Pregnant and considering buying a house in Petworth

[Anonymous]

I'm due in January and currently live in a 2 bedroom condo in Columbia Heights. We really like the neighborhood and wish we could stay, but can't afford a bigger home in the immediate area. We've been looking for homes as close to CH as we can, but the more spacious/nice ones are always in Petworth or the 16th St. Heights. The house we are currently loving is .8 miles from the Petworth metro and close to Sherman circle. Does anyone know the area very well or live around there and have kids?

I am also concerned about feeling housebound for the first few months after I give birth. Right now I can walk to the Target development area in 5 minutes. I'm worried I will feel sequestered away up in Petworth. I'm torn between going for a small condo I don't love and staying in CH and buying a lovely, spacious home in neighborhood I'm not so sure of. Anyone have any guidance for me?

[Anonymous]

Lots of us raise our children in 2-bedroom condos so we can stay in our preferred neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Could you find another house in Petworth that has more stuff within walking distance? Until I had my daughter, I never realized how walkable my (suburban fairfax) neighborhood was. On nice days, we can walk to a park, two playgrounds and a shopping center with a grocery store, CVS and some restaurants. It is awesome. I'm a little worried that our next house won't be as walkable. (it's not, though we'll still be able to walk to parks.)

[Anonymous]

Columbia Heights has a lot more upscale development than Petworth and that isn't going to change too much in the near future although there has been one nice apartment building built recently (right at the metro so they don't have to walk around much). I think you will feel more isolated if you move to Petworth. CH is a nice place to walk around and you can always walk all the way down to U Street. Petworth strikes me as much more isolated for pedestrians from the rest of the city given current development there.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'd probably wait to buy until next year, or even the year after that. I also live in CH and being able to walk to Target and all the stuff right around there was one of the things that made maternity leave much more bearable. Even now, when my son is 2, it's great to be so close that running into Target isn't a huge excursion.

Also, babies don't take up that much room, so it's really doable to live in a 2BR for now. When you'll really want more space is when s/he is mobile--having a yard will be key by age 2 (and I say this as someone with very little usable outdoor space at the moment). If you utterly hate living in the condo with a baby, then buy next spring. But if it goes fine, then I'd even wait until spring 2013. More time to save up for a down payment and your condo will, hopefully, continue to increase in value.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you talking about buying or renting for your next home?

[Anonymous]

Now that you're pregnant, you also probably want to think very seriously about schools whenever you make your next move.

[Anonymous]

Oh wait, you said "buying." Ok, in that case, I find it interesting that you haven't mentioned schools -- which is a far, far, far more important consideration than proximity to a Big Box store.

Schools around Petworth (and CH) -- not so good. Do you care? Odds of scoring a charter spot in a school that is actually excellent (vs. the people who tell themselves 'this school is "good" ') -- not good. Do you care?

You are in the classic situation right now where you're about to choose square footage over your kid's educational quality. Think hard about that. You say "oh, I'll move," but before you do that, read the 315 threads about HD Cooke, Garrison, Bancroft, etc etc etc and note carefully how few people actually have children at those schools over the age of 4.

[Anonymous]

OP, I guess I am in the minority here, but I love petworth and would totally buy there. It's a lovely neighborhood and seems very family friendly.

[Anonymous]

OP, schools are going to be really, really important to you in a few years. The charter lottery is a GAMBLE. Go to the DCPS and charter school forum and look at the threads there about kids not getting into schools. You may think differently about Petworth then. Consider staying in CH for another year or two, then move somewhere that schools are good. You can live with a baby in a 2BR. You may think you need more space, but, seriously, as Americans, we are conditioned to think that. Reevaluate.

[Anonymous]

i live in adams morgan and am very familar with petworh, CH and life with a baby in these neighborhoods. if i were you, i would stay put for a couple of years. being able to step out your door and have a vibrant city right in front of you will be invaluable for the first two years of momhood. there is so so so much within walking distance of where you are! for me, that is was crucial. i loved being out and about with maybe. aside from CH, you can easily walk to adams morgan, mtp, and U/logan.

stay!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i live in adams morgan and am very familar with petworh, CH and life with a baby in these neighborhoods. if i were you, i would stay put for a couple of years. being able to step out your door and have a vibrant city right in front of you will be invaluable for the first two years of momhood. there is so so so much within walking distance of where you are! for me, that is was crucial. i loved being out and about with maybe. aside from CH, you can easily walk to adams morgan, mtp, and U/logan.

stay!

i mean out and about with "baby."

i need my coffee.

[Anonymous]

I'd say go for it OP. Sure charter lotteries are a gamble, but so what? You either get in, decide to go Out of Bounds somewhere, or go to private school. I know of exactly 1 person who was shut out of all the different lotteries. The following year for K they got into 3 schools! Every one else (and I'm literally talking about my entire circle of friends, extended friends, and neighbors) in my East of the Park neighborhood, got in somewhere that they are happy with. The odds are not as grim as some people would paint them.

[Anonymous]

Sure charter lotteries are a gamble, but so what? You either get in, decide to go Out of Bounds somewhere, or go to private school. I know of exactly 1 person who was shut out of all the different lotteries. The following year for K they got into 3 schools! Every one else (and I'm literally talking about my entire circle of friends, extended friends, and neighbors) in my East of the Park neighborhood, got in somewhere that they are happy with. The odds are not as grim as some people would paint them.

But a lot of these schools are middling at best. I'm sure of it. Still, that will suffice for some people. Some people prioritize X or Y over a school that is 'fine.' OP just needs to decide if she is one of those people beFORE she sinks a down payment into a home.

[Anonymous]

Buying a house is hugely expensive, and moving with kids is a huge hassle, so you want to minimize both.

If I were you I would stay where you are for now and make the most of your walkable location. A 2-bd with one kid is perfectly fine.

Then, when you do move, make sure it is a house you will be happy living in for 10 or 20 years. And yes, that includes schools. You may also find that some of the things you value so much now (walkability to great bars etc) are no longer so relevant in 2 years' time...