Shaw/Howard U:
The Duke's Former Stomping Ground May Be the Best Place to Buy in DC

June 27, 2008
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by Mark Wellborn

Borders: M Street, Florida Avenue, 10th Street and North Capitol Street
ZIP code(s): 20001
Pricing data: Shaw/Howard U real estate (Redfin)
Map: Click here for interactive Google Map

The True Reformer Building by Kyle Walton at flickr

In mid-April, a debate was started on DCist, a blog that highlights goings-on in the DC area, about the true boundaries of the Shaw neighborhood. The post elicited just shy of 100 comments with folks offering their take (and some just starting debates of their own).

The popularity of this debate is evidence that Shaw, which borders the Logan Circle and U Street neighborhoods, is getting harder to define. As areas around it are christened with new names to sound more appealing to prospective home buyers, Shaw has, for better or worse, yet to fall victim to full-blown development. But the area that was once home to Duke Ellington is full of the advantages that come from being a little behind the times.

Demographics

Half of Shaw’s residents are single, about 25 percent of households have children and 59 percent of the properties are single-family homes, according to Zillow.

Shaw is pretty eclectic from a cultural standpoint. The neighborhood’s population now includes the African Americans to whom the neighborhood historically belonged, young professionals that are finding good deals on rent, an Ethiopian population that gave rise to “Little Ethiopia” around 9th Street and U Street, Howard University students, and DC’s gay population that has begun migrating east from Dupont Circle.

Property Prices

The median sales price for properties on the market in Shaw was $403,000 at the end of May, however the average listing price was much higher ($527,048). Despite this disparity, Shaw is a neighborhood where gems can be found if you are willing to look hard enough.

If you are looking for a fixer-upper that could prove to be a great investment, there is a two-bedroom, 1.5-bath townhouse at 710 Girard Street currently on the market for $281,000. The 1,600 square-foot townhouse is a large property for the price, has a back yard and the basement is a separate unit that could be rented out. However, there are no photos of the interior which makes us think that it could be a disaster. For listing information and photos, click here.

For those that love the feel of luxury condos, the Rhapsody Condominium at 2120 Vermont Avenue, NW has a two-bedroom, two-bath listed for $525,000. The property is a duplex with a balcony and a separate terrace, a washer and dryer, and two parking spaces. Both bedrooms can comfortably fit a queen bed, dresser and two night tables. For listing information and photos, click here.

Right where the Shaw and Logan Circle neighborhoods meet, there is a three-bedroom 2.5-bath Victorian on the market for $709,000. The property is about a block from the U Street Metro and has been entirely renovated. The first floor level has a very open floor plan highlighted by a bright and completely new kitchen that is bordered by a bar. There are 11-foot ceilings throughout the house and large windows that flood the property with natural light. Much of the exposed brick has been kept in place to preserve the property’s authenticity. For listing information and photos, click here.

Row Houses Near 10th Street by Jim Malone at flickr

Market Fundamentals

Unlike the neighborhoods that border it to the east, Shaw does not have many large, multi-unit condo developments. Rather, the area is filled with row houses and historic Victorian homes, many of which have been broken down into 4 to 10-unit condos.

The general feel among brokers in the DC area is that Shaw is a good place to buy right now, if only because the properties have been dropping for some time.

“Prices have gone down in the Shaw area about 23 percent from April 2007 to April 2008,” area broker Shari Walker told UrbanTurf. “So, right now it is a great place to buy and it’s attracting a whole new group of poeple that can afford to live there.”

Mike Garvey of Coldwell Banker, who has lived in Shaw for two years, agrees.

“In 2006 and 2007, people paid over the market value for a home in the area,” Garvey said recently. “But now the prices are right, the area is close to downtown, close to the Metro, and a lot of historic homes are being refurbished.”

9th Street by Jim Malone at flickr

Insider Tips

Walker told UrbanTurf that some of the best deals in Shaw are the “fixer-uppers” which you can still get in the $200,000s if you look hard enough. However, in mid-May, she noted that there was about a six-month supply of housing on the market, and the newer or renovated properties were selling the best.

It should also be noted that the crime rate in Shaw is high compared to other DC neighborhoods. The 20001 zip code that Shaw falls into has the fourth highest crime rate in DC, according to CrimeinDC.org. Most of those crimes involve some form of theft, either from a person or from someone’s automobile.

Row House

Parking & Transportation

Shaw is a relatively easy place to find street parking. “I park in front of the house all the time and almost never have trouble finding a close spot,” Garvey said. “Sunday for church is the only time that there is even a slight hassle.” Some of the new converted Victorians have parking spaces in the back that are being sold for upwards of $35,000 to residents.

There are two Metro stations in the Shaw neighborhood: the Shaw/Howard U station and the Mount Vernon station. Both are on the Green and Yellow line that run downtown and out to Reagan National Airport.

Bottom Line

“Somewhere like Shaw is only going to grow in popularity because it has great architecture and is central to so many parts of the city,” area broker Michael Dillon told UrbanTurf. “People who live on Capitol Hill who have owned in the neighborhood for ten years are now chuckling at how their investment has grown. I think people who buy in the Shaw neighborhood could also be laughing in a few years.”

Quick Answers

Noise Level
Low. The Shaw neighborhood is still very quiet. The only street that gets a lot of traffic is P Street, but that has not even been enough to elicit any complaints.

Desirable Streets to Live On
8th and 9th Streets from Rhode Island to Florida Avenue.

Great Buildings to Live In
The Murano, The Monique

Neighborhood Picks

Best Place to Eat When Someone Else is Paying — Corduroy, 1122 9th Street NW
Best Bar for Trivia Night — Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U Street NW
Best Place to Catch The Kinks in Concert — 9:30 Club, 815 V Street, NW
Best Place to Buy Art That May Be Worth Something One Day — Project 4 Gallery, 903 U Street NW
Best Place to Get a Tofu Scramble — Vegetate, 1414 9th Street NW

Photos & Resources

ShawDC.com — A website with a wealth of information about the Shaw neighborhood, including a list of neighborhood blogs.
RenewShaw.com — A terrific, frequently updated blog about stuff going on in the neighborhood.