Totally paralyzed by difficult choices in housing

[Anonymous]

Our family of four recently moved back to the DC area after four years abroad. After nearly a year of renting a town house near downtown Silver Spring and obsessively following the real estate DC real estate market, we are no closer to finding a home. I feel as though we are crippled by the high cost and the juggling of variables of cost, location, schools, etc. We can't even decide where to focus our search - we are now considering south Arlington, although we still look in SS and, to a lesser extent, areas in the district. I work in downtown Silver Spring and my husband works in Foggy Bottom, which makes our decision even more difficult. I bring both boys to a daycare facility in my building and have another year until the older begins kindergarten. I would like to find a place to buy this summer, but I feel totally paralyzed by the housing choices in the area. Has anyone else gotten to this point?

Obviously we are not working with a million dollar budget, as that would solve many of our problems. With our combined salaries (and a juggling of finances) we could probably buy something in the 700s, but like others have expressed, we'd prefer to keep our payments a bit lower and are looking more in the mid 500-600s. This is what limits us. Perhaps we need another year before we accept the reality of what that buys us in this area, although I fear we may never get there.

Has anyone bought recently after a difficult search? What finally got you there? Did the right house come along or did something else push you to make a decision?

[Anonymous]

Well, we had the opposite experience (buying in your ideal price range) so maybe that will be helpful too. We found our place in 20 minutes while we were here for job interviews. We knew we wanted a stable neighborhood that had held value during the recession, picked three, and then found a realtor who really, really knew those neighborhoods. He sent us a list of properties for our first trip out, and I picked what we'd see based solely on which had the cheapest square footage costs compared to historic average values. We bought the first place we saw, which was a foreclosure in need of a little TLC (great bathrooms/kitchen and no structural issues-TLC needs were all aesthetic and we're great DIYers).

Based on this experience, my advice is to follow the money and make your top priority financial. That will help cut out a lot of the "how about here?" second-guessing. Plus, stable neighborhoods tend to have good schools, less crime, etc. so some of the other things that will be important will most likely be part of the deal from the beginning.

[Anonymous]

Why would you move to S. Arlington if your job and daycare are in Silver Spring? Why not just move to a bigger house in Silver Spring, or if you're like the majority on DCUM who love to denigrate downcounty schools, move to Rosemary Hills in Silver Spring for the BCC cluster? Problem solved!

[Anonymous]

I also am not understanding the problem (?) There are several houses on the market right now in 20815 / Rosemary Hills, plus one in 20815 / Chevy Chase Md. that are in the BCC cluster. All under $600,000. Uber convenient to your job and very decent for DH's job, down Conn. Ave. or Beach Dr.

Why, unless you deeply wish to be Virginians, would you be looking in S. Arlington?

[Anonymous]

I find it hard to believe that you are unable to find a house in the $500-$600 range in SS or Takoma Park (which would be my choice. . .) What about these?

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Takoma-Park/7406-Glenside-Dr-20912/home/11150090

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/104-Parkside-Rd-20910/home/10968697

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/43-Oswego-Ave-20910/home/10974724

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Takoma-Park/7006-Aspen-Ave-20912/home/11148820

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/1619-Noyes-Dr-20910/home/10979605

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/823-Richmond-Ave-20910/home/10953671

[Anonymous]

"deeply wish to be Virginians".....ROFLMAO!!!!

[Anonymous]

Great, but tough, responses. Perhaps I needed that.

I have absolutely no issue with the schools in Maryland or Maryland in general. In the six years I've spent in this area, nearly all that time has been in Maryland. The reason to go to Arlington would be to hopefully reduce my husband's commute to Foggy Bottom. We are walking distance to the metro right now and only have one car. If we move to Rosemary Hills or more west, he'd have to take a bus (or car) to metro and then commute the hour to get to Foggy Bottom. Ditto most of the houses posted by the previous poster (although we do consider homes in those neighborhoods if we find the right house). Metro access is slightly less important in Arlington because we'd at least be close to the right line (blue/orange). I would of course drive, but I can park at my work.

That said, we are also considering Maryland but would like to stay closer to metro. I lived in Takoma Park and adored it, but rented. I don't like the fact that the taxes are twice what they are in Silver Spring, though. We'd need to be able to rent and mostly cover our mortgage/taxes when we go back overseas, so need to factor that into the total cost of the house.

I was hoping someone else could relate, but clearly we are over-thinking things. Guess we're still waiting for it to feel right.

[Anonymous]

Arlington would be not so great for a Silver Spring commute and good for a Foggy Bottom Commute. I'd be looking around Silver Spring and Rockville in your shoes.

If you are going back overseas in the next 5 years, why are you buying?

[Anonymous]

House prices are not expected to appreciate much in the next few years. I would consider renting. That will save you the hassle of dealing with renting out your house next time you are abroad. You would be better off investing the money you have saved in other things.

[Anonymous]

We just bought inthe $600-700K price range in Montgomery county and the experience was really rough. In the end it was all about REALLY understanding and admiting our priorities. We thought school district was the top priority but in the end we weren't willing to "settle" on a run-down house just to get into a particular school district (while maxing our budget).

We were facing a tight time crunch to find a new place once we sold ours - so we had to make a choice. I think often it takes a deadline to decide on buying a home.

[Anonymous]

I don't know much about the Maryland market. I do know about the South Arlington market, after a two-month search there and North Arlington. I hoped to find a house for $550K or less; I ended up finding a 4-BR 1942 cape in North Arlington for $560K. There were some decent houses in South Arlington for $550K or less and some decent houses in North Arlington once you hit about $600K. But if you feel like you'll keep working in Silver Spring, I'd stick to Maryland houses - you don't want that commute from VA everyday. (the commute to FB would be nice, though.)