Omega House is Home to Washington Lawmakers.
ACOSTA: Let's take a look at the markets right now. Trading is getting thin as Wall Street empties out for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. There you see the Dow is up about 32 points. A little extra money for the cranberry sauce on Thursday. We did have some big housing news this morning. A new report says housing prices are up about 11 percent over last year. The pace of growth is leveling off, but this is the biggest single increase since the height of the housing bubble in 2006, 2007. So good news there for homeowners. Members of Congress are known to rack up the Frequent Flyer Miles, so shifting gears here to our final story. Those lawmakers are always ferrying back and forth between their home districts and Washington. But did you ever wonder where or how they live when they're doing the nation's work here in the nation's capital? Our Dana Bash was also curious. She dropped in on a few of them in their home. It's quite a sight to behold. Take a look.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paint peeling off the walls, sheets covering the windows, broken blinds, a mangled chair covered up with a wood board, an ancient stove with a giant hole -- and, yes, that's underwear in the living room. What looks and feels like the most rundown frat house on campus is actually the Capitol Hill home of some of the most powerful men in Washington.</s>SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D), ILLINOIS: Welcome to Omega House.</s>BASH (on camera): I love what you've done with the place.</s>SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D), NEW YORK: Thank you.</s>BASH (voice-over): Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer, the second and third-ranking Senate Democrats live here together.</s>REP. GEORGE MILLER, (D), CALIFORNIA: You guys got the rent?</s>BASH: Their landlord and third roommate is Democratic Congressman George Miller. The House is so legendary, it inspired a new TV series, "Alpha House." Except the Senate roommates in the amazon.com show are Republicans.</s>MILLER: They are nothing like us. Don't even begin to think so.</s>BASH (on camera): When people see this house, they're going to know because in the show it's a little nicer.</s>MILLER: Wait a minute.</s>BASH: Miller, the owner, started taking in tenants more than 30 years ago. The house hasn't been updated since.</s>MILLER: When we stopped buying L.P.s, that was when the music stopped.</s>BASH: But you have a record player here.</s>SCHUMER: Yes, the same exact records are there now as the day I moved in, in 1982.</s>BASH: The best part about it are the products that are on the cassette player.</s>SCHUMER: This is my medicine cabinet right here.</s>BASH: I didn't know you were a metro sexual.</s>SCHUMER: Smooth as could be.</s>BASH: Whose closet is this?</s>DURBIN: It's mine.</s>SCHUMER: Oh, Mr. Neat's. Mr. Neat's closet.</s>BASH (voice-over): Schumer's stuff is strewn all over the living room. (on camera): Seriously, this is where you sleep every night?</s>SCHUMER: Every night.</s>BASH: And you wake up to Barack Obama staring at you in the face?</s>SCHUMER: Exactly.</s>BASH: Senator Durbin did out you a little bit. He said this is the most you've ever made your bed.</s>SCHUMER: Just for you.</s>BASH: Well, thank you. And the blinds are particularly beautiful.</s>SCHUMER: Oh, yes. Well, a guy can see the weather --</s>BASH: The phone is still plugged in but hasn't worked in years.</s>SCHUMER: 547-2513, I still remember the number.</s>BASH: You don't use a phone? No? What's the point?</s>SCHUMER: He's always saving money.</s>BASH: Their couch was a money saver too.</s>DURBIN: My son wanted to throw that away, put it out in the trash. And it had to be 12, 14 years ago. I said, it's better than anything we have.</s>BASH: Their refrigerator, well, it's a scary sight. That baguette, it looks a little aged.</s>SCHUMER: It's a lethal weapon.</s>BASH: No wonder they have a problem with rats.</s>MILLER: The rats may have done that.</s>BASH: Wow. How many rats did you have?</s>SCHUMER: Don't ask.</s>SCHUMER: I had a dream literally two nights ago that the rats were back. I thought the rats were in the Senate. I didn't know they came to the house.</s>BASH: And what year is this from, Congressman?</s>SCHUMER: Well, Ben Franklin gave that to us.</s>BASH: Since this is not a kitchen fit for cooking, the congressional roomies take the easy route, cold cereal. They buy it in bulk. You're the Raisin Bran, Senator. And which one are you?</s>MILLER: Oh, I prefer Raisin Bran. But I like the Mini Wheats.</s>BASH (voice-over): The fictitious lawmakers in "Alpha House" have breakfast together, watch sports at night. Not so much here.</s>SCHUMER: I come in about midnight from my office usually.</s>DURBIN: And we leave while he's sleeping.</s>SCHUMER: And they leave while I'm sleeping.</s>DURBIN: We do it by design.</s>BASH: An opening scene of "Alpha House" shows a bowl of flag pins on the counter. This is what they have on their counter -- (on camera): -- screws and a random pill. And a pen in case you need one.</s>SCHUMER: It's very -- it's modern art.</s>BASH (voice-over): It's hard to believe such prominent politicians live in these conditions.</s>SCHUMER: When my wife comes, she will not stay here.</s>BASH: But they're only in Washington about three nights a week. (on camera): What makes it work?</s>MILLER: Your friends. Your friends. We love it. It's home.</s>BASH (voice-over): Dana Bash, CNN, at the real Alpha House near Capitol Hill.</s>ACOSTA: And I'm sure their flacks (ph) are thrilled with that story. That's it for me. I'll be back at 5:00 eastern on "The Situation Room." The NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.