Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
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Anonymous
People just have visceral reactions to things, and bars on windows and doors are one of them. For a lot of people it just feels like prison, and no one wants to go into their future home and think "prison". I live in CH and at this point only a handful of neighbors still do bars on their windows or doors. Maybe a few more have them on the basement windows/doors because I think there's more concern about someone trying to break in through those. But most people take them off, and then a lot of people have those home security subscriptions (including us) and do a little sign out front for that. And/or a camera near the door. Lots of ways to deter thieves/break-ins these days that don't involve bars that feel depressing and block light (plus often start to look really bad after a few years when the pain starts to chip). I also think that the bars might make someone think "huh, maybe this neighborhood is more dangerous than I thought." But I agree with you that people have to do their own research and figure out if they are okay with crime levels separately than a reaction to bars on windows. I've lived in CH for almost 20 years now and never been a victim of a crime, though I've definitely heard about neighbors homes being broken into (though don't personally know anyone who has ever been hurt in this situation, just scared). But of course there are sometimes violent crimes around here. I think it's hard to know how you will do with it unless you live here for a while. We rented for a long time before buying so there have been no surprises. |
Anonymous
That is a really good location, if you don't mind living in an alley. And it's on the end, so at least you only have to share one wall. But having a "Two hour parking" sign on the house itself is a pretty good signal that you could have a car parked right in front of your door. As a condo alternative, the inside is pretty downscale IMO. Maybe someone would buy it and rent it out to congressional aides or Supreme Court clerks. Or maybe the location will be enough for someone to grab it soon; who knows? |
Anonymous
It’s a 2016 infill which helps explains how plain and strange it is. |
Anonymous
Speaking of houses really close to the Capitol that have been on the market a long time, this has been on and off the market for a year and a half (since March 2020): 3BR/3BA, 1587 sf, $1,349,000: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/230-E-Capitol-St-NE-20003/home/9891770 It was originally listed at $1,699,000. Even right on E Capitol, that's a lot to ask for a ~1500sf house with window AC—and bars on the back windows (for thread topicality!). It is also right to a building that is used for fairly large events - the one to the right had a tent covering the entire front yard last week and a reception with a shockingly large amount of people crammed together for covid times |
Anonymous
Speaking of houses really close to the Capitol that have been on the market a long time, this has been on and off the market for a year and a half (since March 2020): 3BR/3BA, 1587 sf, $1,349,000: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/230-E-Capitol-St-NE-20003/home/9891770 It was originally listed at $1,699,000. Even right on E Capitol, that's a lot to ask for a ~1500sf house with window AC—and bars on the back windows (for thread topicality!). that looks like an investment opportunity. big renovation and then sell to a lobbying group or trade association. |
Anonymous
It is also right to a building that is used for fairly large events - the one to the right had a tent covering the entire front yard last week and a reception with a shockingly large amount of people crammed together for covid times This house is really bad. Needs a ton of work IMO and some of it can't be fixed. 1. Hate how you walk right into the living room without any entrance way. 2. The heater in the dining room looks like it is so close to the stairs that it actually forces you to have to turn to go upstairs. 3. Kitchen is a gut job. Pathetic in a $1million+ home. 4. Master bathroom looks so cheap. The tile in the shower and the counters clash like crazy and look awful. 5. The shower tile extending outside the shower is so ugly. 6. 2nd bedroom is tiny. 7. 3rd bedroom is barely a bedroom. Bed placement is a recipe for hurting yourself and it is the only place to put a bed. 8. Backyard space is non-existent I know it is close to the Capitol and you pay for location, but it is an awful. |
Anonymous
(Fixing an issue with the quote tags - sorry about that. Looks like my original post got wiped, BTW.) That's a good point. Almost everything else on that block is non-residential: it looks like that's the US Asia Institute next door; the Supreme Court Historical Society is a couple of blocks down, and of course a church occupies most of that block. So maybe they're waiting for a PAC or NGO with deep pockets and a need for a DC presence (but not too much in the way of DC staff) to buy it. |
Anonymous
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^^ "the Supreme Court Historical Society is a couple of blocks down" — I meant "a couple of doors down," not blocks.
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Anonymous
Not PP but I find this exchange funny because pagessss back someone complained about the opposite in the same neighborhood. That rowhouse did NOT have bars and at least one person was like, “how could this place not have bars???” |
Anonymous
When we lived on Capitol Hill, the front of our rowhouse literally bordered the sidewalk so people walking down the street could more or less look directly into our living room and -- if we didn't have bars -- could just climb right into our house if we didn't have bars. So there was no way we were getting rid of them. There are many houses like that on Capitol Hill. |
Anonymous
| This one was bought for a little over $500,000 and now on the market for $1,600,000? Thoughts ? https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/622-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9910113?1280460695=variant&600390594=copy_variant&231528114=control&1077477207=variant&utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=share_sheet |
Anonymous
I live within a block of this house and I would bet $1,000,000 they won’t get this price for it. The finishes are not right for that market. |
Anonymous
Wow, all of these went pending/contingent since this post except for the Pickford house, which continues to sit with no price reduction. |
Anonymous
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https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/121-Duddington-Pl-SE-20003/home/9890483
This house is gorgeous, seems to be nicely renovated, has great storage solutions, and is my dream street. But for $900k, I would want at least a half bath. The price is steep for a 2/1, even on Capitol Hill. |
Anonymous
Love it! Unfortunately, it would be even more $$ if it had a second bath. What a nice house. It’s clearly intended for one or two people, though, which limits the appeal. |