Columbia Heights: Are families attracted?

[Anonymous]

Just curious. We'll be likely selling our townhouse there soon. Curious to know who the prospective buyers might be. Helps us stage! (Crib, or office? Playroom or workout room? etc.) Might sound like a crazy question, but we're thousands of miles away now--rented the place for 3 years while we explored another area of the US, and decided to stay here. No rush to sell... but seems like now's the right time!

[Anonymous]

Where's your house? I think you'll get empty nesters or DINKS- dual income no kids.

[Anonymous]

Walk down 11th Street on a Saturday morning, and you will be run over by strollers. CH is very family friendly--my 2 kids play with several children in the alley.

That said, I would stage the room as a small bedroom, not an office or nursery. Just get a twin bed and small dresser or nightstand. Another bedroom is always more attractive whether or not you have kids.

[Anonymous]

The stroller brigade likes CH but I agree that a plain bedroom is a better theme than a nursery.

[Anonymous]

Stroller brigade, yes. Preschool brigade- until they slowly peel off after the lottery heartbreak year after year.

[Anonymous]

I think your target market is likely people who don't currently have kids (although you will likely get couples looking who are planning to have kids in the near future). I agree that a crib is not necessary for staging and that a small bed or desk is fine.

[Anonymous]

Also gay couples. And young couples with no kids. Kids under 4. Once it gets close to K they move West of the Park or to the suburbs. Public schools in bounds are pretty bad plus people want more room, yard etc

[Anonymous]

Unless kids are in Private school you are not going to many people with kids over 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless kids are in Private school you are not going to many people with kids over 3.

Says the person who has never been to Columbia Heights.

OP, we're a professional family with school-aged kids, and we can walk to the homes of dozens of friends. I know several other families who bemoan being priced out of CH, because it's where they really want to live.

[Anonymous]

Tons. Many of the best charters are somewhat near there. Crawling with kids. Way more families than gay couples up that way. Then again, you don't need to decorate for them when selling. There are also roommate situations.

[Anonymous]

I'm a designer with lots of clients in CH. Almost all are young couples who live together, engaged couples, or newly married couples. Many have very young children. I'd bet if you stage a room with a crib and a small loveseat, that'll be very appealing to all these couples who already have or will soon have kids. It's DC's park slope in terms of young families. You'll have tons of interest especially if your place is nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tons. Many of the best charters are somewhat near there. Crawling with kids. Way more families than gay couples up that way. Then again, you don't need to decorate for them when selling. There are also roommate situations.

And then there are also gay couples who actually have kids. Yeah, not all of us are childless. We're plotting to take over the world by pro-creating. We meet regularly at Room 11.

--CH resident, lesbian, wife, mom of 2 school-aged kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walk down 11th Street on a Saturday morning, and you will be run over by strollers. CH is very family friendly--my 2 kids play with several children in the alley.

That said, I would stage the room as a small bedroom, not an office or nursery. Just get a twin bed and small dresser or nightstand. Another bedroom is always more attractive whether or not you have kids.

I agree with this. I also agree with the other posters who question whether anyone with small kids will be looking to move to Columbia Heights, unless they already have a spot in a charter school or an OOB DCPS. Tubman is improving, but Raymond and Bruce Monroe are still not options for many families that have choices about where to live. I get the sense that a lot of us who live there with kids bought before the kid(s) were born and didn't think about schools or thought that they'd improve enough to be real options past PS/PK or thought it would be a piece of cake to get into E.L Haynes or one of the other nearby charters. We see a lot of kids who are under 5, but it seems like families who can move elsewhere for better schools start to leave once their oldest gets to be around that age.

[Anonymous]

I owned a condo in CH for 8 years and just sold it for double what I paid. I have followed the real estate market there for years. You will get families interested. Most likely couples who are planning on kids in the next few years. A PP talked about 11th street with the kids. No joke. I was at meridian pint a week ago for brunch and EVERY single table had a baby or kid (mine included). We bought in petworth (also a massive baby boom area because houses are about 100k cheaper there than CH). Not as many people are running from the schools by kindergaten either. Tubman Elem is very up and coming. But people also love EL Haynes etc. Good charters in the area for sure. A friend of mine said about the area "so this is where the cool parents actually live" (she lives on Cap Hill and finds most of the parents there insufferable. OP you are gonna make a ton of money. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Couple with 10 month old here - I'll buy your house, OP! Dying to move to CH. We spend every weekend on 11th street...brunch at Coupe, Harambe at Bloombars, drinks at Meridian Pint...