Fort Totten DC Real Estate
Homes for Sale Near the Fort Totten Metro & Rock Creek Cemetery. From Marc Dosik & the Fed City Team, your DC real estate experts.
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Living in Fort Totten
Shopping & Errands
Aldi at Riggs Plaza is a primary grocery anchor. The Riggs Plaza retail strip on Riggs Road covers daily errands. Larger shopping is a quick drive to the Rhode Island Avenue retail strip (Home Depot, Giant) or to Silver Spring (Maryland) just over the border. The Metro also makes Columbia Heights' DC USA shopping center a 10-minute trip.
Parks & Recreation
Fort Totten Park preserves a Civil War-era earthwork fort, part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington managed by the National Park Service. The park sits on elevated terrain with skyline views. Hamilton Recreation Center and several smaller pocket parks add neighborhood-scale green space. Rock Creek Park is accessible by car or Metro within 15 minutes.
Transit & Commute
The Fort Totten Metro station is one of only three stations in the entire WMATA system where the Red, Green, AND Yellow lines all meet. Red Line takes you to Union Station and Bethesda. Green and Yellow lines take you through Columbia Heights, U Street, the National Mall, and Navy Yard.
What makes Fort Totten a hidden value.
Fort Totten is named after the historic Fort Totten Civil War earthwork, one of the ring of forts built around Washington during the Civil War to defend the capital. The fort site is preserved today as Fort Totten Park and is part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington managed by the National Park Service. The elevated terrain offers some of the best skyline views in northeast DC.
Fort Totten developed primarily in the early- to mid-twentieth century, decades after the rowhome neighborhoods to the south. The area was platted as a streetcar suburb and grew in successive waves through the 1920s, 1930s, and 1950s. The result is a housing stock that looks more like older inner-suburban neighborhoods than central DC: detached single-family homes on rectangular lots with front yards, back yards, driveways, and tree-lined streets.
The defining feature for daily life is the Fort Totten Metro station, which is one of only three stations in the system where the Red, Green, AND Yellow lines all meet. That gives Fort Totten residents fast Metro access to multiple parts of the city without transferring at busy downtown stations. Major recent development around the Metro, including Riggs Park Place and Art Place at Fort Totten, has added apartments, retail, and modern condo inventory near the transit hub.
Explore Fort Totten Block by Block
Fort Totten Metro Area
The blocks immediately around the Metro station are the densest and most rapidly changing part of the neighborhood. Newer mid-rise apartment and condo developments dominate, anchored by Art Place at Fort Totten and adjacent retail. Buyers who want walkable Metro access and modern building amenities concentrate here.
Riggs Park
Riggs Park, in the eastern and northeastern part of the neighborhood, is predominantly mid-century single-family homes on rectangular lots. The blocks here have a more established residential character, with mature tree canopy and longer-term homeowners. Detached single-family inventory is concentrated here.
Lamond-Riggs
Lamond-Riggs is the northernmost sub-area, climbing toward the Maryland border. The housing stock includes more brick colonials and Cape Cods, with some larger lot sizes than other parts of the neighborhood. Prices in Lamond-Riggs tend to be slightly higher than central Fort Totten because of the larger lots and more settled feel. Buyers cross-shopping detached single-family inventory east of Rock Creek Park often also look at Brookland.
Fort Totten Real Estate Market
$500K–$850K
Detached Single-Family
$400K–$700K
Rowhome Range
3 Lines
Metro Transfer Hub
12 min
Metro to Downtown
Detached single-family homes make up the majority of the housing stock. Most were built between 1925 and 1960 in styles common to the streetcar-suburb era: brick Cape Cods, brick and frame colonials, ranches, and a smaller number of Craftsman bungalows. These homes typically sit on 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot lots, with front yards, back yards, and either driveways or rear parking pads.
Detached single-family homes generally range from $500,000 for a smaller Cape Cod needing updates up to $850,000 for a fully renovated four-bedroom on a premium block. Rowhomes are scattered throughout the neighborhood, particularly in the southern blocks closer to Petworth, and run from $400,000 to $700,000. Newer condos near the Metro typically start in the low-$300,000s.
Three factors drive value in Fort Totten more than anywhere else: proximity to the Metro, lot size and yard space, and condition. Walkable Metro access matters because the neighborhood is large enough that homes 15 to 20 minutes from the station trade meaningfully below homes 5 to 10 minutes away. Yard space, parking, and renovation quality differentiate Fort Totten from rowhome-dominated neighborhoods to the south.
For sellers, our We Pay to Fix Your Home program is especially valuable in Fort Totten because so many homes are mid-century and may need updates to compete with the renovated comps. We cover those costs upfront, you don't pay us back until closing. We also handle estate sales at $0 out of pocket to the estate.
Local agents who know Fort Totten's value plays.
Our office is at 843 Upshur Street NW in Petworth, immediately south of Fort Totten. Marc Dosik has been selling real estate in DC since 1998, and we work the Fort Totten market regularly. We know the housing stock, the realistic price ranges by block, and the practical considerations of buying a 70- to 100-year-old detached home.
For Buyers
Fort Totten is one of the strongest first-purchase markets in DC. A detached home with a yard can still be acquired in the $500,000 to $650,000 range, and we help first-time buyers access up to $17,500 in down payment assistance through DC grant programs most buyers don't know exist. With 8+ agents on our team, we can also pull current comparable sales for the specific blocks you are interested in.
For Sellers
Our We Pay to Fix Your Home program is especially valuable in Fort Totten because so many of the homes are mid-century and may need kitchen, bath, HVAC, electrical, or basement updates to compete with the renovated comps. We cover those costs upfront, you don't pay us back until closing.
Fort Totten Metro is one of only three stations in the entire WMATA system where three lines meet: Red, Green, AND Yellow.
That gives Fort Totten residents fast Metro access to multiple parts of the city without transferring at busy downtown stations. Red Line takes you toward Union Station, Bethesda, and Rockville. Green Line goes south through Columbia Heights, U Street, the National Mall, and Navy Yard. Yellow Line connects to Pentagon and Reagan National Airport. For commuting flexibility, this is one of the most undervalued addresses in DC.
Fort Totten Real Estate FAQs
How much does a single-family home cost in Fort Totten?
Detached single-family homes in Fort Totten generally range from $500,000 for a smaller Cape Cod needing updates up to $850,000 for a fully renovated four-bedroom on a premium block. The wide range reflects significant variation in size, condition, lot size, and proximity to Metro. Larger homes in Lamond-Riggs or with extensive renovation can exceed $900,000.
Are there condos in Fort Totten?
Yes, mostly in newer mixed-use developments near the Metro station, primarily Art Place at Fort Totten, Riggs Park Place, and a small number of additional buildings. One-bedroom condos generally start in the low-$300,000s and run to the mid-$400,000s. Two-bedroom units run from $400,000 to $600,000. Newer townhouses in these developments typically start in the high $500,000s.
How does Fort Totten compare to Petworth?
The two neighborhoods share a Northwest/Northeast working residential identity and a Green and Yellow line Metro connection. Fort Totten has more detached single-family homes with yards, larger lots, and a quieter pace. Petworth is denser with more rowhomes, has a more active Georgia Avenue commercial corridor, and is closer to downtown by Metro. Fort Totten tends to be 20 to 30 percent more affordable for comparable square footage.
What Metro lines serve Fort Totten?
The Fort Totten station is one of only three stations in the entire WMATA system where three lines meet: Red, Green, and Yellow. Red Line takes you toward Union Station, Bethesda, and Rockville. Green Line goes south through Columbia Heights, U Street, the National Mall, and Navy Yard. Yellow Line connects to Pentagon and Reagan National Airport.
Is Fort Totten a good neighborhood for first-time buyers?
Fort Totten is one of the strongest first-purchase markets in DC. Detached single-family homes can still be found below $700,000, increasingly rare elsewhere in the city. The Metro transfer at Fort Totten provides exceptional commute flexibility. Down payment assistance programs (up to $17,500 in DC grants) reduce the upfront cost. And the housing stock generally has yards and parking, which can be deal-breakers for first-time buyers used to suburban or rental-condo housing.
What's the parking situation in Fort Totten?
Most detached single-family homes in Fort Totten have driveways, rear-alley parking pads, or both. Street parking is generally available, though zoned residential in many areas. This is a significant point of contrast with the more central DC neighborhoods, where street parking can be a daily challenge. Buyers prioritizing easy parking often choose Fort Totten specifically for that reason.
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