February 2010

Grand Opening Party Tonight for The Floridian DC

 

 

 
The long wait to buy a condo at the Floridian is over as sales kick-off today for the 86 remaining units in this U Street Corridor project.  To celebrate the kick-off, the Floridian is throwing a party tonight February 25 from 6 p.m. - 9  p.m. and will offer tours of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units.  The Floridian is located in the U Street Corridor at 919 & 929 Florida Avenue, NW.

The colorful 118-unit Floridian delivers an urban hip feel and features 10 foot concrete ceilings with exposed ductwork, floor to ceiling windows, maple and bamboo floors and European kitchens.  Building amenities include underground parking and a rooftop terrace with panoramic sweeping city views.

With newly

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Brook Rose Development Columbia Heights renovation

 

The latest gem from boutique builder, Brook Rose Development is nearing completion in Columbia Heights.  2719 13th Street is the conversion of a 1917 four-story  townhouse into two duplex condominiums.  Brook Rose trademark touches include stunning white marble islands, European cabinetry, minimalist plumbing fixtures and walnut floors.  Brook Rose utilizes stunning stone details in the bathrooms and eye-catching black lacquered doors to deliver modernism with an edge!

Currently on the market and listed for $899,000 is unit #2 at 2719 13th Street.  This 2,600 SF duplex features 4BR / 3BA, a private roof deck and parking.

Recently completed Brook Rose Development projects include the 10-unit 

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Cooper Lewis - The Definitive Logan Circle Urban Lifestyles Condo

 

 

 

When searching for a new home in the District, it is tough to find a better spot to call home than the location of the Cooper Lewis Condominiums located at 1413 P Street, NW.  Within a couple of hundred steps from your front door you can caffeinate at Starbucks....shop at Whole Foods and CVS....chow at the Logan Tavern and party at Vegas Lounge!

It only gets better when you return to the your Cooper Lewis condo. High end finishes, coupled with walls of glass, European kitchens and generous outdoor terraces deliver one of the best luxury experiences in Logan Circle.  Cooper Lewis magically joins the historic Pelz Building at the corner of 14th Street.  Units in the Pelz Building

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.....Columbia Heights might be the answer

With 2/2 condos in popular Logan Circle buildings like Cooper Lewis, Metropole and Solo Piazza currently selling in the $700s and $800s, buying in one of these buildings may be a stretch for some budgets.  If this is the case, it may be time to venture north on 14th Street and see what Columbia Heights has to offer.

Columbia Heights Civic Plaza

Wikipedia defines the boundaries of Columbia Heights as 16th Street to the west; Spring Road to the north; Sherman Avenue to the east and Florida Avenue and Barry Place to the south.  Anchoring the Columbia Heights community is the Metro Station, which serves both the Green and Yellow lines and is located at the intersection of 14th and Irving.

At present in

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The  District is home to several wonderful condo developments whose buildings had a prior life as a DC public school.  With very limited vacant land, height restrictions and an ever-growing demand for upscale lofty condos, these school conversions are a concept that works well in the District for both the city as well as the developer.  In other parts of the country, many old and underutilized school buildings end up on the losing end of an encounter with the wrecking ball.

Common attributes of DC schoolhouse conversion projects include high ceilings, over-sized windows, exposed brick and outdoor courtyard areas.  Many school conversion projects have taken advantage of the ceiling height to create a loft environment.

Schoolhouse conversion projects

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The inventory of DC condo foreclosures is a bit light right now, but there are a couple of interesting options on the market in newer upscale developments.

Alta at Thomas Circle - 1133 14th St NW #403.  1 BR/ 1BA.  Asking price of $245,000 / $432 SF.  This asking price of  $432 SF does represent an 18.7%  discount off an Alta foreclosure unit that sold on 01/22/10 for $532 SF.  This asking price is a slight premium over a short sale listing that is now under agreement with an asking price of $422 SF.   Lofts 11 - 1125 11th St NW #101 in  Logan Circle. 2BR / 2BA.  Asking price of $639,900 / $449 SF.  This asking price represents a 10.7% discount off the other units for sale with an average asking price of $504 SF   Rhapsody - 2120 Vermont Ave NW #22 in…

It only takes a couple of minutes of searching in the Washington DC MLS database to find a multitude of meandering neighborhood borders.  When did the West End become Georgetown?......when did Capitol Hill extend to Nationals Park......did the national army of Kalorama invade Adams Morgan and claim Columbia Road as their own?

Was there a city-wide Realtor training session that I missed on how to juice up the price of a listing by stretching the borders of a neighborhood?  I surely don't understand the logic behind advertising a property in a neighboring community.  Aren't DC buyers just smarter than that?  Armed with tools like Google Maps and GPS units can't most buyers see through this strategy?  Also, with so much searching starting on the web,

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 The most expensive condo to sell in the District during January 2010 was in the West End at  the new 2501 Penn project located at 2501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW #5C, Washington DC. This new construction unit is 2,760 SF and features 3 BR and 2.5BA.  The selling price was $2.2M / $797 SF.

Congratulations to selling Realtor Michele Topel of Urban Pace for closing the most expensive condo sale in the District in January 2010.

Honorable mention for the 2nd most expensive DC condo sold in January 2010 was in the West End at 22 West located at 1177 22nd Street, NW #8D Washington, DC.  This new construction condo is 2,337 SF and features 3 BR and 3 BA.  The selling price was $2.125M / $909 SF.

Congratulations to Mei-Mei Watts-Venners of Eastbanc Marketing, LLC

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