About Washington's Brookland

Seeing the house in person was a bit like an encounter with a vampire: A once charming creature, full of life, adventures and stories, had turned into a bloodless, lifeless shell, generic, functional, and ... dead.

Not that I ever have encountered a vampire, but you will get my point here very soon.

For the past few weeks, I have been scrutinizing new listings in our area--in particular, houses built in the 1920s--for their kit home potential. Imagine my excitement last week when I came across a 1923 Sears "Fullerton" that's for sale right now--in a NE Washington D.C. neighborhood near Catholic University.

According to Mary Rowse, a much-quoted expert on mail-order homes in the DC area, there are only a couple of confirmed Fullertons left in the area. That was one of the reasons for the (unsuccessful) initiative to save the Palisade's Jesse Baltimore house from getting torn down. (This website explains in detail the significance of the Sears "Fullerton" model.) The multi-year fight was lost in 2007, and as of that date, four Fullertons remained. As it turned out, one of them happened to be the one at 2115 Monroe St NE that is now for sale.

The MLS listing promised a "totally renovated" house which even the "pickiest buyer' would love: "NEW NEW NEW!! Everything is brand new." Of course, this should have been a tip-off.

Yes, we were warned by murky pictures that raised the suspicion the narrow cypress siding might have been replaced by vinyl. Much of the wood trim and molding seemed to have been, ehm, modified. The fireplace looked like generic builder's issue, but perhaps that picture was taken in the basement? (The 'blue" picture, taken from an old listing,

shows the house in 1998--still with its original windows and and trim.)

In any case, nothing could curb our enthusiasm when we took off to look at one of DC's last Fullertons. And nothing prepared us for what we got to see. It was incredibly sad.

My Dover reprint of the 1926 Sears catalog depicts the Fullerton living room interior with crown molding, picture molding, Arts-and-Crafts door frames and stair posts, and a traditional wooden fireplace mantle.

What we got to see last week, on the other hand, was unadorned drywall and awkwardly crafted arches; a dining room chopped in half by the insertion of a powder room; purple builders' carpet in the bedrooms; a wrought iron railing that replaced the massive wooden one; hollow-core doors; pre-assembled wood floors in the living room, a cheap folding door next to the fireplace.

But why? Why tear it all out?

I emailed the photos to Mary Rowse. "Oh, no," she said. And then, with a glimpse of hope: "Maybe they just put that vinyl on top, and the old siding and window moldings are still in place?"

Home prices in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC have taken a slight dip this year. The average sales price in 2010 was $269,000 and this year homes are averaging $240,000. Home sales fall behind last year's sales. In 2010, 145 homes sold in the Brookland neighborhood and so far only 103 homes have sold this year. Currently there are 45 homes under contract in the 20018 zip code so home sales could pass sales from 2010. The last quarter could see an up tick in home sales in the Brookland neighborhood. For more information on the home sales and home prices in Brookland, Washington, DC check out the Washington Post.

Brookland DC Real Estate Market Report Zip code 20017-August 2011

Out of the top 20 Metro cities in 2011,Washington DC has been one city that has maintained a stable strong real estate market. After all the government's is not going anywhere. Washington DC strong real estate market can be attributed to having one of the highest job growth in the country and one of the lowest unemployment rate.

Average sold price of a Brookland DC home for sale in August 2011 was $355,800. Last year Average sold price of a Brookland DC home for sale is $295,170. This is up 20.54% from last year. 13 Brookland DC homes sold in August 2011. This is down from 15 Brookland DC homes that sold in August last year. Out of the 13 sales,9 of Brookland DC Home buyers used a Conventional loan. The other 4 DC Home buyers were FHA loans.

Here is the Brookland DC Real Estate Market Report zip code 20017 for August 2011

The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America. It is on the Catholic University campus in Northeast Washington. After decades of construction, the church was finally dedicated in 1959. It has been a stopping off place for visiting dignitaries, including Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II, and Mother Teresa.

And the gift shop is popular with Realtors®. They have a large and diverse collection of St. Joseph statues.

If you are planning a move to or from the Washington, DC area, I can help. Call, email or text me at:

Housepat@mac.com

202-549-5167

Licensed in DC, Virginia and Maryland

From 2001-2005, Interest Only, Adjustable Rate, & No Document Loans were the most popular loans used. Unfortunately those loans were used strategically to get buyers into homes they really couldn't afford thus came the crashing of prices and the increase of foreclosures on homes once those loans grace period was over and their monthly payment sky rocked. Now that the market has corrected itself FHA (3.5% of purchase price down payment), VA (Veterans Administrative - For Military & Family), & Conventional (Which requires 10-20% down) are the most popular ones used. Click here for more.

Damon J. Brockenberry (Damon The Agent)

Washington DC Area Real Estate Services

Servicing Washington, DC, Maryland, & Virginia

cell: 240-694-6460 e-mail: sold@damontheagent.com