Same front.
Different deed.
For a buyer comparing a DC row house with a condo unit inside one. If you are buying a detached house, this page is not for you.
What is the difference between fee simple and a condo row house in DC?
A fee simple sale is the land and the whole building. A condo sale is one unit plus a share of what the owners hold in common, set out in the condominium instruments. In a converted row house, that share can include the roof, the facade and the walls. In the last two years, 528 of 4,165 DC row house sales, one in eight, were condo units.
Do condo row houses cost less than fee simple houses?
Less in total, more per foot. Over two years the median fee simple row house sold for $900,000, or $479 a square foot. The median condo unit sold for $740,000, or $525 a foot. On $1M, that buys about 2,088 square feet as a house, or 1,905 as a unit.
| Fee simple | Condo unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales, 24 months | 3,637 | 528 |
| Median price | $900,000 | $740,000 |
| Median size | 1,938 sq ft | 1,420 sq ft |
| Median per square foot | $479 | $525 |
| Priced right | 38% | 31% |
Which sells faster?
Fee simple houses, by a little. 38% of fee simple sales went under contract within two weeks at 98% of asking or better, against 31% of condo units.
What should I read before I buy a condo unit in a row house?
The resale certificate. DC law makes the seller deliver the condominium instruments and a certificate from the association by the tenth business day after you sign. It states the reserves, approved capital spending, the budget and latest financial statement, any lawsuit, the association's insurance, and whether the seller's alterations comply. You then have three business days to cancel and get your deposit back. In a building of two or three units, read the reserves first: they tell you who pays for the next roof.
Can a condo sale be a comparable for a house, or the reverse?
No. I never let a condo sale price a house, or a house sale price a condo, even when the front, the block and the year built match. The deed decides what you are comparing.
How do I tell which one I am looking at?
Check the ownership line in the listing, then the tax record. A condo unit carries a unit number in its address and its own tax record, separate from the building; a fee simple house has one record for the lot and the building.
Read next: the English basement and what the property record tells you.
Every closed sale on your block for 24 months, in two sections. No charge, no obligation.
Send me every sale on my blockSources. D.C. Code § 42-1904.11 (resale certificate, ten business days, three-day cancellation). BrightMLS closed sales, interior and end-of-row structures, fee simple and condominium ownership, the two years to October 24, 2026.
This page explains rules and practice; it is not legal or tax advice. For a specific house, talk with a DC real estate attorney or a tax professional.