How do you learn about DC metro area neighborhoods?

[Anonymous]

I currently live in DC in a 2-br condo, but next year my family (husband and now 1-year-old) would like to move to a bigger place with a yard for around $500k (maybe $550k). I've been trying to do research about possible neighborhoods and their pros and cons, but I seriously have no idea how to find all this info out. I feel like you have to already know which neighborhood you want to live in before you start looking. And once you actually do start looking at specific neighborhoods, I can't quite tell what the neighborhood is like, (e.g., are there good schools nearby, am I likely to find a nice 3-br house with a yard). Is there a guide to the neighborhoods in the area? How did you learn about them? Where did you go to figure out which neighborhoods you were even interested in?

[Anonymous]

Pick a priority. For me it was commute -- how far, by what form of transit, etc. For you it could be schools (there are rating websites and chat boards) or proximity to shopping/restaurants (in which case you're probably aware of places you like) or politics (e.g., MD vs VA) or just size of house at your price point.

Then look at these places on Google Maps to get a general feel of what is where, as far as roads, retail, schools etc.: satellite view will tell you about yards and general neighborhood "looks." Then physically go look at them: drive around, then park and walk around. You'll find yourself narrowing down neighborhoods really quickly. THEN go look at some real estate listings ... and then revisit your priority lists accordingly, depending on whether you like what you can afford.

So for example, because of our combined commutes, DH and I decided to live within walking distance of an Orange Line station in Virginia. This drove other decisions (e.g., we could have afforded a bigger house if we didn't need to be close to the train). There were station-adjacent neighborhoods we liked better than others, but really it was just a question of trade-offs in price, size, and time on the train.

[Anonymous]

Also, Washington Post does a regular piece on different neighborhoods in the area. Once you get a sense of some places you want to look at, you might do a search there.

[Anonymous]

look at houses you could buy and you like, check out the neighborhood around it and see what you think. Then drive around, see if it fits you Then drive around again...at night to make sure you still like it...if you do - it might be a good fit!

[Anonymous]

Find a good Realtor who really knows DC

[Anonymous]

Put your parameters in Redin without any location restriction other than the DC metro area.

So, $475 to $550, x BR, x BA, uncheck condos and townhouses.

Then start looking where houses are clustered to find options. For instance, Arlington's probably out, as is NW DC, but there will be a lot around Silver Spring, WFC, Springfield, Vienna, Herndon....I know NOVA better than MD, but there's probably more in further out MD too. Brightwood, Brookland, and Hyattsville will pop up with some listings too.

See where these areas are relative to your commutes. Click a few houses to see what styles are there and see what schools are listed (the great schools score is right on the redfin page). Play around with google maps satellite and street view.

The combination of commutes and schools will probably narrow you down pretty quickly, so you can spend a couple weekend afternoons driving around and checking out a couple parks plus the area in general, and go from there with googling very specific neighborhoods within bigger areas.

[Anonymous]

Start a new thread on DCUM with a title like "Where to buy a SFH under $XXX,XXX with decent commutes to Y and Z?" This was really helpful for generating a list of neighborhoods for us to look into further.