NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 1443 Chapin St NW #303

What makes this a RARE pick?

If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: if you have a 1BR | 1BA condo, a dual-entry bathroom is a must, and as un-sexy as that sounds, this is one of the main reasons why I love this unit so much.

Aside from the bathroom situation, there’s nothing to complain about here - it has all of the things you want and need — it’s BIG for a newer build 1BR condo, the kitchen is fantastic, there’s room to entertain, plenty of storage, and clutch for this area of town — an underground garage parking space. swoon

Check out the photos linked below!
1BR | 1BA | 705SF | $438/month condo fee underground parking | $539,000

Listed by yours truly, Alison Scimeca.

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 460 New York Ave NW #205

What makes this a RARE pick?

Have you ever been in a condo with 14’ ceilings?? Let me tell you - it sure feels grand, and when you’re living in a 1BR condo, that extra square footage above truly makes a difference.

This unit has some funky angles, which means I absolutely adore it. Between the high ceiling height and the living room angles that aren’t all 90 degrees, this condo delivers such a unique and special presence, and the natural light that pours in throughout the day is simply icing on the cake.

Definitely check out the photos linked below!
1BR | 1BA | 686SF | $439,000

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 2245 12th PL NW

What makes this a RARE pick?

This 2-story small but mighty row home packs a punch in its 912SF, but don’t let the size fool you - it lives much larger than you may think!

After all of the changes in DC last year, many people found themselves deciding if they should rent or sell their places, and people who owned condos often ran into trouble due to rental restrictions. But guess what, that will never be an issue here! Live how you want in a home with no condo fees, no rental or pet restrictions - just straightforward city living with style.

Located on one of DC’s most colorful blocks and close to all of the city’s conveniences, you’ll still enjoy a quiet street with a real sense of community. What’s not to love?!

2BR | 1BA | 912 SF

Listed at $799,000. Represented by yours truly, Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 314 V Street NE #204

What makes this a RARE pick?

Buying your first home in a city is no small feat. I was lucky enough to buy mine in a growing & expanding neighborhood years ago, and it was one of the best moves I made in my 20s.

This top corner unit condo is an amazing chance to start your home owning journey. With low fees, it makes the monthly payment on par with a 1BR rental, and with no pet or rental restrictions, it means that even if you upgrade down the road, this can be something you hold on to for a long time to come.

1BR | 1BA | 450 SF | $297/mo Condo Fee

Listed at $239,000. Represented by yours truly, Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 910 M Street NW #325

What makes this a RARE pick?

Sometimes you work with clients who have an incredible design aesthetic, and this is definitely the case with this listing! We didn’t even need to stage - their decor is delicious!

I helped the Owners purchase this condo a few years back and all of their gorgeous additions now will be passed on to the new Owner. With dramatic paint colors, sexy light fixtures, an updated kitchen, and gorgeous hardwood floors, this unit screams sexy. The building matches the unit, too, with one of the nicest rooftops (with pool!) around.

Definitely check out the photos linked below!
2BR | 2BA | 993 SF | parking | $689,900

2026 Holiday Cookie Recipe: Ina Garten's Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature

• 2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate. Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Copyright by Ina Garten. All rights reserved.

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 1314 Massachusetts Ave NW #703

What makes this a RARE pick?

Let’s be honest - if you’re going to live in a condo, who doesn’t want to live on a top floor with light streaming into the unit even on a cloudy day? Lucky for the next Owner is this gorgeous condo, they’ll have views for days from the 7th floor when they look out their windows

I’m a MAJOR fan of this layout with a party in the front and chill in the back. This is a corner unit with the light-filled open concept living spaces in the front of the building, a spacious bedroom on the other side of the unit, and the entryway hallway and bathroom in between the two giving one the best of both worlds.

1BR | 1BA | 694 SF

Listed at $425,000. Represented by yours truly, Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 2125 14th Street NW #427

What makes this a RARE pick?

Either you want to be in the heart of it all or you don’t, and if you’re in the first camp, then this condo is 100% for you. And being that it’s in the middle of all of the things with people running in and out of the building all the time, you know what things you definitely want? Concrete & parking. You want concrete in between the floors because it helps cut down on noise between floors, and you want secure parking because you will legit lose your mind trying to regularly park in an area like this. Luckily this unit has both.

I’m allowed to say this, because I own a condo that was built the same year as this one was, but the design aesthetic in the first decade of this century was kinda yuck. So what happens when you get a listing with all of that outdated reddish-brown wood and style? You update it as we did here. The floors, vanities, walls — all updated to stand out and look fresh for whoever scoops this baby up.

1BR + DEN | 2BA | 895 SF | garage parking

Listed at $609,000. Represented by Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 61 W Street NW

What makes this a RARE pick?

Are you sick of all the flipped and renovated rowhomes in DC with totally open floorplans and no original character left? Me too. So if you’re looking for a home that gives some shoutouts to the fact that it’s over 100 years old, this one is for you. The original hardwood floors, millwork, and light fixtures gives this house the respect it deserves, but fear not, the whole house hasn’t been left in its original form — it’s the perfect blend of original and updated.

Extra things to take note of: $50k of interior and exterior brick repointing — something necessary to do though it isn’t the most sext home project — and solar panels that are paid for in full (and that have allowed the Seller to have an electricity bill of less than $100 A YEAR)!

4BR | 2.5BA | 2,416 SF | parking

Listed at $1,249,000. Represented by Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 232 Florida Avenue NW

What makes this a RARE pick?

IMO, the sweet spot for buying and getting a deal on a townhome in DC is when updates have happened in the home along the way, but it isn’t all totally gutted and brand new. Of course, that buyer will likely need to have some cash on hand to continue to update and renovate after they buy, but that’s where the next part comes in handy:

It’s not as easy for homeowners in DC to operate short term rentals anymore due to changes in the law over the last few years, but lucky for the new owner occupant of 232 Florida, they’ll be able to generate some income by renting out the separate 2BR/1BA unit in the lower level.

5BR | 3.5BA | 2,196 SF 

Listed at $959,000. Represented by Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 1314 Massachusetts Ave NW #505

What makes this a RARE pick?

Ah, corner units - aren’t they the best? Having listed several units in this building, I can definitely comment on each layout and each condo in this building with more knowledge than most, and I have to say that this is one the best 1BR layouts in The Grant.

The Owner has updated pretty much everything, so whoever scoops this one up is going to have very little to think about doing or replacing for the next several years!

For more details and the full listing, click on the link below to see & read more. 

1BR | 1BA | 734 SF 

Listed at $435,000. Represented by Alison Scimeca of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 1321 Irving Street NW -- Columbia Heights, DC

What makes this a RARE pick?

One rarely gets a chance these days to buy a 4-level home in the middle of the city for close to $1m, but lucky for the Buyer who snags this one, they probably won’t be too far off from that.

This home has been a family home for 2 generations and could use some freshening up here and there, but whoa, with over 3,700sf, 6BRs, multiple outdoor spaces, and 2-car parking, does it have space to grow & evolve!

For more details and the full listing, click on the link below to see & read more. 

6BR | 3.5BA | 3,715 SF 

Listed at $1,025,000. Represented by Alison Scimeca of Compass

RARE Pick of the Week: 1405 12th Street NW -- Logan Circle, DC

What makes this a RARE pick?

Where does one even start? On a personal note, my first condo purchase is just one block away so I have walked by this building over 100x and it always fascinated me from the outside and couldn’t wait to one day see the inside..

Once inside this Spring, I was beyond charmed. The current owners lovingly transformed this building into a home worthy of any design publication or Architectural Digest feature. The photos speak for themselves while the history is nothing to write off either.

For more details and the full listing, click on the link below to see & read more. 

2BR | 2BA | 1,908 SF 

Listed at $1,575,000. Represented by Matt McHugh of Compass

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 801 O Street NW #207 -- Shaw, DC

What makes this a RARE pick?

Most luxury buildings that I’ve seen in the DMV are predictably beautiful and have fabulous amenities, but are also in neighborhoods that don’t speak much to me.

Enter Perla, Shaw’s premier luxury building, half a block from one of my fave DC spots, Blagden Alley. But aside from the awesome location, this condo is also amaze with its huge terrace, floor-to-ceiling windows, and my fave, custom Scalamandre wallpaper in the bathroom.

For more details and the full listing, click on the link in our bio to read more. 

2BR | 2BA | 1,009 SF 

Listed at $780,000

Represented by yours truly, Alison Scimeca of The RARE dc

NEW LISTING - RARE Pick of the Week: 5207 Wyoming Rd -- Glen Echo Heights, MD

What makes this a RARE pick?

This is been one of my favorite listings to date. This home is nestled up on a hill, like most of the homes in Glen Echo Park, and tbh if I ever leave DC proper, this is a neighborhood that would be top of my list.

But the house itself is also fantastic. While not mid-century modern, it definitely has some MCM elements which of course I love. My clients also have impeccable taste so we were able to use their own furnishings to stage.

For more details and the full listing, click on the link in our bio to read more. 

4BR | 3.5BA | 3,500 SF 

Listed at $1,677,000

Represented by yours truly, Alison Scimeca of The RARE dc

RARE Pick of the Week: 1738 Glick Ct NW -- Shaw, DC

What makes this a RARE pick?

I mean, even if you don’t think you could do a 500sf home, you have to admit that this one is really quite cool.

Because it’s brand new, it’s move-in ready, and guess what - no condo fees! It’s truly minimalism at its best here and if you’re into the hustle and bustle of the city, this location cannot be beat.

For more details and the full listing, click on the link in our bio to read more. 

1BR | 1.5BA | 500 SF 

Listed at $799,900. Represented by Deirdre Thao Vo of Pearson Smith Realty

Answers to the Most Commonly Googled Real Estate Questions

When you’re starting the process of buying or selling a home, you probably have a lot of questions.  So what do you do? You go to your internet browser and search for the answers to your questions, right?  In this episode, Alison addresses all of the most commonly searched and asked real estate questions posed by a current Buyer and Seller ready to enter the market, and gives concise and honest responses that can help inform and answer most if not all buyer and seller questions! 

Subscribe to our show and feel free to reach out to us on The RARE website or directly to Alison with comments and questions: www.theRAREdc.com | alison@theraredc.com IG: @theraredc

RARE Pick of the Week: 3322 Elm Terrace -- Falls Church, VA

What makes this a RARE pick?

This mid-century modern stunner located in the Holmes Run Acres neighborhood in Falls Church, VA is so my vibe. The hand painted wall around the fireplace, the funky kitchen light fixtures, the vintage-inspired refrigerator… I mean, come on, this whole house is executed in such a cool and unique way

And with bedrooms on opposite sides of the house, there’s so much potential, including for an multigenerational home, which as we all know, is something I always keep an eye out for!

For more details and the full listing, click on the link in our bio to read more. 

3BR | 3BA | 2,236SF 

Listed at $980,000. Represented by Amy Sills Eggers of Coldwell Banker

Assistance Animals: Your Rights as a Renter or Landlord with Guest Abby Volin

Let's say you have an animal who lives in your home with you -- not necessarily a pet, but perhaps an assistance animal of some sort -- and you're looking to move to a new home.  What rights do you have when navigating your search with your animal in tow?  What if you're a landlord and you have someone with an animal who wants to live in your property -- what rights do YOU have? In this episode, Alison is joined by Abby Volin, a subject matter leader on animal accommodation law, and together they discuss common concerns both for those seeking housing and those providing it. They will answer common questions that are often asked and give context to the topic as a whole. 

Subscribe to our show and feel free to reach out to us on The RARE website or directly to Alison with comments and questions: www.theRAREdc.com | alison@theraredc.com IG: @theraredc and Abby Volin: abby.volin@dc.gov

RARE Pick of the Week: 1409 44th St NW -- Palisades, DC

What makes this a RARE pick?

Is your dream is to live in an updated, stylish, modern house with abundant natural light, outdoor sitting areas, & green space, and ample parking? Do you also want that home to be under $2m and close to parts of the city with lots of restaurants, bars, shopping, etc?  Then this gorgeous home is 100% for you. 

Located at the very southern tip of Palisades, DC and overlooking Foundry Branch Park, this home had a top-to-bottom modern renovation in 2019. The main level was completely transformed by opening the entire floor, adding more space, introducing glass walls at the rear, and adding a powder room.  The upstairs primary suite feels like you’re in a treehouse, and the downstairs also walks out to the wide and deep terraced backyard that has direct access to the park.

Definitely check out more photos in the link below!

4BR | 3.5BA | 2,565 SF Listed at $1,995,000. Repped by Ron Mangus of TTR Sotheby’s.