We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
1522 Spring Place NW
Listed sale price: $689,000
Previous sale price: $235,000 (June 2003)
Square footage: 1,544
Since 2004, Warsame Inc. has renovated and sold five houses in such neighborhoods as Shaw, Ledroit Park, and Columbia Heights, usually investing $250,000 per house and reaping about $50,000 per house in profits.This five-bedroom Columbia Heights Wardman-style crib sports a typical Warsame renovation job: Original features have been yanked out and replaced with swank details such as marble floors in the bathrooms, a living-room chandelier, and not just one but “TWO Jacuzzis!!” The only things true to the house’s 1922 character are its original staircase and banister. It appears, however, that maybe the renovation job went too fast: The vinyl siding in the back of the house is full of holes, closet shelving remains uninstalled, and the second-floor medicine cabinet is dismantled.
—Constantine Caloudas