Why is Takoma Park so affordable?

[Anonymous]

All the other close in suburbs with decent enough schools are 300,000+ more?

[Anonymous]

I think TP schools are pretty terrible, at least in an any part of TP where you can get a house for $300k.

[Anonymous]

It depends on where you are in TKPK. Close in, near the historic discrict the houses average more than double 300K.

[Anonymous]

It's really not though. Tiny houses with one bathroom. Not all the schools are decent.

[Anonymous]

What part? The cute, more desirable part of TPK has Victorians that are 800K and up. On the DC side, the homes are a little less, but the schools are a different animal.
Are you referring to the PG part of TPK, because if you are, that's why.

[Anonymous]

I thought the OP meant that other suburbs are 300k more than TP. I think TP is less, as is Silver Spring, because of the demographics.

[Anonymous]

TP DC or TP MD? Also, as PP suggested, TP varies widely from million + mansions to poor quality apartments. In general though you are right - a typical 1,500 SF cape or colonial outside the historic district is probably $100k more in Silver Spring than Takoma Park. Answer: proximity to lower income and higher crime. Schools are a wash between the two areas, as long as you're in MoCo and not DC.

[Anonymous]

Also, taxes are higher so keep that in mind. And you will probably end up near at least one neighbor who thinks that weeds are just another name for flowers, so their yard will be covered wiith them...and a collection of earthen clay pots, a sculptor made out of tin cans of Jimmy Carter, and multiple "stop the war in (fill in the blank)" signs. All excellent for property values!

[Anonymous]

op here - no I didn't mean 300,000, I meant all the other suburbs are like 300,000 more. We are looking in the 500,000-600,000 range and can't find anything close in except TP (which I am not sure will work for us because of our weird commute). We've even found some decent 460,000 houses in TP that go to Montgomery Blair - which seems good enough - on par with Wilson.

Yes, the houses do tend to be smaller in TP on average, but a small seedy house in CC or north Arlington begins at 600,000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, taxes are higher so keep that in mind. And you will probably end up near at least one neighbor who thinks that weeds are just another name for flowers, so their yard will be covered wiith them...and a collection of earthen clay pots, a sculptor made out of tin cans of Jimmy Carter, and multiple "stop the war in (fill in the blank)" signs. All excellent for property values!

Just go to your HOAland in FFX Co. Make sure your shutters are the correct gray, though...don't want to be blacklisted!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the OP meant that other suburbs are 300k more than TP. I think TP is less, as is Silver Spring, because of the demographics.

Yes, that is what OP meant. With a few exceptions, you can't get a 3-BR SFH for $300K anymore in TP MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, taxes are higher so keep that in mind. And you will probably end up near at least one neighbor who thinks that weeds are just another name for flowers, so their yard will be covered wiith them...and a collection of earthen clay pots, a sculptor made out of tin cans of Jimmy Carter, and multiple "stop the war in (fill in the blank)" signs. All excellent for property values!

ha ha, this doesn't sound that bad to me.

[Anonymous]

I found that most of the affordable houses in to
Were in terrible condition or strangely laid out. I found better options in silver spring

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found that most of the affordable houses in to
Were in terrible condition or strangely laid out. I found better options in silver spring

Op here, while I like the hippie stuff mentioned above, I guess I did find a lot of the houses a bit seedy. And we are not home improvement types. But some are doable and at least as doable as more expensive places in cc and Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Have you looked in Silver Spring?