July 2010

ForbesWoman recently ranked Washington, DC second nationally for working moms.  The criteria utilized by ForbesWomen to rank cities included crime rates, schools, healthcare, wages and cost of living.

Strong positives for DC included the lowest unemployment rate and highest wages of all the major cities in the survey.  Working moms are finding strong employment opportunities in the government, financial services and higher education sectors.  ForbesWomen also cited significant improvements in the DC School system as another positive factor.   A challenge for the DC market is the cost of living, ranking second highest nationally.

Finding a condo or home in the District can be quite a challenge, a working mom member of the DC Condo Boutique team

Interesting post on Housing Complex titled Neighborhood-making in Midcity, about the efforts to brand the 14th and U Street corridors as Midcity.  The neighborhood business association has landed a $200,000 grant from the city to further these efforts.

The Midcity neighborhood is bounded by 16th Street to tthe west, Florida Avenue to the north, 7th Street to the east and Rhode Island Ave to the south.  Most of us know and view this area today as the Venn diagram (hopefully you paid attention during 8th grade geometry) where the Logan, Dupont and U Street neighborhoods come together.

With an office in the 1500 block of 14th Street and an obsessive-complusive fixation with analyzing our website users search keywords, I can unequivocally state that the

Slice the commute with an inbound move

The following video about the growing challenges associated with commuting into the District from the suburbs should hit home with many of our regions empty nesters.

Is it time to get back a couple hours a day spent commuting by selling the suburban home and moving into the city?  This inbound migration is a very popular lifestyle change and the overwhelming majority of our clients who have taken this plunge never look back.  Many find the biggest hurdle to move like this is psychological....what to do with all the stuff that fills the suburban 4 BR house.

Significant new construction in the last decade has changed the face of the DC stock of DC condos.  Moving back to the District doesn't mean that you will be

3.5% Down Opportunities in DC's Mount Vernon Triangle Neighborhood

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in an FHA approved building.  If Mount Vernon Triangle isn't your neighborhood of choice, we have highlighted FHA approved buildings in other popular DC neighborhoods.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected Mount Vernon Triangle FHA approved developments at the time of this

3.5% Down Opportunities in Columbia Heights

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the Columbia Heights neighborhood and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in FHA buildings.  If Columbia Heights isn't your neighborhood of choice, our site has detailed information about FHA buildings in other popular DC neighborhoods.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected Columbia Heights developments that are currently approved at the time of this posting:

Berkeley
Cityscape on

3.5% Down Opportunities in DC's Adams Morgan Neighborhood

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the Adams Morgan neighborhood and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in an FHA approved building.  If Adams Morgan isn't your neighborhood of choice, check back as we will be highlighting FHA approved buildings in other neighborhoods over the next several days.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected Adams Morgan FHA approved developments at the time of this

3.5% Down Opportunities in DC's Penn Quarter Neighborhood

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the Penn Quarter neighborhood and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in an FHA approved building.  If Penn Quarter isn't your neighborhood of choice, check back as we will be highlighting FHA approved buildings in other neighborhoods over the next several days.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected Penn Quarter FHA approved developments at the time of this

3.5% Down Opportunities in DC's Capitol Hill Neighborhood

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the Capitol Hill neighborhood and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in an FHA approved building.  If the Capitol Hill isn't your neighborhood of choice, check back as we will be highlighting FHA approved buildings in other neighborhoods over the next several days.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected Capitol Hill FHA approved developments at the time of this

3.5% Down Opportunities in U Street Corridor

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the U Street Corridor and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in an FHA approved building.  If the U Street Corridor isn't your neighborhood of choice, check back as we will be highlighting FHA approved buildings in other neighborhoods over the next several days.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected U Street Corridor FHA approved developments at the time of this posting:

3.5% Down Opportunities in Dupont Circle

DC condo buyers can qualify for 3.5% down mortgages at FHA approved buildings.  This represents a major savings over the 20% of more down payments required for condos with conventional financing.

The FHA maintains a website with a list of FHA approved projects.  We have extrapolated that list for the Dupont Circle neighborhood and offer one-click access to all the available MLS listings in an FHA approved building.  If Dupont Circle isn't your neighborhood of choice, check back as we will be highlighting FHA approved buildings in other neighborhoods over the next several days.

The FHA approval list changes routinely, these are selected Dupont Circle FHA approved developments at the time of this posting: