Starter home neighborhoods? In md

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Twinbrook, Rockville

This, and it's a friendly community based neighborhood. We loved our time there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mount Rainier

This.

As a resident, I would go closer to college park.

Not if you are driving into the city, or if you like historic houses.

It’s not clear from the OP if they plan to live there or just want an investment property. Most people who live in CP and work in the city, just metro in instead of drive. There are also historic homes in all neighborhoods along Route 1

The housing stock in CP is not historic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just bought around Forest Glen area and most homes seemed to have gone for around $500-600K 5-10 years ago but are now closer to $700K (around what we bought for) and even closer to $800-900K depending on the house.

Maybe it was still a good investment but with all the uncertainties, who knows. And I always laugh at the idea of a “starter home”. Probably could’ve called one such if we bought something for $400-500K like a decade ago. But being in our 30’s now and only now first time home buyers with ridiculous interest rates and prices, feels like we missed the boat there.

This exactly. We live near Forest Glen but were fortunate to buy a decade ago for <$500k (but for reference I remember being envious of our neightbors who had bought for half that a decade prior!). The prices have gotten crazy considering that many of the houses are shoddy 1940s construction with minimal upgrades. And while there are some neighbors who do move on after a few years, many are there for the long haul because it's just not worth the cost to upgrade from the "starter" home. So seeing more renovations/additions than people selling.

[Anonymous]

I love on the left side of Rockville Pike, but the right side of the Pike (Twinbrook) has lot of cheap houses. They’re nothing fancy but the same house in Bethesda would run you a million when in twinbrook it’s 500k

[Anonymous]

Look for the best you can find for: school ratings; attractive housing stock; interesting local business; and walkability to parks and businesses, and Metro. I would look in that order. Anything that satisfies a good amount of that will appreciate more and be more insulated from downturns.

With that said, I think that parts of Rockville, parts of Alexandria, parts of Wheaton, parts of Olney, parts of PG County (Riverdale, Cheverly, CP, Mt Rainier). The hardest to find here will be access to reasonably good schools K-12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just bought around Forest Glen area and most homes seemed to have gone for around $500-600K 5-10 years ago but are now closer to $700K (around what we bought for) and even closer to $800-900K depending on the house.

Maybe it was still a good investment but with all the uncertainties, who knows. And I always laugh at the idea of a “starter home”. Probably could’ve called one such if we bought something for $400-500K like a decade ago. But being in our 30’s now and only now first time home buyers with ridiculous interest rates and prices, feels like we missed the boat there.

This exactly. We live near Forest Glen but were fortunate to buy a decade ago for <$500k (but for reference I remember being envious of our neightbors who had bought for half that a decade prior!). The prices have gotten crazy considering that many of the houses are shoddy 1940s construction with minimal upgrades. And while there are some neighbors who do move on after a few years, many are there for the long haul because it's just not worth the cost to upgrade from the "starter" home. So seeing more renovations/additions than people selling.

I mean the quality of 1940s construction is way higher than anything built in the past 40 years in the same neighborhood. But yes, the footprint of the houses is smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just bought around Forest Glen area and most homes seemed to have gone for around $500-600K 5-10 years ago but are now closer to $700K (around what we bought for) and even closer to $800-900K depending on the house.

Maybe it was still a good investment but with all the uncertainties, who knows. And I always laugh at the idea of a “starter home”. Probably could’ve called one such if we bought something for $400-500K like a decade ago. But being in our 30’s now and only now first time home buyers with ridiculous interest rates and prices, feels like we missed the boat there.

This exactly. We live near Forest Glen but were fortunate to buy a decade ago for <$500k (but for reference I remember being envious of our neightbors who had bought for half that a decade prior!). The prices have gotten crazy considering that many of the houses are shoddy 1940s construction with minimal upgrades. And while there are some neighbors who do move on after a few years, many are there for the long haul because it's just not worth the cost to upgrade from the "starter" home. So seeing more renovations/additions than people selling.

I mean the quality of 1940s construction is way higher than anything built in the past 40 years in the same neighborhood. But yes, the footprint of the houses is smaller.

Not true. Today’s homes have much higher construction, insulation, and efficiency standards. You’re only seeing survivorship bias from older housing that was maintained well to this day. You don’t see the housing from back then that was torn down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just bought around Forest Glen area and most homes seemed to have gone for around $500-600K 5-10 years ago but are now closer to $700K (around what we bought for) and even closer to $800-900K depending on the house.

Maybe it was still a good investment but with all the uncertainties, who knows. And I always laugh at the idea of a “starter home”. Probably could’ve called one such if we bought something for $400-500K like a decade ago. But being in our 30’s now and only now first time home buyers with ridiculous interest rates and prices, feels like we missed the boat there.

This exactly. We live near Forest Glen but were fortunate to buy a decade ago for <$500k (but for reference I remember being envious of our neightbors who had bought for half that a decade prior!). The prices have gotten crazy considering that many of the houses are shoddy 1940s construction with minimal upgrades. And while there are some neighbors who do move on after a few years, many are there for the long haul because it's just not worth the cost to upgrade from the "starter" home. So seeing more renovations/additions than people selling.

I mean the quality of 1940s construction is way higher than anything built in the past 40 years in the same neighborhood. But yes, the footprint of the houses is smaller.

Not true. Today’s homes have much higher construction, insulation, and efficiency standards. You’re only seeing survivorship bias from older housing that was maintained well to this day. You don’t see the housing from back then that was torn down

I lived for 20 years in a brick rambler in a Silver Spring neighborhood full of similar mass-produced 1950s housing and we had to do a lot of work to bring it up to speed. The walls were always cold due to lack of insulation but the house was otherwise comfortable once we finished the upgrades. We bought another 1950s brick house last year from the family that built it for themselves, and this house is meticulously constructed. We didn’t have to do anything other than paint and refinish the floors. So it definitely depends.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I live in a 100 year old house that was cheap and flimsy then and it’s cheap and flimsy now. I love my house, but all that stuff about construction being better back in the day is bunk. There has always been good construction and bad construction, and the building codes now are generally preferable.

[Anonymous]

We live in the Rockville/Aspen Hill area. Great family neighborhood with empty nesters and young families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just bought around Forest Glen area and most homes seemed to have gone for around $500-600K 5-10 years ago but are now closer to $700K (around what we bought for) and even closer to $800-900K depending on the house.

Maybe it was still a good investment but with all the uncertainties, who knows. And I always laugh at the idea of a “starter home”. Probably could’ve called one such if we bought something for $400-500K like a decade ago. But being in our 30’s now and only now first time home buyers with ridiculous interest rates and prices, feels like we missed the boat there.

This exactly. We live near Forest Glen but were fortunate to buy a decade ago for <$500k (but for reference I remember being envious of our neightbors who had bought for half that a decade prior!). The prices have gotten crazy considering that many of the houses are shoddy 1940s construction with minimal upgrades. And while there are some neighbors who do move on after a few years, many are there for the long haul because it's just not worth the cost to upgrade from the "starter" home. So seeing more renovations/additions than people selling.

Same neighborhood and yup. But I still think it’s responsive to the prompt - starter homes in general seem like a thing of the past but first time buyers looking for an affordable entry point they’d be happy to stay in long term if they need/want would be well served by the Forest Glen area

[Anonymous]

Twinbrook, Aspen Hill, from Wheaton up Layhill Road to Olney. Burtonsville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rockville

Rockville city proper is pretty expensive now. Unincorporated Rockville is cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:North Kensington. Between Connecticut and Newport Mill.

Came to share this. We love it here, but not sure most homes that come up are still starter prices, though the homes themselves probably are. But it’s a great little nook of Montgomery County!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just bought around Forest Glen area and most homes seemed to have gone for around $500-600K 5-10 years ago but are now closer to $700K (around what we bought for) and even closer to $800-900K depending on the house.

Maybe it was still a good investment but with all the uncertainties, who knows. And I always laugh at the idea of a “starter home”. Probably could’ve called one such if we bought something for $400-500K like a decade ago. But being in our 30’s now and only now first time home buyers with ridiculous interest rates and prices, feels like we missed the boat there.

This exactly. We live near Forest Glen but were fortunate to buy a decade ago for <$500k (but for reference I remember being envious of our neightbors who had bought for half that a decade prior!). The prices have gotten crazy considering that many of the houses are shoddy 1940s construction with minimal upgrades. And while there are some neighbors who do move on after a few years, many are there for the long haul because it's just not worth the cost to upgrade from the "starter" home. So seeing more renovations/additions than people selling.

Same neighborhood and yup. But I still think it’s responsive to the prompt - starter homes in general seem like a thing of the past but first time buyers looking for an affordable entry point they’d be happy to stay in long term if they need/want would be well served by the Forest Glen area

Yeah I’m the one who brought up buying here recently and think we can make do here for a while. Could’ve gotten something bigger/newer but didn’t want to stretch our budget too much beyond $700ish and didn’t want to be too far out (we both work in DC).