The New York Times tackles the same topic I’ve been hearing about this week: new appointees’ and politicians’ decision to move their families to Washington.

According to this piece, White House Chief of Staff (to-be) Rahm Emanuel will live in Washington without his family until at least the end of the school year. I recently spoke to two agents Terri Robinson, of Long & Foster Georgetown and Margot Wilson, of Arnold, Bradley, Sargent, Davy, & Chew, Inc., who both indicated that new members of congress were some of the least reliable buyers. Washington isn’t the sleepy town it once was. Who can afford to just plunk down a couple hundred grand or more on a house?

And, more importantly, who wants to? The Times piece is peppered with stores about individual appointees and congressmen and women’s decisions. But, here’s my favorite:

Representative Denny Rehberg, Republican of Montana, brought his wife and three children to Washington when he took office in 2001. But he found that the Congressional schedule was keeping him away from home most nights and his children were losing touch with their roots on a ranch that has been in the family for more than a century.

So they moved back to Montana, and he commutes nearly every weekend.When in Washington, he sleeps on a couch in his House office, an aide said.

Does he have a shower in his House office too? What about a washer/dryer?