We've been saving to move to upper NW...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this home on your budget, offering everything you said you need sold last months, but because it’s not SFH you would not have considered it. There are plenty of homes out there in your price range, the realty is you need to adjust your expectations, refusing to compromise is not an option. That same home would have sold for 1.7 a year ago. The market has corrected, not correcting

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1510-16th-Ct-N-22209/home/101388655

Those are the ugliest floors I've ever seen in my life. What are those? Vinyl?

Oh wow, those ARE awful. Must have been on sale at Floor & Decor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are choosing to leave the city. With a $1.5 budget you could find something. But it's ok if you prefer what you can get elsewhere. You might have been unhappy if you bought last year too, especially if you are a grass is always greener type.

Considering we need 3 bedrooms and want to be in a Wilson feeder (or the new HS), I don't feel like it's a choice. But if you think there's inventory at that price then genuinely, I'd love to see it. My redfin searches have never looked so bleak.

In early January? Of course they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it helps, we're in Petworth and everyone we know that's left has gone to MoCo. Mostly Takoma Park/Silver Spring, some to Bethesda. You'd be in good company if you ended up there!

Also in Petworth, my kids lucked into a J-R feeder and we are also probably suburb bound because the schools just aren't good enough to justify the cost of moving in bounds.

Why move in-bounds if you lotteried into a feeder? Isn't that the entire point of the lottery? And I'm not saying J-R is perfect, but it's certainly not any worse than Takoma Park and Silver Spring schools. Sounds like OP isn't considering Bethesda or McLean, so apples to apples, her "upper NW" and MCPS options (Blair, Einstein) are going to be very similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well maybe cup half full it in that you at least have a house so arent a first time homebuyer [/quote
I know. We're lucky to have the house and community we have. If anything, I've dragged my feet on moving because we like it here! But with my oldest about to go into 3rd grade next year, it's starting to feel really untenable. I don't feel safe letting her walk anywhere independently and the public schools get very iffy after this age. We considered lotteryong for a charter but I really like the neighborhood feel.

Abain, I understand all of these are choices and compromises. I just didn't think my standards were THAT high for my budget, and up until last year they weren't. Suddenly now it's completely out of reach.

If the only houses that fit your standards are $1.9m, I really don't know what to say to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this home on your budget, offering everything you said you need sold last months, but because it’s not SFH you would not have considered it. There are plenty of homes out there in your price range, the realty is you need to adjust your expectations, refusing to compromise is not an option. That same home would have sold for 1.7 a year ago. The market has corrected, not correcting

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1510-16th-Ct-N-22209/home/101388655

Those are the ugliest floors I've ever seen in my life. What are those? Vinyl?

They’re really wood floors but I agree, they are ugly. That home would probably have gone for more were it not for the ugly floors

[Anonymous]

Your $1.5 million budget is much larger than ours, and we recently made the kind of move that you are seeking. I think you can do it if you are flexible. And get maybe 80% of what you want. Inventory is terrible right now in DC and anywhere close in in MD, that's for sure. It might be better in a few months because people don't want to pull their kids from school midyear. I wouldn't expect great inventory or dropping prices, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this home on your budget, offering everything you said you need sold last months, but because it’s not SFH you would not have considered it. There are plenty of homes out there in your price range, the realty is you need to adjust your expectations, refusing to compromise is not an option. That same home would have sold for 1.7 a year ago. The market has corrected, not correcting

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1510-16th-Ct-N-22209/home/101388655

Those are the ugliest floors I've ever seen in my life. What are those? Vinyl?

They’re really wood floors but I agree, they are ugly. That home would probably have gone for more were it not for the ugly floors

*real

[Anonymous]

I mean … you can’t always get what you want. What’s the point of whining? Make a new plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it helps, we're in Petworth and everyone we know that's left has gone to MoCo. Mostly Takoma Park/Silver Spring, some to Bethesda. You'd be in good company if you ended up there!

Also in Petworth, my kids lucked into a J-R feeder and we are also probably suburb bound because the schools just aren't good enough to justify the cost of moving in bounds.

Why move in-bounds if you lotteried into a feeder? Isn't that the entire point of the lottery? And I'm not saying J-R is perfect, but it's certainly not any worse than Takoma Park and Silver Spring schools. Sounds like OP isn't considering Bethesda or McLean, so apples to apples, her "upper NW" and MCPS options (Blair, Einstein) are going to be very similar.

Because the commute is extremely disruptive for marginal educational benefit (in our case).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it helps, we're in Petworth and everyone we know that's left has gone to MoCo. Mostly Takoma Park/Silver Spring, some to Bethesda. You'd be in good company if you ended up there!

Also in Petworth, my kids lucked into a J-R feeder and we are also probably suburb bound because the schools just aren't good enough to justify the cost of moving in bounds.

Why move in-bounds if you lotteried into a feeder? Isn't that the entire point of the lottery? And I'm not saying J-R is perfect, but it's certainly not any worse than Takoma Park and Silver Spring schools. Sounds like OP isn't considering Bethesda or McLean, so apples to apples, her "upper NW" and MCPS options (Blair, Einstein) are going to be very similar.

Because the commute is extremely disruptive for marginal educational benefit (in our case).

Where are you looking to move though? I'm assuming not Takoma Park if you're looking for more than a marginal benefit in the move...

[Anonymous]

How much do yo have saved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it helps, we're in Petworth and everyone we know that's left has gone to MoCo. Mostly Takoma Park/Silver Spring, some to Bethesda. You'd be in good company if you ended up there!

Also in Petworth, my kids lucked into a J-R feeder and we are also probably suburb bound because the schools just aren't good enough to justify the cost of moving in bounds.

Why move in-bounds if you lotteried into a feeder? Isn't that the entire point of the lottery? And I'm not saying J-R is perfect, but it's certainly not any worse than Takoma Park and Silver Spring schools. Sounds like OP isn't considering Bethesda or McLean, so apples to apples, her "upper NW" and MCPS options (Blair, Einstein) are going to be very similar.

Because the commute is extremely disruptive for marginal educational benefit (in our case).

Where are you looking to move though? I'm assuming not Takoma Park if you're looking for more than a marginal benefit in the move...

NP, what is the main difference between Takoma Park and Bethesda schools beside the wealthy families in Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering rowhomes/attached homes? You could find one of those for 1.5 or under for sure.

Lol. I’m in the same situation as OP bit my kids are a little older. No, you actually can’t. There is zero inventory. And now that interest rates are up we will never be able to afford a modest 3br. We love it here, however, so renting for the foreseeable future.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you renting right now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it helps, we're in Petworth and everyone we know that's left has gone to MoCo. Mostly Takoma Park/Silver Spring, some to Bethesda. You'd be in good company if you ended up there!

Also in Petworth, my kids lucked into a J-R feeder and we are also probably suburb bound because the schools just aren't good enough to justify the cost of moving in bounds.

Why move in-bounds if you lotteried into a feeder? Isn't that the entire point of the lottery? And I'm not saying J-R is perfect, but it's certainly not any worse than Takoma Park and Silver Spring schools. Sounds like OP isn't considering Bethesda or McLean, so apples to apples, her "upper NW" and MCPS options (Blair, Einstein) are going to be very similar.

Because the commute is extremely disruptive for marginal educational benefit (in our case).

Where are you looking to move though? I'm assuming not Takoma Park if you're looking for more than a marginal benefit in the move...

OP here, not the person you're replying to. But my main motivation to move is safety. I don't feel safe and my kids are not getting the freedom I want them to have as a result. I don't need it to be like a gated community, but DC has been awful with shootings lately, increasingly during the daytime. TP is surely an improvement?