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Photo from PoPville flickr user AWard Tour

Photo by PoPville flickr user theraspberryexpress

From an email:

“We’d like to invite you and your readers to join us for the “CrossFit Meat-Up BBQ” at Balance Gym this Saturday!

1111 14th St. NW
Near Thomas Circle

Come try out one of our FREE introductory classes at our Open House and join us afterward for a BBQ.

Free classes at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Followed by a noon Coaches workout where you can see what seasoned CrossFit members can really do. After that we’ll barbecue, have fun and answer any of your questions!

Current CrossFit Balance members welcome! And if you bring a friend, we’ll award you with one free one-on-one personal training sessions with a CrossFit Coach!”

This home is located at 523 Shepherd St, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“Sold ” as is” only. Natural, unpainted wood and nice sized rooms. Has had some updates. Big yard w/ garage. Had been a rec room in basmt with full bath.”

You can find more info here and photos here.

We looked at this house back in Jan ’09 when it was on the market for $329,900. Well it’s just been put on the market again for $228,500. While it likely needs some work I haven’t seen a whole row house for this price in quite a while. Do you think the $100k price drop will make this one move?

Photo by PoPville flickr user julianne’s

I’ve been following with interest and disgust a series of emails about incidents near the Eastern Market metro. Many of the emails recount stories like this:

“My family (4 and 2 year olds) also was closely followed and verbally assaulted by this guy last month when crossing the street in front of the EM metro. I was totally flustered by the encounter, even with my husband present. I felt awful about the incident, namely because in rushing to get away from him and across Penn Ave, I basically led my 4 year old into traffic. While the man seems mentally ill, he has his wits enough about him to repeatedly target/assault families with small children in tow.”

I also wanted to share the wise advice given by another poster:

“I was taught if someone is following you on foot or even in your car, DO NOT GO HOME, go to the closest business and call the police.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Madame Meow

You can talk about whatever is on your mind – quality of life issues, a beautiful tree you spotted, scuttlebutt, or any random questions/thoughts you may have. I’ll open this thread every Monday and Friday. So anything good happen to you this week?

How have you been coping with the heat?

In real life, hipchickindc is actually the not-so-hip Suzanne Des Marais, an associate broker with Urban Pace. Voted one of the best real estate agents in DC by the Washington City Paper Readers’ Choice Poll in 2009, Suzanne is currently Chair of the DC Public Policy Committee for the Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® and is President Elect of the Washington, DC Association of REALTORS®. 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: 1354 Quincy St NW
Original List Price: $629,900.
List Price at Contract: $599,000.
List Date: 04/09/2010
Days on Market: 52
Settled Sales Price: $590,000.
Settlement Date: 06/18/2010
Seller Subsidy: $3,500.
Bank Owned?: No
Type Of Financing: FHA

Original GDoN is: here.

Listing is: here. To see pics, click on the listing, then click on the main pic and scroll on the arrows.

While we have not seen the end of foreclosures, we are definitely seeing fewer and fewer foreclosures actually on the market. This particular property was a purchased for $267,000. in December 2009 by George Koutromanos from a regular seller who purchased the property back in 2004. Additionally, we continue to have an influx of owner occupant buyers purchasing in the city and taking advantage of fabulously low mortgage interest rates. Because we have a healthy supply of buyers at this point, we are continuing to see another wave of renovation activity, not unlike what we saw in the early 2000’s.

One of the commenters on the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post for this property pondered, “It makes me wonder if 90% of houses are being flipped by the same person or company in DC or whether all the flippers/builders have the same boring taste.” I actually think that there are quite a few active investors out there now, but just a few weeks ago, I featured another property that was also renovated by the Koutromanos family, who has been renovating in DC for decades.

This particular location has seen a tremendous amount of real estate activity recently. I did a search within just a few blocks of the property showing active, under contract listings, and settled sales since March 2010. You can see here the wide range of prices reflecting the vastly differing sizes and conditions of properties in the area, including 3600 13th St NW.

I’m happy to report that the pitbull, Chloe Moo Moo Poundcake, stolen/lost from a Truxton Circle home has been found! I’m told:

“The DC Animal Shelter found Moo Moo late last night! The owner is ecstatic and grateful for everyone’s help.”

I’m also told Leo was spotted at the zoo so hopefully there will be good news on that front as well.

Some exciting renovated properties across this NE corner of the Hill that you just can’t miss this week. As for Logan Circle we are talking fun and just on the market.

Join us this week as we take in house tours on the Hill and learn all about this little subset of the Lincoln Park area as well as some great spaces in the middle of everything and anything in Logan

The Saturday Tour of Homes aims to give real estate aficionados and interested buyers an overview of the market in 2 different neighborhoods each weekend. Feel free to explore as we share our local knowledge and answer your questions in a no-pressure environment.

We will hold tours in both neighborhoods at 11AM and again at 1PM. Come to just one, or join both and see up to 10 properties in one day!

Let’s find your new home! RSVP is always appreciated

Tours@greenDCrealty.com or call 240-481-5041

DATE – Saturday June 26th, 2010

Logan Circle TIME 11am and 1pm

MEETING POINT – 1332 15th St NW
Property Tour List

Capitol Hill TIME 11am and 1pm

MEETING POINT – 1369 C St NE
Property Tour List

Photo by PoPville flickr user jsmjr

A WMATA press release says:

Metro riders looking to pick up a movie on their way home will not have to go very far as the video store is coming to a Metrorail station as early as this fall.

Metro’s Board of Directors today (June 24) approved a license agreement with NCR/Blockbuster and Movie Solution to place DVD rental machines in stations and to allow Old Town Trolley Tours to sell tickets for its familiar green and orange trolley buses that provide sightseeing tours of Washington’s monuments and other points of interest.

In exchange for use of the Metrorail system for the rental of movies and sale of tour tickets, Metro will receive an estimated $928,000 over an eight-year period with guaranteed revenue of $116,000 in the first year.

NCR/Blockbuster will have DVD rental machines at three stations: the Gallery Pl-Chinatown (Verizon Center entrance), Metro Center and Pentagon City Metrorail stations. Movie Solution will have DVD rental machines located at 10 stations: the Farragut North (K Street entrance), Farragut West (17th Street entrance), Foggy Bottom, L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Union Station (1st Street entrance), Bethesda, New Carrollton, Shady Grove and Rosslyn Metrorail stations. Old Town Trolley Tours will place ticket sales and information booths at both entrances of the Smithsonian Metrorail station.

“Retail services in stations will be good for riders and Metro, especially right now in this economy,” said Jim Graham, Chairperson of Metro’s Board Joint Development and Real Estate Committee.

Do you think the ability to rent movies at metro stations is a good idea?  For those looking for good movie rentals, we spoke about our favorites here. What other retail options do you think should be available in metro stations?

Photo by PoPville Flickr user D©Bloom

And completely unrelated – I’m looking for a good fun fiction book for next weekend if anyone has any recommendations. We spoke about favorite books back in Sept. ’08 but I’m looking for some current recommendations, if you have any good ones.

“The Petworth Community Market is pleased to announce the launch of its opening season beginning Friday,
June 25, 2010.

The market will run every Friday 3:00‐7:00pm through October 29, 2010. The market will be located on the 4100 block of 9th Street NW at the highly visible intersection of Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street.”

Photo courtesy of lhbcommunications

From a press release:

“StonebridgeCarras and Walton Street Capital today completed the sale to Northwestern Mutual of Two Constitution Square in Washington, D.C. for $305 million. The 589,000 square foot office building is leased to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for the Department of Justice. The building is located at 145 N Street, N.E. in Washington, D.C.’s rapidly developing NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood.”

You like the look of the building?

And if you’re in the neighborhood Friday or Saturday:

“Pound Coffee wants to help everyone beat the heat this weekend and we want to make sure everyone has a chance to discover the insane deliciousness that is our special Nutella latte, so this Friday AND Saturday, we will be offering $1 large iced lattes and $1.50 large iced lattes all day!

Special: $1.00 16oz iced latte, $1.50 16oz iced nutella latte (or other flavor)
Dates: Friday 6/25: 6:30am to 7:00pm, Saturday 6/26 8:00am to 4:00pm
Directions: Right across the street from the NY Ave Metro, 2nd St Exit (red line), 1300 2nd St NE.“

Photo from PoPville flickr user icubaji

Congrats to Matt G with:

“When Animals Attack: The Prequel”

and Runner up to mphs with:

“Despite overcrowding at its main facility, Mayor Fenty announced that they had found a new shelter for homeless children.”

Please email me directly for your PoP t-shirts!

I’ve been watching the progress of the new building at 11th and T Streets, NW for many months now. I was psyched to see the big chain link fence had come down. It’s looking a mere weeks away from completion. I’ll be sure to post when units go for sale, hopefully there will be a good virtual tour. But now that the fence is down and we can get a better look at the building – would you say thumbs up or down?

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been watching tons of Univision lately but I’m loving this one.

Regular readers may recall my obsession of banana trees. If you know of any good ones around town send the locale my way! This one is always great near the Convention Center, I think on M St, NW.