Bowie rocks! Why isn't it more popular?

[Anonymous]

Bowie is fine with good shopping/dining close by and there are some good top ranked elementary and middle schools. There are some pretty ignorant folks in the DMV area that post on this forum. It seems the more wealthy folks are on here, the more stupid they are and out of touch with reality. Saying that every area in Prince Georges County is bad is about as ignorant as saying that every area in MoCo and VA is good.

Look people, there is crime everywhere. There are ignorant people everywhere. There are ghetto people everywhere. This encompasses ALL races. Spending 1M+ on a home with the expectation that you are moving to an area separating yourself from the outside world is a false reality. Your wealthy next door neighbor just might secretly be a dope fiend. Your child's teacher in one of the nations top schools still may be a pedophile. No matter WHERE you live, you would be foolish to let your young child out of your sight to disappear in your neighborhood as there's a good chance a sex offender lives nearby. No matter WHERE you live, you would be foolish as a single woman to go out jogging alone late at night or early in the morning. Heck, even your city mayor just might be a meth head searching for group sex with men on Craigslist! https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/fairfax-city-mayor-arrested-and-charged-in-connection-with-meth-for-sex-scheme/2016/08/05/3f1c2012-5b07-11e6-9767-f6c947fd0cb8_story.html

In regards to schools, unless a particular school has MAJOR issues, a child will do fine, grow up and contribute well to society but it starts at HOME. It doesn't matter how good a school is if the parents aren't teaching their children proper values at home. And if you think about it, in other parts of the world where kids are way more advanced academically, they would look down on even the top schools in this nation as inferior. So it is all relative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Realizing they could never afford the SFH of their dreams in Fairfax, my best friend just moved with her family to Bowie, and I'm so impressed. I'd been there all of maybe twice in my life but I was so blown away. They got a gorgeous cape on a leafy, tree-lined street for just under $300K. The house is totally renovated, and the lot is massive. Many of the neighbors have already been over to say hi, and one even brought welcome cookies (that doesn't happen in Fairfax). They say the drive is 30-40 minutes door-to-door into Downtown DC with minimal traffic on 50, and apparently there's a pretty decent public elementary school. There's plenty of shopping and dining nearby.

I'm super critical and didn't ever think I'd like anything in PG County, but Bowie is a hidden gem, and it's so affordable. Why isn't it more popular? I feel like nobody really considers Bowie when they're house hunting, and I'm not sure why.

It's Bowie. At best it is 45 minutes away from downtown and on most normal week days, it is closer to 90 minutes. The schools are medicore and there isn't much in the way of anything beyond basic suburban staples in terms of food and shopping.

What shopping are you looking for that's not available in Bowie but is available in Fairfax? Bowie is a good 15 minutes from Annapolis mall which has a ton of shopping options. Annapolis is also a very fun place to eat out. There are also lots of unique places to eat in PG- WaPo had a big feature the other day about ethnic dining in Beltsville. I live nearby and feel no loss over my shopping and dining options.

Annapolis is great, but the question was about Bowie.

[Anonymous]

Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

[Anonymous]

Pg - poor schools high taxes high crime se dc expanded

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pg - poor schools high taxes high crime se dc expanded

You folks have got to stop with this false accusation. Bowie has lower crime rates that most of Montgomery County and most of NoVa.

The parts of PG county that have high crime rates are about 10% of the county inside the beltway. The parts outside of the beltway have comparable crime rates to the other beltway counties. Bowie is one of the lower crime rate areas in the DC metro area.

Also, while the county as a whole has a poor average school rating, there are individual schools in the county that are quite decent including some ES and MS in Bowie.

As a PG county resident, I can't argue that we have high taxes. But compensating for that is the fact that we have a much lower COL than MoCo and NoVa. Gas, rents, housing prices, groceries are all cheaper in PG county, in some cases significantly cheaper.

[Anonymous]

If you choose to buy a home in Bowie (or many other parts of PG County for that matter), I think you need to do it with your eyes open to the fact that it likely will not appreciate anywhere near as fast as homes in other parts of the DC area. This may not be a problem if you only pay $200K for a home there, but if you buy a new build luxury home, its unlikely to appreciate quickly, or it may lose value. The Washington Post ran a series of articles about this about a year ago http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/01/24/the-american-dream-shatters-in-prince-georges-county/.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you choose to buy a home in Bowie (or many other parts of PG County for that matter), I think you need to do it with your eyes open to the fact that it likely will not appreciate anywhere near as fast as homes in other parts of the DC area. This may not be a problem if you only pay $200K for a home there, but if you buy a new build luxury home, its unlikely to appreciate quickly, or it may lose value. The Washington Post ran a series of articles about this about a year ago http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/01/24/the-american-dream-shatters-in-prince-georges-county/.

This has been true in the past but as racism dimishes some you never know! People might start paying more for PG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Oh, and to add, I guess that there is an insinuation here that it is hypocritical to live in a poor area but not send your children to public schools, and... that's really bizarre. I am willing to pay money for a better school experience just like the people all over the region, with smaller classes, less testing, language immersion, and aspects of character education and Christian education incorporated into the curriculum. Nonetheless it was a decision I agonized over quite a bit, until I decided it was worth it to try preschool and see if it was a good experience or go back to the public school. DH also very strongly preferred the Catholic school. But our neighbors' children have attended public school and I am very impressed at how poised and polite they are. I am making this area work for me and it is working very well.

It's not.

It is, however, hypocritical, to sing praises to your community and then spend money to isolate your child from the children of its members.

We do that all the time in DC. For those who cannot afford private or want to say, I support public schools, we Send our kids to niche charters like YY, Lamb, and CMI. These schools have small class room sizes, active parents, foreign languages in elementary, and the ability to dissuade disreputive/underperforming students to leave. We call them public because they are paid with our tax dollars and not our after tax income. But, we all know that most, if not all,are just low-rent private schools paid with tax dollars. Schools without the headaches of traditional public schools. Win-win for us.

You can't "send" your kids to charters, let alone popular charters. You have to lottery and pray for luck. Don't make things sound accessible when they aren't.

Yet people are doing it every school year, sending their kids to charters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you choose to buy a home in Bowie (or many other parts of PG County for that matter), I think you need to do it with your eyes open to the fact that it likely will not appreciate anywhere near as fast as homes in other parts of the DC area. This may not be a problem if you only pay $200K for a home there, but if you buy a new build luxury home, its unlikely to appreciate quickly, or it may lose value. The Washington Post ran a series of articles about this about a year ago http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/01/24/the-american-dream-shatters-in-prince-georges-county/.

Believe it or not, there are many people who buy homes and do not care about appreciation. I am not one of those people but I know people who are like this. They're not looking to make money off their home. Ppl on DCUM even say 'don't worry about appreciation buy a house you actually want to live in and raise your kids in.'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you choose to buy a home in Bowie (or many other parts of PG County for that matter), I think you need to do it with your eyes open to the fact that it likely will not appreciate anywhere near as fast as homes in other parts of the DC area. This may not be a problem if you only pay $200K for a home there, but if you buy a new build luxury home, its unlikely to appreciate quickly, or it may lose value. The Washington Post ran a series of articles about this about a year ago http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/01/24/the-american-dream-shatters-in-prince-georges-county/.

So you are using 18 month old information about the housing market to advise people? January 2015? In real estate, that can be an eternity for trends.

How about looking at some info, also from the Washington Post, from 2016?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2016/04/11/where-home-prices-in-the-d-c-region-are-likely-headed-in-the-coming-months/

Washington Post April 11, 2016 wrote:
The median price of homes sold in the D.C. region last month slipped to $399,000, a $1,000 dip from March 2015. The median price has not risen year-over-year in the past six months.

Median prices were slightly higher in Loudoun County ($440,000 last month from $420,000 in March 2015), Prince William County ($325,000 from $311,062) and Prince George’s County ($234,900 from $224,900).

Median prices slid in Alexandria ($459,500 last month from $494,900 in March 2015), Arlington County ($542,000 from $570,000) and Montgomery County ($385,000 from $397,450).

Median prices were essentially flat in the District ($505,511 last month from $500,000 in March 2015), Fairfax County ($460,000 from $461,000), Howard County ($373,000 from $365,162), Anne Arundel County ($300,000 from $299,450) and Frederick County, Md., ($260,000 from $260,500).

So, by your argument, you should buy in PG County because median home prices rose $10K or 0.4% over the 12 months from March 2015 to March 2016. And you should not buy in Montgomery County because home prices dropped $12K or 0.3% over that same 12 month period.

Then in July of 2016 was this report:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2016/07/13/median-price-of-a-home-in-d-c-region-soars-to-record-high/

Most but not all jurisdictions saw price increases.

The largest median-price gains came in Maryland’s Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Frederick counties and Virginia’s Arlington, Prince William and Fairfax counties. Prince George’s County’s median price rose to $260,000 last month from $240,000 in June 2015. Frederick County’s median price jumped to $295,000 from $275,000. Arlington County’s median price rose to $623,500 from $597,450. Anne Arundel County’s median price climbed to $337,000 from $322,000. Prince William County’s median price went to $347,000 from $334,700. Fairfax County’s median price increased to $515,000 from $495,900. Falls Church’s median price spiked to $737,500 from $568,500, but that was based on only 26 sales.


Montgomery County, the District and Loudoun County had more modest increases. Montgomery County’s median price grew to $435,000 from $425,000. The District’s median price went to $560,000 from $550,000. Loudoun County’s median price moved to $445,000 from $441,750.

Again, PG County home values increased more than Montgomery County home prices.

If you extrapolate from March 2015-June 2015, PG County prices increased from $224,900 to $260,000; an increase of 15.6%. Over the same period, Montgomery County prices rose from $397,450 to $435, a 9.4% increase. PG County prices have been rising more than other areas of our region for a while now.

Your claims of poor house value are really out-of-date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you choose to buy a home in Bowie (or many other parts of PG County for that matter), I think you need to do it with your eyes open to the fact that it likely will not appreciate anywhere near as fast as homes in other parts of the DC area. This may not be a problem if you only pay $200K for a home there, but if you buy a new build luxury home, its unlikely to appreciate quickly, or it may lose value. The Washington Post ran a series of articles about this about a year ago http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/01/24/the-american-dream-shatters-in-prince-georges-county/.

So you are using 18 month old information about the housing market to advise people? January 2015? In real estate, that can be an eternity for trends.

How about looking at some info, also from the Washington Post, from 2016?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2016/04/11/where-home-prices-in-the-d-c-region-are-likely-headed-in-the-coming-months/

Washington Post April 11, 2016 wrote:
The median price of homes sold in the D.C. region last month slipped to $399,000, a $1,000 dip from March 2015. The median price has not risen year-over-year in the past six months.

Median prices were slightly higher in Loudoun County ($440,000 last month from $420,000 in March 2015), Prince William County ($325,000 from $311,062) and Prince George’s County ($234,900 from $224,900).

Median prices slid in Alexandria ($459,500 last month from $494,900 in March 2015), Arlington County ($542,000 from $570,000) and Montgomery County ($385,000 from $397,450).

Median prices were essentially flat in the District ($505,511 last month from $500,000 in March 2015), Fairfax County ($460,000 from $461,000), Howard County ($373,000 from $365,162), Anne Arundel County ($300,000 from $299,450) and Frederick County, Md., ($260,000 from $260,500).

So, by your argument, you should buy in PG County because median home prices rose $10K or 0.4% over the 12 months from March 2015 to March 2016. And you should not buy in Montgomery County because home prices dropped $12K or 0.3% over that same 12 month period.

Then in July of 2016 was this report:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2016/07/13/median-price-of-a-home-in-d-c-region-soars-to-record-high/

Most but not all jurisdictions saw price increases.

The largest median-price gains came in Maryland’s Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Frederick counties and Virginia’s Arlington, Prince William and Fairfax counties. Prince George’s County’s median price rose to $260,000 last month from $240,000 in June 2015. Frederick County’s median price jumped to $295,000 from $275,000. Arlington County’s median price rose to $623,500 from $597,450. Anne Arundel County’s median price climbed to $337,000 from $322,000. Prince William County’s median price went to $347,000 from $334,700. Fairfax County’s median price increased to $515,000 from $495,900. Falls Church’s median price spiked to $737,500 from $568,500, but that was based on only 26 sales.


Montgomery County, the District and Loudoun County had more modest increases. Montgomery County’s median price grew to $435,000 from $425,000. The District’s median price went to $560,000 from $550,000. Loudoun County’s median price moved to $445,000 from $441,750.

Again, PG County home values increased more than Montgomery County home prices.

If you extrapolate from March 2015-June 2015, PG County prices increased from $224,900 to $260,000; an increase of 15.6%. Over the same period, Montgomery County prices rose from $397,450 to $435, a 9.4% increase. PG County prices have been rising more than other areas of our region for a while now.

Your claims of poor house value are really out-of-date.

I think this is a big stretch. The article I quoted looked at historical appreciation over time. You are quoting figures that show appreciation over a 12 month period. A short period of appreciation is no guarantee of appreciation in long term. Anyone buying a house needs to be thinking about gains in the long term, not the short term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think this is a big stretch. The article I quoted looked at historical appreciation over time. You are quoting figures that show appreciation over a 12 month period. A short period of appreciation is no guarantee of appreciation in long term. Anyone buying a house needs to be thinking about gains in the long term, not the short term.

Okay, here's another. After the housing crash from 2007-2011, PG County has come back about 73% in value ($150K to $260K in median price). It still has some room to get back to peak value from 2006, but it has had a continuous and steady growth for 6 years. You can look at the graph that shows growth through May 2015 up to $243K. The WaPo article above says the median home value is $260K in June 2016. Is that a long enough term for you to accept?

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2015/06/23/heres-how-housing-prices-are-rebounding-in-prince.html

In 2011 (the same comparison period), median home values in Montgomery County were $376K. Currently at $435K for an increase of 15.7%.

http://www.zillow.com/montgomery-county-md/home-values/

The argument that buyers in PG County will not see appreciation in their home values is out of date.

If you read the article that was quoted to begin with, they are using a comparison from early 2000's to now. PG County was hit far worst by the recession and housing slump from 2007-2011 than any other jurisdiction in the DC area. Yes, people have still not recovered their pre-2007 housing prices, but both before and after the recession/housing slump, home prices have continued to rise pretty steadily and faster than other areas including Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

[Anonymous]

I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.