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Hi! It’s been a while.
For the last two months, this space has languished while City Paper‘s editors rethought the whole idea of a real estate blog. It’s a hard beat to cover, but just like D.C.’s history is written in its buildings, you can see its future in the changing streetscape. And all District denizens—yeah, even those from Official Washington—have stories about the place where they live.
So. I’ve been hired to repopulate this here corner of the City Paper with news about your physical environment, whether it’s a massive redevelopment or new planter boxes on the corner. I’ll track the main players, from Adrian Fenty to the lowliest renter, explain real trends and debunk some bogus ones. I can also say what this won’t be: An incremental how-to guide for buying your first house, or a source of prognostications about the market (the Post and the Washington Business Journal do a pretty good job of that).
Now, a few vital stats on me, before I never talk about me again. I’m an upper-middle-class white girl from Seattle and an inveterate runner and cyclist. While going to school in New York City, I covered a real estate meltdown for the New York Observer, where real estate is more of a blood sport than a business. I come to City Paper by way of Slate and The New Republic, where I got a first-rate education in national politics—but missed being closer to the ground. Now, I’m on a metro D.C. crash course, and utterly psyched to begin.
Please note: This project will work only as a conversation. I read neighborhood blogs all day, but if you run one of them, feel free to send me important posts or suggestions anyway. If you don’t, please still send me your thoughts, questions, musings, rants, and observations. Since I live in Columbia Heights and work in Adams Morgan, I’ll especially need help with eyes on the street in regions further afield.
Call me (202-332-2100 x224), email me (ldepillis@washingtoncitypaper.com), friend me, follow me.
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And visit often!
Photo by Darrow Montgomery.