Wardman Residential at Compass · Buyer Services
Buy a DC Row House
For buyers of DC row houses, fee simple or condo. One property type, 25 years of closed sales, 44 neighborhoods.
Every offer starts from the same place: what the block has already sold for. Know those numbers before you tour and you negotiate from the ground, not from the list price. So start there. Name a block you are considering and I will send you every closed sale on it from the last 24 months. No charge. Then we can talk about the house.
See One First
See the report before you decide anything.
A real Block Report for a Capitol Hill block, built in May 2026. Every closed sale for 24 months. Days on market. Dollars per square foot. The block's medians set against the neighborhood's. One page, and a written read on what the numbers mean.
Name a block you are considering and yours looks like this, usually the next business day. It will not tell you what one house is worth. It tells you what the block pays, which is where every offer starts.
Send me a block's sales
The Method
How the number becomes the offer
Three decisions set the price. Everything after them is execution, and the 50-task table further down covers that.
01
Know the market before the house
Before we look at a single property, we map the row house market in your target neighborhoods. Median price by ownership type. Days on market. List-to-sale. Fee simple against condo, per square foot. The numbers tell you whether to push or wait.
02
Write the offer from the comps
Every offer is a negotiation before it is made. I structure to win from comparable closed sales, not intuition. Escalation clauses, contingencies and terms are built for the seller in front of us and the competition on that listing.
03
Treat the inspection as pricing
I coordinate inspectors who work in DC housing stock. Party walls, English basements, historic designation, roof condition. What they find is not a reason to walk. It is a number, and it goes back into the price.
Before You Call
The three questions buyers ask first
Do I need a buyer's agent after the NAR settlement?
Legally, no. Practically, yes, if the agent is working for you. Since 2024 you sign a representation agreement that states what I am paid before we tour, and you negotiate it. Sellers in DC can still offer buyer-agent compensation, and many do. What you are paying for is the number before the offer, access to inventory that never reaches Zillow, and someone who sees the problem before it is expensive.
Why only row houses?
Because the deed matters as much as the brick. The same Victorian can be one fee simple house or four condo units, and over the last decade that difference was worth 44 points of appreciation. Party walls, English basements, historic district rules, small condo associations: this is the work, and it is all I take on. If you are looking at a high-rise or a house in the suburbs, I will point you to someone better.
Read the DC Row House Dossier →What does it cost me?
Budget 2% to 4% of the purchase price in closing costs on top of your down payment: on a $1M purchase, $20,000 to $40,000. DC recordation tax is the largest line, 1.1% up to $400,000 and 1.45% above, and first-time DC buyers may qualify for an exemption. The Block Report costs nothing. The 20-minute call costs nothing. In nearly every DC transaction I work, the seller pays my fee. If a seller is not offering it, you know before we tour, because it is written into the representation agreement.
What You Get
Better terms. Fewer concessions.
Finding the home is the easy part. The contract is the hard part: what you pay, what you waive to get it, and what you learn after closing. My job is the contract.
Roughly 50 tasks sit between the first conversation and the settlement table. The four phases are on the right. You make the decisions that matter. I carry the rest, and nothing slips: inspection, appraisal, financing, title, closing.
Pre-Search
9 tasks
Consultation, pre-approval coordination, market research, off-market sourcing, neighborhood analysis
Property Search
10 tasks
Showings, broker tours, CMA preparation, condition assessment, objective pros-and-cons analysis
Offer and Negotiation
13 tasks
Document review, disclosure review, offer strategy, counteroffer negotiation, contract execution
Inspection and Closing
18 tasks
Inspection coordination, appraisal oversight, loan tracking, title review, final walkthrough, settlement
The Platform
Inventory you will not see on Zillow
Compass is the #1 residential brokerage in the United States, with 34,000+ agents and $186B+ in annual home sales. Wardman Residential at Compass has closed $775M+ across 1,550+ transactions in the DMV, with 103 years of collective experience and a full-time transaction coordinator on every file. Your timeline, documents and every party's contact sit in one Compass One dashboard. One agent in front of you. That platform behind.
Private Exclusives
Properties that never reach the public market, available only through Compass agents. In a low-inventory neighborhood that is the difference between seeing the house and reading about it after it closed. In some DC neighborhoods, 10% or more of sales happen this way.
Coming Soon
Newly listed properties before they hit Zillow, Realtor.com or any other platform. In neighborhoods where hours matter, a head start.
Next Step
One conversation.
I map the market for your target neighborhoods, show you what comparable homes closed for, and tell you what your budget buys right now. 20 minutes. No commitment.
Not Ready to Talk Yet
Watch the market first.
The (Brian) Hill Report: median prices, days on market and list-to-sale ratios across 44 DC neighborhoods, once a month. It is how you learn where your budget actually goes before you start touring.
Monthly, plus the occasional note when a DC rule changes. Unsubscribe anytime.
Know Your Numbers
DC buyer closing costs at a glance
Budget 2% to 4% of the purchase price in closing costs, in addition to your down payment. On a $1M purchase, that is $20,000 to $40,000. Ask about both numbers before you tour. The settlement table is the wrong place to learn the second one.
DC Recordation Tax
1.1% up to $400K, 1.45% above (first-time buyer exemptions may apply)
Title Insurance
Owner's and lender's policies, required by most lenders
Settlement Attorney Fees
DC uses attorney-driven closings, not escrow-based
Lender Fees
Origination, appraisal, underwriting, credit report
Prepaid Items
Homeowners insurance, prorated property taxes, prorated HOA fees
Inspection Costs
Home inspection, pest, radon, sewer scope as needed
Find Your Neighborhood
44 DC neighborhoods, deeply covered
Every neighborhood page carries live market data, street-by-street notes, and what to check before you offer.
Frequently Asked
More buyer questions
How competitive is the DC buyer's market right now?
Competitive, but not chaotic. Well-priced homes still draw multiple offers and move fast. The difference from the peak years: more room on outliers, and more leverage on anything that has sat. Show up prepared and you can win without losing your mind.
How much do I need for a down payment?
Less than you think. The floor is 3% for conventional, 3.5% for FHA, zero for VA. On a $1M home, 3% is $30,000. But the down payment is only one line item. You also need closing costs (2 to 4% in DC), cash reserves, and clarity on your number. DC's HPAP program can provide up to $202,000 in deferred, interest-free assistance for qualifying first-time buyers.
How long does it take to close on a home in DC?
Plan for 30 days, prepare for 45. Cash deals can close in 7 to 14 days. The variables that extend timelines are almost always financing-related: appraisal delays, lender underwriting backlogs, or title issues. DC uses attorney-driven closings, not escrow. Pick the settlement attorney early: in DC that one choice moves the timeline more than it would in an escrow state.
What is the DC first-time homebuyer assistance program?
HPAP provides interest-free, deferred loans and closing cost assistance to income-qualifying first-time buyers purchasing in DC. Loan amounts can exceed $200,000. There is also DC4ME for DC government employees. Both require homebuyer education courses and take longer to process, so your agent and lender need experience with these from day one.
What is the difference between fee simple and condo?
Fee simple means you own the land and the structure outright. A condo means you own your unit and share the structure under a condo association. Over the last decade, fee simple row houses have outperformed condos by 44 percentage points. The distinction is legal, not physical. DC deed records tell you which you are looking at.
Should I waive the home inspection in DC?
Almost never. DC's pre-war housing stock has party walls, knob-and-tube wiring, cast iron drain lines, and galvanized supply pipes. Structure the inspection contingency smartly: an information-only inspection or shortened contingency keeps your offer competitive without giving up your right to know what you are buying.
How do DC co-ops differ from condos?
A condo means you own real property with a deed. A co-op means you own shares in a corporation that owns the building plus a proprietary lease. Most lenders do not finance co-ops the way they finance condos. Co-op boards have approval rights over purchases, renovations, and subletting. The lower price reflects these constraints.
What DC neighborhoods offer the best value for first-time buyers?
Petworth, Brookland, Brightwood Park, Eckington, and Park View offer row house entry points below the city-wide median with strong transit access. Hill East and Trinidad share the Capitol Hill Historic District designation at lower prices. Live median prices for all 44 neighborhoods are at brianhill.co/dc-market.