Advice on MoCo and PG Neighborhoods

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look in 20910, especially if your husband will continue to work in College Park.

For now, he'd have to drive (15 minutes) or bus (30 minutes) but the Purple Line will connect Downtown Silver Spring and College Park within a few years.

East Silver Spring seems like a great compromise. There is a lot of variety in home and lot size, so you should be able to find something that meets both of your needs.

Something like this with a smaller lot: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/632-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278281_zpid/

This is a bigger lot, same street: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/512-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278525_zpid/

Op, I would NOT suggest East Silver Spring because the school is high FARMS, and thus your children would be surrounded by highly impoverished, often first generation students. This in turn would affect the kind of education your children receive, the PTA make up and other things. But it would also affect your real estate values in the future.

Here is the link for East Silver Spring ES data: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02756.pdf

Here are better suggestions:

https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/1209-millgrove-rd-silver-spring-md-20905--2019109401
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/14740-locustwood-ln-silver-spring-md-20905--1042429399
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/10115-meadowneck-ct-silver-spring-md-20910--2019130880




By the way you can also look up demographic data and other kinds of data using this link here, its helpful to help you determine purchasing in a diverse neighborhood but also getting a quality education for your future children.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/


MoCo is in the middle of redoing boundaries because its building more schools. For example,

This post slamming East Silver Spring is bizarre. First of all, the school itself is very well-liked among the neighbors and has an active and engaged PTA. There are several recent threads on this site with current parents recommending the school -- saying it is very similar to TPES/PBES and even has some advantages over it. In addition, the idea that prices in/near DTSS are going to drop is also not founded. They have been going up for some time and show no signs of slowing down. Drive around the neighborhood and you'll see dozens of houses under renovation -- a tangible sign that families are deciding to stay and expand rather than move. There has been very little on the market there recently, and the ones that have listed have gone in bidding wars above list price.

[Anonymous]

It's unlikely that you would feel uncomfortable in Hyattsville, University Park or Calvert Hills based on your home price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

What house is this?

[Anonymous]

Check out Cheverly too. It isn't for everyone but we love living there.
I work in College Park near metro and it takes my 12 minutes door to door.
There isn't anything spectacular on the market right now but it should pick up in the Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's unlikely that you would feel uncomfortable in Hyattsville, University Park or Calvert Hills based on your home price.

Except they are priced out of where they want to be sooooooo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look in 20910, especially if your husband will continue to work in College Park.

For now, he'd have to drive (15 minutes) or bus (30 minutes) but the Purple Line will connect Downtown Silver Spring and College Park within a few years.

East Silver Spring seems like a great compromise. There is a lot of variety in home and lot size, so you should be able to find something that meets both of your needs.

Something like this with a smaller lot: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/632-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278281_zpid/

This is a bigger lot, same street: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/512-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278525_zpid/

Op, I would NOT suggest East Silver Spring because the school is high FARMS, and thus your children would be surrounded by highly impoverished, often first generation students. This in turn would affect the kind of education your children receive, the PTA make up and other things. But it would also affect your real estate values in the future.

Here is the link for East Silver Spring ES data: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02756.pdf

Here are better suggestions:

https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/1209-millgrove-rd-silver-spring-md-20905--2019109401
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/14740-locustwood-ln-silver-spring-md-20905--1042429399
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/10115-meadowneck-ct-silver-spring-md-20910--2019130880




By the way you can also look up demographic data and other kinds of data using this link here, its helpful to help you determine purchasing in a diverse neighborhood but also getting a quality education for your future children.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/


MoCo is in the middle of redoing boundaries because its building more schools. For example,

I'm an immigrant, I went to a high FARMS school and received free lunch and breakfast, then I went to college and grad school. Now I teach your children at a private school you pay thousands upon thousand of dollars. You value the work that I do. Why are you so afraid of immigrants? What have we done that would make you say to someone that they should avoid going to school with people who receive these services?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

I think anything up to 380 is fair game these days, but if you are looking at new, the comps are 360 or so.

However - based on your description, I think University Park is a better bet than Hyattsville - the elementary school is stronger, and there are more homes in your price range -- unless you are looking for new, since Weirlein builders is all over Hyattsville Historic District area.

Are you looking for artsier or family oriented? UP may be better for the latter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

I think anything up to 380 is fair game these days, but if you are looking at new, the comps are 360 or so.

However - based on your description, I think University Park is a better bet than Hyattsville - the elementary school is stronger, and there are more homes in your price range -- unless you are looking for new, since Weirlein builders is all over Hyattsville Historic District area.

Are you looking for artsier or family oriented? UP may be better for the latter.

Yes, I agree that UP is probably better for OP. It's more white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

I think anything up to 380 is fair game these days, but if you are looking at new, the comps are 360 or so.

However - based on your description, I think University Park is a better bet than Hyattsville - the elementary school is stronger, and there are more homes in your price range -- unless you are looking for new, since Weirlein builders is all over Hyattsville Historic District area.

Are you looking for artsier or family oriented? UP may be better for the latter.

Thanks! One of the houses we're considering is a Werrlein one, but it's up by PG Plaza, not in the historic district. We looked at a house in UP and the neighborhood just seemed a bit stuffy? I'm not ruling it out, but the Arts District is more of what we like in a downtown and we would enjoy being able to talk to that.

Honestly, what makes me feel weird about the particular house in Hyattsville that I mentioned is it's large-ish, new, and built up high so it's sort of above the other homes on the block. There is a lot of tension about gentrification in the DC area, and I feel like it sort of screams that developers are coming in. I know it's probably a dumb fear, but I was worried people would judge us and be annoyed about it. There are a bunch of houses I saw when looking at the sold homes that are around the same size and close in price, but look like they fit into the neighborhood more.

Thanks to the other PP for their snide remark about how we only want to live around white people! Wasn't aware that simply asking about a house retaining value should we have to move soon after buying meant I was racist Pretty sure most people don't want their homes to go down in value and I just wanted some opinions on if all the hype about Hyattsville right now maybe artificially increasing home value that won't last.

Just want to make it very clear that I disagree with the PPs talking about how awful any school with low income and/or immigrant children is. If we do end up in Hyattsville, I'll be sending my (currently non-existent, haha) kids to the local public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

I think anything up to 380 is fair game these days, but if you are looking at new, the comps are 360 or so.

However - based on your description, I think University Park is a better bet than Hyattsville - the elementary school is stronger, and there are more homes in your price range -- unless you are looking for new, since Weirlein builders is all over Hyattsville Historic District area.

Are you looking for artsier or family oriented? UP may be better for the latter.

Thanks! One of the houses we're considering is a Werrlein one, but it's up by PG Plaza, not in the historic district. We looked at a house in UP and the neighborhood just seemed a bit stuffy? I'm not ruling it out, but the Arts District is more of what we like in a downtown and we would enjoy being able to talk to that.

Honestly, what makes me feel weird about the particular house in Hyattsville that I mentioned is it's large-ish, new, and built up high so it's sort of above the other homes on the block. There is a lot of tension about gentrification in the DC area, and I feel like it sort of screams that developers are coming in. I know it's probably a dumb fear, but I was worried people would judge us and be annoyed about it. There are a bunch of houses I saw when looking at the sold homes that are around the same size and close in price, but look like they fit into the neighborhood more.

Thanks to the other PP for their snide remark about how we only want to live around white people! Wasn't aware that simply asking about a house retaining value should we have to move soon after buying meant I was racist Pretty sure most people don't want their homes to go down in value and I just wanted some opinions on if all the hype about Hyattsville right now maybe artificially increasing home value that won't last.

Just want to make it very clear that I disagree with the PPs talking about how awful any school with low income and/or immigrant children is. If we do end up in Hyattsville, I'll be sending my (currently non-existent, haha) kids to the local public schools.

Don’t buy near PG plaza. You’ll have a heart attack!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

I think anything up to 380 is fair game these days, but if you are looking at new, the comps are 360 or so.

However - based on your description, I think University Park is a better bet than Hyattsville - the elementary school is stronger, and there are more homes in your price range -- unless you are looking for new, since Weirlein builders is all over Hyattsville Historic District area.

Are you looking for artsier or family oriented? UP may be better for the latter.

Thanks! One of the houses we're considering is a Werrlein one, but it's up by PG Plaza, not in the historic district. We looked at a house in UP and the neighborhood just seemed a bit stuffy? I'm not ruling it out, but the Arts District is more of what we like in a downtown and we would enjoy being able to talk to that.

Honestly, what makes me feel weird about the particular house in Hyattsville that I mentioned is it's large-ish, new, and built up high so it's sort of above the other homes on the block. There is a lot of tension about gentrification in the DC area, and I feel like it sort of screams that developers are coming in. I know it's probably a dumb fear, but I was worried people would judge us and be annoyed about it. There are a bunch of houses I saw when looking at the sold homes that are around the same size and close in price, but look like they fit into the neighborhood more.

Thanks to the other PP for their snide remark about how we only want to live around white people! Wasn't aware that simply asking about a house retaining value should we have to move soon after buying meant I was racist Pretty sure most people don't want their homes to go down in value and I just wanted some opinions on if all the hype about Hyattsville right now maybe artificially increasing home value that won't last.

Just want to make it very clear that I disagree with the PPs talking about how awful any school with low income and/or immigrant children is. If we do end up in Hyattsville, I'll be sending my (currently non-existent, haha) kids to the local public schools.

Why would you think home values would be artificially increasing? Because areas with minorities couldn’t possibly be desirable?

[Anonymous]

Old Greenbelt.

I know a lot of people who live there as I work nearby. It's a highly educated neighborhood and very walkable. There is a small shopping center in old Greenbelt that includes a co-op for shopping. There are walk paths that go off-road throughout the neighborhood that keep children and pedestrians away from roads. There is a main road that goes through the neighborhood and when the walking paths cross the road there are underpasses so that pedestrian traffic does not have to go across the slightly higher traffic road. So highly walkable. It's a great community. If you need more groceries than the co-op has, it's less than a mile to the nearby Safeway and a bigger shopping center. Greenbelt Elementary school is one of the very good elementary schools in PG County. And the houses retain their value and continue to rise in price regularly. It's a very high sought after community, especially the bigger houses in the newer part of the neighborhood (the older part are mostly post WWII smaller homes and garden homes). The neighborhood varies between 0.5 - 2 miles from Greenbelt Metro. The Metro is 1 easy stop away from UMD campus and also an easy 15 minute drive if you need to drive. Easy access to both I-495 beltway and MD-295 B-W Parkway.

[Anonymous]

OP should probably consider neighborhoods in SS right above 495 up to like Rt.29. Its racially and ethnically diverse and at a price-point where you could still afford to go private if you didn't like the zoned school district. I have a rental there with long term tenants who seem to really enjoy living there.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tips about Old Greenbelt and looking in that more northern area of SS. Our realtor just sent a listing of a house in Woodmoor. Any insight into that area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the tips about Old Greenbelt and looking in that more northern area of SS. Our realtor just sent a listing of a house in Woodmoor. Any insight into that area?

Woodmoor is a great neighborhood with a strong sense of community. There are a good number of families who send their kids to Catholic school, but also many who use the public schools. I know several families who live in the neighborhood, and all of them send kids to public schools. It is walking distance to Blair HS.