Why is Kensington so much cheaper than Bethesda and Takoma Park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which park of Kensington? The poor side or the UMC side? Bethesda is Bethesda and will always be expensive. I don't think that Takoma Park is expensive.

Schools and proximity to amenities and work centers are what generally makes places expensive.

I never knew there were “poor” and “UMC” sides of Kensington. I live just behind where the old White Flint Mall used to be—can someone advise if I’m poor or upper middle class?

But on the "poor" side of Kensington you need at least $700k for a decent sfh in good condition which tells you "poor" actually means UMC.

Prices are way up. They aren’t decent for that price.

+1, below are some examples of what has sold in Homewood, a neighborhood “on the other side of the tracks” zoned for non-Bethesda schools. A small updated home is well over 700k and a larger updated home is over 1M.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3019-Fayette-Rd-Kensington-MD-20895/37297419_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3013-Homewood-Pkwy-Kensington-MD-20895/37297396_zpid/

Fair. I do think Kensington Heights and North Kensington are cheaper. Homewood is nice because it is walkable to the shops and restaurants and train station in Kensington so I think that drives up the prices a little.

Also your definition of "decent" matters. These houses are large for the area. You can get something well maintained for closer to $600k or less in North Kensington but it will be less than 2000 sq ft.

What is unfortunate is that you are paying so much and the middle and high schools are so poorly rated by staff and students.
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php

We live in North Kensington and love the neighborhood. Prices have definitely shot up over the last 5 years-- what used to be a $450-$500K house is now a $650-750K house. But the same house (i.e. 1950's rambler or split level) in Parkwood or Garret Park Estates is $800-900K. Rock View has been in transition but we have a new principal starting in the fall that everyone is very enthusiastic about. My DC has been a student there since K and we are planning on going to NMMS and Einstein or other DCC high school. We are 2 working parents and feel at home here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which park of Kensington? The poor side or the UMC side? Bethesda is Bethesda and will always be expensive. I don't think that Takoma Park is expensive.

Schools and proximity to amenities and work centers are what generally makes places expensive.

I never knew there were “poor” and “UMC” sides of Kensington. I live just behind where the old White Flint Mall used to be—can someone advise if I’m poor or upper middle class?

I think most people consider that Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here... I just did a bunch of searching on Zillow, and I definitely see multiple houses west of Conn Ave in the $700ks while similar houses west of the park in Bethesda are $900ks... but similar looking ones in Takoma Park are more like low $800ks, so I guess the price difference isnt' as dramatic. But earlier this summer, I definitely saw some 2000sq ft houses on postage stamp lots in Takoma going for $900k, and it does seem like anything that's close to the downtown is in that range.

There is a huge difference in house pricing in Takoma depending on (micro) neighborhood and proximity to the downtown/metro. The same house could vary greatly as you move it a 1/4 mile one direction or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kensington west of Connecticut is not significantly cheaper than much of bethesda (KP, ashburton and WYngate all feed into NBMS middle school and are pretty equivalently priced). East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

I live in Kensington east of Ct.

We have our own neighborhood pool so we don’t need to cross CT to go to a pool. My kids can walk and bike there.

Also, we can walk to the farmers market and the Safeway and the stores and restarwnts in the antique district really easily, without crossing CT.

Other than the Walter Johnson effect, I’m confused why the west side costs so much more than the east side. Identical new builds seem to cost twenty five percent more. Is the WJ effect really that strong or is there some other pro I am missing? I don’t get it. Plus I will add Einstein was great for our kid and our other kid has gotten to go to great DCC magnets from sixth grade on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which park of Kensington? The poor side or the UMC side? Bethesda is Bethesda and will always be expensive. I don't think that Takoma Park is expensive.

Schools and proximity to amenities and work centers are what generally makes places expensive.

I never knew there were “poor” and “UMC” sides of Kensington. I live just behind where the old White Flint Mall used to be—can someone advise if I’m poor or upper middle class?

I think most people consider that Rockville.

I live in the same neighborhood (hi neighbor!) and our mailing address is Kensington. There is a 20895 Post Office on Nicholson. I agree that no one really thinks of that area as Kensington though.

[Anonymous]

The Town of Kensington is a political entity, with a Mayor & such. It is smaller than the 20895 zip code. All houses in the TOK are in the WJ cluster. As I've mentioned previously, residents in north Kensington who are in the Town are so close to Einstein that they hear the marching band play at football games. Their kids go to WJ, five miles away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which park of Kensington? The poor side or the UMC side? Bethesda is Bethesda and will always be expensive. I don't think that Takoma Park is expensive.

Schools and proximity to amenities and work centers are what generally makes places expensive.

I never knew there were “poor” and “UMC” sides of Kensington. I live just behind where the old White Flint Mall used to be—can someone advise if I’m poor or upper middle class?

Yeah, you're part of that disconnected enclave that everybody assumes is part of "North Bethesda" but got gerrymandered as part of Kensington. Your poor, just not dirt poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

They also go to North Bethesda middle school with the rest of Kensington Parkwood - there isn't any split articulation. the dividing line is the edge of the Town of Kensington boundaries which are to the east of Conn Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

They also go to North Bethesda middle school with the rest of Kensington Parkwood - there isn't any split articulation. the dividing line is the edge of the Town of Kensington boundaries which are to the east of Conn Ave.

+1 of course South Kensington which is also east of Conn is zoned for BCC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's further away from DC. And east of Rock Creek which is significant at rush hour.
Kensington is currently zoned for Walter Johnson which is considered by some (not by me, I DGAF) a "lesser" W school.
There are some cool restaurants here and there but the commercial area is divided by a busy 6 lane road.

Doesn’t most of Kensington go to Einstein?

It's split between WJ and Einstein.

And parts go to B-CC as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The inventory in TKPK is insanely limited. Old housing stock, strange layouts, heavily regulated development (thanks NIMBYs!).

IMHO you will generally get more house for your buck in Kensington but you are farther out and don’t have the cute centralized TKPK downtown with hip new restaurants popping up everywhere.

We looked in both places- and Rockville. Takoma Park had added taxes, which was a consideration for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

There’s a small area near St. Paul Park that is part of the town of Kensington and sends kids to WJ - blocks around Lexington, Dupont, Perry, St. Paul, Farragut, Wheatley, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which park of Kensington? The poor side or the UMC side? Bethesda is Bethesda and will always be expensive. I don't think that Takoma Park is expensive.

Schools and proximity to amenities and work centers are what generally makes places expensive.

I never knew there were “poor” and “UMC” sides of Kensington. I live just behind where the old White Flint Mall used to be—can someone advise if I’m poor or upper middle class?

I think most people consider that Rockville.

I live in the same neighborhood (hi neighbor!) and our mailing address is Kensington. There is a 20895 Post Office on Nicholson. I agree that no one really thinks of that area as Kensington though.

The credit card receipts from stores in White Flint always said Kensington, Maryland, as the store address.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

The Town of Kensington all goes to Kensington / Parkwood, hence the name. If you want to look up the boundaries of a school cluster just put in the school’s name in a Redfin search.

The boundaries of the KP/WJ school cluster are too complicated to spell out, but just look at the boundaries of the Town of Kensington and that’s all you’ll need to know about homes that are zoned for KP and are east of Connecticut.

A little annoying that people are lumping homes in places like Garrett Park Estates in with TOK to say TOK is undesirable compared with TP and Bethesda. TOK is very desirable and almost every home that’s gone on sale in the last 3 years has had a bidding war.