January 2011

Are you looking for a new home or condo on a certain street in the District?  Have a yearning to live on Pennsylvania Avenue?  How about a condo on a beautiful street like Hillyer Place in Dupont, Harvard Street in Columbia Heights or Church Street in Logan Circle?

DC Condo Boutique has created pre-defined searches for over 100 popular district streets.  These street pages only show active listings and are updated on a daily basis.  Go ahead and search DC streets.

One of the best luxury condos in the District is currently listed for sale at the Residences at Harbourside.  Marketed as the Crown of Georgetown, the Residences at Harbourside share the banks of the Potomac with prestigious institutions including the Swedish Embassy, Watergate and the Kennedy Center.

The Residences at Harbourside consists of six penthouse condos located on the top floor of 2900 K Street.  This 130,000 SF Class A mixed-use building  was completed in 2008 by Lano Armada.

The condo units at the Residences at Harbourside offer breath-taking views and high-end finishes including Brazilian walnut flooring, Carrera marble baths, Poliform built-ins and Miele appliances.  Residences at Harbourside amenities include private elevators, concierge

Above The Law reports that Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is in the market for a Logan Circle rowhouse.  While still slightly gritty, but rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods are not seemingly good fits for the typical buttoned-down supreme court justice........it would seem that Justice Kagan and Logan Circle are made for one another.

Previously, while working at Harvard Law School, Kagan lived in Cambridge, which is often referred to as the "Peoples' Republic of Cambridge."    While Cambridge is heavily influenced by Harvard and MIT, it does have many of the same characteristics as Logan Circle.  These similarities include eclectic restaurants, historic row houses, newer luxury condo buildings, parking challenges and neighborhood activists. 

Only 70 lucky Washingtonians get to call 3303 Water their home......and with three units currently on the market you could too!  3303 Water is one of those WOW buildings that everyone just falls in love with on their first visit.  There are many things to like about 3303 Water including the amazing views, luxury finishes, history of the C & O Canal and who's who list of owners.

3303 Water residents enjoy exercising at the roof-top fitness center or along the C & O Canal....sunning by the rooftop pool.....walking two blocks to M Street or heading over to a performance at the Kennedy Center.  For those who like to get the most out of life, it is challenging to top this location in the Greater Washington area.

With 24-hour concierge service, a doorman and

Yale Steam Laundry Condos, located on New York Avenue in Mount Vernon Triangle, is kicking off 2011 with an aggressive buyer incentive program.  Yale Steam represents one of the last opportunities to purchase new construction units in the District.

In mid-December, prices on developer listed units were reduced across the board by an average of 10%.  Buyer incentives currently being offered at Yale Steam include one year of pre-paid condo fees and $5,000 towards closing costs.  Yale Steam is an FHA approved project with financing available for as low as 3.5% down.  

With the developer incentives, coupled with the FHA financing and the DC First-time Buyers Tax Credit, Yale Steam is now a viable option for many first time buyers in the District.  Here is

Georgetown and Dupont Circle Top DC Luxury Market

The most expensive condo to sell in the District during December 2010 was in Georgetown at The Residences at the Ritz Carleton, located at 3150 South Street #1A, Washington, DC.  This 3 BR / 5.5 BA, 3,319 SF condo also includes a parking space, private terrace and balcony. The selling price was $3M / $904 SF which was 92% of the asking price.

Congratulations to selling Realtor Mark McFadden of Washington Fine Properties, LLC for closing the most expensive condo sale in the District in December 2010.

Honorable mention for the 2nd most expensive DC condo sold in December 2010 was in Dupont Circle at Dumbarton Place, located at 1414 22nd Street #64 Washington, DC.  This 2 BR / 2.5 BA, 2,247 SF condo

The accolades continue to mount for the District....with our latest being named as the nation's most literate city in 2010.  The Most Literate Cities Study, published by Central Connecticut State University President Dr. John W. Miller ranks cities over 250,000 in six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation; number of bookstores; library resources; periodical publishing resources; educational attainment and Internet resources.

It is great to learn that we are living amongst the most literate citizens in the country.  This does of course put more pressure on us DC bloggers to bring the A game each and every day!  It goes without saying that intelligent, literate Washingtonians use the DC Condo Boutique when looking for a new home.

If you are like most of our clients, high on your list of "must haves" for your new condo is a unique, interesting layout.  No one wants boxy....low-ceilinged....small windowed....galley kitchen configurations.

A newer development in the District that delivers interesting, unique configurations is Union Row.  Competed in 2007 by PN Hoffman, Union Row is located in the U Street Corridor along bustling 14th Street.

Union Row is a mixed-use project with ground-floor retail including Yes! Organic, CVS, Georgetown Valet and Eatonville.  Union Row weighs in with a WalkScore of 94/100 (Walker's Paradise) and a TransitScore of 96/100 (Rider's Paradise) and is located just .16 miles from the U Street Metro Station.

New construction units at Union Row are sold

Swann's Way is a seven unit new development at the corner of Swann and 18th in Dupont Circle.  The project is transforming Victorian-era buildings at 1801 & 1801 Swann Street that formerly served as the studio space for sculptor John Cavanaugh.

Fairmont Development is building this project utilizing an array of green features including high-efficiency green insulation, energy star windows, energy star appliances and bamboo flooring and efficient front loading washers and dryers.  Fairmont has restored the brick exterior, but completely gutted and re-built the interior of the space with modern open floor plans.

Swann's Way units range in size from 713 SF to 955 SF and are priced from $399,00 to $649,00.  Swann's Way units are planned for

The results of a recent survey on home design trends by the American Institute of Architects reads like a play book for recent DC new construction. It is refreshing to see several of the trends that we all appreciate about the DC market becoming more prevalent across the nation.  Community design trends that are gaining in popularity include infill development, access to public transportation, mixed-use facilities, and dedicated open space. 

Here in the District, it is easy to trace the development that followed the extension of Metro lines throughout the city.  The vast swaths of vacant land created by the 1968 riots provided a critical mass of infill space that have allowed for neighborhood transforming development in the Columbia Heights and U