Is it possible to buy a decent house for $500K or lower in a safe neighborhood with good schools?

[Anonymous]

Hey 12:51 - any idea on the prices your neighbors are paying for their additions? Would be great to know a range. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, try looking into the Alexandria area of FFX Co. (Waynewood, Hollin Hall). Some nice homes there for $500k. Also, good schools (great elementary, decent HS). Also, the commute to DC isn't horrible (GW Parkway, so it is a pretty commute and tends to not get too backed up).

I second this - Hollin Hall especially. There's a nice little shopping center with a vet, a safeway, pastry shop, etc. that you can walk to and you can walk to the GW parkway trail. My husband and I rented a house there 5 years ago and hope to be able to return (as owners).

[Anonymous]

We are walking distance (less than 10 minutes, about 1/2 mile) to the Forest Glen metro in Forest Estates (Silver Spring). We are very happy with the elementary school (Oakland Terrace) and with our neighborhood. Tons of kids and two parks and a neighborhood pool. You can get a very nice house (4 bedrooms) for mid to upper 400s.

[Anonymous]

" OP here, thanks everyone for your recs! I do love the houses that 10:54 posted. I am not familiar with Takoma Park but will definitely look into it. It is important that it has a nice rec center and library for my little one. And my DH commutes to Gaithersburg so unfortunately much of Virginia would be a trickier commute. Although I do like the idea of Vienna. Again, it is super helpful all of you who have recommended a neighborhood. I haven't officially gotten over my "sticker shock" of houses in this area. "

OP if your husband commutes to Gaithersburg I would not recommend Takoma Park, you are going across MD in rush hour. While I loved the more urban feel of Takoma Park the houses were so old that most needed large structural or other repairs.

You should look in 20878 in Gaithersburg. The addresses will either come up as North Potomac or Gaithersburg. The houses that feed into the Wooten cluster are more expensive but Quince Orchard is a good high school too. There is a neighborhood called Westleigh off Darnestown Rd that is popular, has a community center and a pool, and the library, grocery stores, and the whole Kentlands complex is right up Darnestown Rd.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 10:54! Are you children in school yet? I put those addresses into the montgomery county school search and it looks like Piney Branch or Silver Spring Elementary? Does that sound right? Do you like the schools?

[Anonymous]

Yes, in Silver Spring.

It won't have a master bath, or the kitchen of your dreams, but it will do the job for that price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you can. But then you can't get a decent commute to DC.

Why do you assume the commute is to DC. Not everyone works in the city.

[Anonymous]

With a commute to Gaithersburg, you want to live somewhere either along the 270 corridor, or upcounty (like Olney). Silver Spring will, most places, give an awful commute, and VA, forget it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Town of Vienna.

Look at listings for $550K and negotiate them down to $500.

Indeed, but only if the following are not important to you and your family:

a garage
a decent yard
modern bathrooms
a modern kitchen
more than four bedrooms
more than two full baths
lack of musty, skanky smells
no sketchy neighbors out smoking on front stoop

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi - I'm 10:54 - come be our neighbors! We love our neighborhood - we are officially Takoma Park though our mailing address is Silver Spring. Takoma Park has a great rec dept and library with tons of activities for little ones and lots of different community events through the summer and fall: Jazz Festival, Folk Festival, Street Festival, Farmer's Market, etc. We are also super close to DT Silver Spring which also has a lot of community events, retaurants, Whole Foods, etc, etc.

The houses I listed on Mississippi are walkable to the TP Metro stop - about 15 minutes walk but they are both literally steps to a Ride-On bus to the metro - less than 5 minutes. My commute to Downtown DC is about 30 minutes consistently.

To the other posters - yes, some people feel that the houses are small. We're fine in our 3 bedroom, 2 bath Colonial with finished basement - we have a fairly large yard and are very close to several great playgrounds. We bought last year and knew that we wouldn't get a huge house in good shape, in our price range, in a great community with good schools and close in to DC so we sacrificed house size and are comfortable with our decision. It helps us to live more simply and not buy tons of junk we don't need. Ask me how I feel in 12 years when I have two teenage boys - maybe I'll feel differently

PP, are you zoned for TPES or East Silver Spring?

[Anonymous]

I'm 10:54 - we're zoned for East Silver Spring ES. My kids aren't school aged yet but my neighbors have been very happy there. It doesn't have the high test scores of TP ES due to the greater socio economic diversity but there is an active PTA, committed and enthusiastic teachers and a principle that people are generally happy with. After ES, we're zoned for Takoma Park Middle School and then Blair HS. Also - while there is no guarantee a lot of people have their kids in either the French or Spanish immersion programs at other neighborhood elementary schools or the magnet at TPES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With a commute to Gaithersburg, you want to live somewhere either along the 270 corridor, or upcounty (like Olney). Silver Spring will, most places, give an awful commute, and VA, forget it.

ITA. Buy the house closer to the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey 12:51 - any idea on the prices your neighbors are paying for their additions? Would be great to know a range. Thanks!

I'm 12:51 - Additions are expensive! Our neighbors did one for over 200K - and we are tearing down a wall downstairs and renovating the kitchen for around 70K. So there is somewhat of a range. Additions are not really the answer if you don't have a significant amount of $ but for people like us who love the area they will work. Like I mentioned in my post, aside from houses on busy streets (which we didn't want) the only other areas we were interested in were upwards of 800-900K. So not an option for us. With this renovation and hopefully down the road, an addition, we are at least getting a more open floor plan with a big, nice kitchen.

The fact is houses in our area for selling in the 300s 10 years ago, and now are in the 500s. If you bought early, it makes a lot of sense to invest in an addition because you may get your money back and be able to enjoy the house more in the meantime.

[Anonymous]

How about Rockville?

Try 20853 - Manor Woods

[Anonymous]

TPES is generally preferred over ESSES, but my DC tutored ESS kids for an entire month this summer (in the school's summer program), and I have to say, after seeing those kids and their parents day in and day out, that is a nice community of families. I would have no problem with my kid going there.