DC Urban Living

As a licensed realtor in the Washington, DC, area, my dealings with The Barack Company have been…read morestrictly related to my brokerage services for one of their listings on 16th Street, not their property management. While I'm sure they may be good property managers, I can't speak to that. My experience was solely in helping my client secure one of their rentals. My client found the unit adequate, though the fact that the bathroom was only accessible through the bedroom was less than ideal. After bringing a ready, willing, and able tenant to the table, I inquired about the cooperating broker fee and was surprised to find that it was only around 10% of the rent. For a monthly rent of $2,038, they were offering just $250. Instead of paying a more reasonable broker fee, they presented incentives that my client found somewhat favorable, but it was disappointing for me as a realtor. Perhaps this explains why the unit had been on the market for over a month. The customer service also left much to be desired. Payment was delayed for several weeks despite my promptly providing the necessary forms. Normally, payment is made at the lease signing, so this was an unnecessary hassle. Overall, I find their business practices unfavorable for realtors. If you're in the business of bringing qualified tenants to the table, beware--The Barac Company doesn't seem to value cooperative broker efforts. Realtors, take caution when dealing with them if you can.

Living in this building has been nothing short of a slow never-ending nightmare. The elevator is…read morerarely consistently working, and Barac blamed Potomac Elevator. The walls of my unit are legitimately closing in. The heating rarely if ever works. Cockroaches, oh you mean my neighbors? Live everywhere. Sometimes a bed bug shows up for fun! After two years of living here I also just received a notice that my rent is increasing yet again, so I'm going to be paying more and seeing absolutely nothing come from it. My unit has decreased in value and the building is falling apart as the days go by. The low rent is a trap! Don't! Move! Into! A! Barac! Unit! i tried to give them 0 stars but unfortunately this shit app didn't let me so 1 it is (begrudgingly)

The Glade on Laurel

(5 reviews)

This building is poorly constructed, poorly managed and the appliances and fixtures are of very…read morepoor quality. There is no sound proofing, so noisy upstairs neighbors were very annoying. I couldn't wait to leave as soon as my lease was up. Also, it's very expensive compared with other apartment buildings in the same area.

I highly recommend The Glade on Laurel apartment complex the community is beautiful,…read morewell-maintained, and truly feels like home. Jeffery, Yesenia, Chris, and Sydney in the leasing office are always so helpful, patient, and welcoming every time I stop by. Their professionalism and kindness make living here an amazing experience, and I genuinely love this community.

Faro Systems

(24 reviews)

I hired Scott a few years ago and he was in and out of my unit in less than 30 minutes. He only…read morenoted electrical issues and no structural. It was only after I inquired him about the issues I've noticed is when he noted it in the home inspection addendum. I definitely do not recommend them, after buying a new home and working with different home inspectors I realized how Inexperienced Scott was. Do not recommend

We were referred to Scott by our real estate agent to do the pre-inspection on the house we were…read morepurchasing. Scott is friendly and knowledgeable. There are only a couple of minor issues. He pointed out areas of concern and items to keep an eye on. He recommend when the issues need to be done. He also provided the estimate cost to replace the items. He also took numerous of photos to document what he found and sent the report to us. We will definitely contact him again if we need a full house inspection in the future.

Metro Village Apartments

(16 reviews)

I have been here no more than 1 month and I am already looking up a new apartment,the walls and…read morefloors are thin as paper u hear every step I was shown all the market units for a certain price then was told on by leasing agent I didn't qualify I found out it was a market unit an I didn't qualify/or I was denied then later got approved then was shown the affordable ones which wasn't the same lay out. I moved in washer wasn't working and blinds were broken and chipped.they are friendly but it's all a scam to get u in on a year lease. After explaining my frustration to the leasing office i was told they'd find me something bigger if not I can break lease I just need to pay another 2 months to move out. Which I'm in the process of doing. DO NOT MOVE HERE

This has been an absolute nightmare. The walls are paper-thin. Neighbors don't necessarily care…read moreabout their neighbors. There are cigarette butts all over the "garden" in front of my building (there are 2). People smoke weed and cigarettes in their apartments, which seeps into other apartments. I lived under a family. It's been an absolutely hellish year. That family moved out, they put another family with small children in their stead, I got a whole year of thumping, jumping, running, scooters, furniture moving, furniture building with hammers (and hammering without consideration). DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! It is not worth it. In one year the property has gone through 2 property managers and now just got a 3rd. Now that my lease is up, I am desperately looking to move out. DESPERATELY!! If you live in the main building, you may have a better living standard than in the 2nd. Sleeping... lol.. let me not even go there. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a year.

Gables Takoma Park

(26 reviews)

Sharon is the absolute best. Her customer service is above board and Stella. I get to meet people…read morearound the world and I must say she is a gem. Thank you for your patience and dedication not to mention your professionalism. Dr. Leven Chuck Wilson

I had a great experience at GabLesTakoma Park Leasing Consultant Sharron Lockhart was amazing,…read moreshe's outgoing and made me feel so comfortable as if I already lived there. She told me everything I needed to know about Gables properties and made sure I had all the information I needed. She completely sold me

Settlement Ink

(105 reviews)

Joy and Amanda made the whole experience of closing on our condo sale really pleasant. Due to HOA…read moreproblems, we had to complete the paperwork twice, and each time was easy and streamlined thanks to the folks here. They are warm, fun, and organized. They were very helpful with anxiety due to some last minute delays, and we are super grateful to them for their help. You will definitely get great service and enjoy working with these folks!

Look no further for all of your settlement needs. This is THE place to go to ensure that you are…read morewell taken care of and all of the details are accounted for. Whether you are going about your purchase on your own or with a realtor, you're simply not going to be taken care of any better than they do at Settlement Ink. Joy was true to her namesake...a true JOY to work with and get to know. Her and her entire team were incredibly thorough and truly made us feel like we were valued customers and friends. I cannot recommend Settlement Ink highly enough and will be returning for their services for any settlement needs we may have in the future!

PNC Bank

(16 reviews)

I've always have had decent luck with this PNC location…read more I came in needing some really old documents. Abram was the banker that helped me out. He was great. They helped track down the info I needed. They also helped me sort out some loan info I've been meaning to look into.

I have been a PNC customer for 40 years and this is the worst PNC Bank I have used. No tellers,…read moreone inside machine. Poor service. Every time I go it's a bad unprofessional experience. I will not go there agin even though it is nearby.

Marc Dosik - Fed City Team

(2 reviews)

Petworth

Marc Dosik and Melissa helped me find the perfect property in Columbia Heights and then worked with…read moreme through the entire purchasing process as well as the selling process when I sold one of the units. Extremely responsive, attentive, knowledgeable, and overall excellent to work with!

I would recommend Marc Dosik to anyone interested in buying or selling a house on Capitol Hill. I…read moreapproached Help-U-Sell because of the no nonsense nature their business. My townhouse was on a busy street and I wanted get it on the market quickly. Marc offered to hold an open house while I was out of town and did not charge me! Foot traffic was heavy and I received a contract that very day. It was priced right and sold basically in one day. Marc was very good about explaining many of the nuances of selling a house in DC. He was always very professional, had great contacts in the area real estate market which were helpful throughout the process. I think we both learned a great deal about TOPA (renters rights in DC) in the process! Solid agent and solid company. I saved thousands with this sale. I would recommend Marc and Help-U-Sell to anyone.

DC Urban Living - realestatesvcs - Updated October 2026

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DC Living Real Estate

3.7

(3 reviews)

I was disappointed in DC Living Real Estate, even though I would say that the price we ultimately…read morereceived for the sale of our house was satisfactory, as were the number of days the house was on the market. In addition, the DC Living brokers worked hard. There were aspects, too, of our sale that would have tried the patience of any broker, and they remained cheerful and positive throughout. Some, and perhaps most, buyers would find the two principal brokers to be a good fit. Despite all of this, I found my relationship with one of the brokers to be among the most problematic I've had with a professional. I would urge anyone considering these brokers to make sure that they are equally comfortable with both, as their styles are quite different. My clear preference for dealing with the one with whom I felt I still had a good relationship was overridden at every turn. I particularly regret having agreed to dual agency. In effect, as soon as I had done so, I no longer felt I could receive reliable advice on the price negotiations, and later on the negotiations over the list of repairs. I'm pretty sure in retrospect that the buyers would have gone through with the purchase without the split-it-down-the-middle approach that dual agency invites. I don't know this for sure, and it is quite possible we would have made the same concessions had we been advised by a broker with no stake in serving the buyer, but with dual agency I couldn't be sure. I don't blame DC Living for having agreed to dual agency, although it wasn't clear until afterwards when I asked that they did not have a prior relationship to the buyers before meeting them at one of our open houses. Later, when the broker with whom I had a problematic relationship described a portion of the commission that they were kicking back to the buyer as having been granted to help make the deal work, it seemed curious. When I inquired, I was advised that the buyers had asked for it during the negotiations to bridge the gap between us, but it was not disclosed at the time it was asked for or granted, but rather later as a heads up in connection with a form that we would see at settlement. It didn't make any difference to the amount of commission we paid, but it dovetailed with the narrative I was developing in which I felt managed and not listened to or treated with genuine respect.

We have used DC Living - specifically Deb and Skip - for three purchases and two sales of houses…read moreacross the last decade. On the sell side, they got us record setting high prices for the block both times. On the sell side, they were incredibly patient with us, introducing us to various neighborhoods, faring stops and starts to our thinking about our readiness to move. In addition, they are real home experts - the best at recommending handymen/painters/floor guys and have excellent ideas on home improvement in general. They are pretty much our go-to house consultants. Couldn't recommend more highly.

Bish Properties

(13 reviews)

Libby Bish and Michael Ubertini are consummate professionals and were a joy to work with in the…read moreselling of our house in Arlington, Virginia. Libby and Michael were very informative in walking us through the selling process and guided my wife and I throughout. They were always accessible and totally responsive to questions and thoughts we had. They were very skillful with marketing our house, and that led to a sale within the first few days of going on market, and at a price that exceeded our expectations. Libby and Michael clearly are knowledgeable of the DC and Northern Virginia markets and brought that knowledge to bear on the sales process for our house. My wife and I enjoyed working with them and would do so again in a heartbeat! We unequivocally recommend them.

We can't say enough great things about Libby Bish and Michael Ubertini of Bish Properties, who…read morehelped us buy our first home in Arlington, VA! As first-time buyers, we had tons of questions, but they made the whole process feel straightforward and low-stress. The craziest part? We got the very first house we put an offer on and UNDER asking, even with 4 other offers on the table. In Northern Arlington! Truly unheard of. Libby knew exactly how to position our offer, and their experience and guidance are 100% the reason we landed our home. On top of that, they're simply the nicest people. Can't recommend them enough!

Colleen Cancio

As a real estate agent helping my husband and me buy a home in Capitol Hill, Colleen could not have…read moreprovided better service to us. She was patient, insightful, available, well-connected, helpful, not-at-all pushy, generous with her time and she communicated with us just the right amount. She lives in the Capitol Hill area which was the area we were interested in, so her familiarity, wisdom and experience with the market was invaluable to us. She was also incredibly helpful with all the complications and details regarding closing. We can't recommend her highly enough!

Kay Bajwa - Century 21 Realty

I gotta give a shout-out to Kay. She handled my difficult home sale very skillfully. She's very…read morevery smart, has a ton of experience, gets a lot of things done, and is able to skillfully handle complex situations. In this case, she had to: * Deal with getting difficult renters out of my house * Organized low cost contractors to make needed repairs to my house * Made sure house and yard were cleaned up after the renters left it * Dealt with difficult issue with appraiser having valued my house $14k under the actual sale price. She appealed and was able to get him to add $10k back onto the value. Also I should add that her communication is very good. When you take all this into account, there are very few professionals, realtors or in any other field who perform at her level. I'm very glad that I worked with her.

Lindsey Canaley

(2 reviews)

My husband and I first met Lindsey at an open house, instantly I knew she had to be our realtor…read more Extremely patient and responsive. Lindsey is very professional and knowledgeable about her business. If we were to sell our amazing home Lindsey helped us with, I would definitely want Lindsey to be our realtor again. I would recommend Lindsey to anyone who needs a reliable realtor!

Lindsey was a wonderful advocate for us during the rollercoaster ride of buying a home. My husband…read moreand I were brand new to the real estate game and Lindsey spent her time helping us navigate and understand it. She was super responsive and patient throughout the entire process. She is, without a doubt, the reason we closed on our dream home! Lindsey, thank you for the extra time and effort in helping us find exactly what we wanted! We are extremely grateful.

Beline and Perfetti Inc

(6 reviews)

I have known Cindy for about 10 years. She helped me purchase my first home in 2009. When it came…read moretime for me to purchase my second home, she was the only person I considered. There are many reasons Cindy is my first choice but I have listed a few below: Responsiveness: When you are trying to find a home in a hot market, it is important to have a realtor who is responsive. When I made the offer on my current home in November 2018, someone else had already submitted an offer to the buyer. Because Cindy was knowledgeable about contracts and quick to respond to emails and phone calls, my offer was accepted only minutes before the other homebuyer. There is a lot more to this story but I will tell you that Cindy worked her butt off to get me this home. In addition, when I was viewing multiple homes, Cindy took my request to view a home seriously and would try to schedule the home visit the next day when possible. If you are serious about buying a home. You will want to have Cindy as your realtor. Realtor Expert: Cindy is an expert when it comes to real estate contracts and because of her many years of experience in real estate, she has also become somewhat of an expert when it comes to the condition of a home. During home tours, Cindy is under the cabinets looking at pipes, she is in the basement inspecting the water heater and furnaces, she is checking all the nooks and crannies you probably forgot about because you are more focused on the initial appearance of the home. Many of the items that were pointed out by my inspector during my home inspection, where things I anticipated because Cindy pointed them out during the initial tour of the home. I was grateful to have someone with her experience, working on my side. Overall personality: Cindy is a gem. She has spunk, she is always smiling, full of energy, and a pleasant person to work with. She is serious about her work and she cares for her clients. She will work hard to get you the home that you want. Oh and before I forget, this is another reason I love Cindy so much. After my home inspection, we tried to negotiate a seller assistance for some of the repairs that had to be made on the home. The seller didn't want to budge and I gave in, I told Cindy I'll just take what the buyer was offering. Cindy didn't like this. I don't know what conversation she had with the buyers realtor, but at the end of the day, I received the seller subsidy I wanted and not what the buyer was trying to give me. Cindy went above and beyond for me. She didn't have to but she did because she wanted what was best for me. So, if you are looking for a realtor, you should choose Cindy. The first home she helped me purchase is in Maryland and the second home is in Alexandria, VA.

We have sold a condo and a house, and we have bought a house with Cindy as our real estate agent…read more She is an absolutely amazing realtor. She was involved in every step of the buying and selling process and worked very hard for us. When buying and selling she will fight and negotiate hard, understanding what you want and bargain appropriately. She loves to negotiate, and will work hard to make sure you qet what you want and manage your risk levels (and expectations). What I loved the most about Cindy is she stayed involved and stayed on top of all the moving parts of the house buying and selling process. Between the buyer, the seller, the buying agent, the selling agent, mortgage broker, and title company it's a lot to take care off and keep track of. Cindy stayed on top of all these different pieces to make sure that everyone is doing their job. She was also incredibly sensitive to our timelines on each buying and selling process and kept us informed every step of the way. She was always accessible over the phone and in person when needed - at times acting as half agent and half therapist. She gave us a lot of guidance on coordinating the actual move (we moved with young children), gave solid and reasonable advice on how to get our properties ready for selling and viewing, and went above and beyond for us on several occasions to make sure we were taken care of at every step of the way. If you're looking for an experienced, aggressive, transparent, helpful and informative agent - do not hesitate to work with Cindy - you couldn't be in better hands.

Aisha Barber - Coldwell Banker

If you are looking for a knowledgeable, competent and highly personal real estate agent, look no…read morefuther than Aisha Barber. This past fall Aisha acted as an agent in putting our house on the market and selling in just a weekend. Aisha was extremely patient with us, providing excellent advice, and a sympathetic ear, as we went through the process of preparing our house for sale. If you live in Northern Virginia, you will find Ms. Barber knows the market very well. She'll give you solid advice and be patient regardless of the complexities presented by your situation. My wife and I feel fortunate to have met and chosen Aisha.

Beatriz Chevez-Remax Excellence

Beatriz was my selling agent in Baltimore and was a delight to work with! She was very…read morecommunicative, helped me understand the process, and ensured that everything went smoothly the entire time. The timeline for me started at the end of August and went into early November as I was getting renovations on my home. She advised me on sales in the area, recommended items for repair and reno, and I received an offer on the very first day that it was listed! I will recommend Beatriz to any and everyone that I know as she really made the process seamless and exciting every step of the way.

Marian Marsten Rosaaen

(2 reviews)

My partner and I first reached out to Marian over a year before we ended up buying a house, in a…read morepanic because we were worried about the impact Amazon HQ2 would have on our rent. Marian took the time to answer our questions and explain how the real estate market works, and she eventually talked us out of buying a home at all. This summer, when our landlord abruptly decided not to renew our lease, Marian was incredibly helpful a second time. She explained the changes in the market due to the COVID pandemic and said that now was as good a time to buy as any (and maybe better with the low interest rates). She answered all of our questions -- including correcting the misinformation we'd been fed by friends and family in other real estate markets -- and walked us through the process of home buying. We were on sort of a tight timeline because our lease was ending, but Marian never expressed anything other than confidence that we could find a great house within our time limit. And, with her help, we did! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Marian and Shalom to anyone who's looking to buy a home, especially people (like my spouse and I used to be) who believe that home ownership isn't a possibility for them.

Marian is definitely my go-to real estate agent for the DC area. She not only has a great grasp of…read morethe local market but also has an impeccable reputation which is so important when working with other agents.

Nick Africano - Compass