Thinking about selling DC rowhouse and moving into a condo

[Anonymous]

We own a rowhouse in Logan Circle - lots of character which is code for old and needs lots of maintenance, etc. We're originally from NYC so we're used to apartment living and the maintenance is a PITA although DC and I enjoy gardening. Anyway, DH and I definitely prefer apartment living and are thinking of selling (or renting out) our place and buying a condo in Adams Morgan - new, modern, and preferably with a large roof terrace and garage. Anyone do this? Our child is 4 and goes private so schools aren't an issue. DH is not handy at all and doesn't have the time so keeping our house maintained all falls on me, WOHM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We own a rowhouse in Logan Circle - lots of character which is code for old and needs lots of maintenance, etc. We're originally from NYC so we're used to apartment living and the maintenance is a PITA although DC and I enjoy gardening. Anyway, DH and I definitely prefer apartment living and are thinking of selling (or renting out) our place and buying a condo in Adams Morgan - new, modern, and preferably with a large roof terrace and garage. Anyone do this? Our child is 4 and goes private so schools aren't an issue. DH is not handy at all and doesn't have the time so keeping our house maintained all falls on me, WOHM.

You're originally from NYC and you're asking if anyone has raised a child in an apartment?

No. It has never happened, and it's certainly not allowed here. It's best that you find a new husband who can single-handedly do a full-scale renovation of a gutted rowhouse with his bare hands.

[Anonymous]

Haven't done this, but I'd say to follow your bliss. As long as you're good about getting out with the kid and won't miss gardening too much. I don't think I'd do Adams Morgan though. Most people have no desire to live there anymore, especially with a kid. Good park close by though.

[Anonymous]

OP: We used to live in Adams Morgan pre-child and miss it a lot especially Results the gym which is the new Vida. Love the neighborhood although even in our time there it turned from mostly gay creative types to mostly (non-gay) lawyers.

We were definitely thinking about downsizing into a condo when we retire but why not do it now? My DH can't even remember to put our trash bins out on trash days. Hard b/c I travel for work.

[Anonymous]

A lot of what used to be called Adams-Morgan near 19th and 20th Street (but still east of Connecticut) gets marketed as Kalorama or Kalorama Triange now. Very pretty, and not as much of a party scene as 18th Street.

[Anonymous]

I've been thinking of ditching our SFH and moving into a rowhouse. DH doesn't do any maintenance, so i do all of it, and I'm tired of it. But we have a big dog, so more dog walking without the big yard. I like the idea of downsizing, so I'd say go for it it that's what you want. Spending so much time on a house is a PITA.

[Anonymous]

Old rowhouses can require tons of maintenance, some of which you can end up saddled with if your next-door neighbor neglects his or her own property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been thinking of ditching our SFH and moving into a rowhouse. DH doesn't do any maintenance, so i do all of it, and I'm tired of it. But we have a big dog, so more dog walking without the big yard. I like the idea of downsizing, so I'd say go for it it that's what you want. Spending so much time on a house is a PITA.

OP: If you want to downsize and don't want a ton of maintenance don't move into an old rowhouse. Our house, 100 yr old, requires more maintenance than a SFH of a similar age. Yeah, tons of character but tons of work. My neighbor is not very good about maintaining their yard so we have climbing vines that climb up and get into our gutters and satellite dish that have to be torn down every 2 wks or so, their overgrown backyard attracts rats/vermin which requires periodic visits from an exterminator for us.

Our rowhouse is renovated but not gut renovated so we need visits from plumbers, electricians, handyman, etc basically about every other month or so. We have considered gut renovating and will do it but my architect strongly suggests that we need to move out for several months (6 - 12 months) to get it done. Much easier to move out and stay out for us.

Lesson learned: Don't move into an old rowhouse if you don't want to do tons of maintenance.

[Anonymous]

We have a gut renovation rowhouse on Capitol Hill - TOTALLY awesome! Still has character . . .but all new plumbing, electric, etc. So - that is the way to go! So far (over three years now) very very minimal maintenance.

[Anonymous]

I'm just curious.. for the old rowhouse (NOT gutted and totally rebuilt inside), what kind of maintenance are you talking about here? What issues could arise from your neighbor's lack of maintenance, that leads to repairs for you?

I live in a very old house now (more old than historic) and grew up in an old/historic house, both SFHs. I can certainly attest to how much it sucks to pay lots of money for things that are just "repairs," not "improvements." No one looks up at your ceiling and admires what a beautiful ceiling (when you had to pay thousands so that the cracked ceiling didn't come crashing down).

Definitely tradeoffs involved in everything.. I'm curious what specific repair issues arise with the rowhouses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven't done this, but I'd say to follow your bliss. As long as you're good about getting out with the kid and won't miss gardening too much. I don't think I'd do Adams Morgan though. Most people have no desire to live there anymore, especially with a kid. Good park close by though.

The sizable contingent of parents in Adams Morgan begs to differ! WTF?

The blocks zoned for Oyster are kid city.