…)


On Sunday in the middle of the day I saw this group of huge deer in Crestwood chilling in someone’s front yard. It made me nervous how close they were to the road:

There were three of ’em:

They really didn’t seem to care that I was photographing them either. One of them even stopped to pose:


This home is located at 1860 Upshur St, NW:


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The flier says:

“This Greek Revival house has been masterfully renovated, from the gourmet kitchen to the spectacular master bathroom clad entirely in tumbled Travertine. The house maintains its original charm throughout while being brought to today’s exacting expectations. Beautifully landscaped garden, attached garage, two fireplaces and potential au pair suite make this a great offering in Crestwood.”

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

Wow, I didn’t think the virtual tour was gonna be that sweet. That’s a fantastic kitchen. What’s your favorite room? So this house has been on the market for 149 days. Original asking was $895,000. It’s now on the market for $799,000. What do you think it’ll go for?



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WBJ’s Michael Neibauer has a great report on 14th St development plans:

District planners are eyeing a 1.8-mile stretch of 14th Street NW for a makeover, one that may usher in a streetcar line, a redeveloped Metro bus garage and a more diverse commercial lineup along a corridor often overshadowed by Columbia Heights just to the south.

Running north from Spring Road to Madison Street, the Central 14th Street corridor drives through several middle-income communities, including Petworth, 16th Street Heights, Brightwood Park and Crestwood. Minority-owned storefronts, generally neighborhood-serving retail, dot the strip. A century-old Metro bus garage, which D.C. government planners deem “potentially historic,” comprises two blocks between 14th Street and Iowa Avenue.

Read the rest of the story here.


I told you Blagden Ave. in Crestwood was pretty sweet. Check out the two decks to the left and the right as well as the gigantic window in the middle. Awesome.


I found this one on Blagden Avenue in Crestwood. It’s got a sweet door too. But man – wait for some others later in the week from the same block. They are incredible. While we’re on this house though, I’m curious if there are fans of ranch houses?


Here’s an odd sight I caught up in Crestwood. Now, of course we’ve all seen shoes thrown up in wires like this but have you ever seen logs up there?  The sky was crap so the photos didn’t come out that well but one of the logs has a wire going directly through it. Totally stumped me. Any explanations?


Not sure if you can tell from this photo but the tree coming out of the bush is painted gold. It’s up in Crestwood.


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