The Georgetown home that former International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife, Anne Sinclair, own will soon go on the market.  Photo by Erik Uecke

The home that disgraced former IMF head Dominque Strauss-Kahn and his wife, Anne Sinclair, own in Georgetown has been listed with Washington Fine Properties and is expected to officially go on the market within the next two weeks, according to Dana Landry, principal broker at Washington Fine Properties. Strauss-Kahn and Sinclair bought the home—located at 2613 Dumbarton Street, Northwest—in 2007 for $4 million. At the time, the listing described the three-bedroom, four-bath house as an “extraordinary and complete renovation of an East Village Federal.” It said the home had a library and “multiple sets of French doors that open to a huge backyard.” Built in 1900, the red-brick home is currently assessed for $3.8 million.

Cheri and Bob Justis had lived in a five-bedroom house in Germantown for 14 years, but they’d long dreamed of trading it for a condominium closer to DC. After six months of condo hunting in places such as Alexandria and Bethesda, they fell in love with the Palladian in Rockville Town Square.

“The whole mixed-use community with restaurants, shops, and condos was amazing,” says Cheri. Their new two-bedroom unit, which sits just beneath the clock overlooking Rockville Town Square, gives them a front-row view of community activities. In December, they watched the town square’s Christmas-tree lighting from their window.

The couple also likes the condo’s proximity to the Metro—the Red Line’s Rockville stop is a short walk away. The Justises, both proposal writers, often take the subway to meet with clients who work in the District. Says Cheri: “We can either walk to everything or ride to where we want to be.”

The Rockville area has lots of condos and apartments. These five communities have new units for sale or rent:

Completed in March of last year, the Alaire (1101 Higgins Pl., Rockville; 301-770-4440) is the first gold-level LEED-certified apartment complex in the Washington area. It has a “green” roof, solar-powered trash compactors, and a saline pool. Within walking distance of the Twinbrook Metro station, the complex has 229 units, 66 of which are still available for lease. Rents range from $1,725 for a one-bedroom to $2,700 for a two-bedroom with loft. All units come with a free parking space.

Most house hunters have questions. When was the home built? Has the kitchen been renovated? Are the schools good? But real-estate agents say there’s one they almost never get.

“Nobody has ever asked me about a home’s criminal history,” says Jeff Brier of Coldwell Banker. And listing agents can’t talk about crimes that have occurred at their properties without the owner’s permission.

Buyers may want to start asking around.

When Amy and Justin Kim were ready to buy their first home, they came up with a list of what they wanted: a two-bedroom close to the Metro with a back yard for Twiggy, their chihuahua. Their price target of about $500,000 led them to Del Ray.

Bounded by Braddock Road, Route 1, Glebe Road, and Russell Road, Del Ray started out 100 years ago as a community of railroad workers from nearby Potomac Yard—then one of the biggest railroad yards on the East Coast. Today Del Ray is an artsy enclave of working professionals drawn by proximity to the Metro and Old Town; affordable, charming homes; and the sense of community.

The former home of Joe Price, Victor Zaborsky, and Dylan Ward—and the site of Robert Wone’s unsolved murder—hit the market on Friday for $1,599,900. You can take a tour of the four-bedroom, five-bath Swann Street row house here , which is described in the listing as “luxury at its best.”

Listing agent Ellen Abrams of Evers and Company Real Estate declined a request to comment about the house. But agent John Taylor of Chatel Real Estate, who has a similar priced listing nearby and has toured the Swann Street house in the past, says the home is priced well for the market. Taylor says agents wouldn’t take the house’s criminal history into account when coming up with a price. “We would not want to think of that property as being stigmatized in any way,” says Taylor.

Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Higher prices in DC and the close-in suburbs have led some homebuyers to look at Frederick. “As long as you can keep up with the commute, the advantage of Frederick is lower prices,” says Tom Greeves, who sells homes in the area. The market held steady last year and has been picking up in 2010.

Frederick has MARC and Amtrak service to DC’s Union Station; a walkable downtown with shops, restaurants, and arts; historic homes; and a small-town feel.

Single-family homes range from $200,000 to $1 million. The historic district and Baker Park, near Hood College, are popular. While there hasn’t been much new construction in downtown Frederick, several nearby communities have new single-family homes and townhouses.