Real Estate News: June Boom

by Editorial
John Edwards’ former Georgetown residence changes hands, ExxonMobil executive sells in The Reserve and Bates White founder buys in Berkley.
By Stacey Grazier Pfarr

This "green" 5,800-square-foot Arts & Crafts home, which features geothermal heating and cooling systems, was purchased by Eric and Miranda Gaier for $2,395,000.

THE DISTRICT

Paul and Terry Klaassen sold 3327 P STREET NW for $6,750,000 to an undisclosed buyer and moved into a luxury condo at Turnberry Tower.  The couple parted ways with the Georgetown landmark they bought in 2007 from former Sen. John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth for $5.2 million in December 2006. The Klaassens are the founders of Sunrise Senior Living facilities.  The West Village mansion was formerly home to the late Washington grande dame and A-List hostess Polly Fritchey, the widow of award-winning journalist Clayton Fritchey (her previous husband was Frank Wisner, one of the founders of the CIA). The four-bedroom Federal residence, built circa 1820, includes a carriage house, three-car garage and private landscaped garden with hot tub, fire pit and fountains. Washington Fine Properties’ Heidi Hatfield and Anne Hatfield Weir were listing agents.

Evermay, which hit the market in October of 2008 for $49 million, is under contract to a mystery Washington buyer. Earlier this month, the historic brick mansion at 1623 28TH STREET NW dropped in price by almost a half from it’s original listing down to a cool $25.9 million. No word on how much Evermay (which was built in 1801 and is just a year younger than the U.S. Capitol) sold for just yet, but at almost 50 percent off, it’s certainly a great buy. There’s still a possibility that the sale could break the record for most expensive home sale in the District, a title currently held by the Bowie-Sevier House, which media mogul Richard Allbritton bought for $24 million from real estate developer Herb Miller in 2007. The 3.5-acre Georgetown estate was last sold to DuPont chemical heir Lammot Belin in 1923 and had been in his descendants’ hands for three generations. It features a dining room seating 40 guests, a stunning ballroom, swimming pool, tennis court, gatehouse, parking for 100 cars and magnificent views of the Washington Monument. Jeanne Livingston of Long & Foster Extraordinary Properties represented the Belin family in the sale.

Eric and Miranda Gaier bought 1824 47TH PLACE NW from Kent Homes LLC for $2,395,000. Mr. Gaier is an economist and founding partner at Bates White LLC, an economic consulting firm with offices in Washington and San Diego. The 5,800-squarefoot Arts & Crafts residence in Berkley was designed and built in 2010 by Chryssa Wolfe in conjunction with Hanlon Design Build.  The “green” five-bedroom house features geothermal heating and cooling systems and boasts spectacular views of the Georgetown Reservoir. Long & Foster’s Marc Fleisher was the listing agent while Denise Warner (also of Long & Foster) was the buyer’s agent.

Katherine Boone, the daughter of Container Store founder Garrett Boone and a District-based freelance writer, bought 3107 N STREET NW for $2.4 million from John Beard (who bought the house in 2003 for $385,000).  The four-bedroom Victorian townhouse in Georgetown’s East Village was built in 1870 and extensively renovated in 2004. The house features original heart pine floors, an au-pair suite, original chandeliers and a wine cellar.  Ms. Boone recently married Joshua Geltzer, a third-year student at Yale Law School. Beard was the listing agent while the buyer’s agent for the transaction was Nancy Taylor of Long & Foster.

Sean and Grace Leonce, principals at Chase Fine Homes, sold their latest creation, 4806 ILLINOIS AVENUE NW, in just six days to Mary Cathy Bowanko, a veteran staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency who was represented by Maria Hardy Cooper of Long &Foster Realtors. Greg Gaddy and Carroll Dey at TTR Sotheby’s International Realty listed the property. The Petworth residence sold for $505,000 more than the original asking price and is something of a steal considering its posh renovation. The Leonces – not your typical cookie-cutter builders – gutted the 1925-built home to include such luxury amenities as top-of-the line appliances, Carrara marble counter tops and unique light fixtures seen in houses selling at a much higher price.

Joel Gemmell and Carol Resch bought 3315 GARFIELD STREET NW for $1.1 million from Yvette N. Diamond and the Estate of William Diamond. Gemmel is an executive at McLean Asset Management Corporation, a financial services company. The four-bedroom house was built in 1925 in Woodley Park’s Woodland-Normanstone Terrace subdivision. Bonnie Roberts-Burke of Evers & Company was the listing agent. The buyer’s agent was Washington Fine PropertiesRoberta Ward.

MARYLAND

The home of Dorothy Ascherman and her late husband, Herbert Ascherman, sold 10013 BENTCROSS DRIVE for $1.8 million to an undisclosed buyer with the help of Long & Foster’s Norma Lee Funger.  Mr. Ascherman was founder of American Hardwood Industries, a company he led for over 30 years. The couple also started the Herbert S. and Dorothy R. Ascherman Endowment at Harvard University. The Falconhurst neighborhood home was built by Crowell and Baker in 1982 on a wooded two-acre lot. It features a three-story curved staircase, a two-tiered marble foyer and a large master suite measuring 17 by 33 feet.

VIRGINIA

Dennis and Cathia Houston sold 884 ALVERMAR RIDGE DRIVE for $2.6 million with the help of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Penny Yerks. Mr. Houston is an executive at ExxonMobil. The six-bedroom Colonial in McLean’s Reserve neighborhood was built in 2002 and features a grand two-story foyer with curved staircase, media room, game room and bar with full kitchen.

Charles and Jane Hall sold 6644 HOLLAND STREET in McLean for $2,235,000. Mr. Hall is the president and CEO of AM General LLC in South Bend, Ind., a military and special purposes vehicles manufacturer best known for developing the Humvee. The five-bedroom custom Colonial was built in 1997 and sits on over an acre of land in the sought after Langley Forest neighborhood. Long & Foster’s Lilian Jorgenson was the listing agent.

7853 LANGLEY RIDGE ROAD in McLean sold for $4,250,000 to Salvo Beach LLC. Sold by the First Savings Mortgage Corporation, the property’s former owner was Mehmet Gobuluk, president and CEO of Tamex, a Great Falls-based restaurant services company. The 16,000- square-foot residence sits on five very private acres just off of Georgetown Pike and borders a nature preserve. The house boasts two master suites, a great room with a two-sided fireplace, a wine cellar and almost 3,000 square feet of outdoor entertaining space. Listing agents were William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki of Washington Fine Properties. Grace Albritton of Coldwell Banker represented the buyer.

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