Where to live in Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone,

I am a frequent lurker on these boards, but I don't think I have ever posted. I thought this was a good place to ask my question. We are thinking of relocating to Bethesda/Chevy Chase, and we want to avoid some mistakes we made as first time home-buyers. We have a toddler now, and naturally our biggest priority is good schools. Another thing we've discovered is that we don't enjoy the true suburbs very much, i.e. there is nowhere to go unless we drive. So back to Bethesda - we are partial to it because we used to rent there, although I know there are many other wonderful neighborhoods in the DC area.

So my question is - outside of homes costing in the seven figures, where would you focus your search for a single family house in the Bethesda/CC area? We want the best possible schools, but also to be able to walk (even if it is a very long walk) to downtown Bethesda. If you currently live in a neighborhood you love, I would love to hear from you. Also, if you know of a realtor who can guide us through the process of picking a neighborhood, not just a house, I would love to hear that too.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

There's a thread on East Bethesda you should check out- it might be what you want, except my sense is that it's getting harder to find houses under 700-800k.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I checked out that thread, and a few others that popped up when I did a search. It was definitely very helpful!

[Anonymous]

Drive through our neighborhood behind Suburban Hospital. There is a vast range of house sizes/prices, a very good elementary school (Bradley Hills, which feeds into Pyle and Whitman) and we are only a one mile walk to the edge of downtown Bethesda. My husband walks to and from the Bethesda or NIH metro to commute, and also sometimes rides his bike to his job on Capitol Hill. There's also a bus stop right in front of the hospital that takes you to Bethesda or Montgomery Mall. Also, the hospital has a pretty good pediatric ER, which has been very handy for our kids' allergic reactions and fractures -- we just walk there because it's a block away. The only noise related to the hospital is the occasional helicopter, which is kind of cool, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a thread on East Bethesda you should check out- it might be what you want, except my sense is that it's getting harder to find houses under 700-800k.

There are currently a few houses on the market in the 600K - 700K range (granted, they are small), but you can definitely get into the neighborhood for a decent price. Many around 700K have lingered for a while, so my bet is that they will go for less.

Other neighborhoods you may want to consider are Somerset and Town of Chevy Chase (you can get into both under 1 million if you don't mind a smaller home). I don't live in either, but am in the same boat you are and have done a lot of research.

[Anonymous]

There's two houses for sale on South Brook Lane in the Glenbrook Village subdivision, right off Old Georgetown Road. It's walking distance to downtown Bethesda, schools are Bethesda Elem., Westland and BCC. It's a great neighborhood with lots of small children.

[Anonymous]

Chevy Chase west is fabulous! It's the area north of Somerset to the west of Wisconsin. Depending on which street you live on, it's a 1/2 -1 mile walk into downtown Bethesda, walking distance to Friendship Hts and Bethesda metros.

A ton of little kids in the neighborhood. Norwood Park (with 2 playgrounds!), walk through the park to Bethesda Pool. Somerset Elementary. the list goes on and on.

Many people in the neighborhood uses Evers and Co. when they're selling. A few of the realtors live in the neighborhood and they know the whole area inside and out. They're located in Friendship Hts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's two houses for sale on South Brook Lane in the Glenbrook Village subdivision, right off Old Georgetown Road. It's walking distance to downtown Bethesda, schools are Bethesda Elem., Westland and BCC. It's a great neighborhood with lots of small children.

Just north of here is Glenwood. Lovely colonials and brick capes. Same schools.

[Anonymous]

Wow, thanks for all of these great tips! I really appreciate everyone's responses!