Bud McFarlane leaves Georgetown for a Watergate condo; Karl Rove’s personal attorney, Robert Luskin, sells across the street.

By Stacey Grazier Pfarr

The Watergate West apartment bought by Robert C. "Bud" McFarlane boasts expansive Potomac views.

THE DISTRICT
Robert C. “Bud” McFarlane and his wife, Jonda, sold 3414 Prospect Street NW in Georgetown for $1,650,000 to Mitra Farahbaksh and Arne Peterson. Mr. McFarlane was President Ronald Reagan’s national security advisor from 1983-1985 and was a major figure in the Iran-Contra Affair. The listing agent was Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties and the buyer’s agent was Kenneth Johnson of DCRealestate.com. The McFarlanes’ new digs are at Watergate West, where they bought 2700 Virginia Avenue NW Apt. #901 from Peter and Mary McCarthy for $1,450,000. Mr. McCarthy is a former assistant secretary of the treasury for management. The three-bedroom, four-bathroom unit has a wrap-around balcony with unobstructed panoramic views of the Potomac. Listing agents for the Watergate apartment were Washington Fine Properties’ William FX Moody and Robert Hryniewicki. The buyers agent was WFP’s Nancy Taylor Bubes.

Robert Luskin sold 3415 Prospect Street NW in Georgetown for $1,338,000 to Thomas and Gertraud Hechl. Luskin is the personal attorney for former White House senior advisor and chief political strategist Karl Rove, and also a partner at the Patton Boggs Law Firm. Mr. Hechl is a partner at the DLA Piper law firm. The 2,568-square-foot Federal style frame row home, built in 1900, is known as the Garrity-Kerman House. The three-bedroom property includes a third floor rooftop room, wine cellar, and garden with pond. Washington Fine Properties’ Mary White and Carrol Thornton-Chapin were listing agents while William FX Moody and Robert Hryniewicki were buyers’ agents.

Kevin J. Martin bought 3020 Cambridge Place NW for $1.5 million from Jonathan Blake and Elizabeth Shriver. Mr. Martin was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission during the George W. Bush administration and he also served as counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney. He is currently a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute in Washington. The five-bedroom, three-bath Georgetown townhouse was built in 1900.

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Robert McNamara’s former house sells for $6.1 million, Susan Vest sells family home on Belmont Road.

By Stacey Grazier Pfarr

A stone manor house at 9808 Bentcross Drive in Potomac recently changed hands for $5.3 million.

THE DISTRICT

Susan Vest sold 2446 BELMONT ROAD NW IN KALORAMA for $4,350,000. The grand Tudor mansion, which was her family home for over 40 years, overlooks Rock Creek Park and sits on a 15,000-square-foot private lot. The eight-bedroom, eight-bath house built in 1928 includes a library and six-car garage. TTR Sotheby’s International Realty’s Jonathan Taylor and Michael Rankin represented the seller, while Alex Venditti and Paul Pike, also of TTR Sotheby’s, represented the buyers.

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John B. Mason moves to his own development; Noted civil rights lawyer’s estate sells in Woodley Park

By Mary K. Mewborn

Lynne and James Murray paid $1.66 million for the Arts and Crafts-style house at 5906 Carlton Lane in Bethesda’s Glen Mar Park neighborhood.

The District

John B. Mason, president and founder of D.C.-based Intrepid Real Estate LLC, has sold his 3,300-square-foot penthouse #SPH2B in the Ritz-Carlton at 1111 23rd Street NW with the help of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty agent Jonathan Taylor. The two-floor apartment with three bedrooms, three and a half baths, three balconies and a paneled library went for $2.9 million. TTR Sotheby’s International Realty agents Alex Venditti and Paul Pike represented the buyers who wish to remain anonymous. Mason now resides in the newly developed, boutique-style, 16-unit condominium his company owns at 2501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The exterior of the late 19th-century building, which was the work of architect Nicholas Howard, has now been restored and its interior redesigned by BBGM Architects & Interiors. Highlights include ten-foot ceilings, sound attenuation, and a generous use of marble and granite. Priced at about $5 million, Mason’s 4,500-square-foot penthouse has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a den, and two parking spaces.

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Smart home pricing and some “good housekeeping” will help sellers navigate a buyer’s market.’

Mark Bisnow

Our participants:

Jonathan Taylor: Jonathan Taylor is the Managing Partner of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty. With over 50 agents in offices in Georgetown and Downtown and nearly $500 million in sales in 2005, TTRSIR is one of the top independently owned and operated RE firms in DC, MD & VA. The recent affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty brings an international network of contacts, marketing and technology to the clients of TTRSIR.

Karen Briscoe: Karen Briscoe recently partnered with Sue Huckaby of Weichert Realtors to form The Huckaby Briscoe Group. The Huckaby Briscoe Group consistently sells over $100 million in the Northern Virginia market specializing in McLean, Great Falls and North Arlington. Karen began her real estate career 25 years ago developing residential lots for the Trammell Crow Co. in Dallas and relocated to the Northern Virginia area about 13 years ago. Karen holds a BA from Stephens College and a Masters degree from Southern Methodist University.

Melinda Estridge: Melinda Estridge of the Estridge Group, Long and Foster Real Estate, has been selling real estate in the Washington area for 25 years. She focuses primarily on Bethesda, Chevy Chase, South Potomac and Northwest Washington. Her full-time staff, buyer specialist and 7 day-a-week real estate advice provide the highest level of service possible, placing Melinda in the top 1/2% of all agents nationwide.

Mark Bisnow: Mark has been a lawyer, politico and businessman in Washington for nearly three decades and publishes a growing series of electronic newsletters, including Real Estate Weekly, which features interviews with top Washington-area experts. He also writes a column called “BizKnow,” a weekly personality column in the Washington Business Journal.>>

Top local real estate agents Jonathan Taylor, Karen Briscoe and Melinda Estridge agree that it’s a buyer’s market out there, but a realistic attitude on price and making the most of a home’s potential will still get sellers a long way.

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