Anyone else grew up in McLean but can’t afford to buy there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you consider Oakton? Great schools but not the snob factor your husband seems to be trying to avoid.

Or you could rent in McLean for significantly less than buying and invest the difference.

The “snob factor” is all relative. Ask people in Chantilly if they think Oakton is snobby and many will say yes.

Just live your life and find a house, commute, and schools that work for you.

Oakton and Chantilly may as well be the same place.

You are clearly not familiar with the two areas

[Anonymous]

I don’t know where you plan to buy a sfh for $500-600k

The smallest model in my hood in western Fairfax county is going for $650k now. That is a small 50+ yo cape cod with no basement.

We are in the biggest model and could probably sell in the $700k range now. The only cheaper houses out this direction are in the neighborhood with a Title I school.

[Anonymous]

OP,

Please live where you will be happy. Smaller, but well maintained, houses built in 1960s and 1970s exist in McLean. Listing price varies but often is under $1M. If you want location and do not need a big house, you should be fine from a loan/budget perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, are you still reading this thread? I grew up in McLean also. One of my friends was always amused that the McDonald's had just one arch!

Did you ever feel like people judged you negatively for growing up in McLean? I've avoided telling people because of the sometimes negative ways they would treat me after I told them. I had a college friend who assumed I was spoiled and snobby (neither were true). Whereas if I didn't tell people I was from McLean they would get to know me and not make immediate incorrect assumptions.

DP. Also grew up in McLean and have had the same experience. I usually say I lived there when it was a normal place (and way back when, it was).

If you're in the DMV I guess people have assumptions about McLean. Outside of the area most people haven't heard of it. I'm from the west coast and had never heard of it until we started looking for houses here. I lived in Arlington for 5 years and thought McLean was similar to Annandale or something (I had never visited).

If you know people in certain circles on the East Coast because of work or school ties, people generally are familiar with certain suburbs of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC, McLean among them. And also certain Chicago suburbs.

If they’ve heard of Arlington, it’s more likely because of Arlington National Cemetery or the Pentagon than the residential neighborhoods, as is the case with McLean.

McLean does not compare to the places you mentioned - you must not be familiar, at all.

No one has heard of McLean, trust me.

Why would I trust you when you’re simply wrong? People who don’t live in this area have told me many times they are familiar with McLean. It has the same name recognition as many other well-known suburbs along the East Coast.

DP but you're definitely making this up. It is simply not true.

It's absolutely true. And that should come as little surprise, since McLean is along with Chevy Chase, Maryland one of the two priciest suburbs in the DC area.

Of course, if you ask a person in Minnesota or Oregon whether they've heard of McLean, most would tell you no. Ask someone on the East Coast who works in certain fields and/or has attended certain schools and the likelihood they are familiar with McLean is higher - just like many of us who live here are familiar with suburbs like Newton, Larchmont, Lower Merion, or Roland Park (the latter of which is in Baltimore, but has a suburban feel).

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Burke/Springfield and more or less stumbled into buying our first house in the same area a few years after college based on what we could afford. It was the right financial decision, but we both hated it. The commute, the lack of walkability... everything. We moved much closer in and love where we are now.

When we were the previous house, I felt embarrassed running into people I knew from HS. Like "yep, I guess I'm back here and haven't really moved on" even though I had a masters by that point, had lived out of state previously, and had a good job. It just felt very trapped.

I'm glad the OP liked their neighborhood growing up, but I think there's some value in moving on, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are MANY good schools across Fairfax County in neighborhoods that provide much better value than McLean.

If you are talking public schools, the best (ex. TJ) are at best mediocre.

This is the telltale sign the Maryland troll is posting on this thread. It makes him feel better about MCPS to say, as he always does, that TJ is the only good public school in NoVa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Burke/Springfield and more or less stumbled into buying our first house in the same area a few years after college based on what we could afford. It was the right financial decision, but we both hated it. The commute, the lack of walkability... everything. We moved much closer in and love where we are now.

When we were the previous house, I felt embarrassed running into people I knew from HS. Like "yep, I guess I'm back here and haven't really moved on" even though I had a masters by that point, had lived out of state previously, and had a good job. It just felt very trapped.

I'm glad the OP liked their neighborhood growing up, but I think there's some value in moving on, too.

X100000

I would totally be embarrassed, Mclean or anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is OP. Yes, people seem to have an inaccurate perception of McLean, at least from when I used to live there through my childhood until going off to college. No one I knew was "snooty" or a gazillionare although yes they were well-to-do professionals. Everyone we knew was down to earth and focused on their children and families. I will say, we did not live in one of those multimillion dollar properties so may be that is why.

According to the math I do, it seems we could reasonably afford a mortgage of 1 million dollar home. DH, however is very adamant that we live some place cheap and especially not with snobby people, which personally, I think is ridiculous. There are rich people all over NOVA and are not tied to one zip code. He says he does not want to live in Great Falls, McLean or Vienna.

You're fooling yourself. Langley was always considered the rich kid's school. And having had cousins that lived there, visiting from Burke/Springfield always felts like we were the poors headed into the other side of town. And specifically in Langley Forest.

FFS, you have senators living in that neighborhood. They sure as hell don't live out near the mixing bowl. You could use some perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Burke/Springfield and more or less stumbled into buying our first house in the same area a few years after college based on what we could afford. It was the right financial decision, but we both hated it. The commute, the lack of walkability... everything. We moved much closer in and love where we are now.

When we were the previous house, I felt embarrassed running into people I knew from HS. Like "yep, I guess I'm back here and haven't really moved on" even though I had a masters by that point, had lived out of state previously, and had a good job. It just felt very trapped.

I'm glad the OP liked their neighborhood growing up, but I think there's some value in moving on, too.

I kind of understand not wanting to be perceived as someone who'd never been or seen anywhere else, but I also don't think people who grew up in some places - more often cities - spend a lot of time worrying about it. And I suspect there are an increasing number of people who were happy to have grown up in the close-in suburbs who also are happy to move back to those areas if they can afford them.

[Anonymous]

I had a beautiful and idyllic childhood on Capitol Hill and wouldn’t be able to buy there now (DH and I have a HHI of ~200k, each have masters degrees). My parents bought my childhood home for about 300k and it’s now valued at about 1 mil.

It’s ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Burke/Springfield and more or less stumbled into buying our first house in the same area a few years after college based on what we could afford. It was the right financial decision, but we both hated it. The commute, the lack of walkability... everything. We moved much closer in and love where we are now.

When we were the previous house, I felt embarrassed running into people I knew from HS. Like "yep, I guess I'm back here and haven't really moved on" even though I had a masters by that point, had lived out of state previously, and had a good job. It just felt very trapped.

I'm glad the OP liked their neighborhood growing up, but I think there's some value in moving on, too.

I kind of understand not wanting to be perceived as someone who'd never been or seen anywhere else, but I also don't think people who grew up in some places - more often cities - spend a lot of time worrying about it. And I suspect there are an increasing number of people who were happy to have grown up in the close-in suburbs who also are happy to move back to those areas if they can afford them.

PP here. Yeah, fair. I think my sense of shame (which is overstating it) probably is just a result of my not liking it when I was growing up, so why the hell was I back there again?

[Anonymous]

I’m terrified that my children will be downwardly mobile like OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is OP. Yes, people seem to have an inaccurate perception of McLean, at least from when I used to live there through my childhood until going off to college. No one I knew was "snooty" or a gazillionare although yes they were well-to-do professionals. Everyone we knew was down to earth and focused on their children and families. I will say, we did not live in one of those multimillion dollar properties so may be that is why.

According to the math I do, it seems we could reasonably afford a mortgage of 1 million dollar home. DH, however is very adamant that we live some place cheap and especially not with snobby people, which personally, I think is ridiculous. There are rich people all over NOVA and are not tied to one zip code. He says he does not want to live in Great Falls, McLean or Vienna.

Both of you seem to have some childhood/high school hang ups and could do with some maturing before you make the biggest purchase of your life. I'd focus a lot less on your childhood memories and a lot more on an actual house and area that have the qualities that are most important to you. Good luck, your husband sounds like a major PITA.

Your husband has a valid point.

Since you grew up there, OP - you know that McLean did not have many "multimillion dollar" properties until relatively recently - economics is real.

Not sure how you define "many", but it has had them for over 30 yrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you consider Oakton? Great schools but not the snob factor your husband seems to be trying to avoid.

Or you could rent in McLean for significantly less than buying and invest the difference.

The “snob factor” is all relative. Ask people in Chantilly if they think Oakton is snobby and many will say yes.

Just live your life and find a house, commute, and schools that work for you.

Oakton and Chantilly may as well be the same place.

You are clearly not familiar with the two areas

Both are a part of Greater Outsidethebeltwaybooniesville

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are MANY good schools across Fairfax County in neighborhoods that provide much better value than McLean.

If you are talking public schools, the best (ex. TJ) are at best mediocre.

This is the telltale sign the Maryland troll is posting on this thread. It makes him feel better about MCPS to say, as he always does, that TJ is the only good public school in NoVa.

No it is true actually. That’s why all of the wannabes are clamoring to get in there.