November 2009

Walking is the essence of the DC urban lifestyle.  It doesn't matter if you are a K Street attorney with a pair of cordovan Allen-Edmonds oxfords or a lobbyist adorned in a pair of Jimmy Choo pumps and a secret pair of New Balance running shoes stashed away for the daily commute.........walking around the District is part of your daily routine.

Walk Score is a company that has graded properties and neighborhoods across the country for their walkability.  Washington, DC comes in very high at #7 on the national ranking of major cities only trailing the likes of San Francisco, New York, Boston and Chicago.  Walk Score uses a 100 point grading system and some of the District's neighborhoods have extremely high walkability rankings:

1. Dupont Circle 99
2. Logan

 Urban Turf via the Washington Post reported on Logan Circle in today's Where We Live profile.  The article titled, Trendy Now, But Not By Accident, provides an overview of the dramatic transformation of Logan Circle including the 14th Street Corridor.

Interesting nuggets in the article about Logan Circle included:

• 390 sales YTD under $1M
• 15 sales YTD over $1M
• Two-thirds of all active listings are condos
• Starter rowhouses begin at $700,000
• Entry-level, one-bedroom condos are priced around $350,000

One of the major concerns of neighborhood activists is the ongoing loss of Logan Circle artists due to escalating real estate prices.  Logan

Rendering by Bonstra | Haresign Architects 

The Washington Business Journal reports on the sale of a vacant lot at the corner of 14th and R Streets in Logan Circle.  Plans call for a 7-story, 30,000 SF development including 32 luxury condos and 3,000 SF of retail. The project has been patterned in likeness to the showrooms which formerly lined the "Automobile Row" section of 14th Street. Our office, Hounshell Real Estate represented the buyer.

This location at 1638 14th Street in Logan Circle is a hot corner and primed for development. Competing projects in close vicinity include The Matrix at  1529 14th Street and the loft developments on the 1400 block of Church Street including Lofts 14 and Lofts 14 Two.

This project is a Bonstra | Haresign

Corcoran Street, which runs from 13th Street in Logan Circle to 19th Street in Dupont Circle is a great street for a stroll when passing between these two neighborhoods. This tree-lined street is dominated by Victorian and Federal row houses, many of which have been renovated or restored in a meticulous manner.

Several of the blocks along Corcoran Street have been enhanced with brick sidewalks.  Corcoran Street residents have contributed to the street's ambiance with beautiful landscaping and gardens.  Corcoran Street offers the convenience of an easy walk to both the Dupont Circle  and U street Metro Stations as well as the Whole Foods on P Street and the Safeway at the corner of 17th.

Current Corcoran Street real

The most expensive condo to sell in the District during October 2009 was in Georgetown at Washington Harbour  Condominiums located at 3030 K Street, #305, NW Washington, DC.  This newly renovated unit is 2,513 SF and features 2 BR+ den and 2.5BA.

The selling price was $1.7M / $676 SF.  Congratulations to selling Realtor John Vardas of TTR Sothebys International Realty for closing the most expensive condo sale in the District in October 2009.

Honorable mention for the 2nd most expensive DC condo sold in October 2009 was in the West End at 22 West Condos, located at 1177 22nd Street, NW Washington, DC.  This newly constructed 1,654 SF condo features 2BR+den and 2 BA.

The selling price was $1.5M / $906 SF.  Congratulations to Shawn Breck of TTR Sothebys

 A discussion of the best residential condo builders in DC needs to include Robertson Development.  This ten-year-old  firm has raised the bar in Washington with a strong roster of completed projects.  Robertson has focused their efforts in the Logan Circle and U Street Corridor neighborhoods.

The Robertson Development mission statement offers a glimpse into soul of the firm:

To create residential and retail space that reflects our passion for great design and true quality craftsmanship, while always striving to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction and business ethics.

A single visit to a Robertson project can change your entire perspective on the definition of a quality condo in the DC market.  Robertson's unique designs, attention to

The 1400 block of Church Street is the heart and soul of DC's loft movement.  Several former industrial buildings  have been brought back to life along this block as upscale loft developments.  DC's former auto row along the 1400 block of Church Street is now one of the trendiest and hippest blocks in the District.  Since 2004, over 260 new high-end lofts and have been delivered in this block in six modern buildings.

The best way to get acclimated with the 1400 block of Church is to take a virtual stroll with the DC Condo Boutique.  At both corners of 14th and Church are Lofts 14 and Lofts 14 Two, both developed by Metropolis Development and offering 84 and 37 lofts each. 

Adjacent to Lofts 14 Two at 1440 Church Street is Saxon Court, developed by PN

 For over 16 years PN Hoffman has been re-shaping the urban condo scene with exciting residential projects.  PN Hoffman has led the revitalization of several neighborhoods with luxury in-fill projects.  A signature capability of PN Hoffman is to blend new and exciting construction into the existing historic period architecture of the neighborhood.

DC neighborhoods with PN Hoffman projects include: Adams Morgan; Logan Circle; Penn Quarter and the U Street Corridor.  

Newly delivered PN Hoffman projects located in the U Street Corridor include the Warehouses at Union Row and the Flats at Union Row.  PN Hoffman projects with re-sales currently available include Adams Station on 18th Street in the heart of Adams Morgan and Logan Mansions, right on Logan

I am pleased to announce the arrival of Washington DC's newest real estate website, the DC Condo Boutique.  The site went live on November 4, 2009 at 9:22 PM EST.  It was a relatively brief and uneventful period of propagation after the domain name servers were updated at 7:30 PM EST.

The DC Condo Boutique is a hefty entrant into the Washington, DC real estate cyberspace, weighing in at 202 pages and 210 snippets.  The proud dad has a bit of a sore wrist, tired eyes and some worn keys on his MacBook Pro as a result of the fast and furious pace of development.

A huge shout out to the staff at REW for their patience, guidance, knowledge and assistance throughout the development of this baby. Thanks Garet, Ross, Gerry, Nick and Morgan for your excellent work.