The Best Home Investments Down the Red Line

Table of Contents
home investments

Washington, DC is our nation’s capital, and it’s also a bustling part of the country with an endless array of fantastic neighborhoods to choose from and home investments to indulge in.

If you live along the Red Line of the DC Metro, there is a total of 26 neighborhoods located along this route with lots of fantastic opportunities for investment.

Before you think about buying a house in DC, read on to learn which areas along the Red Line are your best bet in terms of getting the most return on your investment.

Consider Shady Grove for Affordable Homes

This area long the DC Red Line serves much of the Rockville, Maryland area. If you’re looking for real estate with modern amenities, Shady Grove has much to offer.

This neighborhood has a diverse mix of brand-new condominiums along with older, more classic townhomes. Prices are reasonable considering its close proximity to the Metro and downtown Washington, DC.

The Shady Grove neighborhood provides those looking into buying a house in DC with more versatility in terms of style and pricing. You’ll find a mixture of historic homes and luxury condos depending on your needs. There’s plenty to do here including excellent dining, retail, and lots of history to discover.

With an ever-evolving population and much to offer, Shady Grove also features the new Westside at Shady Grove community. This new development is just steps from the Red Line station. It offers plenty of fantastic amenities and prices can range between $400,000 per unit to one million dollars or more.

Thanks to a growing population, you can expect to get a good return on property in Shady Grove. As the popularity of this area increases, home prices are likely to rise.

Want to find out what your home is worth?
Get an instant market report sent straight to your inbox in seconds.

Buying a House in DC? Explore Dupont Circle

If luxury and culture are what you’re looking for, you simply can’t go wrong by investing in property in Dupont Circle. This famous Red Line stop is home to an endless array of landmarks, cultural institutions, and beautiful homes.

Prices in the Dupont Circle neighborhood are generally high and can start in the low to mid-millions of dollars for most homes. There is no shortage of things to see and do here, which makes it a fantastic investment for those who love the cosmopolitan lifestyle.

The majority of property within this neighborhood consists of high rise condos and luxury single homes. If you’re planning to start small, studios can be had for around $400,000.

Dupont Circle is most famous for being home to Embassy Row and some well-known art museums. It also features a beautiful plaza, lots of fine dining, and an influx of tourism throughout the spring and summer months.

For those looking to buy a true gem in Washington, a home in the Dupont Circle neighborhood can be a wise choice. Keep in mind that prices vary greatly depending on the size and condition of the property you want. Prepare to have plenty of money if you want to live the “high life” in Dupont Circle.

Home Investments in Twinbrook(a Good Choice for Families)

For those looking to buy a home along the DC Red Line that’s a little further from the city center, Twinbrook is a fantastic option. This peaceful neighborhood is family-friendly and provides respite from the hustle and bustle of Washington.

Prices for homes in Twinbrook can range from around $375,000 to almost $500,000, but it’s much less expensive than property located closer to DC. You’ll still enjoy easy access to the Metro Red Line if you work inside Washington’s city limits.

If you have a growing family, the Twinbrook neighborhood in Maryland can be a wonderful option. Most residents enjoy walking through the neighborhoods and crime is generally much lower than other parts of the region.

Twinbrook has several schools, restaurants, and it’s closely located to the main highway. Homes are roomy yet affordable and will offer most families plenty of room to stretch out without stretching their budget too thin.

The Medical Center Neighborhood is Ideal for Professionals

The Medical Center Red Line stop is close to the National Institutes of Health and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. If you’re a medical professional who works at these institutions, a home in this neighborhood can give you easy access to your workplace.

For young professionals, condos in the Medical Center area can be had for just $250-$400,000 per unit. Standalone homes range between $700,000 to $3 million, on average.

The Medical Center neighborhood is an excellent choice if you work in any of the local hospitals. It provides you with a beautiful neighborhood, closeness to DC, and a lot of neighbors who are also working professionals in a similar field.

Of course, you don’t have to work at one of the hospitals to enjoy what the Medical Center neighborhood has to offer. If you’re looking for an affordable area to live along the Red Line with a lot of amenities, this is an excellent choice.

Find Your Ideal DC Home

If you’re thinking of buying a house in DC, try one of these wonderful locations that are conveniently positioned along the Metro Red Line. Whether you live in Maryland or right in the heart of downtown, explore the pros and cons of each to make the best investment for you.

Remember that the cost of living in and near Washington DC can be higher than in other parts of the country. In exchange, you’ll enjoy a diverse culture, plenty to see and do, and an amazing array of exciting experiences to last a lifetime.

For more information about renting or buying in the DC area and for more real estate advice, be sure to contact us today!

Share via Email
Share on Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Twitter
Get help from DC's top real estate team.
Founded in 2005, Nomadic is the go-to full service real estate firm in the DMV. We've helped thousands of landlords, investors, and residents and we would love to connect with you next.

Check out more of our blog posts below!

Or search for a different topic:

Scroll to Top

Thinking of selling? Get an instant property value report:

Enhanced Reporting

Your portal includes a selection of extremely useful reports. Reports are available in the “Reports” section, and are distinct from the financial statements. Unlike financial statements which are static records, Reports are dynamic real-time records that will update with current data every time you view them. 

Scroll down to learn more about Reports:

Navigate to the "Reports" module in your portal:

Owner Portal Reports
  • Keep in mind, these reports are dynamic records. They will refresh to display current information every time you view them. 

Enhanced Rent Roll Report:

Enhanced Rent Roll Report
  • The Enhanced Rent Roll Report will show the rent amount, last payment date, move-in date, lease expiration date, and security deposit amount for each of your tenants. 
  • It will also show a portfolio summary with occupancy percentage, vacancy loss, and more!

Unit Comparison Report:

Unit Comparison Report
  • If you own multiple units (or buildings) with Nomadic, you’ll get access to the Unit Comparison Report. 
  • This report enables you to quickly compare financial performance between your units at a glance without toggling between individual reports. 

Income Statement Month-Over-Month:

Income Statement by Month Report
  • The Income Statement Detail – Monthly Report serves as a month-over-month record of portfolio performance. You’ll see itemized income and expense categories and can track monthly. This report will update with fresh data every time you view it. 

Financial Statements

Financial statements will be published to your portal on a monthly basis. The statements are found in your Documents library, and provide a historical record of all financial performance. The statements serve as a snapshot of financial performance over a given period, and are static documents (unlike Reports, the statements do not update/change in real-time). 

Scroll down for more info about the Financial Statements in your Documents library:

The Documents area contains monthly financial statements:

Owner Portal Documents
  • The statements in the Documents are are static documents. They are posted to the portal once a month to serve as a historical record of financial performance. 

Download a statement to see month and YTD financials:

Owner Portal Property Statement

You'll also find a month-over-month operating statement:

Month over Month Statement

Portal Communication Tool

You can use your owner portal to communicate with our team. Any messages you send through the portal will go straight to your Account Manager. When we reply, you’ll get an email notification and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

Here’s an overview of using the communication platform:

Click "Communications" and navigate to "Conversations":

Commincation Dashboard Screenshot
  • The communications module will contain a record of all messages that you create through the portal. 

Click the "New Message" button and send your message:

Owner Portal New Message Screenshot

Responses will show up in the conversation ticket:

Portal Conversation Response Screenshot
  • You’ll get an email notification whenever you get a response, and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

You can reply in-line using the comment box:

Owner Portal Comment

Each conversation will be logged in its entirety:

Portal Conversation Snapshot

Understanding the Ledger

Your portal includes a ledger with all transactions. The ledger is populated with data in real-time as transactions flow through our accounting software. Much of this information is also available in the Reports area, as well as the Statements in your Documents library, but the ledger is the most comprehensive resource for diving into the details. 

Please scroll through the sections below to get a better understanding of how to interpret the ledger. 

By default, transactions are sorted chronologically:

Owner Ledger Dates
  • The date reflected in the lefthand column is the actual transaction date, not the “bill date”. This is the date the transaction was actually processed. 

If you have multiple properties with Nomadic, you'll see the address for each transaction in the "Location" column:

Ledger Property Column
  • You can filter the ledger to look at just one property, all properties, or specific sets of properties. 
  • If you only have one property with us, you’ll just see the ledger for that property. 

The Description column displays the transaction type:

Owner Ledger Description Column
  • BILL: this is an expense transaction, such as for repair costs or management fees.
  • CHARGE: this is a transaction  billed to the tenant, most typically a rent payment. 
  • NACHA EXPORT: this is a credit we processed to your distribution account. This type of transaction is how you get paid! 

The Amount column shows the dollar value of each transaction:

Owner Ledger Amount Column
  • Positive Amounts: if an amount is positive, it reflects a transaction that is payable to you. Typically, this will be a rent payment that we collected from your tenants. On occasion, a positive number could also signify a journal entry or credit adjustment. 
  • Negative Amounts:  if an amount is negative, this is a transaction that is either payable to Nomadic or is an amount that has already been paid to you. Typically this will be for repair costs or management/leasing fees. Owner draws (net distributions into your checking/savings account) also reflect as negative amounts, since they have already been paid to you. 

The Account Balance column shows a sum of positive/negative transactions at a given point in time:

Owner Ledger Account Balance Column
  • Account Balance should always equal zero after a net distribution has been processed. When the balance is zero, this means that all expenses have been paid and you’ve received the remainder as net operating income, leaving a balance of zero (meaning: no one is due any money, as all funds have been distributed appropriately). 

Navigating the Propertyware Owner Portal

Your portal includes some extremely useful features that help you understand your property’s financial performance at a new level, with real-time transparency into every transaction.

Scroll through the snapshots below for an overview of portal navigation! If you need more help or have specific questions about using the portal, you can reach out to your Account Manager any time for a screen share. 

You can filter all info by date range or property:

PW Portal Filters

View a snapshot of income and expenses on your dashboard:

PW Owner Dashboard View

See every transaction in real-time on your ledger:

Owner Portal Ledger View

Statements and forms will be posted to your documents library:

Owner Portal Document Library

View a suite of real-time financial reports:

Portal Reports View

See a running list of all bills, and drill down for more detail:

Owner Portal Bills View

Under Bill Details, you'll find dates/descriptions/amounts and more:

Portal Bill Details

You can also communicate with your Account Manager through the portal:

Owner Portal Communication Tools

How do net distributions work?

Net distributions keep your accounting clean and simple. Each month we’ll collect rent from the tenants, deduct any repair expenses for the previous month and any management/leasing fees for the current month, and credit the remaining net operating income to your account. 

Net Distribution

You’ll receive a statement via email each time a net distribution is processed, and can view all transaction details in your Propertyware owner portal.