DC Real Estate, Washington DC Homes for Sale

Here are some of our recent projects from this year. Hope you enjoy. Remember to follow us on twitter @MenkitiGroup or Visit Our Fan Page on Facebook. 

No big signage for this little cupcake store on 12th street and Evarts, but there are definitely “Divinely Decadent Desserts” at this address.

Photo courtesy of Con Poulos 

In case you are not familiar with Divinely Decadent Desserts, here is a little background info. Carlynn Fuller, the cupcakes’ boutique owner, began baking at an early age and developed a passion for it. She finally transformed her sweet hobby into a business venture last March here in Brookland. As her next door neighbor we are sure glad she did. Her red velvet cupcake is exquisite. The food, the place and the cook are as genuine and authentic as you're likely to find. It’s all home-made, personalized and friendly. She bakes each cake herself and uses real ingredients. And for $2.75 a cupcake, there is no reason to resist. Have I mentioned they are perfectly moist, and totally delicious?

If I have piqued your interest about Divinely Decadent Desserts and you’re drooling at the mere thought of paying a visit to her little cupcake boutique, here is the address:

Divinely Decadent Desserts, 2703 12th St. NE, Washington DC 20018, Metro: Brentwood Rhode Island- Open from Friday to Sunday from 12pm-6pm.

You can also check out Totten Life for her review of Divinely Decadent Desserts

As summer heats up, utility bills can sky rocket!  Check out these ten simple tips that will help you save big bucks on your water and energy bills (and will help save the planet too).

1.    Unplug electronic devices: Be sure to not only turn off, but unplug your computer, television, and other devices that can drain power even when they’re not on. If that’s too much of a hassle for you, consider buying a Smart Strip, which automatically cuts power when devices don’t need it.

2.    Close doors and vents: If you plan to spend your evening in the family room, there’s no reason to waste energy cooling the basement or guest room as well. Shut doors and shut vents to close off areas of the house you’re not using.

3.    Use fans: Overhead fans get air circulating, which means you might be able to delay turning on the air conditioning—especially if you can also leave windows open on cool summer evenings.

4.    Use compact fluorescent bulbs: Admittedly, some of these bulbs are not the best (weird colored light, dim until they warm up, etc.) but there are some good ones out there. In fact, some of the cheap multi-packs from Lowes and Home Depot often produce the best quality of light. The added bonus is that CF bulbs put out less heat, so they also reduce your AC load in the summer. 

5.    Get your AC inspected: Inspectors can make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible. Don’t forget to clean air filters; some units require monthly cleanings.

6.    Add insulation: Homes often leak cool air during the summer (and warm air in the winter) because of spaces in between walls. Fill these gaps with insulation; Squirting spray foam into drilled holes in the wall might do the trick.

7.    Minimize oven use: Using your oven to roast vegetables or heat up dinner makes your AC work overtime. Try to make more salads and other cold food in the summer, or use the toaster oven for small portions.

8.    Weather strip your doors and windows: Just think, a 1/4 inch gap along the bottom of a 3 foot wide door is 9 square inches of open space. If you had a 3 inch x 3 inch hole in one of your exterior walls you’d fix it, wouldn’t you?

9.    Put a brick, sealed jar or jug of water in your toilet tank: Doing so displaces water in the tank and causes you to use less. Of course, too little water when you flush can cause problems, so you’ll have to experiment with this one. But be careful… Displacing so much water that you have to flush twice is generally more wasteful than flushing a larger volume once.

10.    Plant shade trees in strategic locations around your house: This is a longer term solution, but shade trees can keep your house much cooler in the summer without blocking the sun in the winter. Planting trees also helps offset our high-carbon lifestyles.


According to the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index, the Washington area led the nation in home price increase from March to April.  Median prices in the Washington market rose 2.4 percent in April compared with March, the best gain of the 20 markets they surveyed. The average increase nationally was 0.9 percent from March to April.

The Washington area also posted an impressive annual gain, with median home prices in the area up 7.3 percent in April 2010, compared to April 2009.  (See chart of Home Price Appreciation by state.)

A portion of this increase can be attributed to the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers.  We saw a peak in activity and competition in April, as home buyers sought to take advantage of the credit before the deadline.  In DC proper, settlements were up over 50% for single family homes in April.

With interest rates at all time lows (4.61% for a 30 year fixed), and the $5000 first time home buyer tax credit buying a home in DC, we expect buyers to continue to take advantage of the excellent opportunities, and the local market to remain strong throughout the summer.

Contact us today, if you are thinking of buying or selling a home in the DC area.



The deadline for closing for the $8000 tax credit was extended from June 30^th to September 30^th.  The House approved the measure Tuesday, the Senate approved it Wednesday, and President Obama is expected to sign it this morning.

Buyers, lenders and realtors are breathing a collective sigh of relief, that they will have an additional 90 days to close all the purchases with contracts dated before April 30^th.