About Washington's Upper Northwest

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post featuring the five most affordable homes in Upper Northwest DC, one of Washington's most popular residential areas. It includes popular neighborhoods like American University Park, Chevy Chase, Forest Hills, Cleveland and Woodley Park, Spring Valley, Massachusetts Avenue Hieghts among others. While prices range up into the multi-millions, there are some affordable homes out there. But they do go quickly. Only one of the five previously featured is still available.

1. 3646 Alton Place NW: This 111 year old house is nicely staged and looks pretty good, but it's an old house that might need a little more upkeep over the years. It's located in Tenleytown, near a metro, Whole Foods, and lots of shopping and restaurants. The house appears to be move in ready just the way it is, and you probably won't have to do work immediately to make it livable, but at some point you'll probably want to redo the kitchen and baths. And it's in a great location in Tenleytown, close to Metro and fine dining. All for $699,900. It's listed by McEnearney Associates, and it's now tied for the least expensive home on the list, and the only one on the first list that is still for sale.

2. 6351 31st Place NW is in Chevy Chase, inside the District. It's got a big front porch, lots of built-in bookcases, and it looks ready to move into. It has two bedrroms and two baths on the second floor, with a spare bedroom and bath in the walk-out basement. The house is in a neighborhood with lots of more expensive homes, so if you wanted to put an addition onto the back, you probably would not be over-improving the place. Also priced at $699,900, it's the other half of the two-way tie. Long and Foster is the listing company.

3. 4823 Yuma Street NW: This also has a great neighborhood going for it. American University Park is a favorite of many first-time house buyers, especially if they want to live in a walkable area. It doesn't need work immediately, but I'd want to put in a new kitchen. The hardwood floors are lovely, and there is a screened in porch for summer outdoor dining. It's an easy walk to grocery shopping and to my absolutely favorite deli. And it is listed by Burr Residential Properties for $708,000.

4. 3717 Albemarle Street NW This semi-detached house isn't huge, but it makes great use of the space it has. There is a kitchen that has been updated with granite counters, a sweet rear patio, nice hardwoods, and it appears to be in move-in condition. There is extra storage in a pull-down attic and some built-in bookcases. The house is located in North Cleveland Park, and it's between the commercial corridors on both Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues. Also, it's only three blocks to the Tenly Metro. It is listed by WC & AN Miller for $719,000.

5. 2938 Legation St NW This is the largest of the five homes, with three bedrooms and two baths on the second floor, and a finished thrid floor, as well as a family room in the basement. There is a screened in porch off of the updated kitchen. This home is listed by Long and Foster for $739,000, reduced a bit since it was first listed. It is located in Chevy Chase DC.

Here is a link to more listing information on these five homes.

If you are working with an agent, he or she can make arrangements to get you into any of these homes. If not, call or email me and we can have a discussion about the possibility of working together to help you find your new place.

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

A popular residential section of Washington, DC is often referred to as Upper Northwest. It includes many of my buyers' favorite neighborhoods, including most of the area to the north and west of Rock Creek Park.

This large section of town has some pricey real estate, with 102 of the 152 homes on the market sporting price tags of over $1 million, with a high price of almost $9 million. But there are also some prices that are relatively affordable. Here are the five least expensive homes I found in the three zip codes that comprise this lovely area (20008,20015 and 20016):

3646 Alton Place NW: looking behind a great presentation, this 111 year old house could face some challenges during a home inspection. It has refinished hardwood floors that show the wear of decades, the front porch looks a bit wobbly, and the shingles on the exterior look like the old asbestos. Still, the house appears to be livable just the way it is. You don't have to do work immediately to make it livable, but at some point you'll probably want to redo the kitchen and baths. And it's in a great location in Tenleytown, close to Metro and fine dining. All for $699,900. It's listed by McEnearney Associates.

5504 30TH PL NW: This brick Cape Cod sits above the street on a nicely landscaped lot. It has a floor plan similar to that of a center hall colonial, with a small kitchen There are three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, and a fully finished basement. The house is close to Rock Creek Park, making for a beautiful morning commute into town. The kitchen and baths are a little dated, although the house appears to be quite livable just the way it is. The price is $688,000, and the house is listed by Long and Foster.

4319 Embassy Park Dr NW is a charming townhouse community just south of American University. While this house has a dated kitchen and the original baths, they could be transformed without a major renovation. There are wood floors on the main level, and there is a full finished basement. It is listed by Washington Find Properties for $679,000.

5329 Belt Rd NW This home is a quick walk to the Friendship Heights Metro and all the shopping you could ever need. It's an older home with a wonderful front veranda, nice wood floors, some built ins around a wood burning fireplace, and a small but quite functional kitchen. The house has 3 bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, and there is a half bath on the main level. It is listed for sale at $669,000 with WC & AN Miller/Long & Foster.

3614 Jenifer Street NW: It's a tiny home that you could call a starter house. Behind a charming facade with a large front porch, it has 2-bedrooms, and 1 bath upstairs, and a finished basement with a second full bath. The kitchen is small and pretty basic, and there are some rather dramatic colors on the walls. There are warm wood floors, and a deck in the tiny back yard. While it's completely livable just the way it is, I would want to redo the kitchen and baths. But with the $569,900 price tag, you could make those changes without over-improving the house for the neighborhood. Long & Foster us the listing broker.

I know, for starter homes, these numbers may sound a little high, especially if you are moving to this area from a part of the world where prices are somewhat depressed. And there are plenty of wonderful homes in the DC metro area that are more affordable than these. But these are all in DC, close to downtown, and in wonderful neighborhoods.

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

Many of my buyer interviews begin with the prospective client saying, "Please! I don't want to live in a center hall colonial"

And they often buy one anyway.

Between about 1930 and 1950, most of the houses built in many of the Upper Northwest DC neighborhoods were colonials. They are known for being totally symmetrical, usually brick, usually with shutters, and while some have additions on the sides, most of these homes got expanded with rear additions.

The floor plans include a entry to a center foyer, and typically there is a hall leading back to the kitchen and a stairway leading to the second floor (which can offer some feng shui challenges, I am told). The living room is off to one side, usually with a fireplace, with the dining room and kitchen on the other side. On the second floor, there are usually three bedrooms (two small ones on one side and the master on the other, and two baths.

In many cases, when owners added rear additions, they may include a huge family room on the first floor and a master bedroom suite on the second floor.

There are certainly other types of colonials here in Washington. There are side-halls, Dutch colonials, and wood-frame. But the side hall version of this old classic is by far the most common, especially in neighborhoods like Chevy Chase, American University Park and aptly named Colonial Village!

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

housepat@mac.com

202 549-5167

Licensed in DC, MD & VA

July Real Estate In Upper Northwest Washington, DC

Over the past couple of days, there have been some pretty dire news reports about real estate prices going down the drain. And in some parts of the country, they are, indeed.

But, they say that all real estate is local. So this is for my buyers who have been calling me about homes they own here in Washington, west of Rock Creek Park.

I looked at four zip codes that make up what we call "Upper Northwest". These are 20007, 20008, 20015 and 20016.

First, the "sales" numbers are the ones that actually went to settlement - money and ownership papers changed hands. And these numbers are not terrible. And the numbers being reported nationally compare July 2010 to June 2010, which is like comparing apples to monkeys. June is always a much stronger month than July or August,

To give a truer picture, I took July of 2009 and compared it to July 2010. Here's what I found:

July 2009: 84 homes sold, with average prices of $1,177,229. The average days on the market was 67. 28, or 33% of these homes were priced under th $800,000 cap for the price credit.

July 2010: 91 homes sold, with average prices of $1,109,491, a drop of 5.8 percent. It took homes an average of only 51 days to sell, and 35, or 38% sold under $800,000.

But the interesting numbers are the numbers of homes that went under contract during the month of July.

July 2009: 71 homes went under contract at an average price of $1,119,561, with an average time on the market of 72 days.

July 2010: 54 homes went under contract at an average price of $989,428. The average time on the market down, to only 54 days. And the average was impacted by the high end of the market. The highest priced listing to sell was only $1,574,500.

Now, to me, the numbers for the homes that went under contract is much more interesting. And why the precipitous drop?

Was it the end of the federal tax credit? I don't think the credit impacted this particular part of the market. While about a third of the homes fell under the purchase price cap of $800,000, most of the buyers had incomes in excess of the maximums you needed to qualify for the credit.

So what's the real culprit?

The weather!

July was just unbearable in Washington, DC, with a hot spell that soared over 100 degrees for much of the month, and humidity that made it feel like swimming through the air. It was really difficult for me to pull myself out of my air conditioned house to show property. It was even harder to find a buyer willing to sweat it out to look at houses. I mean, the people who were out there had to be really motivated to buy!

I think that what happens in September will tell the story. Many sellers are waiting until after Labor Day to put their homes on the market. Many buyers are who have been escaping the heat are returning from various beaches and mountains. And agents, including myself, are looking forward to September and to a much more comfortable selling environment.

So if you are planning a move, this is the time to start getting ready. Call me - I can help!