August 2014 RSS Feed

 Sidwell Friends School is a privately-run Quaker school in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest DC. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, it is one of the most highly-regarded schools in Washington, DC. The school has an enrollment of 1,097, which includes both of President Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha. The Middle and Upper Schools are located on Wisconsin Avenue NW, while Lower School is situated in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition to the Cleveland Park neighborhood, both the Cathedral Heights and Tenleytown neighborhoods are close to the Middle and Upper Schools. Cleveland Park is notable for its large number of Victorian-style single family homes, but there are also condominiums available along the commercial Connecticut Avenue NW corridor.…

The Maret School is an independent K-12 day school located in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, DC. The school was founded in 1911 by three French sisters and admission is limited to just 635 students for all 13 grade levels. There are three other neighborhoods in close proximity to the school: Cleveland Park, Cathedral Heights, and Glover Park. These are all highly sought-after Northwest DC neighborhoods, and as such prices can be high but the return is great. All of these areas are close to the National Cathedral, Rock Creek Park, Glover-Archbold Park, the National Zoo, and the ever-bustling commercial neighborhood of Georgetown. There are plenty of single-family row homes and detached houses to choose from in these largely residential areas.…

 Embassy Row is a stately area that runs along Massachusetts Avenue NW between Scott Circle and the U.S. Naval Observatory. It is home to most of the international embassies and diplomatic missions in Washington, DC. The area around this strip includes the neighborhoods of Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Woodley Park, Glover Park, Georgetown, and the West End. While real estate in these neighborhoods is usually some of the most pricy in the District, there are multiple options in terms of size and location, from detached row houses to studio condominiums, and everything in between. Dupont Circle and Georgetown are commercial and retail hotspots that offer a wide variety of shopping, dining, and drinking options. The West End can best be described as slightly…

Georgetown Day Lower/Middle School is a private prep school located in the Foxhall Village neighborhood of Washington, DC. The neighborhoods of Palisades and Berkley are also nearby, so if you’re looking for a home near the school, any of those three neighborhoods are a good bet. Georgetown Day was founded in 1945 as DC’s first integrated school. Foxhall Village is a mostly residential neighborhood filled with brick Tudor-style homes. Both Georgetown University and George Washington University’s Mount Vernon campuses border Foxhall Village. The Palisades is a long strip of a neighborhood that runs along the Potomac River and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. It has a little more commercial flair than Foxhall Village, most of which is centered on MacArthur…

 1417 Parkwood Place NW is a beautiful row house available right now in Columbia Heights. This three bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom federal-style home has been recently renovated. It has three floors, including a basement with a half bathroom and its own rear entrance and a large deck with private parking below it. Heat comes by way of natural gas and there is central air conditioning. The main floor features an open floor plan and one of the two full bathrooms. All three bedrooms and the other full bathroom are on the top floor. This property is located just a few blocks from the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro station on the yellow/green lines. There is a very low supply for renovated row houses like this one in the very popular neighborhood of Columbia…

We have a modern 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condominium for sale in the Park View neighborhood. 3577 Warder Street NW #102 is just four years old and is made up of 950 square feet. The condo includes a beautiful open-concept kitchen with a dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, and microwave. There is a balcony and large windows with a lot of natural light. Parking and storage are included and the condo is pet-friendly. Park View offers a small neighborhood feel while being close to everything big-city DC has to offer. The Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro station on the yellow/green lines is just a few blocks away. The Georgia Avenue NW corridor offers shopping and dining options that are steps away. Some local restaurant and bar favorites include Chez Billy, Sala Thai,…

Earnest money deposits (EMD’s) are an often-discussed and misunderstood part of real estate transactions. Also known as an escrow deposit, an earnest money deposit shows a buyer’s interest in a property when they make an offer. The potential buyer will write a check either to their real estate agent’s brokerage or to a title company of their choice. The amount of the earnest money deposit is up to the buyer, but it is usually 2.5%-3% of the purchase price. For example, Capital Park Realty recently closed on two properties: one with a purchase price of $585,000 and one with a price of $365,000. For both, the earnest money deposit was $20,000, or 3.4% for the $585,000 property and 5.5% for the $365,000 property. As you can see, it is not uncommon for the…

Title insurance is one of the least understood components of the real estate process. What exactly does it do, you may ask? To put it simply, title insurance protects lenders and owners against unforeseen problems with titles and mortgage liens. There can be hidden defects in a title that not even the most experience settlement agent will catch. A lender’s policy is required by every public mortgage lender and protects for the amount of the loan. This does not cover buyers, who must purchase their own policy to be covered.

Title insurance is not a recurring cost and does not have annual fees; it is paid once at the time of settlement and is good for the duration of the time one owns a property. There are four basic steps to what happens when title…

We have a one-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium for sale immediately in the heart of Adams Morgan! 2300 18th Street NW #107 is part of The Madrid Condo complex, which is a century-old four-floor property with newly renovated condos. This pet-friendly corner unit features an open floor plan with an eat-in kitchen. Appliances include a washer, dryer, oven, refrigerator, microwave, garbage disposal, and dishwasher. The spacious bedroom has an expansive walk-in closet and extra storage space is included with the condo. The floors consist of ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathroom, carpet in the bedroom and closet, and re-finished wood in the living room. There is also a rooftop deck to the complex that offers great views of the Adams Morgan neighborhood and…

Buying a row home with a rental unit is a great way to save on your monthly mortgage. In the current DC real estate market, home prices are soaring and even those buyers with a solid income can often use help in defraying costs. Capitol Hill is one DC neighborhood that offers a great deal of row homes with a rental unit. As one of the most popular neighborhoods in the District, sale prices often reflect this and having a rental unit can be a huge help to making it affordable to live in the area. Capitol Hill is well-regarded for its proximity to the the U.S. Capitol building, the National Mall, and Union Station. There are also five Metro stops (four on the orange/blue line, one on the red line) that service the neighborhood. In addition to the Mall, there…