Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a princeofpetworth.com advertiser. 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: 1480 Harvard St NW
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights
Original List Price: $549,000.
List Price at Contract: Looks like it was increased post settlement first to $560,000., then to $660,000.
List Date: 12/09/2011
Days on Market: 2
Settled Sales Price: $700,000.
Settlement Date: 01/27/2012
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Cash
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see pics, click on the main pic after opening the link and scroll through. In this case, there are more pictures than usual for a property in this condition.

I think everything I’ve written about the real estate market in DC over the past few months has read something like this…“blah blah blah SCARCITY blah blah blah LACK OF ACTIVE INVENTORY blah blah blah FOUR PERCENT (and lower) MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES.” For better or worse, that’s pretty much how it goes right now.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a princeofpetworth.com advertiser. 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: 2023 R St NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Dupont
Original List Price 1st Listing: $2,875,000.
List Price at Contract: $2,595,000.
List Date: 06/13/2011
Days on Market: 131
Settled Sales Price: $2,325,000.
Settlement Date: 12/16/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Entered in listing data as “Private”
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. The virtual tour can be seen here. (By the way, on Homevisit virtual tours, the tour will load faster if you go to the far right and click on “view in standard resolution”.)

I don’t know about you, but ever since Mitt Romney released his tax returns, I keep thinking about what I would do if I had that kind of cash available. I’m generally a Bloomingdale girl, but it does occasionally cross my mind that it might be fun to own a ginormous house with a hot tub on the roof deck. I also like the idea of being down the street from Teaism and I’m a Phillips Collection member, so it would be very convenient for popping in more frequently. And sometimes, as one of the commenters to the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post said, I would like to have a couch in my kitchen.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a princeofpetworth.com advertiser. 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: 3807 Kansas Ave NW
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights
Original List Price 1st Listing: $669,900.
List Price at Contract: $669,900.
List Date: 11/11/2011
Days on Market: 9
Settled Sales Price: $660,000.
Settlement Date: 12/28/2011
Seller Subsidy: $17,500.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see pics, open the listing link, click on the main pic and scroll through.

A couple of weeks ago, Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) looked at the sale of a home in Shaw that sold at the high end of comps for the area. I mention that post because, although it is a different location than the current subject property, it was also a home that was purchased in bad shape, renovated within a very short period of time, and sold at a strong price after just a few days on market. I noted a recent article in that post that cited lack of inventory as playing a role DC’s unusually active (compared to many other parts of the country) real estate market.

In keeping with that theme, Real Estate Business Intelligence (RBI, which is the stats arm of our local multiple listing service, Metropolitan Regional Information Services) blogged about the inventory of active homes for sale in the DC Metro Area as being at the lowest level since August 2005. Anybody who was in the real estate business then, or was looking for a home in August 2005 knows that is extremely low. There are currently a grand total of seven active listing for houses in the Columbia Heights neighborhood (let’s say the legal subdivision of Columbia Heights west of Georgia Avenue), which covers a fairly broad geographic area.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a princeofpetworth.com advertiser. 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: 1454 Euclid St NW #5
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights
Original List Price 1st Listing: $439,000.
List Price at Contract: $419,000.
List Date: 07/07/2011
Days on Market: 147
Settled Sales Price: $395,000.
Settled Price Per Square Foot: $436.
Settlement Date: 12/30/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. Here is the virtual tour .

Meridian Hill Condominium is an eight unit conversion dating from the early 1990’s. There appear to be at least a couple of original owners, who no doubt have seen dramatic change to the neighborhood over the past two decades. Those original owners were smart to hold on though, as prices to buy these condos new were sub-$100,000. The subject property, unit five, was first purchased for $71,400. in May 1992. It later sold in June 2000 for $96,000.

For this listing, the unit remained on the market for 147 days before going under contract, which is a long time in relation to typical Good Deal or Not (GDoN) properties (the past ten GDoN Revisited properties averaged 17 days on the market). Although the original list price of $439,000. seems fairly reasonable for a duplex boutique condo with an attractive Victorian exterior, that put the price per square foot up into the high $400’s. While brand new high end condos in Columbia Heights can fetch into the mid $500’s per square foot, the final price of this unit reflects the differential of an older style unit.

Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. She is the founder of 10 Square Team and is affiliated with Keller Williams Capital Properties. 10 Square Team is a princeofpetworth.com advertiser. 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: 640 Q St NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Shaw
Original List Price: $699,990.
List Price at Contract: $699,990.
List Date: 11/18/2011
Days on Market: 6
Settled Sales Price: $679,000.
Settlement Date: 12/27/2011
Seller Subsidy: $1,500.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here.

Purchased for $300,000. less a $2500. subsidy (and $25,000. below the listed price) in late September 2011, 640 Q St NW was back on the market close to two months later and under contract again in less than a week. The property is located on the edge of significant retail development.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 3013 11th St NW #3
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights
Original List Price: $409,900.
List Price at Contract: $409,900.
List Date: 09/30/2011
Days on Market: 4
Settled Sales Price: $402,000.
Price per Square Foot: $462. (870 Square Feet per Listing, 848 Square Feet per Tax Record)
Settlement Date: 11/21/2011
Seller Subsidy: $125.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

Even compared to many other rapidly developing parts of the city, the Columbia Heights neighborhood has experienced a tremendous amount of construction over the past decade. In addition to numerous recently built multi-unit condo and apartment buildings, conversions of existing apartment buildings to condos, and the seemingly ongoing expansion of DC USA, the surrounding blocks feature an abundance of solid Victorian housing stock. Many of the late 19th and early 20th century homes in this area are quite large, and developers have taken the opportunity to create “boutique” condo buildings, ranging from two units to several.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 1730 New Hampshire Ave NW #13
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Dupont
Original List Price: $335,000.
List Price at Contract: $335,000.
List Date: 10/17/2011
Days on Market: 12
Settled Sales Price: $336,600.
Price per Square Foot: $486. (692 Square Feet per Tax Record)
Settlement Date: 11/21/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

Originally built as a single family residence in 1893, 1730 New Hampshire Avenue NW is currently comprised of 22 condominium units divided between the historic main home and the carriage house in the back. Several of the units are accessed through a courtyard between the two structures. The courtyard area includes a number of outdoor stairways and various private and common decks. The property was developed in the mid 1990’s by Keener Squire, who also completed such notable projects as the 2006 extensive renovation and restoration of the 300+ unit Chastleton located at 16th and R St NW.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 71 P St NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Old City #2
Original List Price: $499,900.
List Price at Contract: $499,900.
List Date: 09/14/2011
Days on Market: 17
Settled Sales Price: $489,000.
Settlement Date: 10/28/2011
Seller Subsidy: $5000.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic. Or, if you really want to see the virtual tour mentioned in the GDoN comments, you can click here. Or, if you are curious what it looked like when it was for sale following the 2005/2006 renovation, you can see that virtual tour here.

Although the listing agent of the subject property for today’s Good Deal of Not Revisted (GDoN-R) did not identify the neighborhood as Truxton Circle, I would have placed it there. P Street is a few short blocks south of where the original Truxton Circle” once existed. In October, I profiled a GDoN-R property on New Jersey Avenue located just a bit south and west of the Truxton Circle neighborhood. I made mention that Truxton Circle is certainly picking up, to which an anonymous commenter responded, “Truxton Circle is not ‘picking up’”.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 506 7th St SE
Legal Subdivision: Capitol Hill
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Capitol Hill
Original List Price: $390,000.
List Price at Contract: $390,000.
List Date: 09/09/2011
Days on Market: 12
Settled Sales Price: $450,000.
Settlement Date: 10/26/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

It was pretty clear that commenters to the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post expected the price of this home to get bid up. And bid up it did, to $60,000. over the listed price.

The home was not very large, but there’s definitely an appeal to many people for being in the heart of Capitol Hill (and this is in the actual subdivision of Capitol Hill, rather than in Old City). Since November 2010, in addition to the sale of the subject property, the subdivision of Capitol has seen exactly three fee simple sales under half a million dollars.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 1424 Rhode Island Ave NW Unit F
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Logan
Original List Price: $791,424.
List Price at Contract: $791,424.
List Date: 09/09/2011
Days on Market: 10
Settled Sales Price: $780,000.
Settlement Date: 10/20/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Cash
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) posts have profiled sales for a range of properties including formstone-laden Victorian castle-like structures, a multi-million dollar contemporary overlooking Rock Creek Park, gut renovated Victorian not-so-castle like structures, a post war apartment building turned condo, and plenty of porch front rowhomes built in the 1920’s and 30’s. Depending on what neighborhood in DC you might find yourself, the architectural vibe can be quite different from block to block. Clearly tastes, technologies, and perceptions of amenities change from one stylistic era to another. Personally, I enjoy stepping into the past and imagining the 1970s homeowners’ delight at upgrading to Harvest Gold Kenmore appliances.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 1243 New Jersey Ave NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Old City #2
Original List Price: $750,000.
List Price at Contract: $750,000.
List Date: 09/22/2011
Days on Market: 4
Settled Sales Price: $840,000.
Settlement Date: 10/11/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here. The GDoN post for the same property from 2010 is here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

This sale is a perfect example of something that I try to remind both my buyer and seller clients about regularly. Real estate markets are not static. Of course, some situations are more predictable than others, but any moment in time is just a snapshot of conditions at any particular location. In this specific case, we are looking at a property that had been previously listed last year, with three different listing agents, at prices ranging from $799,000. to $899,000., for a total of 468 days without a sale.

This year, with pictures suggesting that the property is in similar if not the same condition as last year, the property was not only on the market for four short days, but apparently there was more than one party who wanted it. In fact, somebody wanted it so much that they paid almost a hundred thousand dollars over the asking price. Yes, I even called the listing agent, Alan Dalton with Re/Max Allegiance, to make sure that this is correctly entered into the MLS. Two of his team members confirm that it is.

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here. 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: 1412 Florida Ave NW
Legal Subdivision: Old City #2
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: U Street
Original List Price: $849,900.
List Price at Contract: $849,900.
List Date: 07/15/2011
Days on Market: 37
Settled Sales Price: $805,000.
Settlement Date: 09/30/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic. If you prefer, there is also a Homevisit virtual tour.

Pierre L’Enfant’s original plan for the Federal City ended to the north at Boundary Street, currently known as Florida Avenue. This explains why the even numbered properties on the south side of the 1400 block of Florida Ave NW are part of the legal subdivision of Old City #2. The odd numbered properties on the north side, however, are identified as being in the very wide ranging legal subdivision of Columbia Heights. Reviewing listings for the block reveals that real estate agents like to refer to this location with names such as “Dupont East”, or “Dupont North”, or, in the case of the subject property, “U Street”.

The 1400 block of Florida Avenue is an excellent study in the relatively rapid escalation of real estate prices in downtown DC since the late 1990’s. In 1995, a “lovingly restored and renovated 20 foot wide Edwardian townhome” located at 1459 Florida Ave NW sold for $181,500. with a $6000. subsidy towards closing costs. The market clearly started to smoke in 1999 when 1479 Florida Ave NW passed the $300k mark and went for $305,000. In 2001, a large home at 1469 Florida Ave NW set the bar at $450,000. The next big jump didn’t happen until 2003, when 1434 Florida Ave NW sold for $529,000. In 2004, 1475 Florida Ave NW sold for $660,000. In 2005, 1469 Florida Ave NW once again pushed prices and sold for $842,000. less a $17,000. subsidy. (Note that the 2005 listing describes 1469 Florida as being divided into three units.)

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 2800 Chesterfield Pl NW
Legal Subdivision: Forest Hills
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Forest Hills
Original List Price: $1,875,000.
List Price at Contract: $1,875,000.
List Date: 07/14/2011
Days on Market: 25
Settled Sales Price: $2,301,000.
Settlement Date: 09/09/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: YES Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

Last week, I profiled a recent condo sale in Forest Hills. This week, the subject property is technically in the same ‘hood, but let’s just say it’s closer to the park.

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. 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: 2716 Ordway St NW #6
Legal Subdivision: Forest Hills
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Cleveland Park
Original List Price: $439,900.
List Price at Contract: $439,900.
List Date: 07/21/2011
Days on Market: 45
Settled Sales Price: $427,500.
Price per Square Foot: $455 (based on net price & factoring in adjustment for deeded parking)
Settlement Date: 09/28/2011
Seller Subsidy: $8550.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.

I’ve done a lot of comparison between close in parts of northwest DC, and plenty of comparisons between NW and The Hill. In this case, here’s a chance to compare “Close in” versus “Upper Northwest”.

I always love showing condos and co-ops in Upper Northwest because that’s where a good concentration of the buildings in James Goode’s classic Best Addresses are located. It’s fun to know the history behind many of the properties. Goode does not specifically profile this now condo/former apartment building on Ordway that was built in 1944, but he does write about “Tightening the Belt” and the effects of government expansion. He explains that, “The most prolific period in the development of garden apartments occurred between 1935 and 1945. During the Depression and war years, garden apartments were considered a practical alternative for the middle class.”

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Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here 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: 391 Rhode Island Ave NW
Legal Subdivision: LeDroit Park
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: LeDroit Park
Original List Price: $955,000.
List Price at Contract: $799,000.
List Date: 02/20/2011
Days on Market: 180
Settled Sales Price: $850,000.
Settlement Date: 09/21/2011
Seller Subsidy: $0.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Cash

Original post is: here.

The listing can be seen: here.

This was never actually offered up as an official “Good Deal or Not” (GDoN) post, however, PoP’s post from 08/09/11 (linked above) titled “Frazier’s Funeral Home for Sale in Ledroit Park” garnered a lot of interest. As several commenters noted, the building had housed the Frazier’s Funeral Home business for many decades and is known for its love-it-or-hate-it formstone and bright blue awnings. The very visible property is located at the well traveled intersection of Florida Ave NW, Rhode Island Ave NW, and 4th St NW. Apparently, as recently as 2007, the business had been operating, although, not without some challenges.

Some discussion came about regarding the generational aspect of neighborhood funeral businesses. Typically, they are grand properties and like many generational neighborhood businesses, are rapidly disappearing. Hall Brothers Funeral Home is located a couple of blocks to the west of the subject property at 619 and 621 Florida Avenue NW. 621 Florida Ave NW sold in 2005. 619 Florida Ave NW, which was the parlor (probably viewing and visiting) part of the home, sold in 2009 and is currently on the market for over a million dollars (unfortunately, with no interior pics or virtual tour). This PoP post shows 621 on the left and 619 on the right.

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