Belle View Condo Unit Owners Association

A beautifully maintained, clean, attractive community, immediately adjacent to a shopping center, grocery store, library, recreation center, school, parks, and post office. Everything can be reached on foot. It is perfect for people without cars, and for those who own a car, there is plenty of parking. There is a lovely swimming pool, and attractive community center. The grounds are carefully landscaped and are magnificent. This community is surrounded by wealthy low crime neighborhoods. Old Town and D.C. and the subway are only minutes away. The air ducts are sometimes a little intrusive, the buildings are aging, and the bathrooms have old appliances… these are things to which you can adapt. The perks of living here vastly outweigh any drawbacks. The only drawback which is very visible is the number of units set aside for welfare cases, while the rest of us pay healthy rents; as long as the free riders don’t hit critical mass, this community is a gem and a keeper.

Condos date from 1950.
Pros:
— they’re small and cute little properties;
— generally a nice, low-​crime neighborhood.
— Animal friendly (if you like dogs; if not, you won’t fit in)
— close-​by shopping & access to Mt Vernon Trail
Cons: Bottom floors have poor cell phone coverage — one often sees residents standing on the sidewalk to talk on their phones.
— Unless your neighbors are super polite and quiet, you will hear them. Through shared kitchen walls, word-​for-​word conversations can be heard; all footsteps or animal barking is heard through floors or walls.
— «Hot» water is included, but is more accurately «very warm» water — one cannot get a sink of hot soapy suds, and a hot bath only by using «hot» water tap exclusively when others are not showering. At peak shower times (winter mornings), I’ve had a luke-​warm shower using the «hot» tap alone. Water pressure is passable — not great/​just OK.
— No Verizon fiber bundle available; one is stuck with Cox (yeech)
— central air ducts added (post 1950) make the ceiling of entryways very low and they’re VERY LOUD!!! If you plan on spending lots of time in your condo (e.g., studying, working from home) think twice — you may experience hearing loss from the loud hum of the turbine motor that has no insulation around it whatsoever.
— shared laundry machines are so ecological (to save water) they don’t clean clothes well; work out clothes must be first soaked in a sink. The longest wash cycle is 39 total minutes, most of it spinning.