>>All Washingtonian.com Inauguration 2009 coverage

Want to go skiing in Park City, Utah? How about a week in Jamaica? Or maybe you’re just strapped for cash? For Washington residents, inauguration-week options are plentiful. All you need is a home you’re willing to hand over to a stranger.

Many hotels are sold out, including everything from the Marriott to Motel 6, or charging an exorbitant amount for a room—the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown’s starting price has risen from $549 to $899. All eyes are fixed on Craigslist. On November 11 alone, almost 500 people posted their houses and apartments as inauguration-week rentals. Many others, from all over the country, offered their houses for a swap. One posting came from a Duke University professor who offered a trade of Duke basketball tickets for housing in DC.

Gary Karr, a Vienna resident who voted for McCain, is thinking about making the most of the opportunity by doing a house swap. “I really don’t want to take advantage of someone,” he says. “I’m just thinking it would be great to help someone get to see history, and I’ll go on a nice vacation.”

One Metro stop outside of the District lies this newly renovated five-bedroom home. The main floor has a den, living room with fireplace, eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances, and a formal dining room. The finished attic and the basement both house bedrooms. Small pets are welcome and can take advantage of the backyard. There’s a one-year minimum lease, and the home is also on the market for sale.

Address: 8605 Mayfair Place, Silver Spring
Price: $2,800 a month
Move-in: Immediately

Where: Georgetown
Listing Price: $10,600,000
Time on the Market: One month
Bedrooms: Six
Bathrooms: Seven

This week, we take you out of the country and into this contemporary Georgetown condo. Located right next to the C&O Canal and the Potomac, this condo has great water views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, which surround the three-sided, 6,650-square-foot space. The master bedroom and master bathroom are separated by a translucent wall, and the hallways have custom cabinets and Venetian plaster. But what we love most about this place is what comes with it; besides two storage rooms, four parking spaces, a conference room, and fitness center, the building also has its own rooftop terrace with a pool and outdoor seating.  From the terrace, you can see the Washington Monument and The Kennedy Center on one end, and on the other, the Key Bridge and the spire of Georgetown University. The unit is the largest in the building, which was built in 2004. 

For more photos of this property, click here.

If you missed the annual Annapolis by Candlelight tour of historic homes this weekend, don’t fret!  We’ve got pictures and quick tidbits on some of the buildings in our slideshow below. The tour featured nine private homes, a bed and breakfast, the alumni building of the Naval Academy, an office suite in a former church, and a fire station-turned-condominium.

A confession: It has not been that long since I received a gift “from Santa.” And, depending on attendance levels at family holiday dinners, I am still occasionally seated at the kids’ table. I’m 30 years old.

I make this confession to illustrate the incongruity in my mind with the fact that I am hosting Thanksgiving this year. My condo will be filled to the max with one branch of my family tree, and there will be a turkey in my new oven and a buffet on my new bar. I am thrilled to have one major event to cap off all the work I have done over the last several months, but wow, the pressure is on to make this apartment shine!

Snatch up this Crate & Barrel coffee table for $650 on Capitol Hill. The seller says it was purchased three months ago for $799. The round table measures 38 inches in diameter and 17 inches in height. It has steel legs and a wood top that’s covered in etched copper.

Other good finds:
• A pair of green bean-bag ottomans for $25.
• Black and white swivel chair from Crate & Barrel for $500.
• Pottery Barn dining table with four chairs for $350.
• Modern desk from West Elm for $140.

Thanks, Craig!

• The Mercer, a high-rise condominium in Reston, is set to auction off one and two-bedroom apartments at more than 45 percent below the original asking prices. Ouch!
[Restonian]

• A proposal to redevelop Alexandria’s Potomac Yard area to include more residential space—over 200 new townhouses and loft units—is currently under review. The City Council and the Planning Commission are expected to make a decision by spring of next year. [DcMud]

• 14th & You has an update on the redevelopment of the former Whitman-Walker Clinic building. Though a definite start date for construction has yet to be set by developers JBG Companies, the new building is set to feature about 130 residential units.
[14th & You]

• The Washington City Paper’s Housing Complex blog selects some future home choices for members of President-elect Obama’s staff. [Housing Complex]