I would be concerned about buying a rowhouse if you will only be there a few nights a week. Maybe look at a coop if you don’t want a condo.

You could look at Paper Mill Court in Georgetown. They have townhouse style homes but it’s a condo. They seem to sell pretty quickly and looks to have parking.

Maybe something like this on Capitol Hill?

https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/107-16th-St-SE-20003/home/9918753

Rowhouse would be ideal except that you would very much benefit from the lock and leave aspect of a condo. A rowhouse requires higher maintenance and security, when you really don't want to have to pay too much attention to the place you are describing. It will also have stairs, which will limit is as a retirement option.

Most affordable and Nicely located are conflicting objectives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your budget is actually $1m, look for teeny row houses. If you are commuting to Farragut north, look along the red line and orange/blue (to Farragut west, Check out foggy bottom or eastern market or Potomac ave).

+1. Your budget won’t go super far if you don’t want a condo, but you could do a small-ish rowhome in some areas.

For example, you can find a 3 bed/2 bath rowhome in the area around Union Station, for roughly $700-900k (depending on the exact neighborhood).

Anonymous wrote:If your budget is actually $1m, look for teeny row houses. If you are commuting to Farragut north, look along the red line and orange/blue (to Farragut west, Check out foggy bottom or eastern market or Potomac ave).

+1. Your budget won’t go super far if you don’t want a condo, but you could do a small-ish rowhome in some areas.

There are some really cute houses in Foggy Bottom that fit this.

If your budget is actually $1m, look for teeny row houses. If you are commuting to Farragut north, look along the red line and orange/blue (to Farragut west, Check out foggy bottom or eastern market or Potomac ave).

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids? are you working in DC? What do you mean by “commuter pad”?

Working in DC, kids age not really relevant beyond that I want the extra BD for their very occasional use on the weekend if we treat it like a hotel to visit city.

Commuter pad meaning if I want to stay in it a few nights during the week instead of my long commute home.

How old are your kids? are you working in DC? What do you mean by “commuter pad”?

A parking space. Sometimes I see cheap properties listed online and that's what they end up being -- a parking spot.

Coops in southwest are really cheap; you could get a 2br in river park for under 200k, but the monthly fee is high (even when you consider that it includes utilities and taxes). There are also some fee simple houses in southwest along I and G sts between 4th and 9th, but I don't think they are under a million unless they have never been updated, and they aren't small. You can search redfin for 2br + homes close in (I would look at Capitol Hill, Dupont, Kalorama, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, and Mt. Pleasant) but I doubt you will find something in your price range. If you bought something with a rentable basement for a little more you could defray some costs, but then you have to be a landlord and live above your tenants and I would not want that!

I do not want to rent - I want to buy. Could do a coop maybe.

Do you want a co-op?
In your situation, if you didn't want a condo, it probably makes sense to rent. Fee simple homes very close to downtown are generally going to be bigger and more expensive than you want.

Central to downtown / Farragut North - within a few stops of it? Looking for a commuter pad with an extra bedroom for my kids when we all use it. Not looking to rent it out.

I don't want a condo b/c I don't think they're great investments - convince me otherwise and maybe I'd consider it but was thinking I'd avoid. Budget up to $1M.