3500 Brandywine Road NW

The first thing people say when they turn onto this street is that they didn’t know it was back here. That’s the cul-de-sac doing its job. Last house, back of the neighborhood, woods behind it, no through traffic and nobody turning around in the driveway. Deer on the tree line most mornings, a fox that’s convinced it’s invisible, owls after dark. Summer is the loud season and most of it happens away from the house — four pools and a splash pad, ten tennis courts, four pickleball courts, a baseball field, sand volleyball, eighteen holes of disc golf, and a Fourth of July fireworks show people plan their summer around. When you come home, plug your car into the Tesla charger and head to the patio out back under the trees. Fall moves indoors. The kitchen is where that happens: white cabinets, stone counters, a pantry that holds a real grocery run, and a breakfast bar everybody ends up standing at anyway. It’s open to the family room, so whoever’s cooking isn’t off in the next room missing the conversation. When it turns cold, the brick fireplace takes about a minute and a match. Winter is the house at its best — two-story foyer, nine-foot ceilings, hardwoods, a separate dining room that finally earns itself, and five bedrooms to put people in. Four upstairs with two full baths, including an owner’s suite with a vaulted ceiling, walk-in closets, a double vanity, and a soaking tub separate from the shower. One down on the main with its own full bath, which is the room everybody’s grateful for when the house is full. Laundry is upstairs, where the clothes already are. Spring sends everyone back out. An egg hunt, concerts at the amphitheater, swim, tennis, pickleball, baseball and soccer teams signing up, 117 acres of town park, and miles of bike paths and lighted trails to get lost on. The whole place is freshly painted and has new carpet, so your first weekend is for unpacking instead of projects. The rest you’ll figure out one season at a time.