Dc area burbs: Help me figure out where I should look

[Anonymous]

If your office is walkable from Union Station, you can go anywhere off the VRE/Marc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AU Park or Cleveland Park.

+1

Cleveland park Is great but I don’t think you can buy much for 1.5 there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Close in Silver Spring (inside the Beltway). It’s 20 min on the metro to Union Station.

+1. Also the areas just outside the beltway near Forest Glen.

This is where I live and I love it but OP has $1.5 million to spend and houses here are generally in the 500-900K range. OP may want to look in Kensington which is an easy drive to the Forest Glen metro and potentially easy walk to the MARC train to Union Station. Houses are closer to OP’s budget there. I also agree with PP who suggested Takoma Park.

I mean, just because they can afford 1.5M doesn’t mean they have to spend the full amount.

Sure but I think budget can dictate expectations. But the area around the Forest Glen metro is nice and I think currently undervalued so a good investment.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure I understand the takoma park recs when you’re commuting to the hill. We live in westover in Arlington with two kids in a house worth less than 1.2. Very happy on all accounts. Small yard, great neighbors, very happy with the walkability and ease getting places. We bike a lot - trails abound here too. My husband used to commute to the hill daily pre-pandemic. By car, super easy. By train he would bike to metro and go in that way and I can’t remember how long maybe 45 min it wasn’t that short because he had the bike at the front end etc. So maybe takoma park isn’t that bad either, just seems on the other side of things from the hill. We highly considered takoma park md as well so agree it’s a great spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I understand the takoma park recs when you’re commuting to the hill. We live in westover in Arlington with two kids in a house worth less than 1.2. Very happy on all accounts. Small yard, great neighbors, very happy with the walkability and ease getting places. We bike a lot - trails abound here too. My husband used to commute to the hill daily pre-pandemic. By car, super easy. By train he would bike to metro and go in that way and I can’t remember how long maybe 45 min it wasn’t that short because he had the bike at the front end etc. So maybe takoma park isn’t that bad either, just seems on the other side of things from the hill. We highly considered takoma park md as well so agree it’s a great spot.

I missed the aging hipsters at the end so now I understand the TP recs more! Def might be a great fit/spot for you if commute can work. TP was a better fit for us culturally but Arlington made more sense location wise for us for a variety of reasons and we’ve been happy, but definitely skews a little more preppy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I understand the takoma park recs when you’re commuting to the hill. We live in westover in Arlington with two kids in a house worth less than 1.2. Very happy on all accounts. Small yard, great neighbors, very happy with the walkability and ease getting places. We bike a lot - trails abound here too. My husband used to commute to the hill daily pre-pandemic. By car, super easy. By train he would bike to metro and go in that way and I can’t remember how long maybe 45 min it wasn’t that short because he had the bike at the front end etc. So maybe takoma park isn’t that bad either, just seems on the other side of things from the hill. We highly considered takoma park md as well so agree it’s a great spot.

Takoma Park is a 15 minute metro ride (max) from Union Station, so makes sense to me why you’d consider TP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m hopelessly clueless about the areas surrounding DC. We are starting to think about moving from our townhouse in DC to somewhere out in the burbs, but “out of DC” is so many places I’m a bit lost as to where we should even start looking! If you moved out of DC, where’d you go and why?

About us: we’ve got two kids in elementary, and frankly the reason for the move is to be in a more established school and school system. It would also be nice to have some of those amenities I think of when I imagine moving out of the city—like a proper yard, parking, and a little extra space. But I go in to work almost every day down by the Hill, so don’t want to be spending too too much time commuting (or if there is a longer commute hopefully it would be all on train or something?). We also don’t want to completely abandon our mostly walking/biking lifestyle around our neighborhood, and hopefully some place that would welcome some aging hipsters who lean maybe a little bit crunchy. Does such an area exist?? I thiink we’d be hoping to find something around 1.5ish. Are we dreaming?!?

Anyone know where we should start looking?!

Easy. Bethesda. Woodacres/Pyle/Whitman. Done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hopelessly clueless about the areas surrounding DC. We are starting to think about moving from our townhouse in DC to somewhere out in the burbs, but “out of DC” is so many places I’m a bit lost as to where we should even start looking! If you moved out of DC, where’d you go and why?

About us: we’ve got two kids in elementary, and frankly the reason for the move is to be in a more established school and school system. It would also be nice to have some of those amenities I think of when I imagine moving out of the city—like a proper yard, parking, and a little extra space. But I go in to work almost every day down by the Hill, so don’t want to be spending too too much time commuting (or if there is a longer commute hopefully it would be all on train or something?). We also don’t want to completely abandon our mostly walking/biking lifestyle around our neighborhood, and hopefully some place that would welcome some aging hipsters who lean maybe a little bit crunchy. Does such an area exist?? I thiink we’d be hoping to find something around 1.5ish. Are we dreaming?!?

Anyone know where we should start looking?!

Easy. Bethesda. Woodacres/Pyle/Whitman. Done.

For aging hipsters who are a little crunchy?! Who want walkable? Pffft.

OP, Takoma Park would work well. So would Kensington near the MARC station. Or Forest Glen. It depends on how wealthy you want the schools to be, frankly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Close in Silver Spring (inside the Beltway). It’s 20 min on the metro to Union Station.

+1. Also the areas just outside the beltway near Forest Glen.

This is where I live and I love it but OP has $1.5 million to spend and houses here are generally in the 500-900K range. OP may want to look in Kensington which is an easy drive to the Forest Glen metro and potentially easy walk to the MARC train to Union Station. Houses are closer to OP’s budget there. I also agree with PP who suggested Takoma Park.

Op here! Wow so many helpful responses! And for the record, I would be happier if I didn’t have to spend 1.5, and could keep it closer to 1 or 1.2, but with my casual browsing I had assumed that wouldn’t cut it.

I live in this area (Linden neighborhood) and love it too. There are some houses that have sold for a million in my neighborhood and they are beautiful big houses. Woodside could also work for you. There hasn't been much on sale this year around here though.

[Anonymous]

Woodside Park

Linden Lane area

[Anonymous]

The city of Falls Church. Great schools and not that far out.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the Bethesda, Takoma Park, and Silver Spring suggestions. Those are all super close-in and will have everything that you’re looking for. Pick the one you like and can afford the most!

Arlington may also be worth a look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I understand the takoma park recs when you’re commuting to the hill. We live in westover in Arlington with two kids in a house worth less than 1.2. Very happy on all accounts. Small yard, great neighbors, very happy with the walkability and ease getting places. We bike a lot - trails abound here too. My husband used to commute to the hill daily pre-pandemic. By car, super easy. By train he would bike to metro and go in that way and I can’t remember how long maybe 45 min it wasn’t that short because he had the bike at the front end etc. So maybe takoma park isn’t that bad either, just seems on the other side of things from the hill. We highly considered takoma park md as well so agree it’s a great spot.

Takoma Park is a 15 minute metro ride (max) from Union Station, so makes sense to me why you’d consider TP.

Well, you do need to factor in that the trains are coming more slowly after COVID, also the time needed to commute to the station. I live a 10-minute walk from the metro and it takes me 35 mins to get downtown most days.

[AgentX]

The Virginia side will be a tougher commute for you to the Hill. Do you have a strong preference on VA or MD? Many people who are from here do have strong preferences.

If MD - I would say Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington

If VA - Falls Church City, Vienna is lovely but would be pushing it with a commute

If DC - AU Park, Glover Park, Chevy Chase

[Anonymous]

AgentX wrote:The Virginia side will be a tougher commute for you to the Hill. Do you have a strong preference on VA or MD? Many people who are from here do have strong preferences.

If MD - I would say Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington

If VA - Falls Church City, Vienna is lovely but would be pushing it with a commute

If DC - AU Park, Glover Park, Chevy Chase

These are a longer commute than Takoma Park to Capitol Hill.