In a report released this morning, Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) charged developers involved in the sale and rehabilitation of buildings formerly owned by the youth outreach organization Peacoholics with misappropriating District funds. more ›

Yeah, there might be a little lull in the housing market, and maybe renting has again become cooler than owning. But neither one is likely to be any cheaper in the future. more ›

Lest ye drift from the gospel of McMillan, repent now! So sayeth D.C. Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve, who once again confirmed that indeed, thou rent hath been lifted to the point of damnation. more ›

Sarah Krouse of the Washington Business Journal provides an update on the plans for the southwest corner of the 14th and U Streets NW intersection, which will be the home to a as-yet-unnamed mixed-use project. more ›

It's no secret that Prince George's County has been one of the hardest hit areas of the country during the foreclosure crisis -- but check out this map, courtesy the Wall Street Journal, which vividly depicts the county's struggles. more ›

National Journal's "Hill People" issue, which is all about the lives of congressional staffers, is out. While most of the survey's findings aren't too surprising -- sadly, Congressmembers mostly employ white, married men who are wealthy to boot -- one infographic caught our eye. more ›

The Case-Shiller report was released last week, and D.C. was the strongest market of the 20-city index. Home prices were up 0.9 percent from February to March, and up 4.3 percent from last March. That's compared to the national trend of prices falling 5.1 percent from last year. That's not to say that prices in D.C. have been on a steady climb. more ›

U.S. News and World Report has it that a spike in rents in the District "could exceed 10 percent," since the recession hasn't affected Washington in the way it has other cities, leading to more demand from renters. more ›

A six-person byline focusing on the "timeline of the whitening of D.C." which includes statements like "[bike] lanes manage to merge with the city's history of framing everything in black and white terms," touches on Tony Williams' blackness, the banning of single beer sales, Borf, and HOPE VI in Arthur Capper/Carollsburg, and concludes that "the flood of pale-complexioned fans into the stadium in Southeast...is a reminder of how big a change those curly “W” hats represent"? If this story represents TBD's swan song as a news organization, well, they're going out with a bang. (Appropriately enough: it's even got a correction.) more ›

The Case-Shiller numbers are out for December, and Washington's housing market was the healthiest in the 20-city index over the past 12 months. Home prices were up 0.3 percent from November to December, but were also up 4.1 percent from December 2009 to December 2010. more ›

Interesting development news arriving late this afternoon -- Housing Complex passes along a Bisnow report which states that a warehouse located near the troublesome intersection of Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street NE has been purchased by B&B Investments and will be converted into a 300,000-square-foot residential building within 24 months. The intersection has been the subject of much consideration and attention recently, after Bloomingdale resident Bill Mitchell was shot and killed after interjecting into a dispute on January 18. more ›

It's easy to take the stance that sacred American structures are priceless. But where's the fun in that? Besides, things like the White House are made of tangible materials and sit on land which has appraisable worth, so they can certainly be valued. Occasionally, such frivolous curiosities can even help bolster the monuments' standing as a symbol for the current state of the country! more ›

According to new data from the Brookings Institution, D.C.'s home price recovery is "among the worst in the nation," ranking 33rd on a list of the 100 biggest housing markets. What's that you say? You thought the D.C. housing market was doing pretty well, up, say, 4.5 percent year over year? more ›

That Jimmy McMillan, maybe he was on to something. The Washington Post reports that, according to census figures, one in five renters and one in seven homeowners in the Washington area are funneling more than half of their income to housing costs. And its not only a matter of a lack of affordable housing for low-income residents (though inclusionary zoning initiatives certainly have been dragging over the last couple of years in the District). Middle-class residents are really feeling the pinch, too, even in places like affluent Fairfax County. Obviously, it's difficult to compare dense, urban Washington D.C. proper with other jurisdictions; not too many other areas around the United States have a median rent of $1,300. (Plus, many who decide to spend more on housing in the District do so conscious of the extra cost and to save money on, say, commuting.) But even among those who rake in up to $50,000 a year and live in Washington's suburbs, the Post found many homeowners blasting well over the thirty-percent standard -- nearly double the national rate. more ›

Jonathan O'Connell reports this morning that Marc Dubick, whose development company Duball LLC partnered with Safeway to build the large CityVista complex in Mount Vernon Square, is currently in talks with the grocer to develop a new project in Petworth. more ›

There are really only two types of Craiglist ads that pique our interest anymore: ones that rant vociferously -- and at length -- about Metro, the Washington dating scene, the sad state of D.C. politics or whatever, and incredibly creative/terrifyingly nerdy housing classifieds. more ›

The Case Shiller Home Price Index was released earlier this week for January. The 20-city index was positive year over year for the first time in three long years. But one chart caught my eye shows the relative strength of D.C. home prices compared to other cities in the index. more ›

Foreclosure activity in the District of Columbia was down 39.31 percent in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same time last year, and down 16.58 percent from the previous quarter, according to the latest data from RealtyTrac. more ›

According to a new Center for Housing Policy study, D.C. was the sixth most expensive rental market in the country last year, ranking just behind New York's Suffolk County. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in 2009 was a reported $1,494. more ›

Nearly half of the households in the District and Alexandria are made up of single people living alone, according to this story by the Washington Post. The findings are based on data released today from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey Data, which show that 26.7 percent of all households in the District are single females living alone, while 20.8 percent are single men living alone, adding up to over 47 percent of the city. That's the same percentage of single households in Alexandria, with Arlington County trailing not far off at 45 percent. By contrast, only 26 percent of households in Fairfax County were single people for the same time period. more ›

Remember that housing bubble mess? We'll we're not quite out of the deep end yet, emphasized by the Washington Business Journal today. They're reporting that local home prices are continuing to fall in most major cities compared to last year, with D.C.'s declining 18.4 percent. The reality: "We see no evidence that a recovery in home prices has begun," David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P, said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal blog notes that the nationwide decline has at least slowed ... except in D.C. and California, with the nation's capital posting the biggest monthly decline in the 25 market survey. The writer at DC Home and Condo Prices notes that sales volume in the area is up, however. more ›

Fannie Mae, the national mortgage dealer headquartered in Washington, will be laying off some of its staff as part of a corporate realignment, according to a Washington Business Journal report. Fannie isn't talking numbers, but WTOP's sources say that it will be under 500 jobs. (That's still almost 10% of the organization's total workforce -- no small potatoes.) Fannie last made such sweeping job cuts in March 2007, after an accounting scandal caused the loss of several hundred jobs. more ›

Ever since Barack Obama was elected president, we've heard about the huge crowds coming to Washington for the Inauguration. There have been endless stories for months about D.C. residents renting out their homes and apartments to revelers, and Craigslist is awash in ads. They're even popping up on Gmail and Facebook. more ›

It's Friday, Washington, and reactions are still rolling in to Metro's approval of its largest fare hikes ever. We all knew this was coming, but we're curious to hear if any of our readers actually plan to make changes to their commuting habits come January 6, when the increases will go into effect. Do you think you'll ride Metro any less, or finally make the leap to using SmarTrip? Let us know in the comments. more ›

To say D.C. is not known for its fashion sense is an understatement. The people in our fine city get slammed again and again for their inability to dress themselves in anything other than career wear. Luckily this holiday shopping season offers a little incentive in the form of trunk shows for those of us who'd like to look better and help us score some spiffy new duds. As gifts, of course. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Not too upset about the coming Metro fare hike, are we? WJLA is reporting that only four people showed up to last night's hearing on the measure. Of course, the meeting was held way out in Reston and was only the first of six opportunities that Metro riders will have to voice their opinion on the price increase. Maybe you're just biding your time. Tax Scandal Grows Even Bigger: This is... more ›

Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us are Monday morning quarterbacks when it comes to local government. Whenever the District's government does something foolish, many of us are quick to assume that we could do better. Well, now we have a chance to prove it. During last year's mayoral campaign, the D.C. Appleseed Center ran a campaign soliciting resident input into the city's most pressing problems. From the 1,500 submissions they... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Sarah Stonesifer The Diamondback – University of Maryland: >> Hartwick Towers, an off-campus apartment building, was the scene of a fire on Friday, Oct. 12. The fire has come under scrutiny by both students and city officials, as the building is not equipped with sprinklers and fire alarms did not function during the fire. Students were left on their own to find alternative housing until they were let back into their... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Amy Cavanaugh With all the Smithsonian museums clustered around the mall, it’s easy to overlook the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, which has been chronicling the life of the area’s residents since 1967. Their new exhibit, East of the River: Continuity and Change, celebrates 500 years of southeast Washington in a sweeping overview of its triumphs and tragedies. From archaeological artifacts to paintings to documents to video, the multimedia components of East... more ›