where should we move?! around 650k, kids, work downtown dc...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could maybe afford Arlington, you'd just have to compromise. We found a 4BR/2BA in North Arlington for under $600K last year. 0.12 acre yard, driveway, finished basement, living room and family room. The bedrooms are split between the main level and upper level (it's a cape) and the bathrooms aren't renovated, but the schools and neighborhood are great. I commute into Penn Quarter using metro from Ballston. (monthly pass at the Ballston Commons mall.) Things go quickly here though so you'd have to be prepared to snap something up right after you see it, and 4 BR is tough at that price range.[/quo

Another vote here for North Arlington. You can find something for 650, you just have to look very hard and be ready to pounce. You can always change the kitchen and bathrooms down the road. You can't change location.

We live here in a smaller/older house and love it. The commute is wonderful to downtown DC. We can walk to everything and barely drive. Neighbors are so nice here. The schools are top notch. I recommend checking out homes in your price range, you may be surprised what you are able to find.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Silver Spring! 4 Corners, Forest Glen, North Hills, Indian Spring, Northwood, Sligo Park Hills. All wonderful communities, good schools, houses within your budget, close to downtown Silver Spring. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods within easy driving distance. Woodside is lovely too but houses can be pricier. Same for Kensington - you just have to keep an eye out and act fast if something good comes along.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in woodmoor and it takes me 30 minutes door to door to get to 16th and k, unless major accident. Beyond woodmoor adds 10 to 15, but woodmoor gets you in beyond the beltway backup. Great homes in the $500-600 range with 4 beds and 2.5 baths, generally.

I looked into Woodmoor but the public elementary schools seems less than ideal, to say the least. I'm Jewish, so sending to the Catholic school is not an option nor would I want to pay for private. Is Woodmoor only workable if you do private?

The other neighborhoods around Woodmoor have better schools. Northwood, Forest Knolls, South four Corners.

[Anonymous]

Here are some that might fit the bill:

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/3404-Mccomas-Ave-20895/home/11011258

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/10619-Drumm-Ave-20895/home/10993977

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/9509-Pin-Oak-Dr-20910/home/11052092

http://www.redfin.com/homes-for-sale#!lat=39.00878709020359&long=-77.03118670340439&market=dc&num_beds=4&uipt=1&v=8&zoomLevel=15

(this last one needs some updating but it's in a lovely neighborhood.)

[Anonymous]

Colonial Village or Shepherd Park. The schools are good. Shepherd ES, Deal and Wilson. LOTS of Jewish families. Very diverse and a beautiful part of the city. There is a house on Orchid Street, NW right now. $679K. The neighborhood is awesome and VERY VERY safe. Colonial Village is considered the Gold Coast and crime is non-existent. Too many old DC politicians and lawyers in the neighborhood.

http://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/7927-Orchid-St-NW-20012/home/10020112

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are some that might fit the bill:

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/3404-Mccomas-Ave-20895/home/11011258

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/10619-Drumm-Ave-20895/home/10993977

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/9509-Pin-Oak-Dr-20910/home/11052092

http://www.redfin.com/homes-for-sale#!lat=39.00878709020359&long=-77.03118670340439&market=dc&num_beds=4&uipt=1&v=8&zoomLevel=15

(this last one needs some updating but it's in a lovely neighborhood.)

These Kensington homes feed into Einstein, fyi.

[Anonymous]

With that budget, I'd stay right near Silver Spring Metro. I'm not sure what the name of the neighborhood is, but if you walk out Ellsworth and toward Dale to the West of Wayne Nd East of Collesville there are beautiful older large homes right in the 600-700k range. You'd be so close to SS Metro, probably 30-40 min commute door to door, the AFI, Fillmore, and downtown is right there. Tons of kids, good public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With that budget, I'd stay right near Silver Spring Metro. I'm not sure what the name of the neighborhood is, but if you walk out Ellsworth and toward Dale to the West of Wayne Nd East of Collesville there are beautiful older large homes right in the 600-700k range. You'd be so close to SS Metro, probably 30-40 min commute door to door, the AFI, Fillmore, and downtown is right there. Tons of kids, good public schools.

Sorry, I meant East of Georgia (not Collesville - Collesville would run right through the center of where you would look). Also maybe Rosemary Hills, though I'm not as familiar with that. Then you would have the CC BC school track if that's important to you.

[Anonymous]

8:28 again - not much on the market there right now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are some that might fit the bill:

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/3404-Mccomas-Ave-20895/home/11011258

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/10619-Drumm-Ave-20895/home/10993977

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/9509-Pin-Oak-Dr-20910/home/11052092

http://www.redfin.com/homes-for-sale#!lat=39.00878709020359&long=-77.03118670340439&market=dc&num_beds=4&uipt=1&v=8&zoomLevel=15

(this last one needs some updating but it's in a lovely neighborhood.)

These Kensington homes feed into Einstein, fyi.

Your point?

Those of us in these neighborhoods like Einstein. Our kids are succeeding there, and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Op here thank you all for the suggestions and even listings...now time to research. To answer some points raised I work far enough into pen quarter that the S9 is not an option though Dh loves it and it only takes him about 35 min. I take bus to columbia heights and am 10 min walk from there so with 14th st traffic it varies btwn 45 minand an hour....We are not in bound for deal unfortunately. We are really more like bright wood...

[Anonymous]

We're basically looking for all the same things with the same budget and are focused on Takoma Park (mainly north/west of Carrol Ave, toward Silver Spring) and Silver Spring, from Georgia east to TP, south of Sligo Creek Parkway. The neighborhoods on either side of Piney Branch Rd in SS go to East Silver Spring ES, then to TP Middle and Blair, so that or a house zoned for Takoma Park ES would be my preference to make sure we're not dealing with magnets and lotteries and applications again for MS and HS. I do love Woodside Park, though--the neighborhood between Georgia, Colesville and Dale Dr. Rock Creek Forest/Rosemary Hills also would be great but I don't love a lot of the types of houses around there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're basically looking for all the same things with the same budget and are focused on Takoma Park (mainly north/west of Carrol Ave, toward Silver Spring) and Silver Spring, from Georgia east to TP, south of Sligo Creek Parkway. The neighborhoods on either side of Piney Branch Rd in SS go to East Silver Spring ES, then to TP Middle and Blair, so that or a house zoned for Takoma Park ES would be my preference to make sure we're not dealing with magnets and lotteries and applications again for MS and HS. I do love Woodside Park, though--the neighborhood between Georgia, Colesville and Dale Dr. Rock Creek Forest/Rosemary Hills also would be great but I don't love a lot of the types of houses around there.

8:24 here - that's the neighborhood I was trying to describe too. We live in Sligo Park Hills, which is to the east of Wayne from that area. We love it at a 500k budget, but if I had a 650k budget, I'd be right around Collesville under Sligo Creek Park. Woodside Park it's called?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're basically looking for all the same things with the same budget and are focused on Takoma Park (mainly north/west of Carrol Ave, toward Silver Spring) and Silver Spring, from Georgia east to TP, south of Sligo Creek Parkway. The neighborhoods on either side of Piney Branch Rd in SS go to East Silver Spring ES, then to TP Middle and Blair, so that or a house zoned for Takoma Park ES would be my preference to make sure we're not dealing with magnets and lotteries and applications again for MS and HS. I do love Woodside Park, though--the neighborhood between Georgia, Colesville and Dale Dr. Rock Creek Forest/Rosemary Hills also would be great but I don't love a lot of the types of houses around there.

8:24 here - that's the neighborhood I was trying to describe too. We live in Sligo Park Hills, which is to the east of Wayne from that area. We love it at a 500k budget, but if I had a 650k budget, I'd be right around Collesville under Sligo Creek Park. Woodside Park it's called?

Generally, Woodside Park has Dale, Colesville and Georgia as its boundaries; Woodside Forest has Sligo Creek Parkway, Dale, Colesville and Georgia as its boundaries. Some of the houses on the east side of Dale (on Watson, Harvey, Clement) are, however, technically designated as Woodside Park.

users.starpower.net/oshel/history.html

[Anonymous]

RE Woodside Park, see also:

www.wsat.org/wspark.htm

activerain.com/blogsview/184769/silver-spring-md-woodside-park-neighborhood-real-estate-market-report

www.neighborhoodscout.com/md/silver-spring/woodside-park/