November 2010

 

Rainbow Lofts, located at the core of DCs Loft District on 1400 block of Church Street, offers a true industrial loft experience.  This is a bohemian loft to the core, there are no post-industrial..... purpose-built.....cookie-cutter.....loftominiums at Rainbow Lofts.

The development takes its name from the Rainbow Auto Body Shop which previously called this building home for 75 years.  While the body shop is long gone, many of the industrial bones remain including exposed brick and ductwork, 12+ foot concrete ceilings, commercial-grade windows and steel beams.  New design elements including industrial sliding-glass closet doors mimic the feel of a commercial industrial elevator adding to the bohemian character of these units.

Currently, one unit at

Tucked away above five floors of commercial space is the Mark on M, a hidden gem condo development in the West End neighborhood of Washington, DC.  The Mark on M features residential condos on the 6th-10th floors of the building located at 2311 M Street NW.   The building has an entrance, lobby and elevator dedicated to the residential floors of the building.

Each residential floor at the Mark on M is configured with seven condos in  1BR / 1 BA (505 SF)  or 1 BR + den / 1.5 BA (875 SF) configurations.  Some units have are configured with dedicated balconies and others have wrap-around terraces.

The Mark on M location is just three blocks from Georgetown and within walking distance of two Metro stops, Trader Joes, Sports Club LA, the Ritz and a

Bogdan Builders transformed the corner of Vermont and R Street NW with the development of Logan Station on a previously vacant lot.  This four-story, 63 unit development appears from the street-level as a series of Victorian-era row houses.  First floor units at Logan Station live like a townhouse with individual street entrances.  Upper-level units on the second floor feature a traditional condo design and third-floor penthouse have offer a 2-level duplex layout.

There is nothing ordinary about Logan Station which is evidenced the moment you enter a residence through the over-sized seven foot entry door.  Units feature 10 foot ceilings, hardwood flooring, stainless appliances, cherry cabinets and granite counters.  Penthouse units include Sub-Zero

Fellow blogger Lydia DePillis of the City Paper posted this morning about a Wall Street Journal article on man caves.  Lydia's visceral reaction to the article caused me to pause and ponder how I might tell her that yes.....I have a man cave.  It has all the trappings of a manly room including pool and foosball tables, huge plasma, a picture of me at the 2000 Final Four and even a neon Budweiser sign. 

While I vaguely remember seeing a man cave a while back in a Georgetown row house, man caves are few and far between in the District.  For the most part with valuations often exceeding $500 / SF  for urban DC digs, man caves take a back seat in our space-constrained inner-city environment. 

In the absence of man caves, what other options are

Georgetown Tops DC Luxury Market

The most expensive condo to sell in the District during October 2010 was in Georgetown at 3303 Water, located at 3303 Water Street, NW #7G Washington, DC.  This 2 BR / 2 BA, 1,909 SF condo also includes two parking spaces.  The selling price was $2.2M / $1,152 SF.

Congratulations to selling Realtor Nancy Itteilag of Long & Foster, Inc. for closing the most expensive condo sale in the District in October 2010.



Honorable mention for the 2nd most expensive DC condo sold in October 2010 was also in Georgetown at 3303 Water located at 3303 Water Street, NW #H-3, Washington, DC.  This duplex 2 BR / 2.5 BA, 1,921 SF condo also includes two parking spaces.  The selling price was $2.0M / $1,041 SF.

Congratulations to

The current demand for upscale Logan Circle condos is far exceeding the current level of inventory.  Well-priced units in popular modern buildings are literally flying off the shelf. These units are located in popular Logan developments including Lofts 14, Lofts 14 Two, The Matrix and The Metropole.

While its one thing for someone in the real estate industry to tell you the market is hot, here is the data to support this proclamation.  Over the past 90 days, seven well-priced, upscale Logan Circle condos have been put on the market.  All seven received offers and went under agreement in an average of 9 days.  When a 35 day outlier listing is removed from the group, the average number of days on the market drops to five.

If you are in the market for

Residential new construction activity in the U Street Corridor continues with 1900 Vermont Town Residences.  This six unit project at the corner of Vermont Ave NW and T Street combines the beauty of DC Victorian rowhouse architecture with modern open floor plans.

1900 Vermont units range in size from 2,005 to 2,441 SF with both 2 BR  and 3 BR configurations.  Standard features include gourmet kitchens with Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances, master baths with white Carrera marble flooring and parking.

Construction is scheduled to start in 2010 with delivery planned for 2011.