Housing Resources

Housing Resources

The tips and resources here have been compiled with the input of fellows, and are offered as general information to help in your housing search. AAAS does not have independent knowledge of or endorse these resources.

Please update your profile with your DC-area address as soon as you have one. Good luck and happy house hunting!

 

House Hunting Tips

  • Start your search early, especially if you are moving from across the country or overseas. Consider moving sooner rather than later - signing a lease in July is much easier than at the end of August or beginning of September (which is prime apartment hunting season).
  • If you would like to rent in a highly desirable District neighborhood (for example, Chinatown, Dupont Circle, or U St.), consider walking around the area during business hours and popping into leasing offices. Monday-Wednesday tends to be less busy.
  • Apartments on sites like Craigslist go rapidly, so it is advantageous to be in the area, highly mobile and ready to reply to ads quickly.  Realize you may be competing with a large number of people for a room, so cast a wide net, and make yourself stand out from the crowd.  Providing the information requested in the ad makes your inquiry more likely to receive a response. For example, if the ad asks for “a little bit about yourself,” then include that and not just your age and job. And of course, if the place sounds too good to be true in the posting (i.e. a very low price in a popular neighborhood), then it probably is.
  • Think carefully about location and commuting time to your fellowship location. You can find information on DC's public transit system, Metro, at http://www.wmata.com/ Neighborhood maps are available at Metro stations.
  • Some areas of DC are not as bike-friendly as others. If cycling (especially bike commuting) is important to you, consider NE, SW, Capitol Hill, and Eastern Market. You may also want to consider using programs like Capital Bikeshare: http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/
  • Another important point to consider about locale is safety. Some neighborhoods in the District are considered safer than others, however, as in any urban area, residents must always be attentive to safety issues.  Looking at neighborhood crime maps can reveal crime trends: http://crimemap.dc.gov/
  • It is standard practice in the area to charge an additional annual or monthly fee for pets.
  • Virtually all furnished and unfurnished apartments and houses in the metropolitan area come with a stove and a refrigerator, which are maintained by the landlord. Many of the older buildings in DC don’t have a washer & dryer or a dishwasher in the unit. One-year leases generally are required for unfurnished apartments and houses, although in some cases you can rent on a month-to-month basis.
  • An "English" or "English Basement" apartment is just a fancy term for a basement of a house converted into an apartment.
  • Requests for "no parking" signs to provide a space for your moving van (and to ensure you don't get ticketed) may be made three days in advance to the appropriate district office (i.e. the 1st district office, 2nd district office, etc.) of the DC Police Department.

 

Apartment/House Listing Resources

http://www.apartments.com/  Apartments.com. Mostly apartment buildings, however the selection criteria are very customizable, allowing easy navigation through the thousands of choices.

http://www.apartmentguide.com/  Similar to Apartments.com. Requires registration, but then allows for customized searching.

http://www.apartmentratings.com/  An independent resource for renters, with reviews of apartment communities provided by renters.

http://dc.ecowomen.org/  A listserve for “eco-savvy” Washington women that frequently posts housing announcements.

http://www.housingmaps.com/  Cross-references housing listings from Craigslist with Google maps. Search by city and price range. Provides listings for rentals, sublets, and home sales.

http://www.militarybyowner.com/  Suggested as a resource by former fellows; listings for sale by owner homes and houses for rent near U.S. military bases.

http://www.accessmmi.com/  MMI Rentals. A smaller selection of mostly houses and condos.

http://www.move.com/  Contains listings for both houses and apartments. Offers general moving tips as well.

http://www.movingscam.com/  Educational website with information on common moving scams.

http://www.nest-dc.com/  Contains listings for “boutique” houses and apartments in DC. Offers personalized relocation services as well as interior design.

http://www.padmapper.com/  Highly recommended by many former fellows; overlays listings from Craigslist (and other sources like Apartments.com) onto a Google Map; allows you to filter by location.

http://www.recgov.org/housing/housing.html/ NIH & NOAA Recreation & Welfare Association housing site. Contains listings for houses, apartments, temporary housing and hotels mainly in MD and DC.

http://www.trulia.com/  A real estate search engine that contains homes for sale and rentals; analyzes real estate information on millions of homes in DC and nationwide.

http://www.urbanigloo.com/  An online platform where DC landlords, renters and leasing agents can find each other.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/  Online classifieds source. A great resource for a variety of housing options (as well as furniture, services, events and many other topics). Most listings are private rentals.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/  The Washington City Paper. Lots of private rentals listed. The paper is distributed on Thursday, but the web site listings are updated daily.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/  The Washington Post. One of the best sources for housing, especially the Saturday and Sunday editions. Be sure to call early, as many places rent the same day they are listed. Ads are posted on the website late Saturday night before the Sunday paper is distributed.

Universities also are good sources. Most make housing information available on a walk-in basis.

American University:  http://www.american.edu/ocl/housing/offcampuspostings.cfm/

George Mason University: https://och.gmu.edu/

George Washington University: http://gwoffcampus.com/

University of Maryland: http://www.och.umd.edu/

Also, check out bulletin boards in restaurants, coffeehouses, laundromats, and community and recreation centers.  The Chesapeake Bagel Bakery at 3839 Minnesota Avenue NE, is highly recommended for its notices (and has good bagels, too!). Apartment guides can be obtained at various drugstores, bookstores, and metro stops.

 

DC-Area Locations


Capitol Hill, NE and SE

Fellows living in the Capitol Hill area generally have liked it. There are several Metro lines depending on location. However, rents are high due to proximity to the House and Senate, and the area's fun vibe. Despite much development in recent years, safety is still a concern. Fellows suggest bars on windows, multiple locks, burglar alarms, etc. Recommended boundaries for the more desirable parts of Capitol Hill are Massachusetts Avenue on the north, 10th Street on the east, and G Street, SE, on the south.

For Capitol Hill rentals, alumni fellows recommend using Yarmouth Management, 202/547-3511 or http://www.yarmouthm.com/.

Southwest DC

Some fellows find Southwest DC to be a very convenient location. The area is undergoing lots of new development. Safety is a concern and should be explored with potential landlords. Recommended options are Potomac Place, 800 4th Street, SW, 202/488-4153 or http://www.potomacplacetower.com/, and Waterside Towers, 907 6th Street, SW, 866/497-1782 or http://www.watersidetowers.com/

Northwest DC

This quarter is considered among the safest in the District. It is also the priciest. Dupont Circle is a favored neighborhood among fellows. It has lots of shops, restaurants, and galleries. Foggy Bottom, Woodley Park, and Cleveland Park also are great locations. All are Metro accessible.

Adams-Morgan, U-Street, Petworth, and Columbia Heights are the newer "hip and happening" areas of the city, with lots of rentals in great old row houses. There are many new amenities in the neighborhoods. The area is Metro accessible.

Fellows recommend Quebec House in Cleveland Park, 2800-2801 Quebec St., NW, 202/686-2220. Apartments in NW where fellows have lived in recent years are 2100 Connecticut Ave., NW, and 2828 Connecticut Ave., NW.

For properties in NW, fellows recommend Community Realty Co., 301/345-3334 or http://www.communityrealty.com/, and Bernstein Management, 202/363-6301 or http://bernsteinmanagement.com/  

Northern Virginia

There are many convenient "close-in" areas in Northern Virginia that are Metro accessible. Arlington, Ballston, Clarendon, Falls Church, and Alexandria are nice communities with lots of amenities.

Five apartment complexes in Arlington where fellows have lived in recent years are Birchwood Apartments (525 N. Pollard Street, 703/465-0050); Randolph Towers (4001 N. 9th Street, 703/525-9000); Courtland Park (2500 Clarendon Boulevard, 703/243-6528); Meridian at Ballston Commons (900 N. Stuart Street, 703/908-9800); and Crystal Towers (1600 S. Eads St., 888/592-5952). All five are very close to Metro stops.

Maryland

Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Wheaton are popular among fellows choosing to live in Maryland. These communities are on Metro lines and tend to have more condos and houses for rent.

Former fellows recommend The Seasons, 301/ 652-6688, or http://landowco.com/seasons.htm/ in downtown Bethesda.

 

Realtors

Fellows have recommended Weichert Realtors for downtown and NW rentals: 202/326-1100 or 202/326-1300.

For those looking to buy a home in Northern Virginia, Nancy Basham, http://nancybasham.lnf.com/ is recommended.

Other realtors working in DC that were recommended are: Jennifer Myers, Re/Max Allegiance, 202/ 547-5600, or http://www.wheredoyoudwell.com/ and Tammy Thomas, Evers & Co Real Estate Inc, 301/908-2153, or 202/364-1700

Please update your profiles on FellowsCentral with your DC-area address as soon as you have one.  Good luck and happy house hunting!