Best Area of DC for a $650,000 Budget

[Matthew McMenamin]

DC BP Community,

I'm looking to gain some knowledge of the market here. I am helping somebody else gather info to purchase their first SF home. House hacking is maybe on the table here. Everything I see from the outside looking in appears to be incredibly expensive. I'm not sure right now is the best time to be sinking 100's of thousands of dollars into non-incoming producing RE. The market appears to be at a peak. How cyclical is the DC market? Is it worth it to sit out and wait for better buying opportunities? Hope to get a lively discussion going and see what everyone is thinking.