I am moving into the District and am looking for an apartment. My criteria:
$1000 or less
clean, well-managed building
the bigger, the better, but a studio is acceptable
10 minute or less walk to Metro
in delivery distance of a supermarket
in general, below Cleveland Park if NW, or Brookland-CUA if NE, and west of the Anacostia; (Capitol Hill would be great)
As you can see, I am pretty flexible. The most important thing for me is a well-maintained apartment. Also, although I am leaning to an apartment building, I would be open to a townhouse type situation. If you know of an reliable websites that may be useful that would be terrific.
Is $1000 a reasonable rent? Any other suggestions or advice? I will definitely appreciate any and all replies.
On Capitol Hill, there’s two rental agencies that you should look at. One is Formant Realty on Pennsylvania and 3rd Southeast. Website. The other I can’t quite remember their name, but they are on 7th St SE at Eastern Market – it’s just south of the market next to a rug store. I used both agencies when I first moved to DC, and they are both good.
Managed buildings are pretty rare on Capitol Hill, and much more common in the upper Northwest area, like Cleveland Park or Woodley Park. And I have never heard of a grocery store that delivers in DC, except perhaps one of those Peapod type of services that may well be extinct. I did, however, live across the street from a liquor store that delivered, and that was at Eastern Market.
You can get a place for $1000, but I wouldn’t expect too much because you’re looking at pretty nice areas. You’ll probably find much more in the way of shared housing in that price range. You can also check the listings in the City Paper, which also has a website.
If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to give my opinions. Good luck!
The other agency is Yarmouth. As I PMed the OP, it’s a good agency.
(Incidentally, in case OP has not checked PMs, I also PM’ed OP an ad from a Capitol Hill listserv for a place that, roughly, fits the stated requirements. I didn’t want to post it because it includes a phone number.)
Congratulations and welcome to D.C., Fiddle Peghead! Those who posted before me are right on the money: Both agencies are great if you’re looking for a place on the Hill, and it’s one of the more bargain-rich neighborhoods in the city, probably because all the Capitol Hill staff who are making very little money need a place to live that’s near work.
Be careful with Northeast… the area right around CU might be OK, but it’s still very sketchy in parts, even with the development going on along the H St. Corridor.
I should point out, though, that I found the last two places I lived on Craigslist. The sheer volume of listings is a little hard to navigate, and apartments listed on there find occupants very quickly, but it definitely has the most variety.
I second using Craigslist. Both times that I was trying to rent out a room in my NW DC row house I received maybe 20 serious replies a day over the course of a week. In Craigslist you can also specify which neighborhood you would like to look in, so you can really pick and choose what locations you want to focus on.
Would Virginia be a deal breaker? There are lots of choices in Arlington and Alexandria very close to the Metro, and these areas also have very good shopping and nightlife options.
When I moved to the DC area, I lived in Arlington at first. I’ve never regretted this.
I’ve lived in DC before (late 80’s/early 90’s), but never became acquainted with residential options in Va. I do prefer to go out in DC though, which is why I prefer to live there. I also don’t have a car, and don’t plan on getting one, so for those nights when I am out after the Metro has closed, I want to be able to get cab service home. How might this work out for Arlington?
As for the OP, and my comment about supermarkets that deliver: :smack: :smack: :smack: I’ve just moved from New York City, where I lived for the last 12 years, and cannot still quite shake that Big Apple mentality. Please disregard that part.
Anyone have experience with the apartments managed by William C. Smith & Co ? There are of course quite a few buildings on that site and I realize they could vary in quality.
I have decided not to look in the Capitol Hill area anymore, as I’ve lived there before and want a different experience this time. I am now looking anywhere from Dupont Circle to Logan Circle, and anywhere north of that line up to Mt. Pleasant or Cleveland Park. Thanks again, if anyone else has any suggestions.
I’ve lived in Smith buildings. His father, Charles C. Smith, was a major real estate developer in Washington for decades.
The buildings can vary widely in quality and amenities, and will be priced accordingly. The Smith company isn’t notably better or worse than other area landlords, for what it’s worth, IMHO.
I’m pretty comfortable with H Street NE although there isn’t much in the way of managed buildings. You would have to be close to Union Station or the Florida Avenue Metro Stop for Metro.
Check out River Place in Roslyn. They are a coop but a lot of owners rent out there apartments. We were paying $1095.00 as late as 2005. The units included utilities as well. Link The location was great. It was about a fifteen minute walk to Georgetown and we never had any trouble getting a cab to the City or getting a cab back home. There was a Safeway about five minutes walking distance from the apartment and there were some restaurants nearby. The metro was two blocks away. A cab ride from Adams Morgan was not that expensive, maybe $11.00.