Archive for August, 2008
August 5, 2008
Image: A slumlord lives in this $1M home in NW DC. Photo courtesy of Washington City Paper.
August 4, 2008
Today’s featured estate is in DC’s Berkley neighborhood. It is also sometimes called Foxhall Crescents. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:
“Berkley is bounded by Wesley Heights Park to the north, MacArthur Boulevard to the southwest, Battery Kemble Park to the west, and 44th Street and Foxhall Road to the east. Beyond the line formed by 44th and Foxhall lies Archbold Glover Park, meaning that Berkley is surrounded on three sides by parkland. Its fourth side is adjacent to two neighborhoods, Foxhall and Palisades, and as such is sometimes confused for them.
Berkley is a tony, suburban neighborhood, naturally isolated from the more cosmopolitan parts of the city by its location between parks. It is home to the German Embassy and George Washington University’s Mt. Vernon campus.”
The German Embassy in DC’s tony Berkley neighborhood. (Flickr photo credit; Creative Commons License)
Located at 2510 Foxhall Rd NW in 20007 and priced at $11.5M, the home is a Georgian-style English country house that features 7 beds and 10 baths. It is situated on 1.5 acres and enjoys natural privacy due to the neighborhood’s position between 2 parks. The property was built in 1935 but has been recently expanded and renovated to include modern updates. It’s been active on Redfin for 167 days.
Recent Sweet Digs Posts
DC, Montgomery and Fairfax County Home Prices
Loudoun County: Your BOS, Hard at Work
August 2, 2008
The selection of open houses has picked up a bit, which is somewhat surprising given that August is typically the worst month to sell real estate. Click on the ZIP to see the full list of open houses for Sunday; I pulled out a few to highlight that have also recently had their prices reduced. Weather-wise, it looks like a great day to go house hunting, or head to the pool – or both. Have a great weekend!
20147
ASHBURN VILLAGE
43998 Downington Ct
Reduced from $509,999 to $499,900
4 bd/3.5 ba; 3197 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 78
Open: Open: Sun. 8/3 from 12 to 3
20148
MORELAND ESTATES
42456 Corro Pl
Reduced from $799,333 to $779,000
5 bd/4.5 ba; 5892 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 91
Open: Sun. 8/3 from 1 to 3
BROADLANDS SOUTH
21510 Tithables Cir
Reduce from $659,000 to $649,000
4 bd/4.5 ba; 4828 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 57
Open: Sun. 8/3 from 1 to 4
20176
NORTHLAKE
18404 Mill Run Ct
Reduced from $725,000 to $699,999
4 bd/5.5 ba; 6000 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 258
Open: Sun. 8/3 from 1 to 5
August 1, 2008
Chase Point in Friendship Heights
During my research for this post, I discovered that Friendship Heights is much like Hollywood used to be: Everyone knows it’s there, but there are no true boundaries to distinguish it from other parts of the city. (Hollywood had its boundaries officially established in 2005). Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:
“Friendship Heights is a residential neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC and southern Montgomery County, Maryland. Though its borders are not clearly defined, Friendship Heights consists roughly of the neighborhoods and commercial areas around Wisconsin Avenue north of Fessenden Street NW and Tenleytown to Somerset Terrace and Willard Avenue in Maryland, and from River Road in the west to Reno Road and 41st Street in the east. Within Maryland west of Wisconsin Avenue is the so-called “Village of Friendship Heights,” technically a special taxation district.”
Whenever I do posts like this, I like to find homes at different price points to give readers an idea of what they can get for the money. One thing was very clear when I did my Redfin search: Living in Friendship Heights may be incredibly convenient, but it does not come cheap. The average price for a residential property is $1,403,991; the median is $1,269,000. It turns out that both the least expensive ($699K) and most expensive ($2.9M) condo are in the same luxury building in 20015 (Friendship Heights also covers 20016), and you can find the goods on them below. To find out more about the building and its amenities, visit PNHoffman.com.
Building: Chase Point
Walk Score: 86 (very walkable)
Close to: Giant (0.2 mi); Starbucks (0.11 mi); AMC Mazza Gallerie (.015 mi); Friendship Heights Metro (0.39 mi – right outside the park that encloses the building)
You can find the complete list of nearby attractions here.
4301 MILITARY Rd NW, #506
Price: $699,000
1 bd/2 ba; 980 sq. ft.; $713/sq. ft.
In addition to the bedroom, this unit also has a den that could function as a second bedroom. The killer kitchen includes a granite island and Viking appliances. One garage parking space is included.
4301 MILITARY Rd NW, #PH 10
Price: $2,999,000
3 bd/3.5 ba; 3200 sq. ft.; $937/sq. ft.
Along with the 3200 sq. ft. of interior space, the buyer of this penthouse unit will also enjoy a 900-sq. ft. wraparound terrace. Along with the 3 bedrooms, the unit includes a den and a second-level family room. There are hardwood floors throughout, and the furnishings can be negotiated as part of the purchase. Four garage parking spaces are also part of the deal.
Next up: Kalorama
Related Sweet Digs Posts
Walk This Way: Georgetown (20007)
Walk Score Really Likes Us!
August 1, 2008
In the original Three Little Pigs story the wolf gets cooked in a cauldron when he comes down the chimney of the brick house. Well, unless you keep your chimney flue in good repair, you could end up cooking some critters yourself.
DC is known for being a very green city (as in trees, although Fenty’s crew is working on the other kind of green too). Where there are trees and parks … there are also plenty of animals. Welcome or not, if you are going to live here, then expect visitors from time to time.
I took this picture in mid-afternoon a few weeks ago. It is someone’s porch in Cleveland Park. A second raccoon was hiding under the gutter.
Cute and cuddly? Maybe at first. Raccoons, deer, rabbits, rats, o’possum, squirrels, hawks, owls, woody woodpecker, many songbirds, what else? These are the things that I have encountered in my back yard over the years.
I like most of them. The o’possum is slow and steady when he appears at night, keeping to himself. The hawk and woodpecker were exciting viewings. The deer annoyingly ate the vegetables in my community garden plot. The squirrels entertain my cat, while staying at a safe distance (unlike the unlucky mice and many little birdies.)
I hated the rat in my wall, of course.
Then we come to the raccoons. Ask any homeowner who has had raccoons tear up the air conditioning unit in the attic and he/she will probably get a look of distaste and proclaim “I HATE raccoons.” I am one of those people — except the raccoon was on my kitchen counter, not in the attic. It had climbed a step ladder leaning against my house and entered through the window.
I laugh now, but my laugh is followed by a grimace. Raccoons are nasty and they can carry rabies. Eventually I had to call a (live) trapping service. Within a day we caught one raccoon, after first catching my cat. This seemed to scare off the other raccoons I had seen, at least during the day. The trapping service promised to release him back to the wild but I have my doubts.
If you too are sharing space with the wild things, then here are some tips. Also, visit the Humane Society Web site for some insights:
- Remember back yard animals may seem tame but they are not. Enjoy them (or loathe them) from afar.
- Watch for unusual behaviour that could be a sign of rabies, which can be transmitted to pets and humans. It can be fatal.
- Don’t leave food out for raccoons. They will get used to coming around and you will never get rid of them.
- Remove or repair things that might attract unwelcome creatures - like open trash cans, an open chimney flue (perfect for nesting), or holes in your roof.
- Clear out any underbrush in your back alley. This attracts and shelters rats.
- If you raise fences to protect vegetables from deer then they have to be quite high. Consult your local garden center or check online. Here is one guy who has thought it all through for you.
- If deer are eating your flowers, try planting varieties that they do not like.
- Call a trapping service if you need to have animals removed. Remember these animals need a place to live too, so try to find a service that will take them to sweeter animal digs.
- Alternatively, if you are sure of yourself, you can buy live animal traps. The price of one trap is much less than the daily fee to have a service come to your house.
- Place bird houses out of reach of the cat, and if you have a bird feeder, make sure you fill it regularly through winter. Birds will begin to depend on this food source and you may cause hardship if it is suddenly taken away.
- I have no mercy for the rats. But keep rat poison away from kids, pets and edible plants!
Cheers,
Allison
The Case-Shiller Index (CSI) showed a record decline in May 2008 (and for DC, too). [Yahoo.com, via Redfin’s DC message forum] 
