Bought a house near Fort Totten - Having regrets

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I hate FT, feel bad for you OP

+1,000. Fort Totten is sketch and I am a native Washingtonian. I would either rent it out or sell in 2021.

No native Washingtonian would call Fort Totten sketch. Who even says that? Not the most exciting neighborhood, but not "sketch". What are we 12?

As a native Washingtonian, I call it scary as hell.

I have lived in Fort Totten for 15 years and have never experienced any crime—not even property crime or package theft.

OP, it is admittedly pretty boring and the architecture is not inspiring but better boring than feeling stressed about your mortgage. There are a lot of places to get to within a mile—Petworth, Brookland—and nice places to walk. I’d wait it out for a little while.

+1

It's not scary. Unless you find boring to be scary and then it is pretty terrifying! A more apt adjective for the area would be 'sleepy'

I don't believe PP is a native Washingtonian. The current mayor is from Lamond Riggs/Ft. Totten. People have never said that FT was scary - boring, yes - scary, no.

You do know that there are plenty of white native Washingtonians? Many are young people that one would expect to use such terminology.

Not the PP who mentioned the language used. I know many white Washingtonians. I know so many at this point that I’m no longer surprised when I meet a white person from DC who still lives here. I don’t know a single one who would call Ft. Totten sketchy. Boring, yes.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP who mentioned not believing that the other PP was a native Washingtonian. I was referring to their seeming lack of familiarity with the actual neighborhood. Had nothing to do with race. No idea how that could have been implied, but I guess on DCUM anything is possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who mentioned not believing that the other PP was a native Washingtonian. I was referring to their seeming lack of familiarity with the actual neighborhood. Had nothing to do with race. No idea how that could have been implied, but I guess on DCUM anything is possible.

Oh wait! I'm not the PP who said that. Oops! I'm the one who said it was 'sleepy' -- anyway, I understood the "not a native" to mean lack of familarity.

Now i need more coffee!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought a home a couple months ago near Fort Totten, I am about .5 - 1 mile from the Metro.

I really dislike the area, I find there's not much within walking distance to do, some of the areas I feel a bit unsafe walking around (single woman), amongst other things.

I prioritized price over what I actually enjoy in my day to day life. Yes I know this was a big big mistake. Any advice? Should I think about renting it out?

Sorry you feel that way, OP. I think I know where you are as we bought our first DC home in that neighborhood, made major improvements, and sold it back in 2012 for a modest return. We sold because the house was a bit small for our growing family, and, though I walked and biked the 1.5 mile or so to Takoma DC daily to do things like hanging at coffee shops and eating at cafes, I wanted to be much closer to those activities and also enjoy stronger school zoning.

Really wish we hadn't sold and had rented it out instead because the people who bought our house made only a few upgrades were able to sell it last year for a whopping $250k return.

The point: If you do move, try to hold onto that house and rent it out. You may find that it appreciates significantly as the neighborhood continues to develop.

Maybe you can buy a condo close by like downtown Silver Spring and rent out the house?

[Anonymous]

I honestly think that area is changing more and more. I know previous poster put an article about Cafritz Foundation development. Plus there is a renovated library coming. I hope they do get the Trader Joe's in that development as well (in addition to the Aldi). Sorry you don't like it here, but you also have to do what's best for you!

[Anonymous]

Here's a Greater Greater Washington article about very scary Fort Totten (I'm kidding):

https://ggwash.org/view/79344/rich-history-and-rising-development-could-make-the-neighborhoods-east-of-fort-totten-metro-a-destination

[Anonymous]

OP, rents in Fort Totten are quite high relative to purchase price, so you may be able to rent it out for a decent price and then go rent a nice 1-bedroom at a discount in a more happening neighborhood. Win-win for you.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:What street? That area is coming around but may take awhile.

Haven’t people been saying this for years?

The urban shift isn't what it was 15 years ago. The area to the east of the Metro won't get much better any time soon, certainly not in the next few decades.

Are you serious? There are EYA townhomes going up in FT. They are almost sold out. There are several new luxury apt buildings. A new one is being built now. I live nearby. I run down South Dakota and through the streets before dawn and never feel unsafe. It's not the most exciting neighborhood, but I feel safe.

Yes, all those ugly duplexes around there will never be particularly popular. It's not like you're rehabbing 19th century rowhouses in a dense urban neighborhood with a strong cultural identity. It will be fine for middle class seniors and low income families.

Low income families are the ones buying the 500,000 dollar houses? I guess I have a different definition of low income than you do. Median household income for the region is 85K a year. Seems more likely that low income families would buy in PG County instead.

Low income households are not buying, period.