All Blog Entries by Ben Puchalski

Here is the weekly list of properties that I think are worth buying in Washington DC.

816 13th St NE, Washington, DC 20002

List Price: $360,000

This is a short sale in the H Street area of Northeast DC.  The market is on fire in this area and its hard to find anything under $400K.  This property is overpriced but could make a great investment due to it being a 2 unit.  This home is on the corner of 13th St NE and Wylie St NE.  Just a half block off of H St NE.  H Street has been totally rejuvenated in the last year with lots of bars and restaurants setting up shop. This property was under contract but is now back on the market. 

1351 Taylor St NW, Washington, DC 20011

List Price: $499,000

New Rock Creek Realty listing.  Just listed by Nate…

This months CR was all about saving money at the grocery store. 

1.  The only company that makes a BPA-Free water carafe is the ZeroWater company.  The ZeroWater 10-Cup Pitcher is free of bisphenol A according to their website. 

2.  Dunkin' Donuts has the best bagels according to CR Ratings(Tested plain bagels).  The top 3 are Dunkin' Donuts, Lender's Original, and Kirckland Signature(Costo). 

3.  You can now buy devices to keep track of your pet using GPS.  They cost about $200.  They even have an upgrade for keeping track of kids. 

4.  Wegmans received the #1 rating out of 52 stores that CR took surveys on.  Trader Joe's was number 2.  Harris Teeter was in the top 10.  Giant was in the middle of the pack.  Safeway was in the bottom third. 

5. …

Here is the weekly list of the properties that I think are worth buying in Washington DC. 

1817 L St NE, Washington, DC 20002

List Price: $169,900

This is a foreclosure sale in the Trinidad area.  The property is close to H Street and Capitol Hill.  I think it is a good buy and hold property.  The investor activity has been really picking up in this area.  The property is also in decent good shape and has a big yard. 

4941 Blaine St NE, Washington, DC 20019

List Price: $100,000

Great short sale opportunity in the Deanwood area of NE DC.  Only 6 blocks away from the metro station.  Easy to take East Capitol St into DC.  This is a short sale.  Good flip. 

3008 12th St NE, Washington, DC 20017

List Price: $300,000

Offer Price: $225,000

…

 240 VAN BUREN ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20012

This is the most affordable detached home in Northwest DC and its only 4 blocks from the Takoma Park Metro.  It is 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms on 3 levels.  Makes sense to me! 

List Price is $353,100

4103 21ST ST NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20018

This is a single family detached home.  Short sale in the Michigan Park area of Northeast Washington DC.  Listing says that it is an approved short sale.  Shows well.  Very nice hardwoods.  Updated kitchen.  One downfall is that it does not have central AC.  See pictures. 

List Price is $310,000

2301 CHAMPLAIN ST NW #111, WASHINGTON, DC 20009

Great price for the location.  Condo building in Adams Morgan is only 8 years old.  1 Block away from all the stores on…

Here are the properties that I think are worth looking into:

713 Hamilton St NW, Washington, DC 20011

Cheapest available row home in a decent location in Petworth.  Lots of folks looking for renovated homes under $450K. 

Current Price: $275,000

Offer Price: $250,000

Resale Price: $425,000

917 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20001

Tough to find a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom single family home under $400K this close to the metro.  This one in Columbia Heights is a good buy. 

Current Price: $390,000

Offer Price: $380,000

1420 Crittenden St NW, Washington, DC 20011

Needs full renovation.  Overpriced.  Need to come in lower.  Big row homes in this area of 16th Street Heights. 

Current Price: $550,000

Offer Price: $500,000

Resale Price:…

This month's issue was all about cars.  I don't have a need for a car right now so it was not particularly interesting but below are some things that caught my eye.

1. Its too early to buy an electric car.  They take a long time to charge and you don't get many miles out of it.  The Volt takes 6 hours to charge and you get 35 miles from that charge. 

2. Subaru is now #1 in Consumer Reports ranking of the best auto makers.  Honda has been #1 for the last 4 years.  The top 5 in order are Subaru, Mazda, Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

3. The Toyota Prius is the most practical and affordable car available if you are looking for a fuel efficient car. 

4. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and the Jeep Liberty had the worst scores on the CR road test.  I guess you…

Washington DC Real Estate Market-Friday Hot Property Update

Here are the deals that I think are the best on the market right now.  Take a look.  If you want to see any of them please contact me.  Thanks for looking!  Ben

430 Buchanan St NW, Washington, DC 20011

Sales Price: $350,000

Renovated homes like this are selling for over $400K.  It is hard to find anything in Petworth under $400K right now.  Good buy. 

 

89 Underwood St NW, Washington, DC 20012

Price: $204,900

Foreclosed Bank of America home.  This is in Takoma Park.  Needs AC and some other work but this is a great price.  About 8 blocks from Takoma Park Metro(Red Line)

 

2901 16th St NW #103, Washington, DC 20009

Price: $249,000

This is an FDIC owned home.  Very…

Every Friday I will blog about the best deals that I think are available on the market.  Buyers need to understand that inventory is very low right now.  To get a good deal you must be patient and be willing to make a lot of offers with the hopes that one will stick.  A lot of the homes on the market right now are overpriced.  You need to be prepared to make a lot of lower then asking price offers and hope that the seller comes to his or her senses. 

Here are the hot properties that I think are worth looking into:

1306 FARRAGUT ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20011

Huge house.  Been on the market for 217 days.  Started at $680K.  Homes on this street in 16th Street Heights have huge lots.  

Current Price: $485,000

Offer Price: $425,000

Resale Price:…

The Petworth real estate market is booming and I expect that to continue in 2012. Petworth is one of the few areas in DC that still offers affordable homes. The Petworth neighborhood is metro accessible with easy access to downtown. Young professionals and families are moving to the area because of the convenience and affordable housing prices. I consider Petworth to be Columbia Heights Jr.  The rise in prices in Columbia Heightshas been caused by investor activity in the commercial and residential sectors.  Columbia Heights has seen massive improvements to its main commercial corridor along 14th St NW.  Now Petworth is starting to see a lot of changes to its main commercial corridor (Georgia Ave NW).  Petworth has seen the following shops and restaurants…

The Washington DC real estate market continues to be one of the strongest in the nation. It was a busy weekend out there at open houses in DC. While I was out showing buyers homes it was sometimes challenging to get them through the doors! I believe the warmer than usual weather as well as high demand due to very low interest rates is playing a big role in the high activity level. In my opinion the warm weather has created a earlier then ever spring boom in the Washington DC real estate market. The spring market looks like it will be a continuation of the current Washington DC real estate market with perhaps a little more inventory and a lot more demand. According to MRIS the Washington DC real estate market inventory level in January was down 27.59% from…