Best Real Estate Amenity of 2011: Bathroom Pencil Sharpener

• December 19th 2011

by UrbanTurf Staff

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As far as home amenities go, the range can be pretty wide. But a unit in Logan Circle may take the cake for having the most peculiar bathroom accessory UrbanTurf has ever seen.

Several weeks ago, some staff members went over to look at a condo up for sale on the fifth floor of 1423 R Street NW (map), both for business purposes and personal curiosity. The one-bedroom unit was priced well below what the market was asking, and for good reason, as it needed a top-to-bottom rehab. There were holes in the floors, the kitchen needed to be completely redone and the washer/dryer needed to be moved out of the closet. (Listed for $224,900, renovation estimates were in the $50,000 to $70,000 range.)

While the listing needed a facelift, one aspect that we hope the new buyer will keep is the pencil sharpener in the bathroom. That’s correct. Just above the sink is an old-time sharpener with settings for varying pencil sizes, the type used in elementary school before mechanical pencils became all the rage.

While a nice change of pace from the marble and tile features so often touted in bathrooms these days, the obvious question here is: Why would someone put/need a pencil sharpener across from their toilet? UrbanTurf came up with a few educated guesses about the previous owner:

• A Ph.D student in combinatorial mathematics who liked to work on problem sets in the bathtub.
• A mistake-prone crossword fanatic who enjoyed working on puzzles while indisposed.
• An aspiring model who needed the tool installed to deal with her cadre of eyeliner pencils.

Whoever it was, they made out pretty well on the sale of the place. There were over 20 offers and the unit ultimately ended up fetching just over $300,000 last week.

Next Up: Best Real Estate Idea of the Year (If It Works)

Previous Best Of 2011 entries:

• The Best Listing of the Year For Mere Mortals
• Best (or Worst) New Neighborhood Moniker: Silicon Hill
• Best (And Most Ridiculous) Real Estate Rumor of 2011: R. Kelly Apartment Hunting on Capitol Hill
• The Best Listing of the Year For Well-Paid Lobbyists

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/best_real_estate_amenity_of_2011_bathroom_pencil_sharpener/4795.