What $$ Buys
What $250K Buys You in the DC Area
While a quarter-million dollars might sound like a lot of money, in a post-real-estate-bubble world it’s shocking how little turf it buys these days in and around the nation’s capital. In 2000, $250,000 was the average sales price for a spacious two-bedroom property in DC. Today, you’ll be lucky to get a 600 square-foot studio with that chunk of money. However, there are still gems if you look closely (see below). And if you don’t mind living about an hour from the city, you can still get a bonafide house with that money.
- 519 square-foot studio near the Penn Quarter
- 963 square-foot 1bd/1ba unit in swanky Wesley Heights
- 1,854 square-foot, 3bd/3.5ba townhouse in charming Leesburg
- 2,300 square-foot 4bd/3ba Victorian home in Manassas
2,300 square-foot 4bd/3ba Victorian home in Manassas
The property is about a mile (see map here) from the Manassas station for the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) which can get you into Union Station in about an hour and ten minutes. There is also a stop nearby for the OmniLink bus service that serves Prince George’s County.
DescriptionThis “old style” three-floor mansion has all hardwood flooring, very high ceilings and the original oak banisters. There are five rooms on the second floor, four bedrooms and an additional room that could serve as a den or office.
The house has two bay windows on the first floor that provide a good deal of natural light. There are also three working fireplaces throughout the house.
The eat-in kitchen has a dishwasher and there is a laundry room with a washer and dryer. There is an open porch on the front of the house, and an enclosed porch off the back. The house sits up a hill from a four-lane road, but because it is a school district the speed limit is 25 mph.
| Price: | $239,000 |
|---|---|
| Square Footage: | 2,300 |
| Price Per Square Foot: | $108 |
| 2007 Taxes: | $4,004 |
| HOA Fees: | None |
* Click here for the full listing.
AmenitiesThe house has a large backyard with a concrete patio. A driveway in front can hold approximately four cars. It has central A/C.
Bottom LineOK, so its not that convenient if you work in the DC area, but the amount of space that you get with this property for the price is second to none.
2 Comments
It will also buy you (OK, almost buy you) a 3 bedroom townhouse in Petworth. $279 will buy it—4 blocks from the new condomium construction at Petworth Metro where the same $279 probably won’t get you a condo. Great neighbors, nice playground down the block. The downside is you’ll probably have a 1950s kitchen that you’ll eventually want to redo, but you won’t have to live with someone else’s taste. There’s lots most of this kind of house under $400G in Petworth.
all that, *and* the police check everyone’s ID when they drive past your house.