Don't buy in MoCo until the school redistricting is setled?

[Anonymous]

I hope you scare people away, OP. It's getting too crowded here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are idiots. Or one idiot posting on all these MoCo threads.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I personally feel that it makes more sense to wait and see what the outcome will be for redistricting. Also, it'd be nice to wait and see if the county will increase property taxes in 2022 to cover their ever increasing budget deficit. I mean it's only the most expensive thing you'll ever buy, and you'd be insane to not care if there's risk for losing $100-200k on it overnight, or get blindly slammed with tax increases soon that change your affordability picture. Too many clouds. I'd wait until 2022-2024 until the dust settles. Many baby boomers are going to flood the markets then too. Too many incentives and risks to hold for now and not buy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are idiots. Or one idiot posting on all these MoCo threads.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I personally feel that it makes more sense to wait and see what the outcome will be for redistricting. Also, it'd be nice to wait and see if the county will increase property taxes in 2022 to cover their ever increasing budget deficit. I mean it's only the most expensive thing you'll ever buy, and you'd be insane to not care if there's risk for losing $100-200k on it overnight, or get blindly slammed with tax increases soon that change your affordability picture. Too many clouds. I'd wait until 2022-2024 until the dust settles. Many baby boomers are going to flood the markets then too. Too many incentives and risks to hold for now and not buy.

You've made your case. Don't do it. Don't buy in MoCo. Please....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I were considering moving up houses in Bethesda next year, but the brewing school redistricting mess has us a little spooked. Are there areas of Bethesda that are more likely to emerge unscathed? We would be fine with Whitman or BCC but wouldn't want to buy an expensive home only to have our kids riding a bus to some school that is farther away than that.

Should we just wait it out and buy only when the new boundaries are set and final?

If you mean most likely to remain in their current cluster, then those would be the areas along the river and the DC line (furthest away from adjacent clusters), and also the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the school buildings themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't touch real estate with a 39.5ft pole until it's settled. You wanna lose $100-200k overnight?

It's OK to buy in places where value is largely in the home's location, and not so much tied to the schools. For example, folks that want to buy a (comparatively) inexpensive home in a failing school district are completely safe, in my opinion, and have no reason to hesitate.

Thanks Ms. Irrelevant. Try reading the OP. No intention of buying in a failing school district.

[Anonymous]

I live in East MoCo and never worried about this. Come over to the dark side OP, you can buy a nicer house for much less money, your kids will do just as well in school, they will have less competition, and your house won't lose value. Win win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I were considering moving up houses in Bethesda next year, but the brewing school redistricting mess has us a little spooked. Are there areas of Bethesda that are more likely to emerge unscathed? We would be fine with Whitman or BCC but wouldn't want to buy an expensive home only to have our kids riding a bus to some school that is farther away than that.

Should we just wait it out and buy only when the new boundaries are set and final?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I were considering moving up houses in Bethesda next year, but the brewing school redistricting mess has us a little spooked. Are there areas of Bethesda that are more likely to emerge unscathed? We would be fine with Whitman or BCC but wouldn't want to buy an expensive home only to have our kids riding a bus to some school that is farther away than that.

Should we just wait it out and buy only when the new boundaries are set and final?

OP, nobody can tell you anything because nobody knows anything. Your guess is as good
as the next person.

[Anonymous]

OP, given that there are three brand new high schools being built in MC to open in 2025 (Crown, Northwood and Woodward), you have a long wait. Meanwhile, your children will get settled in the schools where you live now, make good friends, and you won't want to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse and I were considering moving up houses in Bethesda next year, but the brewing school redistricting mess has us a little spooked. Are there areas of Bethesda that are more likely to emerge unscathed? We would be fine with Whitman or BCC but wouldn't want to buy an expensive home only to have our kids riding a bus to some school that is farther away than that.

Should we just wait it out and buy only when the new boundaries are set and final?

If you mean most likely to remain in their current cluster, then those would be the areas along the river and the DC line (furthest away from adjacent clusters), and also the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the school buildings themselves.

PP, you missed the point of the question, OP is probably wondering if any school will be immune to boundary
changes and if so, the answer is NO because even if the residents of the immediate areas won't be moved
form the boundary of the given school, many kids from poor neighborhoods will be bussed into the very
school and so most likely the character of the school will loose luster to the people who are not looking
for diversity. OP, if you embrace the diversity then any school will be fine. But my feel is that if you
were to embraced it then you probably would do it already and then Bethesda or not would not make
any difference. Right?

[Anonymous]

OP, this can tell you a little bit more of the boundary process, written in April so few things happened then, including
few public hearings but overall lots of info for you here:

Montgomery County is finally talking about its segregated schools. But can we fix them?
https://ggwash.org/view/71803/montgomery-county-is-finally-talking-about-its-segregated-schools.-but-can-we-fix-them

[Anonymous]

*since then

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't touch real estate with a 39.5ft pole until it's settled. You wanna lose $100-200k overnight?

It's OK to buy in places where value is largely in the home's location, and not so much tied to the schools. For example, folks that want to buy a (comparatively) inexpensive home in a failing school district are completely safe, in my opinion, and have no reason to hesitate.

Thanks Ms. Irrelevant. Try reading the OP. No intention of buying in a failing school district.

This forum has wide readership and is searchable. It would be irresponsible to potentially suppress market demand in areas of the county where redistricting will have no impact.

I do agree that those areas hold no appeal for the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Troll.

No, YOU are a troll for pretending like it's a pertinent question, or one that every single home buyer will be asking for the duration of your hare-brained redistricting idea.

So sick of the anti-Montgomery County TROLL. Go away.

Hard to face the truth, huh?

Or are you a homeowner, selling your home, and desperately trying leave someone else holding the bag?

People like you would definitely lose money if you moved to MoCo. It would suck up all of your hard-earned money and you'd end up destitute. Plus your kids would get a crappy education. We dont' want you here -- er, I mean, it would be a terrible financial decision!

The situation is dire, OP. I repeat, DO NOT move here! DO NOT. PLEASE.....

[Anonymous]

OP, if you're actually serious, here's a serious response: if you wait until the school boundaries are fully settled, you'll never buy anything anywhere. School boundaries are always in play. The biggest changes in MoCo will come from the new high schools currently budgeted to open in 5-6 years. MCPS does not determine boundaries until 18 months before they open, so you'd have to wait for at least 3 and maybe 4 years if you want to know for sure.

The boundary analysis underway is examining overall approach, not specific boundaries. My own guess (and that's all any of us have now) is that it may lead to some tweaks to actual school boundaries to address specific cases where an overcrowded school borders an underutilized school. It may also lead to longer-term efforts to redress the stark race and income differentials at different ends of the county. My guess is that this will not lead to massive disruption of existing school zones nor will it lead to bussing kids far from their existing neighborhoods or schools, simply because it's too expensive.

Fwiw I'm in Bethesda but presume the county will take a hard look at ways to promote greater diversity in the schools like Whitman and Churchill that serve the fewest low income areas. Same goes for those schools that serve the fewest high income areas. I don't know how they would accomplish that and I don't think anyone does, but they can't go about some big rethink around segregation without at least cosmetic measures to include the extremes at either end of the spectrum. That's just my guess, and lots of other people have different expectations.

Bottom line: buy when you're ready to buy. Assume there may be some changes over the next decade to your school zone, no matter where in the area you buy. If you're really invested in a particular neighborhood or school, pay attention to the status of the new HS being constructed and their proximity to your preferred location.