Old Town Alexandria is starting to look a little, well, new. In the northwest section of town, near the Braddock Road Metro, apartment buildings are starting to pop up. “I l...

When Eddie Ferrer’s garbage disposal jammed, he grabbed a computer and then a broom. “I Googled ‘How do you fix a garbage disposal?’ ” says Ferrer, 32, who owns a ...

Would you ever post an ad on the Internet inviting strangers to pay you to use rooms in your home — like a hotel? That’s exactly what Donna Reynolds did in late 2009 after...

Name: Tabby Fique, 31 Salary: $36,000 Position: Land manager and easement coordinator, of Maryland’s Howard County Conservancy (Hcconservancy.org) What She Does: Despite her...

Maria AbuZeid Ruttig had worked on drug trafficking missions, and she’d worked on search-and-rescue operations. She’d helped to secure U.S. ports and been staffed at a ter...

When Zhi Li moved into the Silver Spring apartment building Solaire in July, its 295 units were brand-new, and only about half of them were rented. With so few other tenants a...

Shirlington: $525,000 Condo: 2720 Arlington Mill Drive S, No. 1107, Arlington Bright, spacious and open with 14-foot-tall ceilings, this 1,080-square-foot two-bedroom offers ...

Janny Frimpong was working in Sony Pictures Entertainment’s distribution department, where she analyzed customer data to predict purchasing behaviors, when she decided to us...

Deirdre Steinfort-Rivas, 41 Salary: $40,000 POSITION: Licensed tour guide   WHAT SHE DOES: “I get paid to be a tourist,” says Steinfort-Rivas, who leads groups of sig...

“My name is AVA, have we met?” No? Well if you’re a “young, urban, social” renter in the District, then the marketing team at AvalonBay Communities thinks you just m...

Justin Greene, 30 SALARY: $90,000 POSITION: Fitness director, Old Town Sport & Health (209 Madison St., Alexandria, 703-548-6822) WHAT HE DOES: Greene oversees a team of 2...

How many renters does it take to change a lightbulb? None! There’s an app for that. While sipping a smoothie at Starbucks one morning, Rachel Cagle remembers that a light is...

Rachan Malhotra, 34 Salary: $60,000 POSITION: Owner, Rolls on Rolls food truck (@rollsonrolls) WHAT HE DOES: Malhotra brings a taste of his family’s healthy Indian cooking t...

Name: Melissa Jacobs Salary: $60,000 ($10,000 in ad revenue and apparel sales; $50,000 in writing and speaking fees) Position: Sports blogger, Thefootballgirl.com What She Doe...

Richard Stanfill, a self-styled “military brat,” has lived in apartments all over the world. But it wasn’t until two years ago when he moved into the Gramercy at Metropo...