Moving to DC with many questions

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks everyone. Sorry to have disappeared. I've been reading all the posts this afternoon. My children finished school this week and all that goes with it, picnics, end of year dinners, concerts, etc. so the move wasn't my too priority for a few days. But now I'm back in it. Our budget is 1mm-1.5mm. Can we get anything in Georgetown for that? It seems like a great area. That said, I think we've decided to look mainly in NW and close in MD. Can anyone suggest a realtor for our area and budget? TIA.

[Anonymous]

Try Ellen Abrams and Anne-Marie Finnell with Evers & CO - We used and loved them.

http://www.abramsfinnell.com/

[Anonymous]

That budget won't get you far in Gtown. Are you opposed to WofP neighborhoods besides Gtown? What about Cleveland Park, glover Park, Spring Valley, McLean Gardens etc.. ? You can find stuff for around 900k, but it may need some updating.

[Anonymous]

Wow. There really is nothing out there. I did a Zillow search. How about renting for a year and figuring out what you like? Personally, I'd be all over getting my kids into the International School IB program and then pivoting around that and my husband's workplace to find the right spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try Ellen Abrams and Anne-Marie Finnell with Evers & CO - We used and loved them.

http://www.abramsfinnell.com/

+1. We also used Ellen Abrams and had a great experience. She sells a lot in Chevy Chase, but covers all of NW. You won't get much in Geogetown, Cleveland Park or Wesley Heights for that budget. I'd focus on Chevy Chase, DC & MD and close-in Bethesda. Those areas satisfy all of your criteria and are close to most of the private schools you've mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That budget won't get you far in Gtown. Are you opposed to WofP neighborhoods besides Gtown? What about Cleveland Park, glover Park, Spring Valley, McLean Gardens etc.. ? You can find stuff for around 900k, but it may need some updating.

Not opposed at all. Just liked the vibe of georgetown. But truly I don't mind driving if it is close by to run errands. I'm just not as familiar with those other neighborhoods. Georgetown is the only one I've spent time in...as a tourist. Going to be there next week, need to start getting serious about finding a realtor.

[Anonymous]

Have not read all the previous responses, but a couple of thoughts.

Spring Valley has beautiful houses in your price range. It also used to be a military munitions dump, google that before you consider there.

Palisades can be really nice and you are right next to Georgetown and also right there by the River School and St. Patricks. Another nice little area is right around the intersection of Foxhall and Reservoir Road. To the east is Foxhall Village (row houses of varying sizes in a little community) and to the west is a small enclave of SFHs. You can walk to Georgetown University from there but into the commercial district is a bit of a hike on foot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have not read all the previous responses, but a couple of thoughts.

Spring Valley has beautiful houses in your price range. It also used to be a military munitions dump, google that before you consider there.

Palisades can be really nice and you are right next to Georgetown and also right there by the River School and St. Patricks. Another nice little area is right around the intersection of Foxhall and Reservoir Road. To the east is Foxhall Village (row houses of varying sizes in a little community) and to the west is a small enclave of SFHs. You can walk to Georgetown University from there but into the commercial district is a bit of a hike on foot.

That's great info. Thank you. Do you know a good realtor per chance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try Ellen Abrams and Anne-Marie Finnell with Evers & CO - We used and loved them.

http://www.abramsfinnell.com/

+1. We also used Ellen Abrams and had a great experience. She sells a lot in Chevy Chase, but covers all of NW. You won't get much in Geogetown, Cleveland Park or Wesley Heights for that budget. I'd focus on Chevy Chase, DC & MD and close-in Bethesda. Those areas satisfy all of your criteria and are close to most of the private schools you've mentioned.

She can definitely afford AU park, which is closer to Gtown and schools than Bethesda and some parts of CC. Homes are smaller there, but they are detached homes with yards and it's a nice community with lots of kids, has a metro stop too. Gtown is also not completely out of reach, if you are used to smaller spaces, you can get a smaller rowhouse with 3 bedrooms for her budget I would think, I would not give up on Gtown if she really wants to live there. OP, I would definitely drive around first and just look at prices on redfin or ziprealty or other websites to give you an idea, this will help you decide which area to concentrate.

[Anonymous]

I would add mt pleasant to the mix. Great homes available round the 1 mil mark. Plenty of families. Urban but green and villagey. Schools are an issue, but if you can afford private....

[Anonymous]

Another question, what does DC consider the difference between row houses and townhouses? Are SFH more desirable? In NYC where we have so many apartments, townhouses are viewed as highly desirable. In DC where there are many SFH is it the same? And is there a difference between row house and townhouse? I'm seeing a distinction in realtor descriptions but can't discern the difference. Those called "townhouses" seem to be lower priced than row houses, but I can't tell if it's the area of the difference between row house and townhouse n

[Anonymous]

I don't know if there is an official answer, but I grew up in a row house near Dupont, and I would assume all older, attached homes near downtown are generally called row houses. i think of "townhouses" more as the marketing name for newly built attached homes in developments -- 1970s-onwards --either the more entry-level homes in the burbs in Silver Spring and Rockville, or more recent developments in the city, like on the edge of Georgetown, on Unicorn Place near Rock Creek Park, or up Connecticut Ave. (Which can often be significantly cheaper than SFH neighbors, mostly because of little/no land/yard I would assume.)

That said, I have also heard the term townhouse used for larger, more stately attached homes in DC, in the way the term is used in New York

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if there is an official answer, but I grew up in a row house near Dupont, and I would assume all older, attached homes near downtown are generally called row houses. i think of "townhouses" more as the marketing name for newly built attached homes in developments -- 1970s-onwards --either the more entry-level homes in the burbs in Silver Spring and Rockville, or more recent developments in the city, like on the edge of Georgetown, on Unicorn Place near Rock Creek Park, or up Connecticut Ave. (Which can often be significantly cheaper than SFH neighbors, mostly because of little/no land/yard I would assume.)

That said, I have also heard the term townhouse used for larger, more stately attached homes in DC, in the way the term is used in New York

So is a townhouse "looked down upon" compared to a single family home?

[Anonymous]

Not looked down upon, but worth less than if it were a comparable SFH. Although a townhouse in Georgetown would be quite desirable, and unlike other NW neighborhoods, there isn't much SFH stock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if there is an official answer, but I grew up in a row house near Dupont, and I would assume all older, attached homes near downtown are generally called row houses. i think of "townhouses" more as the marketing name for newly built attached homes in developments -- 1970s-onwards --either the more entry-level homes in the burbs in Silver Spring and Rockville, or more recent developments in the city, like on the edge of Georgetown, on Unicorn Place near Rock Creek Park, or up Connecticut Ave. (Which can often be significantly cheaper than SFH neighbors, mostly because of little/no land/yard I would assume.)

That said, I have also heard the term townhouse used for larger, more stately attached homes in DC, in the way the term is used in New York

So is a townhouse "looked down upon" compared to a single family home?

There's a whole other thread here called "The stigma of a townhouse" where you can conduct further investigation on this topic.