The box score for this week's ten most expensive home sales:

Virginia: 7
DC: 2
Maryland: 1  

The rundown: 

$3,042,856 - 11001 Ramsdale Court, Great Falls
$2,850,000 - 1155 23rd St. NW Unit PH2-E-North, Dupont Circle (Residences at the Ritz-Carlton)
$2,410,000 - 2425 L St. NW Unit 802, West End (The Columbia Residences)
$2,358,933 - 3450 Fawn Wood Lane, Fairfax
$2,199,900 - 38821 Ridge Court, Hamilton
$2,100,000 -  9410 Beach Mill Road, Fairfax
$2,085,561 - 41714 Putters Green Court, Leesburg
$2,000,000 - 11618 Rolling Meadow Drive, Great Falls
$1,975,000 - 7613 Rossdhu Court, Chevy Chase
$1,824,540 - 3405 Meyer Woods Lane, Fairfax

-82 houses broke the $1 million mark this week.
-Of the 153 houses that sold for $800,000 or more, 16 were in DC, 36 in Maryland, and 101 in Virginia.
-More than half of the sales in DC were condominiums.

The January Washingtonian includes our annual round-up of the year’s top home sales. It highlights 32 big-dollar, big-name deals in the midst of last year’s much-discussed drop in real estate values. Although 2006 didn’t include the homes of any former presidents like 2005 did, Washington’s rich and famous still did a lot of wheeling and dealing.

Here's a first look at the controversial luxury condo-church development going up in Gallery Place. The Post reported last week that developer PN Hoffman is partnering with the 140-year-old First Congressional Church of Christ to redevelop its outdated property at 945 G St., NW, and add 140 luxury condominium units above it.

First Church is most well-known for its free meals for the homeless, so the million-dollar condo building-soup kitchen partnership has raised eyebrows among residents and sparked debate on the Internet.

One anonymous poster on neighborhood blog Gallery Place Living wrote, “I am strongly in favor of mixed-use projects in Penn Quarter that combine living and community service space—whether social service, arts, theater, libraries.” Another countered that, “it seems kind of gross to sit in your luxury condo or lounge by the pool while you watch the huddled masses line up below for something to eat.”

The church will occupy the ground-level space. In the architectural rendering above, the church entrance will be on G Street, next to the Martin Luther King library (shown at right); the condo entrance will be on 10th Street (pictured at left); and the meal program entrance will be behind the building on G Place. 

Many are wondering if Washingtonians will spend $1 million to live above a church that feeds the homeless, particularly in today's saturated condo market. Considering the great location and the edgy, modern design, I bet they will.

After a slow couple of weeks due to the holidays, open houses are back in full swing.  Here's our weekly round-up of a few that look promising for the coming weekend. If you stop by any of them, let us know how it went. 

In DC:

Condo in Southwest
1 BR 1 BA
$259,000
Open House: Saturday 10:30 AM-2:30 PM

Townhouse in Petworth
4 BR 2 BA
$424,900
Open House: Sunday 1-4 PM

Townhouse in Chevy Chase
$660,000
Open House: Saturday 1-3 PM

In Virginia:

Condo in Arlington
1 BR
$289,000—plus help with closing costs
Open House: Sunday 1-4 PM

Townhouse in Alexandria
3 BR
$351,000
Open House: Sunday 1-4 PM

Condo in Tysons
2 BR 1 BA
$388,000
Open House: Sunday 1-4 PM

Townhouse in Fairfax
3 BR 4 BA
$585,000
Open House: Sunday 1-4 PM

In Maryland:

Brick Colonial in Silver Spring
$489,000
Open House: Saturday 2-4 PM

House in North Potomac
4 BR 3 BA
$574,000
Open House: Sunday1-4 PM

Colonial in Rockville
$649,000—plus $10,000 in closing help
Open House: Sunday 1-4 PM

A few months after moving into a DC apartment, my roommate and I realized that our bare walls needed something. Although we had all of the necessary furniture (collected from our parents’ basements and IKEA), the new place was seriously lacking “decor.” Where do recent college graduates with entry-level salaries go for art? Local galleries were out of the question but we hit the jackpot at HomeGoods, the Marshall’s or TJMaxx of home decorating—the same parent company owns all three.

Shoppers must be patient—looking through the disorganized aisles of canvases and framed prints can take the better part of an afternoon. But after putting in some time and effort, we came away with several tasteful-looking pieces of artwork and two decorative mirrors, none of which cost more than $49.99. HomeGoods is also a one-stop shop for accents such as end tables, ottomans, lamps, rugs, kitchenware, bedding, and home accessories at bargain-basement prices.

HomeGoods, five area locations: White Flint Plaza, Rockville; Village Mart Shopping Center, Olney; Crossroads Place Shopping Center, Falls Church; Kingstowne Towne Center, Kingstowne; Fair Lakes Shopping Center, Fairfax.

Here's our weekly run-down of the ten most expensive home sales in the region, as reported by American City Business Leads.

This week’s top sale is in The Columbia Residences, a new condo development in the West End that includes the renovated historic Maynard Mansion, formerly the Columbia Hopital For Women, and two newly-built adjacent wings. According to The Columbia's web site, only eight of the building's 225 condos remain on the market.  

$2,950,000 - 2425 L St., NW, Unit 700, West End
$2,596,365 - 11210 Marwood Hill Drive, Potomac
$2,500,000 - 3600 Macomb St., NW, Cleveland Park
$2,437,500 - 9005 Congressional Court, Potomac
$2,280,000 - 7113 Natelli Woods Lane, Bethesda
$2,225,000 - 10800 Cripplegate Road, Potomac
$2,220,000 - 908 Park Street SE, Vienna
$1,960,000 - 1801 Melbourne Drive, McLean
$1,899,000 - 6106 Beachway Drive, Falls Church
$1,875,000 - 2238 49th St., NW, Palisades