Thinking of moving to Germantown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, these responses are seriously depressing me. I'm the OP and I guess now I know why we could actually afford to live in Germantown.
Thanks for the suggestion of Clarksburg, too expensive for us. We're in a tiny apt. now in Bethesda. DH works downtown and we moved here to have a shorter commute but we're crowded since DD #2 arrived. We need more room inside and hopefully a small yard. We were going to sacrafice a decent commute for a better place but it looks like it won't help.

What is your budget?

How about Silver Spring? Olney?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been noticing more and more gentrification in Wheaton. Maybe that wil get Westfield to make Wheaton Plaza a little nicer at some point....I love the Target not much else. I am not expecting a Saks, but Gap and Banana would be nice

Hopefully the gentrification will slowly help the prices in my neighborhood rise...I'm not holding my breath though.

It will be interesting to see the impact of the Costco.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure how I feel about Costco. My neighbors are all very clearly in one camp or the other, and I am still undecided. What do you think out there DCUMs?

[Anonymous]

I will admit that I don't have much tolerance for crime. Burke seemed like heaven after our year in Germantown.

Yikes. Germantown truly must be hell on earth if it makes Burke look like heaven.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, these responses are seriously depressing me. I'm the OP and I guess now I know why we could actually afford to live in Germantown.
Thanks for the suggestion of Clarksburg, too expensive for us. We're in a tiny apt. now in Bethesda. DH works downtown and we moved here to have a shorter commute but we're crowded since DD #2 arrived. We need more room inside and hopefully a small yard. We were going to sacrafice a decent commute for a better place but it looks like it won't help.

What is your budget?

How about Silver Spring? Olney?

Our budget is very modest, hense the interest in Germantown. We couldn/t go higher than $250,000.

[Anonymous]

In addition to the crime, the commute to downtown from Germantown is brutal (I used to do it). I would much rather deal with less space, even with 2 kids. What about looking further out in VA?

[Anonymous]

I lived in the part of Montgomery Village that bordered Germantown. i loved the fact that there were restaurants, lots of shopping choices, library and pools close by. However, the neighborhood really went downhill during the time period I lived there (2004-2007), and I sold my townhouse because I no longer felt safe living there. At first, it was very nice but it quickly started to go downhill.

OP, if DH works downtown, i would consider Olney (may be a long commute though) or some parts of Silver Spring. The commute from Germantown to downtown would be awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: OP, there are plently of decent houses in "Kensington North" or "Kensington East" that the PP is making fun of. Yes, most are in the downcounty cluster for high school, but it is not Walter Johnson or death. Oakland Terrace ES is a decent school and so is Rock View ES, and you can find a decent older home (probably I need of an updated kitchen and bath) for under $400k.

What is your budget? Your DH would be able to take red line from Wheaton or Forest Glen or Marc train from downtwon Kensington. It is a great place for SAHMs. Lots of parks.

Thanks for the post, neighbor! By the way, those of us who live here do have Kensington zip codes and mailing addresses, even if we're not the town of Kensington.

[Anonymous]

OP are you looking for a SFH or a townhouse? I live in North Potomac. No, it is not a realtor term. It is an incorporated township and an actual place. It is very family friendly, good schools, and lots of highly educated people. Housing prices range from 400K-1M, with most SFH houses falling somewhere between $600K-$800K. Wootten cluster is a little more expensive but we have friends who go to Quince Orchard and really like it.

I think Boyds is a real place too. We've only gone farther than the SoccerPlex a few times so I am honestly not sure how big Germantown is or what it is like. I love the houses around the Soccerplex and we really like the indoor pool during the winter. It is SO much cleaner than the Rockville indoor pool. The playground, splash park and mini golf is great too. If I was a SAHM I would love living in a neighborhood right next to the soccerplex with an elementary school in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP are you looking for a SFH or a townhouse? I live in North Potomac. No, it is not a realtor term. It is an incorporated township and an actual place. It is very family friendly, good schools, and lots of highly educated people. Housing prices range from 400K-1M, with most SFH houses falling somewhere between $600K-$800K. Wootten cluster is a little more expensive but we have friends who go to Quince Orchard and really like it.

I think Boyds is a real place too. We've only gone farther than the SoccerPlex a few times so I am honestly not sure how big Germantown is or what it is like. I love the houses around the Soccerplex and we really like the indoor pool during the winter. It is SO much cleaner than the Rockville indoor pool. The playground, splash park and mini golf is great too. If I was a SAHM I would love living in a neighborhood right next to the soccerplex with an elementary school in the neighborhood.

All well and good, but OP's budget is $250K.
OP -- I would look for a townhouse in Silver Spring or even parts of Rockville.

[Anonymous]

OP, in your shoes, with that small of a budget, I would RENT.

A small house in a great neighborhood with great schools. I would not live 1.5 hours away, 3 hrs. roundtrip, -just- to have my name on a deed of hastily built townhouse in a cheap development with inevitably growing crime in 5 or 10 years.

I would invest some of my paycheck every 2 weeks in slow-growth funds that would match home appreciation over a 1- or 2- decade period.

Lots of smart investors do this, rent but invest elsewhere to create wealth. There was just an article in the NYT.