I have included assorted paragraphs that reference Bloomingdale.
(Here is the link to Part 1.)
Part 2: A Great Fall
When Trina Dolenz first toured the renovated rowhouse on 2nd Street NE in Eckington last year, she was quickly drawn to it.
“It was absolutely wow. [The developer] had used top-quality washing machine, fridge, appliances, beautifully done, and exactly what I would have done personally. High-quality specs visually. It looked like it was a really, really good job,” she says.
Dolenz, a couples therapist who was looking to move to D.C. from Los Angeles to be closer to her children, decided to put an offer on the house. But as closing approached and she had it inspected, the initial visual appeal gave way to a host of problems.
“It was skylights, things to do with the HVAC system, electrical, heating, plumbing, just things that were not according to code. They were things that I wouldn’t have caught personally,” she says.
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As Dolenz and her inspector pointed out the problems, the developer, Insun Hofgard, would send contractors over to address them. After a few rounds of fixes, Dolenz felt comfortable enough to close on the sale, paying $630,000 in March 2014. Hofgard originally had bought it less than a year prior for $280,000.
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Her first three projects involved converting rowhouses in Bloomingdale and Eckington — both neighborhoods on the upswing at the time — into multi-unit condominium buildings. She worked with a partner, developer Abhijit Dutta, on the projects, and Hofgard was responsible providing capital and financing for the renovations.
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Her first three projects involved converting rowhouses in Bloomingdale and Eckington — both neighborhoods on the upswing at the time — into multi-unit condominium buildings. She worked with a partner, developer Abhijit Dutta, on the projects, and Hofgard was responsible providing capital and financing for the renovations.
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On Nov. 26, DCRA and Hofgard signed a settlement agreement, a legal document in which Hofgard admitted to a number of construction-related infractions on four properties in Bloomingdale and Eckington she had purchased and had started flipping.
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160 Adams St NW pop-up
Unfortunately, this developer has purchased many houses in our neighborhood, including the former Bloomingdale Inn. Let's hope these houses have happier endings for the future owners.
ReplyDeleteBloomingdale Inn has big "Vacant" property sign on it now, so at the least her taxes have gone up X5
DeleteEvery one of Insun Hofgard's houses should have this article posted on the front door when it goes on for sale as a buyer beware. 160 Adams has been an empty wreck for over two years now with zero weather protection, I can't imagine that house being safe unless it's torn down and restarted.
ReplyDeletewasn't this the same woman who was using Senate Realty to sell her properties? She also had a condo conversion on 1st st and another one on Channing with 3 condos
ReplyDelete