a big reason for the housing crunch around DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If wealth and lowest crime are the yardsticks, then NoVA is BY FAR the best place to live. You cannot argue this. It's just a fact. Sure, you may not like the "walkability" score, or maybe you don't like the architecture. But that's all tertiary to me when considering the best neighborhood for my children.

+1. That walkability doesn't mean squat if you find a drug needle in your front yard, your kid gets jumped, your car is broken into more than once, etc.

You can find a walk score in the 80s in Fairfax/Loudoun if you really want to. And I have to walk further to get to the chain restaurants in my neck of the woods.

The fallacy is that these are no longer facts of life in most longer-gentrified (and, in the case of UpperNW, practically ossified) neighborhoods in the District.

Car getting broken into is a constant problem in Upper NW and Bethesda! Not sure what you are dismissing as fallacy. Cars get broken into nightly in the neighborhoods that feed to Westbrook Elementary and Janney Elementary. I know because I lived there.

[Anonymous]

There are housing crunches in many parts of the U.S right now. The job market is shaky and people just aren't moving like that, not to mention the DC area supposedly has the best job market right now so there are probably more people moving in than out. Even in PG County there are several areas where houses are snatched up as soon as they hit the market.

I do agree that the DC area could benefit to just fix up more of the so called 'undesirable' areas. But if housing became more affordable accross the board, that would mean those who spent $600k for a small shack in Arlington would be severely underwater later on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found this on another thread and really agree! We do seem to take it for granted that only a few nabes are even on the list to look at.

...there is heavy pressure on a limited number of neighborhoods because of a failure of social services in many other neighborhoods--- schools, safety, tranportation. If efficient public transportion(metro, trolleys) was ubiquitous, quality schools common, and violent crime less, buyers would have an exponentially larger pool of houses to choose from. Prices would be more affordable. The population attempting to buy into the modest-sized neighborhoods of Arlington, Del Ray, Upper NW, CCDC, Bethesda, etc., far exceeds what these neighborhoods can absorb. Frustrated buyers would do well to work for better schools, transportation and safety across the region to see their prospects improve, and to share the wealth with all our neighbors.

I, for one, as a DC resident have given up on DCPS. They aren't going to straighten up the schools anytime soon. I also wouldn't consider moving to NoVa or MoCo because I have accepted that American's public education system has too many problems and have lost sight of the goals. NCLB has placed too much emphasis on standardized testing. I am not interested in having my children learn to take a test and I say this as someone who went to public schools. They need to overhaul public education in the US. They need to get politicians and pundits out of setting educational standards. Everything has become so politicized that we are going to slowly corrode as a Nation. I am sick of it. So yes, I bought in a neighborhood with a terrible elementary school because my kids go private. I think many people just need to sort out their priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are housing crunches in many parts of the U.S right now. The job market is shaky and people just aren't moving like that, not to mention the DC area supposedly has the best job market right now so there are probably more people moving in than out. Even in PG County there are several areas where houses are snatched up as soon as they hit the market.

I do agree that the DC area could benefit to just fix up more of the so called 'undesirable' areas. But if housing became more affordable accross the board, that would mean those who spent $600k for a small shack in Arlington would be severely underwater later on.

Frankly, I sometimes suspect that is why people who spent $600k for a shack in Arlington or Bethesda discourage people from moving to PG. I think it's partly in their best interest that only a few areas remain desirable. And sadly, sometimes I get the impression that they don't want to see things like schools improve in surrounding areas because it would give people more choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are housing crunches in many parts of the U.S right now. The job market is shaky and people just aren't moving like that, not to mention the DC area supposedly has the best job market right now so there are probably more people moving in than out. Even in PG County there are several areas where houses are snatched up as soon as they hit the market.

I do agree that the DC area could benefit to just fix up more of the so called 'undesirable' areas. But if housing became more affordable accross the board, that would mean those who spent $600k for a small shack in Arlington would be severely underwater later on.

Frankly, I sometimes suspect that is why people who spent $600k for a shack in Arlington or Bethesda discourage people from moving to PG. I think it's partly in their best interest that only a few areas remain desirable. And sadly, sometimes I get the impression that they don't want to see things like schools improve in surrounding areas because it would give people more choices.

LOL. People are so delusional. Or wishful. Or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are housing crunches in many parts of the U.S right now. The job market is shaky and people just aren't moving like that, not to mention the DC area supposedly has the best job market right now so there are probably more people moving in than out. Even in PG County there are several areas where houses are snatched up as soon as they hit the market.

I do agree that the DC area could benefit to just fix up more of the so called 'undesirable' areas. But if housing became more affordable accross the board, that would mean those who spent $600k for a small shack in Arlington would be severely underwater later on.

Frankly, I sometimes suspect that is why people who spent $600k for a shack in Arlington or Bethesda discourage people from moving to PG. I think it's partly in their best interest that only a few areas remain desirable. And sadly, sometimes I get the impression that they don't want to see things like schools improve in surrounding areas because it would give people more choices.

LOL. People are so delusional. Or wishful. Or something.

this is bs teardowns are at least 650k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If wealth and lowest crime are the yardsticks, then NoVA is BY FAR the best place to live. You cannot argue this. It's just a fact. Sure, you may not like the "walkability" score, or maybe you don't like the architecture. But that's all tertiary to me when considering the best neighborhood for my children.

+1. That walkability doesn't mean squat if you find a drug needle in your front yard, your kid gets jumped, your car is broken into more than once, etc.

You can find a walk score in the 80s in Fairfax/Loudoun if you really want to. And I have to walk further to get to the chain restaurants in my neck of the woods.

The fallacy is that these are no longer facts of life in most longer-gentrified (and, in the case of UpperNW, practically ossified) neighborhoods in the District.

Let's also point out that the longest-gentrified, whitebread-est, wealthiest Upper NW locations are as walkable as Fairfax County. Or as non-walkable as Fairfax County. Phrase it any way you like it.

I was thinking more in terms of Dupont or Kalorama Triangle for longer-gentrified neighborhoods. No needles, very few assaults during the daytime or pre-bar-hopping evening hours, and my car was broken into once in the 9 years I've lived here... and frankly, that time I was an idiot for leaving stuff in plain view.

No one could describe UpperNW as "gentrified" at all, since it's always been pretty comfortable. I'll stick with "ossified".

Small space living is the real trade-off, not the more fundamental quality of life problems PP mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we gives a shit about walkability especially today when it's raining.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I was thinking more in terms of Dupont or Kalorama Triangle for longer-gentrified neighborhoods. No needles, very few assaults during the daytime or pre-bar-hopping evening hours, and my car was broken into once in the 9 years I've lived here... and frankly, that time I was an idiot for leaving stuff in plain view.

No one could describe UpperNW as "gentrified" at all, since it's always been pretty comfortable. I'll stick with "ossified".

Small space living is the real trade-off, not the more fundamental quality of life problems PP mentioned.

How do you exclude the quality of schools from your quality-of-life calculus? If you thought in terms of Dupont or Kalorama and you have children, that most certainly must have crossed your mind, no? Even if your kids are in great charters, the stress of lotteries must have taken something away from the quality of life.

[Anonymous]

... or your kids are at Ross, but then what to you do for middle school?

[Anonymous]

I think another reason for the pressure on certain neighborhoods is where jobs are located. Even if we were willing to accept PG schools, the commute for DW and I to our jobs would be terrible, it just wouldn't make any sense (but OTOH we're completely priced out of the neighborhoods that would make for a good commute for both of us). If more businesses were located in the so-called undesirable areas, more development would move in and there would be a certain segment of workers and who would take the chance on the area in order to have a short commute. Sort of like what happened in downtown Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Found this on another thread and really agree! We do seem to take it for granted that only a few nabes are even on the list to look at.

...there is heavy pressure on a limited number of neighborhoods because of a failure of social services in many other neighborhoods--- schools, safety, tranportation. If efficient public transportion(metro, trolleys) was ubiquitous, quality schools common, and violent crime less, buyers would have an exponentially larger pool of houses to choose from. Prices would be more affordable. The population attempting to buy into the modest-sized neighborhoods of Arlington, Del Ray, Upper NW, CCDC, Bethesda, etc., far exceeds what these neighborhoods can absorb. Frustrated buyers would do well to work for better schools, transportation and safety across the region to see their prospects improve, and to share the wealth with all our neighbors.

I, for one, as a DC resident have given up on DCPS. They aren't going to straighten up the schools anytime soon. I also wouldn't consider moving to NoVa or MoCo because I have accepted that American's public education system has too many problems and have lost sight of the goals. NCLB has placed too much emphasis on standardized testing. I am not interested in having my children learn to take a test and I say this as someone who went to public schools. They need to overhaul public education in the US. They need to get politicians and pundits out of setting educational standards. Everything has become so politicized that we are going to slowly corrode as a Nation. I am sick of it. So yes, I bought in a neighborhood with a terrible elementary school because my kids go private. I think many people just need to sort out their priorities.

I heard that on college they give you tests not life experience credits