By Buzz McClain

Of the seven units created in the brand new, well-received custom community of Capitol Hill’s The Jackson, there’s only one left, and it’s a carriage house.

A new 1,360-square-foot carriage house, not a vintage reconditioned former garage.

“The only history is what the new owners will make there,” said Jenna Jacobson, development manager and general counsel for boutique condo specialists S2 Development. With The Jackson, S2 is capitalizing on the success of its Huntress Coal Oil condo in Shaw, by bringing back architects Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects and having Anna and Dan Kahoe of GoodWood stage and style the interior.

The two-story, free-standing home with two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a light-filled, spacious kitchen-living room at 630 14th St. NE, is part of The Jackson condo community–the shared yard, patio and outdoor gas grill are examples of the neighborhood unity–but the property, which has its own private outdoor space, boasts a hard-to-find element of true privacy. Close the door and you are in a rare, detached two-level dwelling on Capitol Hill.

The dazzlingly coordinated sleek and elegant–yet invitingly comfortable–furnishings by the Kahoes are available to the purchaser at closing, but even if you pass, the carefully considered contemporary fixtures and finishes are all yours. Top brand names abound, such as Restoration Hardware (lighting and mirrors) and Delta and Kohler (bath and kitchen fixtures). Wide plank hardwood flooring and Carrera marble countertops provide style and utility.

As for the neighborhood, The Jackson is situated at the fold of Capitol Hill and the H Street Corridor, both bustling with activity and bursting with bright futures as new businesses continue to compliment the established community. Countless restaurants, a Safeway, the resurgent Atlas Theater, the adventurous Rock & Roll Hotel and other destinations are in the immediate vicinity.

The carriage house at The Jackson (that would be a cool customized return address) is on the market now. There is a Valentine’s Days showing on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 1 to 3 p.m.

As for parking, there is a separately deeded off-street lot on site, next to the carriage house. Ask about it at the showing.

The Washingtonian raved about The Jackson when it previewed, including the carriage house; read it here. For information, check The Jackson website at 63014thstreet.com.

Looking for a new home in the Capitol Hill area or just want to see what your neighbors’ houses look like inside?

We’ve highlighted a few open houses this weekend to get you started. But be sure to check out our real estate section for a full listing.

1318 Corbin Pl. NE

3 BD / 2 BA

Agent: Ernestine Wilson, Ernestine J. Wilson Real Estate

Listed: $580,000

Open: Saturday from 2-4 p.m.

1701 Independence Ave. SE 1

3 BD / 2 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Ty Voyles, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Listed: $669,900

Open: Sunday from 1-3 p.m.

520 10th St. NE

4 BD / 3 BA

Agent: Bob Williams, Coldwell Banker Residential

Listed: $869,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

506 6th St. NE

5 BD / 5 Full, 2 Half BA

Agent: Elizabeth Millet-Yesford, E Venture LLC

Listed: $1,795,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

811 3rd St. SW 7

2 BD / 1 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Lewis Bashoor, Long & Foster Real Estate

Listed: $525,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

249 14th Pl. NE

2 BD / 1 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Christine Fischer, McEnearney Associates

Listed: $595, 000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

Looking for a new home in the Capitol Hill area or just want to see what your neighbors’ houses look like inside?

We’ve highlighted a few open houses this weekend to get you started. But be sure to check out our real estate section for a full listing.

626 Independence Ave. SE

1 BD / 1 BA

Agent: Harrison Beacher, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Listed: $425,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

803 Maryland Ave. NE

2 BD / 3 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Denise Verburg, Long & Foster

Listed: $725,000

Open: Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

355 I St. SW 5

1 BD / 1 BA

Agent: Justin Paulhamus, M Squared

Listed: $410,000

Open: Sunday from 12-2 p.m.

925 12th St. SE 2

2 BD / 1 FUll, 1 Half BA

Agent: Jennifer Myers, Dwell Residential Brokerage

Listed: $525,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

1322 Maryland Ave. NE

3 BD / 2 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Fran Slade, Weichert Realtors

Listed: $874,900

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

1532 North Carolina Ave. NE

2 BD / 1 BA

Agent: Joel Nelson, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Listed: $499,000

Open: Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

Looking for a new home in the Capitol Hill area or just want to see what your neighbors’ houses look like inside?

We’ve highlighted a few open houses this weekend to get you started. But be sure to check out our real estate section for a full listing.

1240 K St. SE

2 BD / 1 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Kasra Divband, Redfin

Listed: $544,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

1132 Park St. NE

3 BD / 2 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Thomas Faison, Re/max Allegiance

Listed: $945,000

Open: Saturday and Sunday from 1-3 p.m.

1302 South Carolina Ave. SE

3 BD / 2 Full, 2 Half BA

Agent: Joel Nelson, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Listed: $770,000

Open: Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

651 8th St. NE

2 BD / 2 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Joel Nelson, Keller Williams Capital Properties

List: $739,000

Open: Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

124 11th St. NE

4 BD / 3 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Thomas Faison, Re/max Allegiance

List: $1,445,000

Open: Saturday from 1-3 p.m.

719 Capitol Square Place SW

3 BD / 2 Full, 1 Half BA

Agent: Mary Farrell, Mcenearney Associates

List: $865,000

Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

The cost of admission into some the city’s better ranked elementary schools may require the purchase of a Capitol Hill-area house that is about $550,000 or more, according to a new report.

District, Measured released a series of interactive maps today that compare public elementary schools’ testing scores to sale prices of three-bedroom homes in the schools’ boundaries during the past year.

Children of homeowners within a D.C. public school’s boundary lines are guaranteed admission in the school.

Amidon-Bowen in Southwest and Walker Jones on the Hill cost the least to attend, with median home prices near both school sitting at $550,000. They also are among some of the lower ranking schools in the District, although not as low as less expensive schools in the far eastern and southern parts of the District.

Capitol Hill’s most expensive school is also the most-sought public elementary school in the District. Brent Elementary has a wait list 880 names long and holds a median home price of $922,500.

Ludlow-Taylor is the highest ranked Capitol Hill school and the only one on the Hill to be receive a top-tier rating. Median home prices of $797,500 make it the least expensive top-tier elementary school in the city. Other top-tier schools lie in the far northwestern part of D.C. with homes that cost between $819,000 and $1.4 million.

Most Hill elementary are either second-ranked or second-to-last ranked. It costs at least $690,000 to live near a second-rank school. Hill residents need to spend more than $700,000 to avoid lower-tier schools.

Van Ness and Peabody elementary schools were not included in the provided data.

Image via District, Measured

(Updated at 12:10 p.m. Saturday) D.C. tenants had the fifth most expensive rental market last month, with the H Street NE / NoMa area among the top 10 most expensive parts of the District to rent.

The H Street NE / NoMa area had a median rent of $2,100 per month for a one-bedroom apartment in May, making it the ninth costliest area for rentals in D.C., according to a new report from rental website Zumper. The city-wide median was also $2,100.

The median one-bedroom rent for the neighborhood categorized as “Southwest Ballpark / Navy Yard” was only $50 less, at $2,050. In between the H Street NE / NoMa and Southwest Ballpark / Navy Yard areas, Capitol Hill had a median one-bedroom rent of $1,750.

At $2,600, Georgetown had the highest median rent for one-bedroom apartments in D.C., the report by the San Francisco-based startup says. Anacostia had the lowest rent, at $995.

This regularly scheduled, sponsored Q&A column is written by Tom Faison of ReMax Allegiance at Eastern Market. Please submit your questions via email.

Almost half the year has passed and Hill Realtors are happy to report that business is brisk. The diversity in housing stock on Capitol Hill allows for a broad spectrum of affordability, welcoming fat wallets and penny-pinchers alike. So there is no scarcity of transactions.

Each “micro-hood” within the broader Capitol Hill area has its own affordability range — what some might call the “price of admission” as the low mark, and the “ceiling” as . . . well, the ceiling. I remember when $400,000 was a big price tag around Eastern Market, as well as when $400,000 would barely get you in the door. The level of affordability in many Hill micro-hoods has leaped in the last few years. A $400,000 ceiling in Trinidad only 60 months ago is now a floor, below which, if you’re lucky enough to find it, is not very pretty.

Here are some of the highs and lows, five years apart, broken down by micro-hood:

Trinidad:

• Twenty-four “renovated” (habitable) homes have settled in Trinidad so far this year. Not one of houses settled for less than $400,000, and three of them blew through the $700,000 ceiling without breaking a sweat.
• Compared to the same area and the same six months in 2010, 19 homes sold. Guess what? The bottom was $75,000. The glass ceiling of $300,000 was barely shattered at $312,000.

Kingman Park/Rosedale:

• Much like Trinidad, although due to the similarity and size of the housing stock, I predict that Kingman Park still has some jumping to do. Seventeen homes settled so far this year, ranging from $400,000 to $775,000.
• Compared to the first six months of 2010, 32 homes settled between $68,000 and $360,000. But an outlier at 15th and Gales streets NE sold for a whopping $465,000.

Atlas District:

• These numbers are stunning from a real estate perspective. Twenty-two homes sold this year to date, ranging from $560,000 for a 900 square-foot, two bedroom house, all the way up to $1 million for a 3,000 square-foot house at 10th and K streets NE.
• Within the same six-month period, only five short years earlier, 35 homes sold within a range of $200,000 to $625,000. I was involved in the two top sales that year and the entire neighborhood was shocked at the sale numbers which now seems like peanuts.

Hill East:

• Considered much more established, larger and less transitional, Hill East still experienced major gains in the last five years. To date this year, 49 homes have sold between $450,000 and $920,000. Hill East has breached the $1 million mark, but nothing commanding that price has been put out this year.
• The first six months of 2010 saw 43 homes listed in Hill East between $200,000 and $700,000. Not as dramatic as the micro-hoods further out, but very remarkable increases any way you slice it.

My numbers and statistics are a little rough, my geographical boundaries a little loose, but what’s crystal clear is that these micro-hoods outside of Capitol Hill proper have jumped in value over the past five years beyond what anyone could have or would have predicted. My personal prediction is that we won’t see these types of leaps over such a short period again anytime soon.

The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HillNow.com.

This regularly scheduled, sponsored Q&A column is written by Tom Faison of ReMax Allegiance at Eastern Market. Please submit your questions via email.

May didn’t feel like a slow real estate month on Capitol Hill but, compared to April, sales were downright sluggish.

Houses on Capitol Hill Extended

• Just under half of the 81 homes listed this past month have gone under contract. Many of the houses that remain unsold have only been listed for a week, but many more are beyond the 20-day mark.
• In sharp contrast, only 22 of the 100 Capitol Hill homes listed in April remain unsold. Of the 78 houses that sold, only 3 homes took more than 30 days. The vast majority of the rest of the houses sold within 10 days.

Condos on Capitol Hill Extended

• Only 17 of the 50 condos listed in May went under contract that month.
  This was a big change from April when all but 11 of 31 condos listed went under contract. Of the 20 condos that sold in April, only 2 of them took more than 30 days.
• These numbers are in line with the real estate climate I predicted six months ago, as sellers continue to push for list prices in line with the most recent dramatic escalation on their block, and buyers push back.

Caveat? Low inventory triggers the rule of supply and demand.

Immunity? Pretty, well-located homes with four bedrooms, a master bath, a basement and parking. Unless they are priced properly, listings without those components will languish and their prices will be reduced.

The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HillNow.com.