Trulia Says: Move to Anacostia

• June 28, 2012
• 8 Comments

by Shilpi Paul

Courtesy of Trulia Trends.

In honor of Independence Day, the trend watchers at Trulia took a close look at the neighborhood housing market in DC, trying to sniff out affordable finds in seemingly luxe areas as well as higher-end homes in affordable areas.

Rather than looking at median prices, Trulia calculated something called the Home Price Range Index (HPRI), which essentially determines how much more expensive the homes at the top of the market are in comparison to those at the bottom. For example, Trulia found that homes within the 20008 zip code — Kalorama and Cleveland Park — range more widely in price than those in the 20017 zip code, which includes Brookland and Michigan Park. A cool infographic of the HPRI for many of our zip codes can be found here.

Some other interesting tidbits that Trulia pulled out about popular neighborhoods: the range of homes in Capitol Hill is small and pricey, so it’s tough to find affordable options, and 20036, which includes the area south of Dupont Circle, has a surprising number of affordable, though small, homes.

Homes in Anacostia

So where are the best deals? Using their metric, Trulia was quite taken with all the neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River:

Situated just across the river from Capitol Hill, the houses in 20020 (Historic Anacostia) are dramatically more affordable. In fact, even better deals can be had next door in 20032 (Congress Heights)—the 90th percentile house here is on par or cheaper than the 10th percentile house in Georgetown (20007)! Nature lovers may want to take a look at 20019 (Deanwood), another affordable area which straddles the SE and NE quadrants. Homes here have a median asking price of $163k. Home to many green spaces, including Fort Dupont Park, this neighborhood has plenty of places to go for a hike. Let’s not forget that both the Orange and Blue lines pass through here, allowing for an easy commute to many other parts of DC…In these zips, we see that there are quite a few homes under $70k!

It’s interesting to see a detached perspective on DC’s housing market. Trulia is based in San Francisco and judged us solely by numbers and, apparently, reality TV — the post repeatedly insists that people actually want to be close to Georgetown Cupcake.

From a distance, the housing stock east of the Anacostia looks like a steal, with the proximity to the center of town, large, affordable homes and green space; it’s no surprise they zeroed in on that area. Of course, while the reputation is slowly changing here, DC residents have a host of perceptions about the neighborhoods east of the river that impact their desire to buy there.

For the full analysis, check out Trulia Trends.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/trulia_says_move_to_anacostia/5716

8 Comments

1. oboe said at 9:11 am on Friday June 29, 2012:

   Schools.

   If you’re thinking about having kids, Anacostia’s schools are going to be the absolute last schools in DC to “gentrify”. And while there are some decent charters in DC—if you can get into one—none of them are located in Anacostia, so you’ll be spending a lot of time shuttling your kids to school. (Same applies to privates).

   On Capitol Hill, you can pretty much send your kids to a school they can walk to until 5th grade.

   Having said all that, if I were looking to buy, and wasn’t planning on having kids (or my kids were grown) I’d by in Anacostia in a heartbeat.

1. Jamie said at 9:26 am on Friday June 29, 2012:

   It’s on the green line, not the orange and blue. We bought a brand new 3-bedroom townhome in 20020 for $289k.

1. Chris said at 2:43 pm on Friday June 29, 2012:

   Actually oboe, I met a couple that moved from Cape Cod to Anacostia recently and the wife was hired at a charter school that is opening up in Anacostia.  I’m not certain on the name, but the school has other locations throughout the area.

1. Nikki Peele said at 2:50 pm on Friday June 29, 2012:

   Thurgood Marshall Academy is located right in Anacostia and is amazing. Howard Academy is a great school and is located in Anacostia and the Acadamies at Anacostia (located, you guessed it. in Anacostia) has made some amazing strides. POTUS is mentoring a student there and a student was just recognized as a national scholar.

   Don’t sleep. There is a reason that signs are pointing to Anacostia. To learn more visit http://www.eatshopliveanacostia.com.

1. Liz Darmstadt said at 3:56 pm on Thursday July 5, 2012:

   Will be moving from the South to DC for work.  Shocked by the home prices.  Am seriously looking at Historic Anacostia and would love to get feedback from people already living there and commuting to DC for work.

   —Cost of living
   —Access to mass transport other than Anacostia Metro
   —Buy or Rent?
   —Average rent for 2 bedroom place
   —Any streets to avoid in choosing a place to live
   —Groceries / Shopping / Restaurants

   I am also considering purchasing a lot and building.  Worth it?  What are lot prices like?

   any feedback or links for more information appreciated.

   thanks.

1. emily said at 2:35 pm on Wednesday July 11, 2012:

   I moved from Capitol Hill (where i was renting) and bought a house in Congress Heights.  Instead of an outdated, old, small rowhouse - i now have a large single family home, off street parking and a 1/4 acre of land.. .still within 2 blocks of metro.  There are definitely a lot of pros and cons, but for us - it’s turned out to be the best decision.  I should note, our neighbors now are also much friendlier!

1. T said at 5:31 am on Wednesday January 2, 2013:

   I’m a single parent renting, and will be purchasing this year. I’m seriously considering Anacostia. Do anyone who brought a home in anacostia have young childrend? I’ll be driving my kids to their schools in NW. But im hoping my kids could go outside and make friends without me worrying.NW is out of my price range, and I just really hope Anacostia continues to change. I’m just a little afraid because I have Children.

1. Stefano said at 9:22 pm on Thursday February 28, 2013:

   There is absolutely no questions about it that Anacostia is the ” next big thing ” for Washington DC. If you look at that area next to Pennsylvania Avenue all you have to do is get on the bridge and in 5 minutes you are on Capitol Hill. And you are near a great park where you can go jogging and do all sorts of stuff overlooking the water, I could not believe my eyes the first time I was there. But you have to move now, a lot of investors are making their moves. That area will change for the better in a very short time.

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