Anonymous
07/25/2022 13:56
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
If i really like a house and it fits my budget, my decision to buy wouldn't depend on a powder room.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 13:49
Subject: Re:Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We love this block of houses on the 13th St NE block, just south of H St. This one just hit the market and seems on the lower end price-wise, compared to others of this size/location:
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/718-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9909933
Discounted for not having at least a powder room on the main level, which many buyers won't consider. And being that close to H will be enticing to some but equally off-putting to others.
lol, can you really not walk up the stairs? I get that a powder room is nice, but it's still a seller's market on the Hill. You find the right house you can afford zoned for a good school ... lack of a powder room is not going to stand in the way.
People want powder rooms because not all house guests will want or be able to climb up stairs. Or they have kids and having an extra sink and toilet available comes in handy with kids. Or they wfh while a nanny is in the house and don't want to have to share a bathroom with her and the kids. And so on.
It might not be a deal breaker if someone really wants to live on the Hill and yes, wants in bound for a specific school. But other people might say, eh, my kid will go to a charter and I can get a house with what I want north of H.
It might still be a seller's market because of low inventory, but the buyer pool is shrinking and buyers aren't willing to pay as much because of higher rates. So yeah, the lack of a main floor powder room could cause certain people to cross that house off their list, which means fewer offers and lower sale prices.
This is not rocket science.
It is not a dealbreaker for buyers looking in that price range. I promise, it’s not.
Some buyers? Maybe. Many buyers. Most certainly yes.
To be fair, people who are into historic urban homes, know, accept and often embrace the constraints. Its not limited to Capitol Hill or DC but valid from London to Stockholm to Paris.
Yeah, the people insisting that no first floor powder room is a dealbreaker have either never been inside a Hill row house or they have $2 million budgets. Either way, they aren’t the buyers for a 900k row house near H Street.
Our former house on the Hill was tiny, like 1600 sf, and had a powder room on the first floor. So did all the tiny houses our friends lived in.
(If other posters are going to claim their own personal anecdotes as actual data, then I will too.)
Same, I know very few people with no first floor powder room. I think this was a major thing in the 90s/00s, where people who were selling homes prioritized putting them in (often as part of a kitchen renovation because it tends to be most cost effective that way to do it). And people who bought put them in, especially if there was only one bathroom upstairs, which is common.
I’m not saying you HAVE to have a powder room, but I’ve lived on the hill a long time and first floor half baths are very common. It’s now a lot harder and more expensive to renovate (and the standards fir a good reno are higher) so maybe some homes that never got one added are less likely to get them. But I’ve even seen tiny powder rooms in 750 sq ft homes. The idea that buyers on the hill don’t care doesn’t ring true to me at all. It’s a compromise people might accept, but most people prefer it.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 13:41
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
If you live on Capitol Hill, you don't need a huge backyard or 3 car garage. Its an apple to orange comparison. If you compare it with other nice areas of DC, these are perfectly good sizes, not so much compare to a far flung suburb.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 13:19
Subject: Re:Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We love this block of houses on the 13th St NE block, just south of H St. This one just hit the market and seems on the lower end price-wise, compared to others of this size/location:
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/718-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9909933
Discounted for not having at least a powder room on the main level, which many buyers won't consider. And being that close to H will be enticing to some but equally off-putting to others.
lol, can you really not walk up the stairs? I get that a powder room is nice, but it's still a seller's market on the Hill. You find the right house you can afford zoned for a good school ... lack of a powder room is not going to stand in the way.
People want powder rooms because not all house guests will want or be able to climb up stairs. Or they have kids and having an extra sink and toilet available comes in handy with kids. Or they wfh while a nanny is in the house and don't want to have to share a bathroom with her and the kids. And so on.
It might not be a deal breaker if someone really wants to live on the Hill and yes, wants in bound for a specific school. But other people might say, eh, my kid will go to a charter and I can get a house with what I want north of H.
It might still be a seller's market because of low inventory, but the buyer pool is shrinking and buyers aren't willing to pay as much because of higher rates. So yeah, the lack of a main floor powder room could cause certain people to cross that house off their list, which means fewer offers and lower sale prices.
This is not rocket science.
It is not a dealbreaker for buyers looking in that price range. I promise, it’s not.
Some buyers? Maybe. Many buyers. Most certainly yes.
To be fair, people who are into historic urban homes, know, accept and often embrace the constraints. Its not limited to Capitol Hill or DC but valid from London to Stockholm to Paris.
Yeah, the people insisting that no first floor powder room is a dealbreaker have either never been inside a Hill row house or they have $2 million budgets. Either way, they aren’t the buyers for a 900k row house near H Street.
Our former house on the Hill was tiny, like 1600 sf, and had a powder room on the first floor. So did all the tiny houses our friends lived in.
(If other posters are going to claim their own personal anecdotes as actual data, then I will too.)
Unless that includes the basement, 1600 sf is not tiny for the Hill. Not even small.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 11:46
Subject: Re:Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We love this block of houses on the 13th St NE block, just south of H St. This one just hit the market and seems on the lower end price-wise, compared to others of this size/location:
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/718-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9909933
Discounted for not having at least a powder room on the main level, which many buyers won't consider. And being that close to H will be enticing to some but equally off-putting to others.
lol, can you really not walk up the stairs? I get that a powder room is nice, but it's still a seller's market on the Hill. You find the right house you can afford zoned for a good school ... lack of a powder room is not going to stand in the way.
People want powder rooms because not all house guests will want or be able to climb up stairs. Or they have kids and having an extra sink and toilet available comes in handy with kids. Or they wfh while a nanny is in the house and don't want to have to share a bathroom with her and the kids. And so on.
It might not be a deal breaker if someone really wants to live on the Hill and yes, wants in bound for a specific school. But other people might say, eh, my kid will go to a charter and I can get a house with what I want north of H.
It might still be a seller's market because of low inventory, but the buyer pool is shrinking and buyers aren't willing to pay as much because of higher rates. So yeah, the lack of a main floor powder room could cause certain people to cross that house off their list, which means fewer offers and lower sale prices.
This is not rocket science.
It is not a dealbreaker for buyers looking in that price range. I promise, it’s not.
Some buyers? Maybe. Many buyers. Most certainly yes.
To be fair, people who are into historic urban homes, know, accept and often embrace the constraints. Its not limited to Capitol Hill or DC but valid from London to Stockholm to Paris.
Yeah, the people insisting that no first floor powder room is a dealbreaker have either never been inside a Hill row house or they have $2 million budgets. Either way, they aren’t the buyers for a 900k row house near H Street.
Our former house on the Hill was tiny, like 1600 sf, and had a powder room on the first floor. So did all the tiny houses our friends lived in.
(If other posters are going to claim their own personal anecdotes as actual data, then I will too.)
Anonymous
07/25/2022 11:04
Subject: Re:Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We love this block of houses on the 13th St NE block, just south of H St. This one just hit the market and seems on the lower end price-wise, compared to others of this size/location:
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/718-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9909933
Discounted for not having at least a powder room on the main level, which many buyers won't consider. And being that close to H will be enticing to some but equally off-putting to others.
lol, can you really not walk up the stairs? I get that a powder room is nice, but it's still a seller's market on the Hill. You find the right house you can afford zoned for a good school ... lack of a powder room is not going to stand in the way.
People want powder rooms because not all house guests will want or be able to climb up stairs. Or they have kids and having an extra sink and toilet available comes in handy with kids. Or they wfh while a nanny is in the house and don't want to have to share a bathroom with her and the kids. And so on.
It might not be a deal breaker if someone really wants to live on the Hill and yes, wants in bound for a specific school. But other people might say, eh, my kid will go to a charter and I can get a house with what I want north of H.
It might still be a seller's market because of low inventory, but the buyer pool is shrinking and buyers aren't willing to pay as much because of higher rates. So yeah, the lack of a main floor powder room could cause certain people to cross that house off their list, which means fewer offers and lower sale prices.
This is not rocket science.
It is not a dealbreaker for buyers looking in that price range. I promise, it’s not.
What percentage of Hill homes have at least a powder room on the first floor? 90 percent? So when you see one that doesn't, it sticks out like a sore thumb and buyers notice it immediately, especially if they've seen a lot of other houses already.
[x] Doubt the 90% claim.
[ ] Believe the 90% claim.
Maybe if you only look at flips, but if you live around here that number seems a tad high.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 11:00
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most Capitol Hill homes come with some sort of outdoor space.
That's not exactly true. There's a big variety: Some have deep back yards with lots of landscaping; some have tiny concrete patios.
+1, there are actually a lot of Hill homes that have no backyard/patio space at all because of the way the block is laid out out. We used to live in one with a postage stamp front yard and that's it -- no parking pad, nowhere to put a deck. It was a rental and I think the new owners may have put in a roof deck. But roof decks on row homes are tricky -- having your only outdoor space on the top floor is not that functional. It's hot and far from the kitchen, and depending on the house it might be hard to put in a little sink and fridge even. Just depends.
When we lived there, though, we were also within 5 blocks of two large parks and an elementary school with playground and field. We missed being able to sit on our patio to eat, but did not want for outdoor space or somewhere for our kid to run around.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:55
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Most Capitol Hill homes come with some sort of outdoor space.
That's not exactly true. There's a big variety: Some have deep back yards with lots of landscaping; some have tiny concrete patios.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:47
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:If there is a spacious closet on main floor, you can always add a small powder room. If there is a patio area, in many cases you can add one there. Look outside the box when it comes to older urban row homes in desirable areas. If you wanted a boring basic builder floor plan in middle of nowhere, you wouldn't be house hunting in historic districts.
With today's lifestyle where both spouses are at work, kids at daycare or school and dinner parties or houseguests happen no more than 15/365 days, you don't base your house hunt on powder room and similarly low importance factors.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:44
Subject: Re:Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We love this block of houses on the 13th St NE block, just south of H St. This one just hit the market and seems on the lower end price-wise, compared to others of this size/location:
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/718-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9909933
Discounted for not having at least a powder room on the main level, which many buyers won't consider. And being that close to H will be enticing to some but equally off-putting to others.
lol, can you really not walk up the stairs? I get that a powder room is nice, but it's still a seller's market on the Hill. You find the right house you can afford zoned for a good school ... lack of a powder room is not going to stand in the way.
People want powder rooms because not all house guests will want or be able to climb up stairs. Or they have kids and having an extra sink and toilet available comes in handy with kids. Or they wfh while a nanny is in the house and don't want to have to share a bathroom with her and the kids. And so on.
It might not be a deal breaker if someone really wants to live on the Hill and yes, wants in bound for a specific school. But other people might say, eh, my kid will go to a charter and I can get a house with what I want north of H.
It might still be a seller's market because of low inventory, but the buyer pool is shrinking and buyers aren't willing to pay as much because of higher rates. So yeah, the lack of a main floor powder room could cause certain people to cross that house off their list, which means fewer offers and lower sale prices.
This is not rocket science.
It is not a dealbreaker for buyers looking in that price range. I promise, it’s not.
Some buyers? Maybe. Many buyers. Most certainly yes.
To be fair, people who are into historic urban homes, know, accept and often embrace the constraints. Its not limited to Capitol Hill or DC but valid from London to Stockholm to Paris.
Yeah, the people insisting that no first floor powder room is a dealbreaker have either never been inside a Hill row house or they have $2 million budgets. Either way, they aren’t the buyers for a 900k row house near H Street.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:41
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Its hard for McMansion crowd to wrap their heads around it.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:38
Subject: Re:Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We love this block of houses on the 13th St NE block, just south of H St. This one just hit the market and seems on the lower end price-wise, compared to others of this size/location:
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/718-13th-St-NE-20002/home/9909933
Discounted for not having at least a powder room on the main level, which many buyers won't consider. And being that close to H will be enticing to some but equally off-putting to others.
lol, can you really not walk up the stairs? I get that a powder room is nice, but it's still a seller's market on the Hill. You find the right house you can afford zoned for a good school ... lack of a powder room is not going to stand in the way.
People want powder rooms because not all house guests will want or be able to climb up stairs. Or they have kids and having an extra sink and toilet available comes in handy with kids. Or they wfh while a nanny is in the house and don't want to have to share a bathroom with her and the kids. And so on.
It might not be a deal breaker if someone really wants to live on the Hill and yes, wants in bound for a specific school. But other people might say, eh, my kid will go to a charter and I can get a house with what I want north of H.
It might still be a seller's market because of low inventory, but the buyer pool is shrinking and buyers aren't willing to pay as much because of higher rates. So yeah, the lack of a main floor powder room could cause certain people to cross that house off their list, which means fewer offers and lower sale prices.
This is not rocket science.
It is not a dealbreaker for buyers looking in that price range. I promise, it’s not.
Some buyers? Maybe. Many buyers. Most certainly yes.
To be fair, people who are into historic urban homes, know, accept and often embrace the constraints. Its not limited to Capitol Hill or DC but valid from London to Stockholm to Paris.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:34
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Most Capitol Hill homes come with some sort of outdoor space.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:33
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Street parking isn't as bad as other popular areas and there are parking spaces to lease or buy. With super easy metro access, keeping a car isn't a necessity. Uber, Lyft and zip car can be used when really needed. With climate change and car/gas prices, not really prudent to keep cars.
Anonymous
07/25/2022 10:23
Subject: Are these H St. NE / Capitol Hill houses priced appropriately?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If there is a spacious closet on main floor, you can always add a small powder room. If there is a patio area, in many cases you can add one there. Look outside the box when it comes to older urban row homes in desirable areas. If you wanted a boring basic builder floor plan in middle of nowhere, you wouldn't be house hunting in historic districts.
Exactly. I'm sure that there could be some price discount for lack of a powder room, but its hardly a dealbreaker for most buyers. I mean, houses with no parking sell like hotcakes too! When we bought our house with no powder room 10 years ago there was plenty of competition, and I expect the same when we sell.
Most Hill homes lack parking, and it's not something that can be added in a renovation.
Not sure what your point is? Yes, a powder room can be added in a renovation. No, there is not a huge supply of Hill houses in desirable locations. Each house has a different set of characteristics that may be more or less important to buyers' individual concerns. For example, our house is in a fantastic location, zoned for great elementary, has a really nice outdoor space, fully finished basement, no parking. Someone who prioritizes location and school is going to put it #1 on their list. Someone who prioritizes outdoor space and doesn't care about parking, likewise. Someone who wants a turn-key flipped house with a powerroom but care less about location or outdoor space will put it further down on their list.