Why are homes in the DMV not nice?

[Anonymous]

Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

This. We are looking at homes right now and a lot of them honestly look too nice for our stuff, so I worry it’s going to look silly. But with toddlers and multiple pets, I cannot bring myself to furnish my home with anything too nice. We have money, but we aren’t rich enough that it’s nbd if something gets ruined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

And you’ve answered OP’s question. Many people never get to that “one day” or they move and focus on their new home. If most of your neighbors are of the same mindset, there’s no social pressure to up the ante. In some places and circles, splurging on interiors is what people do. It sounds like DMV is not one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

And you’ve answered OP’s question. Many people never get to that “one day” or they move and focus on their new home. If most of your neighbors are of the same mindset, there’s no social pressure to up the ante. In some places and circles, splurging on interiors is what people do. It sounds like DMV is not one of them.

And you say this like it's a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

And you’ve answered OP’s question. Many people never get to that “one day” or they move and focus on their new home. If most of your neighbors are of the same mindset, there’s no social pressure to up the ante. In some places and circles, splurging on interiors is what people do. It sounds like DMV is not one of them.

And you say this like it's a bad thing.

It’s not a bad thing. Different priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even higher end/more expensive homes in McLean, Potomac etc. have poor finishings, bad landscaping, mediocre appliances etc.

Compared to nicer suburbs around LA, NYC, Miami or other metro areas (even Charleston homes tend to be nicer) it appears as if people in this area either have no clue how to make a place "nice" or don't care to?

Is it because it's transient so they don't want to put in a La Cornue range when a Wolf would do?

They don't want to spend $$$ on proper high end landscaping which may take years to come in?

Interested in any other thoughts!

I completely agree. Except for a few subdivisions, the homes in Potomac are grotesque. I grew up in an upper class suburb in the Midwest and the houses and neighborhoods are way more beautiful than anything around here. Maybe because the suburbs around here developed later than the early 20th century? Except for a few.

Agreed. Places like Grosse Pointe are far nicer than any DC suburb. Georgetown and Old Town are incredibly nice though as is Spring Valley. The suburbs are by and large the problem because once you get out into The Plains and Middleburg it’s far classier than any gouche Miami exurb.

I agree with what many have said on this thread -- that the suburbs in DC were hastily built after WWII to accommodate government workers. We live in such a house in Bethesda. It's nothing special at all, and yet it's worth more than a much larger and more beautiful house in Grosse Point, Michigan, such as these two nice homes (selling for under $2 million, which would be double that if located in Bethesda or Arlington).

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/355-Lincoln-Rd_Grosse-Pointe_MI_48230_M46951-99604
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4-Cameron-Pl_Grosse-Pointe_MI_48230_M41316-38649

I'm only singling out Grosse Point because PP mentioned it above. I have friends who are moving from Minnesota to Michigan for a career advancement, and they are shocked at what a nice house you can get in Grosse Pointe, MI, for the money. Chicago also seems pretty affordable to live in a nice suburb like Hinsdale, IL.

So I agree that the houses around the DMV are not particularly charming or nice. But they are expensive. For us, we would love to have nicer furniture and a nicer home. But this is what we can afford.

As others have stated above, this area has a solid middle class and upper middle class thanks to the stability that federal employment (at least used to) provide(s). And there are a lot of educated people here. But we do not have the kind of wealthy industries that other cities may have, like NY and Boston.

Also, I once read that the DMV has the highest price of housing relative to the average salary. So in summary, the housing prices are relatively high compared to the salaries that people are earning. I don't understand why this is, but it sounds accurate to me. And that would explain why the houses do not look as nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on what range homes you are talking about:
- Yes, multimillion dollar homes should look great in all ways.
- Under a million? Those are normal homes and people who own them will typically have to prioritize savings over renovations and decor, which is the sound and responsible thing to do.

I’m from Atlanta originally and you find attractive housing at all prices. If it has been renovated since the HGTV era, it looks good. The quality of the renovation may vary based on price, and it may be obvious if you’re in the space, but it will look great in a picture. I largely think it’s a reflection of labor costs and priorities. I love telling my sister in Atlanta about the quotes I get - she’s always shocked and appalled. I don’t think she’s ever done a house project that cost more than 10K, and she’s had major work done (adding bathrooms, finishing her basement, etc). At the prices we’re quoted here, I’m constantly asking myself whether it’s worth it. With the purely cosmetic work, it often isn’t.

Atlanta + HGTV = we are not working from the same definition of "nice"

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of the non historic Northeast has a lot of ugly homes. I don’t think New Jersey or Long Island are spilling over with gorgeous architecture either. There are exceptions, but the average suburban home is not pretty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

This is absolutely false. A lot of new homes are professionally decorated and have pricey furniture. OP is trolling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on what range homes you are talking about:
- Yes, multimillion dollar homes should look great in all ways.
- Under a million? Those are normal homes and people who own them will typically have to prioritize savings over renovations and decor, which is the sound and responsible thing to do.

I’m from Atlanta originally and you find attractive housing at all prices. If it has been renovated since the HGTV era, it looks good. The quality of the renovation may vary based on price, and it may be obvious if you’re in the space, but it will look great in a picture. I largely think it’s a reflection of labor costs and priorities. I love telling my sister in Atlanta about the quotes I get - she’s always shocked and appalled. I don’t think she’s ever done a house project that cost more than 10K, and she’s had major work done (adding bathrooms, finishing her basement, etc). At the prices we’re quoted here, I’m constantly asking myself whether it’s worth it. With the purely cosmetic work, it often isn’t.

Renovation here is now extremely expensive, it didn't used to be this way. Cost of construction is just obscene. You can find luxury homes of the same size, quality of finishes in other parts of the country for half price (including land) of what it costs to just build a home on your own lot, not even paying for land. You start wondering that it's not just cost of labor and materials but there is a lot of location premium built into the quotes of developers and contractors here. They see land prices go up in your local area, and even if they aren't living in this area (their workforce certainly isn't living there) and import their materials from elsewhere, they will charge you more because of doing work on your more expensive land. It's what disincentivizes people with older homes to renovate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been impressed by the quality, both design and construction, of higher end to expensive new builds and teardown replacements in Southern cities. Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, all have great new housing that is comparable to the classics from the 1920s-30s era.

Agree you don't see much of those around DC for whatever reasons.

Agreed, I’ve noticed this too.

It appears that construction costs alone (labor and materials) not even land cost is what plays the role. It's really overpriced here to build a home even on your own lot or to renovate your house, unless you do a lot of DYI. But there are a lot of people here with deep pockets and they seem to always have funds to have all sorts of work done on their homes that are already nice and $$$ to start with.

It's a tale of two cities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

And you’ve answered OP’s question. Many people never get to that “one day” or they move and focus on their new home. If most of your neighbors are of the same mindset, there’s no social pressure to up the ante. In some places and circles, splurging on interiors is what people do. It sounds like DMV is not one of them.

Again, it's complete BS. Depends on the area affluence. People who buy new multimillion dollar homes or estates absolutely keep spending on their homes after their purchase. There is new furniture delivered, designer lighting in these houses, landscaping work done all the time and trucks coming and going. But, it's become a luxury here to renovate. The difference is stark when you go into more working class areas where more and more homes appear to be rundown and in disrepair, and next to them new construction homes are going up already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on what range homes you are talking about:
- Yes, multimillion dollar homes should look great in all ways.
- Under a million? Those are normal homes and people who own them will typically have to prioritize savings over renovations and decor, which is the sound and responsible thing to do.

I’m from Atlanta originally and you find attractive housing at all prices. If it has been renovated since the HGTV era, it looks good. The quality of the renovation may vary based on price, and it may be obvious if you’re in the space, but it will look great in a picture. I largely think it’s a reflection of labor costs and priorities. I love telling my sister in Atlanta about the quotes I get - she’s always shocked and appalled. I don’t think she’s ever done a house project that cost more than 10K, and she’s had major work done (adding bathrooms, finishing her basement, etc). At the prices we’re quoted here, I’m constantly asking myself whether it’s worth it. With the purely cosmetic work, it often isn’t.

Atlanta + HGTV = we are not working from the same definition of "nice"

The housing stock in Atlanta is beautiful. Go browse homes in buckhead or Druid hills on Redfin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using a professional decorator is a game changer, along with renovating dated kitchens and bathrooms, replacing uninspired fixtures, and upgrading lighting plans in general. I think many people who buy expensive homes balk at seeking professional help and spending significant amounts on furnishings and decor, and that shows.

We’ve got young kids and an old dog. One day we’ll use a professional decorator and spend a lot on nice furniture. Today is not that day.

This. We are looking at homes right now and a lot of them honestly look too nice for our stuff, so I worry it’s going to look silly. But with toddlers and multiple pets, I cannot bring myself to furnish my home with anything too nice. We have money, but we aren’t rich enough that it’s nbd if something gets ruined.

It’s money or a lack thereof here.