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Thinking of relocating to DC - quality of life question
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Anonymous
| My impression is that, unlike NY, DC is not a rental city, by and large. Most people in your income bracket own. |
Anonymous
| Another thing to consider may be whether or not your company will generate the same income in DC. |
Anonymous
| Hum, if you just want to rent you'll probably be okay, although I think if you want someplace nice rent will be closer to $2500-3000/mo. But to buy? I'm not sure how the other poster was able to buy in AU Park on an income of 190K; our household income is 240K and we can't afford to buy there yet. |
Anonymous
| DC is also a city you need to drive in. You can get by without driving, but you won't have as easy a time if you rely on public transportation. I think the buses are pretty good, but I would imagine it difficult with kids (I have never been on a city or county bus, so that is pure speculation). It's not like NY in that you don't have this huge area you can just walk around to get what you need. Bethesda, Arlington, Rockville and Alexandria are also nice areas that are more city-like (although Alexandria doesn't have the high rises and Rockville is a little further out). You may want to look into buying....it's a great time to buy! |
Anonymous
| Our income is $230k, but $200k when you take into account that we max out our 401(k)s, and we live a comfortable lifestyle in NW DC (Chevy Chase neighborhood). Until about 6 months ago, we rented a house here & we bought a 4 br/2 ba last year. Our current mortgage (interest only for first 10 years) is comparable to our rent -- about $3k per month. We pay $1,300 monthly for child care. We do only have one car, but otherwise live a normal lifestyle. I agree with the PP that people on this Board will make you think you need $500k to survive, but $200k is more than enough. |
Anonymous
Huh? I'm assuming you are a suburban dweller? DC was just named the most walkable city by some travel magazine. And I agree. The Metro is actually pretty darned good - 2nd only to NYC's system. THe trains are also much better than the bus system! You can live on the red line from Woodley Park - Friendship Heights. Or, live on a bus line Chevy Chase, DC or Forest Hills (not far from Van Ness anyway), Glover Park (where you can definitely buy in your income). From where I live in the city, in 20 minutes I can get to the zoo, my dc's preschool, multiple food stores, too many restaurants to count, 4 playgrounds and 3 different Metro stops. I'm not sure where the PP is getting her information. I have no clue why anyone would NEED to drive in this city. It's just a preference that people have in DC. OP - if you want to live in the city, you will not have a problem with transportation (unless you drive and clog the roads up some more!) |
Anonymous
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Two quick comments:
1) Life in DC without a car is possible if you are near public transport. My husband and I JUST bought our first car. We have one daughter and number 2 on the way. We live in the U Street area downtown. 2) Cost of everyday things in DC (food, dry cleaning, even eating out) is surprisingly expensive. I actually love going to New York to see how cheap things are! I always joke that the market does not operate in DC (not talking about the burbs at all). There just don't seem to be enough shops or competition in DC to bring prices down like they do in New York. I think that the size of Manhattan brings the every day prices of things down a lot more. just my .02 |
Anonymous
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I'm the poster that thinks DC is easier with a car. I did not say you can't live in DC without a car, I said it's easier to have one. I am a "suburban dweller" but the suburbs and city are pretty inter-twined here. It's not as if DC is a foreign place for me. Anyway, I don't use public transportation very often and that's why I wrote that I would imagine it would be hard and that I don't use the bus or anything. It was a comment, not a definitive statement. The reason I posted about it is because I often meet people who move from cities like Boston or NYC and think they'll move here and have the same ease of use with public transportation. It's fine if you never meet anyone outside of the city or want to see the area as a whole, but about 90%+ of the people I work with don't live within the city lines or within walking distance of a metro stop, so if you make any friends who don't live within the DC lines, you won't easily be able to see them. You also greatly limit job options if you are only looking on the Metro lines. You can get to things on the Metro, but I will definitely disagree that it's 2nd only to NYC's line. You can get barely anywhere outside of the city. Just as a personal complaint, while I enjoy the cleanliness of the lines, I hate that you can't take a cup of coffee or even eat a granola bar on the Metro. But, that's just a personal annoyance.
In NY you can get from Connecticut, out into Long Island.....you can live in Suffolk County and get into the city for work in the morning just using the LIRR. There are very specific places you need to live in the suburbs to do that here. In Manhattan you can barely walk 5 mintues without running into a subway stop, that is not true here. My husband and I live near the red line, but we'd have to drive to get there and he works right off a Metro stop on the blue line, so he'd have to switch trains at Union Station to get there and it would forever. Plus, we'd have to pay for the parking or I'd have to drop him off, which would negatively impact my commute (one line + bus to get to my work, which would be much longer than my car commute). On the bright side, if you do take the Metro, you will get re-imbursed for it from the Government, which is pretty cool. I found the article the PP was referring to (which ranks the "Washington area"): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22097393/ It lists Ballston as walkable, which is actually in Virginia. (I did mention Arlington as a good place to live if you want to walk to things, but my husband works in Ballston, and the places you'll get to aren't that hot.). It also lists Friendship Heights in MD, which is pretty nice actually and I would personally choose to live there if I were looking for a place near a metro that had a lot going on. I just think that people moving here should be aware that looking in the states directly bordering the city isn't a bad idea. This city is not a city like NYC as I am often reminded by NY transplants. I personally love NYC and agree with a lot of the complaints about some of the things in DC, but do like living here and think it's important that when people move here they get a full picture of the differences. |
Anonymous
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Finding a place to rent in DC is much easier than finding a place in NY. Plus no brokers fees. Also, most of the big buildings are run by large management companies that have websites. And a lot of the newer buildings have their own websites. You can find accurate info on rents, floorplans, amenities, etc. for a lot of places online. The first example I can think of off the top of my head is archstoneapartments.com but a google search should turn up a bunch more stuff.
As far as needing a car, you don't if you live close to the metro or a bus line that runs most places you'd want to go. There are lots of neighborhoods in DC to choose from that are walkable. But having a car here compared with in NY is a lot cheaper (I pay about 1/4 of the insurance I paid in Brooklyn) and more convenient (most streets don't have alternate side parking). |
Anonymous
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OP here.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I am still checking this post and reading the responses. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts and input. It's good to get all the details and be reminded of all of the differences between the cities. So thanks! I'll keep checking. |
Anonymous
| The cost of renting vs. owning in the District proper argues heavily in favor of renting right now -- see the recent Washington Post story that mentions this. (It's referring to condo ownership rather than SFH, I think.) Living on the Red Line is great. If you need a car, you can always join Zipcar. They're parked all over the city. There's really no need for a car if you live and work in the District. |
Anonymous
| I agree that living in DC without a car is totally doable. It's especially true if you're considering living in an apartment building in upper NW. There are many great buildings located within a short walk to the Red Line Metro stops (and grocery stores, restaurants & playgrounds!) I lived here for almost 10 years without a car, and it's even easier with Zipcar and Flexcar available when you need to make a big Target run or visit a friend in the 'burbs. Plus, there's always cabs. Using public transportation is a really great way to save $$$. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
Anyone happen to have a link to the Washington Post article mentioned above? Or the date so I can search more easily? Thanks! |
Anonymous
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I don't think that the Wash Post article really supports the poster's point - it just said that the rental market isn't as strong as it has been. But that doesn't mean that the market is weak, either. So you might get some freebies like a free TV or one month's rent offered by some newer buildings (especially those that were planning to be condos), but there aren't exactly bargains out there (at least by D.C. standards; by NYC standards, the prices will look good).
Personally, with our mortgage tax deduction plus building equity by paying down the principle each month (no interest only loan for us), plus building equity due to the fact that prices are still rising in the best neighborhoods in D.C., we come out ahead by owning. |
Anonymous
If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for your house, and what kind of shape was it in when you bought it (i.e. does it need some major renovations?)? A mortgage of around $3K per month for a 4BR/2BA in Chevy Chase seems unbelievable to me (not that I think you're lying, just that I think you got an incredible deal). |