Upshur Street
A few blocks of restaurants, bars and a bookshop, including Timber Pizza.
Petworth, Washington DC
Buying a home in Petworth
Rowhouses on the numbered streets and condo conversions along Georgia Avenue, and the loans that fit each.
What it costs here
$900K
Median house price · 680 sales
$581
Median per square foot
+51%
Renovated over average condition
Recorded arm’s-length sales from DC’s assessment records, through August 12, 2026. Not an appraisal or a valuation of any particular home. Compare every DC neighborhood
Highlights
What's in Petworth
Porch-front rowhouses around two traffic circles, the Upshur Street shops, and President Lincoln's Cottage.
President Lincoln's Cottage
Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation while spending summers at this house on the Soldiers' Home grounds. It is a national monument.
Grant Circle & the market
Two traffic circles, including Grant Circle, are also parks, and a Saturday farmers market sets up at the Metro.
Transportation
Getting around Petworth
- Metro
- Georgia Ave–Petworth (Green, Yellow) in the middle of the neighborhood, and Fort Totten (Red, Green, Yellow) on the northeast edge.
- Bus
- Bus routes on Georgia Avenue, 14th Street and Kennedy Street.
- Bike
- Capital Bikeshare at the Metro, and a signed route to the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
- Parking
- Residential permit parking: residents get a zone permit, and visitors get two hours or a guest pass. Some rowhouses have a parking pad off the alley.
Neighborhood
Living in Petworth
Schools, restaurants, parks, and shopping in the neighborhood.
- Schools
- Powell Elementary has a dual-language program. E.L. Haynes has a charter campus on Georgia Avenue, and Roosevelt High School, in a restored 1932 building, is the feeder high school. Barnard Elementary and West Education Campus are also in-boundary schools.
- Dining & nights out
- Timber Pizza, Slash Run's burgers and live music, and the Hitching Post, open near the Soldiers' Home since the 1950s.
- Parks & recreation
- Petworth Recreation Center's fields and courts, the Upshur pool, the two traffic-circle parks, and Rock Creek Cemetery.
- The library
- The Petworth Library, a renovated 1939 landmark building on Georgia Avenue.
- Groceries
- Safeway at Georgia Avenue and Randolph Street, Yes! Organic at Georgia Avenue and Taylor Street, and the Saturday farmers market at the Metro.
- On foot
- Upshur Street, the Metro station, the farmers market and the recreation center are within about a ten-minute walk of each other.
Next steps
Next steps by buying stage
Pick the step that matches where you are in buying a home.
01 · Still running numbers
Work out what you can afford
Estimate the full monthly payment, including DC property tax, insurance and any condo fee. The condo fee counts in full in your debt-to-income ratio.
See what you can afford →02 · Saving up
Plan the down payment
At Petworth prices, the down payment depends on the loan program and the property type. FHA needs 3.5% down, and the whole down payment can be a gift from family.
See what you'd need →03 · Writing offers
Get a pre-qualification letter
Attach a pre-qualification letter to your offer. Pre-qualification takes about two minutes and does not pull your credit.
Get pre-qualified →
FAQ
Petworth mortgage questions
Does buying a Petworth rowhouse mean I need a jumbo loan?
Only if the loan is above $1,249,125. DC is a designated high-cost area, so the 2026 conforming loan limit here is $1,249,125, not the $832,750 national baseline quoted on national sites. A loan between those two figures is high-balance conventional: still conforming and still backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Jumbo rules start above $1,249,125.
Why do lenders treat Petworth condo conversions differently?
Some of Petworth's condos are small rowhouse conversions, two to four units in a single building. A small conversion can fail conventional warrantability tests because of the low unit count, low reserves, or one owner holding too large a share. A non-warrantable building needs a portfolio loan with different pricing and requirements, so we check the building before you make an offer.
What if I've owned a home before?
An FHA loan has no first-time buyer requirement: 3.5% down, and the down payment can be a gift from family. The DC Tax Abatement program is open to anyone making the home their principal residence, on purchases up to $576,000 (tax year 2026). DC Open Doors (through DCHFA's participating lenders) is also open to repeat buyers, with a 640 minimum credit score, a $275,400 income cap and no maximum sales price. HPAP and the reduced recordation rate require first-time status.
What is DC's reduced recordation tax rate for first-time buyers?
Qualifying DC first-time buyers record the deed at 0.725% instead of the standard residential rate, which is 1.1% below $400,000 and 1.45% at $400,000 and above. On a purchase of $400,000 or more, that is 0.725% against 1.45%, about half. Through September 30, 2026 the purchase price cap is $777,000 and the combined federal AGI limit runs from $206,640 for a one-person household to $389,520 for eight; the property must also qualify for the Homestead Deduction. The reduced rate is not automatic; the application is filed at closing.
Should I get pre-approved before touring Petworth listings?
Yes. Listing agents expect a pre-approval with an offer, and your buying power differs between a rowhouse and a condo conversion because of condo dues and building review. A pre-approval tells you which of the two you can buy.
Can I use HPAP to buy in Petworth?
Yes, if you meet the income limits. HPAP is applied for through DHCD-certified housing counseling agencies and offers first-time buyers up to $202,000 in interest-free, deferred assistance plus $4,000 toward closing costs, scaled down as household income rises. DC residents are prioritized, and you contribute $500 or half your liquid assets above $3,000, whichever is greater. HPAP sits behind a first mortgage, such as an FHA loan with 3.5% down.
Ask a question
A licensed DC loan officer will answer your question by email within one business day.
Local expertise
Financing a Petworth home
Whether you buy a rowhouse or a condo conversion decides most of the loan choices here.
Rowhouses and conversions
A renovated rowhouse on the numbered streets and a one-bedroom in a Georgia Avenue conversion sell at different prices, call for different loans, and qualify for different DC programs.
Condo conversions
A small rowhouse-to-condo conversion can be non-warrantable because of too few units, low reserves, or one owner holding too much of the building. A non-warrantable condo needs a portfolio loan.
Rowhouse loan amounts
A loan above the $832,750 national baseline is not a jumbo in DC. Up to $1,249,125 in 2026, it is a high-balance conventional loan.
Get pre-qualified for a Petworth home
Send us the block and the building type and we will tell you which loans and DC programs apply.