What's the deal with Potomac?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s far, and unfortunately has been ruined by large gaudy cheaply built late 90’s and 2000’s McMansions, so it just has an all around tacky, gross, cheap look to it. What’s the point of living in a outer suburban / semi-rural suburb if the picturesque, rural feel has been completely shattered by just ugly, ugly homes? Makes more sense to have an in city house, and then have a second farm property in a rural area that hasn’t been ruined yet like Loudoun or Albemarle counties.

I don’t get all the hate towards McMansions. Most of it is urban elitism anyways. Bethesda and Chevy Chase have a ton of the same type of homes as well, and there are also plenty of non-McMansion homes in Bethesda that are completely fugly/old/tiny/prison-cell-like that people will still pay $900k-$1.4M for because “wAlKaBiLiTy” and “cLoSeR tO dC.” Most neighborhoods in Bethesda are not even walkable and the difference in commute is only 8-15 minutes on average. Some people just want $1.4M-$1.8M homes that actually look and feel like $1.4-1.8M. I agree that actual walkable neighborhoods in Bethesda are preferable to living in a McMansion in Potomac, but most people don’t have the luxury to afford homes in even Potomac, but when a $1M-$1.3M budget only gets you a ratchet box colonial that looks like a frat house in a run down college town, looking further out for a nicer and more modern house is the obvious answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s far, and unfortunately has been ruined by large gaudy cheaply built late 90’s and 2000’s McMansions, so it just has an all around tacky, gross, cheap look to it. What’s the point of living in a outer suburban / semi-rural suburb if the picturesque, rural feel has been completely shattered by just ugly, ugly homes? Makes more sense to have an in city house, and then have a second farm property in a rural area that hasn’t been ruined yet like Loudoun or Albemarle counties.

I don’t get all the hate towards McMansions. Most of it is urban elitism anyways. Bethesda and Chevy Chase have a ton of the same type of homes as well, and there are also plenty of non-McMansion homes in Bethesda that are completely fugly/old/tiny/prison-cell-like that people will still pay $900k-$1.4M for because “wAlKaBiLiTy” and “cLoSeR tO dC.” Most neighborhoods in Bethesda are not even walkable and the difference in commute is only 8-15 minutes on average. Some people just want $1.4M-$1.8M homes that actually look and feel like $1.4-1.8M. I agree that actual walkable neighborhoods in Bethesda are preferable to living in a McMansion in Potomac, but most people don’t have the luxury to afford homes in even Potomac, but when a $1M-$1.3M budget only gets you a ratchet box colonial that looks like a frat house in a run down college town, looking further out for a nicer and more modern house is the obvious answer.

We are in "close in" Bethesda, and now that DH works from home full-time and I only need to be in the office 2x/week, I would LOVE to move further out for more space/land/nicer house. But at this point, we are too lazy and we will be empty nesters in 5 years so it doesn't make financially sense, and would hate to change schools for the kids now. If only COVID started 10 years earlier

[Fffggg123]

It is like Great Falls of MD

[Anonymous]

We moved from CC MD to Potomac last year. For a 20% bump in price (from ~950 to ~1.15) we tripled our space (1900 to 5400 sq ft) and went from a 1/4 acre to three-acre lot.

Architecturally, we went from a dull upgraded 50's rambler in CC MD to a striking 70s modern house in the woods in Potomac. No contest.

The other big plus is that we now don't waste our time pondering the expense and time commitment of a country house -- we wake up in the country every day. And driving around the rolling hills and landscaped lots of Potomac is restful in a way the congestion of CC and Bethesda streets never was.

In practical terms, Potomac's not significantly further out - my new drive commute to Metro Center/DC is only 5-10 minutes longer (highways vs traffic lights).

As for 'walkability,' our experience was the "walkability" of CC MD and Bethesda was mostly a myth except for a handful of streets near Wisc Ave (i've actually never seen anyone but schoolchildren walk across Connecticut Ave). We walked nowhere. And driving two miles into Potomac Village for shopping and services now is a lot easier than driving the same distance into (and parking in) congested Bethesda was.

Why the good values in Potomac? A lot of original Potomac owners from the 1970s and 1980s became empty nesters -- and put their houses on the market -- simultaneously over the past decade, so that probably capped appreciation somewhat. As did the buzz around supposedly 'walkable' neighborhoods and the trendy disparagement on sites like these about so-called McMansions (because somehow 4500 sq ft Potomac colonials on two acre lots are aesthetically objectionable and nouveau riche in ways that grotesque 5500 sq ft Bethesda McBungalows on a fourth of an acre aren't...). I'm assuming that gap may right itself in the future, but even if it doesn't, we're happy to have the market's failure be our gain. At essentially the same price point, living in Potomac is a lot better for us than living in CC MD was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved from CC MD to Potomac last year. For a 20% bump in price (from ~950 to ~1.15) we tripled our space (1900 to 5400 sq ft) and went from a 1/4 acre to three-acre lot.

Architecturally, we went from a dull upgraded 50's rambler in CC MD to a striking 70s modern house in the woods in Potomac. No contest.

The other big plus is that we now don't waste our time pondering the expense and time commitment of a country house -- we wake up in the country every day. And driving around the rolling hills and landscaped lots of Potomac is restful in a way the congestion of CC and Bethesda streets never was.

In practical terms, Potomac's not significantly further out - my new drive commute to Metro Center/DC is only 5-10 minutes longer (highways vs traffic lights).

As for 'walkability,' our experience was the "walkability" of CC MD and Bethesda was mostly a myth except for a handful of streets near Wisc Ave (i've actually never seen anyone but schoolchildren walk across Connecticut Ave). We walked nowhere. And driving two miles into Potomac Village for shopping and services now is a lot easier than driving the same distance into (and parking in) congested Bethesda was.

Why the good values in Potomac? A lot of original Potomac owners from the 1970s and 1980s became empty nesters -- and put their houses on the market -- simultaneously over the past decade, so that probably capped appreciation somewhat. As did the buzz around supposedly 'walkable' neighborhoods and the trendy disparagement on sites like these about so-called McMansions (because somehow 4500 sq ft Potomac colonials on two acre lots are aesthetically objectionable and nouveau riche in ways that grotesque 5500 sq ft Bethesda McBungalows on a fourth of an acre aren't...). I'm assuming that gap may right itself in the future, but even if it doesn't, we're happy to have the market's failure be our gain. At essentially the same price point, living in Potomac is a lot better for us than living in CC MD was.

I'm glad you found such a great house--it does sound terrific. I love some of the modern homes there.

Re: walkability, it's not just about being able to walk for errands, but about having neighborhoods with sidewalks. Much of Potomac doesn't have those. I also see tons of people out walking in Bethesda and DTSS whenever I'm there, so clearly, people are walking. Some people just don't like to walk in urban environments, which is fine, but that's not universal. I lived on the Hill for years and walked everywhere (and took public transportation).

But, yeah, if being able to walk to stuff isn't a priority, and you don't mind a driving commute, there are great deals to be had in Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s far, and unfortunately has been ruined by large gaudy cheaply built late 90’s and 2000’s McMansions, so it just has an all around tacky, gross, cheap look to it. What’s the point of living in a outer suburban / semi-rural suburb if the picturesque, rural feel has been completely shattered by just ugly, ugly homes? Makes more sense to have an in city house, and then have a second farm property in a rural area that hasn’t been ruined yet like Loudoun or Albemarle counties.

I don’t get all the hate towards McMansions. Most of it is urban elitism anyways. Bethesda and Chevy Chase have a ton of the same type of homes as well, and there are also plenty of non-McMansion homes in Bethesda that are completely fugly/old/tiny/prison-cell-like that people will still pay $900k-$1.4M for because “wAlKaBiLiTy” and “cLoSeR tO dC.” Most neighborhoods in Bethesda are not even walkable and the difference in commute is only 8-15 minutes on average. Some people just want $1.4M-$1.8M homes that actually look and feel like $1.4-1.8M. I agree that actual walkable neighborhoods in Bethesda are preferable to living in a McMansion in Potomac, but most people don’t have the luxury to afford homes in even Potomac, but when a $1M-$1.3M budget only gets you a ratchet box colonial that looks like a frat house in a run down college town, looking further out for a nicer and more modern house is the obvious answer.

Cope harder. Bethesda sucks too — some of the poop neighborhoods in Bethesda are 100% littered with mcraftsmans, which are pretty heinous, but nothing compared to the Greek and Roman columned white and tan brick faux-architecture horrible homes in Potomac. Coupled with the fact that Montgomery county is a fiscally doomed county with zero jobs, and Potomac is a sure loser. It’s not the country, it’s a tacky suburb that was popular in the 90’s and 2000’s in the days when gas was cheap and baby boomers loved massive cheaply built houses of questionable architectural integrity.

[Anonymous]

Further out, less walkable, less charm. But! More space, better schools (usually), more nature.

In my mind, that is the basic tradeoff for Potomac and many other further-out suburbs.

[Anonymous]

There are also a lot more places that are similar to Potomac than are similar to Bethesda. IMO I would pick Cabin John over Potomac, even though to me they have similar feels.

[Anonymous]

Most of Potomac was built out in the 1970s and later, so the houses are bigger than closer in when most of the building was done in the 1950s-1970s. The zoning in much of Potomac requires bigger lots too. The prices are lower because it's further from DC so commute is longer (if that's where you commute).

A lot of the neighborhoods in Potomac are in a turnover cycle now. Empty-nesters moving out and young families moving in. Some of them seem to still have the older crowd, like Avenel and Tara. But places like River Falls, Potomac Falls, the neighborhood off Sorrel Ave., and the neighborhoods by Churchill and Hoover, etc. are seeing lots of young families move in.

[Anonymous]

Re: walkability...I also see tons of people out walking in Bethesda and DTSS whenever I'm there, so clearly, people are walking.

PP here. When people talk about living in walkable communities, they're generally assumed to be talking about the street they live on and what they can walk to - not what they can drive to. Many/most people you see walking in Bethesda and DTSS -- especially families, who don't live in the recently built condos -- have driven to get there. If driving to sidewalk shopping in Bethesda or SS is something one prefers to minimalls (and let's be honest that those are manufactured 'downtowns' and largely chain stores -- they're not a whole lot different from Pike and Rose), that's certainly a defensible aesthetic choice. (And to point out the obvious, it's a drivable option that's also open to residents of Potomac, which abuts Bethesda.)

But as someone who drives two miles to all my shopping in Potomac Village, when I hear people from Bethesda who walk nowhere and drive 5+ miles (from say Burning Tree or Norwood) to downtown Bethesda, or who live in Chevy Chase and walk nowhere but drive 4 miles (say from CT Ave) to downtown Silver Spring, preen about how important it is to them to live in a so-called "walkable community," it strikes me as not just misleading but about as silly (or fraudulent) as Marie Antoinette's faux-farm at Versailles.

Which could, if one had the energy, lead to a cultural critique of greater Bethesda as the Disneyland of 21st century gilded ghettos -- faux bungalows, faux downtowns, faux walkability ("lets drive to go walk!"), faux diversity (because most would acknowledge you'll actually find more diverse crowds in Montgomery Mall and the dreaded minimalls of Rockville Pike than in faux-urban downtown Bethesda). But it works for some people, so obviously the investors and marketers are doing something right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved from CC MD to Potomac last year. For a 20% bump in price (from ~950 to ~1.15) we tripled our space (1900 to 5400 sq ft) and went from a 1/4 acre to three-acre lot.

Architecturally, we went from a dull upgraded 50's rambler in CC MD to a striking 70s modern house in the woods in Potomac. No contest.

The other big plus is that we now don't waste our time pondering the expense and time commitment of a country house -- we wake up in the country every day. And driving around the rolling hills and landscaped lots of Potomac is restful in a way the congestion of CC and Bethesda streets never was.

In practical terms, Potomac's not significantly further out - my new drive commute to Metro Center/DC is only 5-10 minutes longer (highways vs traffic lights).

As for 'walkability,' our experience was the "walkability" of CC MD and Bethesda was mostly a myth except for a handful of streets near Wisc Ave (i've actually never seen anyone but schoolchildren walk across Connecticut Ave). We walked nowhere. And driving two miles into Potomac Village for shopping and services now is a lot easier than driving the same distance into (and parking in) congested Bethesda was.

Why the good values in Potomac? A lot of original Potomac owners from the 1970s and 1980s became empty nesters -- and put their houses on the market -- simultaneously over the past decade, so that probably capped appreciation somewhat. As did the buzz around supposedly 'walkable' neighborhoods and the trendy disparagement on sites like these about so-called McMansions (because somehow 4500 sq ft Potomac colonials on two acre lots are aesthetically objectionable and nouveau riche in ways that grotesque 5500 sq ft Bethesda McBungalows on a fourth of an acre aren't...). I'm assuming that gap may right itself in the future, but even if it doesn't, we're happy to have the market's failure be our gain. At essentially the same price point, living in Potomac is a lot better for us than living in CC MD was.

I did the opposite - moved from Potomac to CC MD. Paid A LOT more to maintain sq ft and lost a huge yard... but you're kidding yourself if you think your commute is only a few minutes longer. That is pandemic traffic. It used to take me 30 minutes MINIMUM just to get to River and Bradley from just north of Potomac center. There are wonderful, wonderful things about living in Potomac, but you give up community and commutability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Further out, less walkable, less charm. But! More space, better schools (usually), more nature.

In my mind, that is the basic tradeoff for Potomac and many other further-out suburbs.

Less charm that the 50s brick boxes all over Bethesda! Please! Potomac is from from ideal, but I really do not get the love for Bethesda. It's fugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are houses so much cheaper/larger there than Bethesda, Kensington, etc? What's the culture like? Young families? Left leaning?

It was very popular 20-30 years ago. Today most younger people aren't into driving everywhere and prefer walkable areas that are closer in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are houses so much cheaper/larger there than Bethesda, Kensington, etc? What's the culture like? Young families? Left leaning?

It was very popular 20-30 years ago. Today most younger people aren't into driving everywhere and prefer walkable areas that are closer in.

Say that to all the young families moving to Clarksburg and Frederick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s far, and unfortunately has been ruined by large gaudy cheaply built late 90’s and 2000’s McMansions, so it just has an all around tacky, gross, cheap look to it. What’s the point of living in a outer suburban / semi-rural suburb if the picturesque, rural feel has been completely shattered by just ugly, ugly homes? Makes more sense to have an in city house, and then have a second farm property in a rural area that hasn’t been ruined yet like Loudoun or Albemarle counties.

I don’t get all the hate towards McMansions. Most of it is urban elitism anyways. Bethesda and Chevy Chase have a ton of the same type of homes as well, and there are also plenty of non-McMansion homes in Bethesda that are completely fugly/old/tiny/prison-cell-like that people will still pay $900k-$1.4M for because “wAlKaBiLiTy” and “cLoSeR tO dC.” Most neighborhoods in Bethesda are not even walkable and the difference in commute is only 8-15 minutes on average. Some people just want $1.4M-$1.8M homes that actually look and feel like $1.4-1.8M. I agree that actual walkable neighborhoods in Bethesda are preferable to living in a McMansion in Potomac, but most people don’t have the luxury to afford homes in even Potomac, but when a $1M-$1.3M budget only gets you a ratchet box colonial that looks like a frat house in a run down college town, looking further out for a nicer and more modern house is the obvious answer.

Cope harder. Bethesda sucks too — some of the poop neighborhoods in Bethesda are 100% littered with mcraftsmans, which are pretty heinous, but nothing compared to the Greek and Roman columned white and tan brick faux-architecture horrible homes in Potomac. Coupled with the fact that Montgomery county is a fiscally doomed county with zero jobs, and Potomac is a sure loser. It’s not the country, it’s a tacky suburb that was popular in the 90’s and 2000’s in the days when gas was cheap and baby boomers loved massive cheaply built houses of questionable architectural integrity.

Montgomery County will be fine. They don't need jobs. Everyone I know who lives in Potomac either has their own business or work in DC. There aren't many jobs in McLean or Great Falls, VA either. Folks work in the city.