Slim pickings out there! It’s that time of year where most of DC is comfortably settled into leases, with not many apartments available. Of course there are always a few great finds – if you look hard enough. Most of the places I came across this week are in shared homes (i.e. English basements – and an apartment on the third floor of a home) – but that often means discounted utilities.
$1500- 1 BD/1 BA-690 sq feet – Beautiful, modern newly renovated 1 BR apartment (Petworth)
Amenities: Nothing mentioned (W/D in unit)
Closest Metro: .4 miles to Petworth (green/yellow)
What makes it great: This is a great renovation with great lighting. I didn’t even realize looking through the first few photos that this is a basement apartment. The living room and kitchen are open – with a nice sized bedroom and large closet. All of the appliances are new (listing says renovation was completed last month). Furniture is available if you need/want it. The landlords live in the upstairs portion of the home – which can be helpful if you need anything serviced.
Why you may think twice: The blessing & curse of having a landlord live nearby: you may not always want them in your business. I also always think its a good idea to go see basement apartments in person to make sure they’re as good as they look online. There’s an open house on Sunday.
Amenities Included: cable, WiFi, water; W/D in unit
Closest Metro: 1 mile to Station Armory (silver, orange, blue)
Parking: Street
What makes it great: The natural light in this unit caught my eye as soon as I clicked on it. This is the third floor of a private home – so you don’t have to share your walls with any neighbors (though you have people underneath you). The landlord lives below so it won’t be tough getting in contact with them if any issues arise (plus they pay for cable/wifi!). This location is super convenient to the fun of H Street.
Why you may think twice: Living above your landlord can be a blessing and a curse. If you’re looking to have people over a lot – this may not be for you.
$1795 – 1 BD/1 BA – 600 sq feet – Garden Apartment on Capitol Hill near Lincoln Park 
Amenities included: None (shared W/D)
Closest Metro: .7 miles to Potomac Avenue/ .8 miles to Eastern Market (silver, orange, blue)
Parking: Street
What makes it great: Love the charm of this place! This is a bottom floor “garden apartment” right along East Capitol Street. It appears the 600 square feet are well used with a nice open concept kitchen and living room with a breakfast nook with great windows. There are no photos of backyard but there is access to one.
Why you may think twice: This is a bottom floor apartment – which isn’t a great fit for everyone.
Amenities Included: Cable, wifi, “all utilities,” Washer/dryer
Closest Metro: .5 miles to Columbia Heights (green, yellow)
Parking: 1 spot behind home
What makes it great: I feel like I don’t come across two bedroom English Basements very often – but this is a great way to cut down on your own costs – both by sharing the apartment (with utilities included) and on furniture. The exposed brick being painted white brightens up what could feel like a dark space. There are also some great built-ins that give this place some character.
Why you may think twice: It appears this ad is for rentals up to three months – so unless you’re looking for a transitional place between apartments, this may not be for you. It also appears to only include photos of one of the bedrooms – so they may not be even if you hope to split rent down the middle.
