What did you prioritize when selecting your current primary residence?

[Anonymous]

We prioritized finding a house and neighborhood we love that wasn't at the top end of our budget. We purchased our house at the start of the pandemic, so we also valued a reasonable commute. Well, now we're both working from home. The local schools are mediocre; I've already heard the neighbors complaining about them and sending their kids elsewhere. I still love our house and neighborhood, but I wish I considered the school situation more.

[Anonymous]

Location.

[Anonymous]

Structure attributes like space and comfort, community and schools, regional location, immediate location.

[Anonymous]

Location- schools that we are happy with, community that we want to be a partnof and reasonable commutes. 10 years later and we are happy

[Anonymous]

Resale value which equated to location and schools with good reputations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We prioritized finding a house and neighborhood we love that wasn't at the top end of our budget. We purchased our house at the start of the pandemic, so we also valued a reasonable commute. Well, now we're both working from home. The local schools are mediocre; I've already heard the neighbors complaining about them and sending their kids elsewhere. I still love our house and neighborhood, but I wish I considered the school situation more.

We had basically the exact same priorities and ended up in a similar situation. My spouse is hybrid so the good commute still helps, but it would have been a lower priority had we known we'd be mostly WFH.

We also prioritized size. In the neighborhoods we liked with better schools, the houses we could afford were at the top of our budget and kind of small, so I thought we'd feel cramped after a few years. Going for more space turned out to be kind of a lifesaver since we unexpectedly found ourselves needing home office space. You win some, you lose some I guess. Having the affordable mortgage at least leaves more funds for private, so it turned out okay.

[Anonymous]

Location with emphasis on the school district. Also, 2 (small) home offices and a home gym. I can't imagine living without them now.

[Anonymous]

Location. We wanted some walkability and easy access to parks, trails. Schools also a high consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We prioritized finding a house and neighborhood we love that wasn't at the top end of our budget. We purchased our house at the start of the pandemic, so we also valued a reasonable commute. Well, now we're both working from home. The local schools are mediocre; I've already heard the neighbors complaining about them and sending their kids elsewhere. I still love our house and neighborhood, but I wish I considered the school situation more.

We had basically the exact same priorities and ended up in a similar situation. My spouse is hybrid so the good commute still helps, but it would have been a lower priority had we known we'd be mostly WFH.

We also prioritized size. In the neighborhoods we liked with better schools, the houses we could afford were at the top of our budget and kind of small, so I thought we'd feel cramped after a few years. Going for more space turned out to be kind of a lifesaver since we unexpectedly found ourselves needing home office space. You win some, you lose some I guess. Having the affordable mortgage at least leaves more funds for private, so it turned out okay.

OP here. Did you decide on private schooling for sure? If so, what grade did you start at? I'm not sure whether we should give the public school a chance first or not. Or do private schooling through middle school.

[Anonymous]

Location
schools
flat yard
garage
new construction

[Anonymous]

Kitchen and bathrooms, no mold, good foundation/structure. Ignored paint and carpeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We prioritized finding a house and neighborhood we love that wasn't at the top end of our budget. We purchased our house at the start of the pandemic, so we also valued a reasonable commute. Well, now we're both working from home. The local schools are mediocre; I've already heard the neighbors complaining about them and sending their kids elsewhere. I still love our house and neighborhood, but I wish I considered the school situation more.

We had basically the exact same priorities and ended up in a similar situation. My spouse is hybrid so the good commute still helps, but it would have been a lower priority had we known we'd be mostly WFH.

We also prioritized size. In the neighborhoods we liked with better schools, the houses we could afford were at the top of our budget and kind of small, so I thought we'd feel cramped after a few years. Going for more space turned out to be kind of a lifesaver since we unexpectedly found ourselves needing home office space. You win some, you lose some I guess. Having the affordable mortgage at least leaves more funds for private, so it turned out okay.

OP here. Did you decide on private schooling for sure? If so, what grade did you start at? I'm not sure whether we should give the public school a chance first or not. Or do private schooling through middle school.

Our kids aren’t school age yet so we haven’t decided. I’m leaning towards giving the public a chance, but it’s not really our elementary that’s bad, it’s middle/high. It seems like it might be easier on the kids to just start with K though!

[Anonymous]

For us first was budget: 450k max. That narrowed down our location choices a lot. Then A+ public schools were the second eliminating factor. Next, a safe, quiet neighborhood where we could afford a nice house. To me, nice = general good state with no inspection issues, not cramped, 4 bedrooms, a yard, no neglected houses in immediate surroundings.

[Anonymous]

Location and budget. We had other things we wanted but those fell by the wayside after losing out on so many homes.

I will reveal my identity to our friends by noting that (20 years later) our dining room table still does not fit in the dining room. It's a sore point.

[Anonymous]

We prioritized budget, commute, and to an extent schools. We ended up buying in what DCUM considers an undesirable part of FCPS. (I was comfortable with that because I went through a middle-of-the-pack FCPS pyramid myself.) We have one child now and plan to send her to the local public. If circumstances change, we’ll consider sending her to private.