I've been reading David Shipler lately, who devotes a chapter of his 2004 book to the perils of tax season: Starting in January, thousands flock to the tax preparers who set up shop in low-income neighborhoods and charge fees to those who really should be able to do their own taxes for free. Many people [...]

Dang, a lot didn't fit into last week's piece about H Street NE real estate. Just a couple more tidbits I thought were interesting:

On the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs' last count of vacant properties, 27 H Street NE addresses made the list with no exemption. Five made the list of vacant properties with [...]

One in five District owners is delinquent in property taxes, according to city Chief Financial Officer Nat Gandhi.  This startling stat was revealed last week in an Associated Press story, but the piece didn't get into the nitty gritty of just what happens next.
Well for a cautionary tale, look at Hagerstown, Maryland—the local county government [...]