We know the DC Rental Market. We know it well. We want to use that knowledge to help you.

That’s why every week we will release a handful of houses on the rental market that we think are good deals. We can’t guarantee every single one will be perfect for you, but we hope that one of them may someday become the place you call home.

Our theme this week is natural light. No, we aren't talking about the watery college-bro beer, we're talking about big, full windows that open up space and provide amazing views. It is proven to improve quality of life and quality of selfie. It should be high on your list of pro's when comparing places to live.

As always, our recommendations are below DC average rent/ bedroom and are spread throughout the 4 quadrants.

Studio in Foggy Bottom

This is our first rec from Facebook Marketplace, and if you are struggling to find a place for cheap, this could be a good option. It's more informal than other sites so you may have to look past some amateur photos. However, it's a great place to find great homes at a low price, usually from people in a pinch.
This is an example of that. You can see from the photo that faces the kitchen that the light from the windows brightens the whole place. That's not particularly challenging in a small studio but don't take it for granted -- there are plenty out there that look and feel like a dungeon.

Obviously, this apartment doesn't have the most state-of-the-art anything. Nor is it particularly big or spacious. Also be wary of carpeted apartments (Jeez this is sounding like a brutal recommendation). However, it's at a competitive rate for Foggy Bottom, and you can do a lot of amazing things with this space given the amount of sunlight that pours through.

1 Bedroom at the Hermosa Flats in Truxton Circle

There are two things we would like to say about this apartment. The first is that 1 bedroom apartments are by no means affordable unless you are sharing the bedroom. For $1800 per month, this apartment is below average for DC, but we don't want to make the claim that the average person in DC can afford to live here.

However, this apartment is an excellent example of how the color white can brighten a place even when there aren't massive floor-to-ceiling windows. If you look, there's just the one window next to the stove (a genius location for those of us that burn food often), and it's able to light up the entire kitchen and living room. That's because the white cabinets, white walls, and glossy hardwood reflect so much natural light. Professional photographers also have tricks to make a place look brighter than it is but you can tell that they didn't have to work that hard to light up this space.

2 Bedroom at The Brookland Press in Northeast

The Brookland Press may be a competitor of ours but goddamn if it doesn't have some fantastic natural lighting. Look at this living area!

The Press is basically an apartment building made of glass. If you are living here, you probably can be seen eating breakfast from space. You're like some sort of zoo creature for pedestrians to walk by. However, the privacy sacrificed is gained in feng shui. The rooms look massive because it's hard to tell where the apartment ends and the rest of the world begins.

The Press is clearly marketed towards young people as indicated by its bougie-millennial #dc #apartmentlife #goals pictures included on its listing (a sad blurry dog? Why?). This goes to show that large windows and good natural lighting are hot right now in the world of design, development and luxury living.

3 Bedroom House in Anacostia

You know somewhere with a lot of natural lighting? Nature! There is a big push nowadays to move into apartment buildings, and, while we are all for economies of scale, sometimes it's nice to have your own space to move around. This is an example of an actual house--white picket fence and all-- in DC proper. There are houses like this all over DC, but the stereotype is that they are massive, expensive and in the Northwest.

Here is a modest house in Anacostia, the overlooked Southeast region across the river. This house is close to a metro stop, has a beautifully updated interior and an impressively spacious yard. You aren't going to get frills out in Anacostia, there isn't a sweetgreen for miles, but the quality of life can be quite high.
Natural light is not reserved for the uber rich, it is a free resource that everyone has access to. Some people just have to open their doors.

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