Fitting into Upper Income Neighborhood Or Where Should Live/School

[Anonymous]

Why not live close to work? You could find something nice for $1 million on Capitol hill and SFH on the Hill hold value extremely well.

I live a few blocks from Eastern Market metro and would not want to live anywhere else in the world. Seriously. My whole family feels the same way.

You could walk to work-- or bicycle. Imagine how nice that would be!

and it is a great place to age in, too. Lots of empty nesters move from suburbs into Captiol Hill. why not just skip the suburbs entirely?

[Anonymous]

I think if the commute works for you, you'd be fine in North Arlington or City of Falls Church. If you're ok with "not new but renovated", you can find something under $1M in bounds for great schools in a neighborhood reasonably close to Metro, but maybe not walking distance. `(The $1,200/year I pay for metro parking is a bargain compared to what I'd pay to live walking distance from metro vs. an 8 minute drive away.) Lots of moms I know fit the tiger mom/bohemian mom thing, meaning that we are a little left-leaning, environmental, etc. but concerned about good schools and quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you have it pretty good, OP - why would you go through the hassle of moving just to fit in?

Like I said we are happy, but you know the 'cruelty of schoolchildren' and being on the extremes of the group worry that it will negatively impact kids.

What are you basing this on? Are your kids being mocked for living in a $1 million house? And eating 100% organic food? You sound exactly like every other do-gooder faux boho family in the area. You seem to have an unnecessary chip on your shoulder that you may be passing on to your kids.

Kids have already come over and said 'wow your place is so small' and 'where is your backyard'.

We don't live in a 1m house, we are willing to borrow and liquidate 401k etc if it means we can give kids good schools and still
Have time to see them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on how you want to live, I suggest Hyattsville. You definitely can afford the houses and with the savings on mortgage, you can afford private schools in the area. The public school has tremendous neighborhood and parent support and when I look around the neighborhood at the families I spend time with; the children are HES, Robert Goddard Montessori, French Immersion, Friends Community School and Christian Family Montessori. There is absolutely no judgment on educational choices that I have been privy to and I have been in the 'hood for 10 years. Very active neighborhood community with neihgborhood potlucks, babysitting co-ops, active parent list serv, active neighborhood list serv, inside the beltway, 2 metro stops and lots odf development. You can search for other threads on the neighborhood. good luck!

Thanks will check it out. The arts district looks nice, maybe a fledgling takoma park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you have it pretty good, OP - why would you go through the hassle of moving just to fit in?

Like I said we are happy, but you know the 'cruelty of schoolchildren' and being on the extremes of the group worry that it will negatively impact kids.

What are you basing this on? Are your kids being mocked for living in a $1 million house? And eating 100% organic food? You sound exactly like every other do-gooder faux boho family in the area. You seem to have an unnecessary chip on your shoulder that you may be passing on to your kids.

Kids have already come over and said 'wow your place is so small' and 'where is your backyard'.

We don't live in a 1m house, we are willing to borrow and liquidate 401k etc if it means we can give kids good schools and still
Have time to see them.

I don't even know what to say to this.

If you are really going to liquidate your 401K to get a bigger house, because friends of your kids are saying "where is your backyard" then you have to be some of the dumbest people I've encountered of almost 4 years of visting DCUM. And that is really saying something.

Remind me, when the next goverment bailout comes around and someone on DCUM is buying your house in foreclosure - NOT to feel sorry for your dumbass.

[Anonymous]

BTW I love the parallel thread about where to move if budget is 5 million. Not sure what it means but amusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not live close to work? You could find something nice for $1 million on Capitol hill and SFH on the Hill hold value extremely well.

I live a few blocks from Eastern Market metro and would not want to live anywhere else in the world. Seriously. My whole family feels the same way.

You could walk to work-- or bicycle. Imagine how nice that would be!

and it is a great place to age in, too. Lots of empty nesters move from suburbs into Captiol Hill. why not just skip the suburbs entirely?

what about this place?

http://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/613-A-St-SE-20003/home/9899937

Off street parking, Brent elementary gets a 9 out of 10 on Great schools (and it is a really great school!), lots of public parks near by. Its unusual for SFH on Capitol Hill to have a backyard, so no one will blink a the lack of one at this house. instead, kids go to parks: Yards, Garfield, Lincoln, Marion etc. You could walk to work. your family could walk to the Mall. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not live close to work? You could find something nice for $1 million on Capitol hill and SFH on the Hill hold value extremely well.

I live a few blocks from Eastern Market metro and would not want to live anywhere else in the world. Seriously. My whole family feels the same way.

You could walk to work-- or bicycle. Imagine how nice that would be!

and it is a great place to age in, too. Lots of empty nesters move from suburbs into Captiol Hill. why not just skip the suburbs entirely?

what about this place?

http://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/613-A-St-SE-20003/home/9899937

Off street parking, Brent elementary gets a 9 out of 10 on Great schools (and it is a really great school!), lots of public parks near by. Its unusual for SFH on Capitol Hill to have a backyard, so no one will blink a the lack of one at this house. instead, kids go to parks: Yards, Garfield, Lincoln, Marion etc. You could walk to work. your family could walk to the Mall. Am I missing something?

Wow, this would be sublime. And I like the diversity in school demographics. What about middle/high school, as we can't afford private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

That's the rub. It's house you can afford with all-in or time in the car? Or stick renting apartments and gamble on our kids being odd man out ? We couldn't care less about joneses, but kids are by nature more sensitive to such things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

It's anonymous, say what you think. OP needs to take a finance class quick, before she is living in her kids basement or working baging groceries at 70 because she cleaned out her 401K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

That's the rub. It's house you can afford with all-in or time in the car? Or stick renting apartments and gamble on our kids being odd man out ? We couldn't care less about joneses, but kids are by nature more sensitive to such things.

So the original question of fitting in vs driving, consensus seems to be stay put and try to yeah our children well! Sounds good but daunting, peers have such sway with kids as they get older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

That's the rub. It's house you can afford with all-in or time in the car? Or stick renting apartments and gamble on our kids being odd man out ? We couldn't care less about joneses, but kids are by nature more sensitive to such things.

Bullshit.

I was the poorest kid in my private school (which my parents scraped by to send me too). You don't sound like a tiger mom, you sound like an over protective helicopter mom. Let your kids see the real world. There are rich people - you are not one of them. The sooner they figure it out, the better off they will be. You DON'T have enough money to own a million dollar house. Get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

It's anonymous, say what you think. OP needs to take a finance class quick, before she is living in her kids basement or working baging groceries at 70 because she cleaned out her 401K.

Hah are you kidding. Housing is basically backed up by the Fed, never going down. Stocks they'll let go every which way. Between capital gains exclusion and interest deduction, housing may be the bet retirement plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have said it more nicely, but I also don't understand the impulse to liquidate retirement assets to keep up with the Joneses. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the ability to be happy with what they have. Followed by the ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

So, buy the house you can afford in the school district you have your heart set on, and forget about what other people think.

That's the rub. It's house you can afford with all-in or time in the car? Or stick renting apartments and gamble on our kids being odd man out ? We couldn't care less about joneses, but kids are by nature more sensitive to such things.

Bullshit.

I was the poorest kid in my private school (which my parents scraped by to send me too). You don't sound like a tiger mom, you sound like an over protective helicopter mom. Let your kids see the real world. There are rich people - you are not one of them. The sooner they figure it out, the better off they will be. You DON'T have enough money to own a million dollar house. Get over it.

This OP. I like this.