Chevy Chase, DC v. Takoma Park, MD

[Anonymous]

?? What boundary is Nebraska in regards to CCDC?

[Anonymous]

What neighborhood do you think Politics and Prose is in?

[Anonymous]

Forest Hills? I think of Nebraska and Connecticut as the borders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Politics and Prose is in CCDC

It's in forest hills

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like both places.

I think the people who assert that the architecture will be "more interesting" for sure in TP aren't actually familiar with the housing stock across 20015.

And P&P isn't even in Chevy chase, lovely though it is.

I don't know that the architecture in TP is in general more interesting, but for most budgets, the architecture you can afford in TP is definitely more interesting.

For example, I find this:

http://tour.mouseonhouse.com/property/195/22553/?Branding=0

to be much more architecturally interesting than

http://www.weichert.com/47763020/

even though the latter is almost 100K more.

The house linked to above in TKPK is in the historic district. CCDC is not a historic district - which is a plus or minus depending on your sensibilities. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/10/chevy_chase_dc_rejects_histori.html. .

Know your facts. That TP house was built in 1903. The oldest homes in CCDC -- and there are many -- are from the same period (1901 - 1910). A designation, or not, of an historic regulatory overlay has no bearing on this reality.

[Anonymous]

I don't know that the architecture in TP is in general more interesting, but for most budgets, the architecture you can afford in TP is definitely more interesting.

For example, I find this:

http://tour.mouseonhouse.com/property/195/22553/?Branding=0

to be much more architecturally interesting than

http://www.weichert.com/47763020/

even though the latter is almost 100K more.

The house linked to above in TKPK is in the historic district. CCDC is not a historic district - which is a plus or minus depending on your sensibilities. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/10/chevy_chase_dc_rejects_histori.html. .

Know your facts. That TP house was built in 1903. The oldest homes in CCDC -- and there are many -- are from the same period (1901 - 1910). A designation, or not, of an historic regulatory overlay has no bearing on this reality.

PP here - my brief post re: historic designation wasn't disputing the fact that there are historic homes (the linked article clearly states that CCDC is eligible for historic district designation). The facts are that the residents of CCDC decided not to go for historic district designation - and this makes a difference. In HDs, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to (1) raze a historic property and build a mcmansion on the lot, (2) build popups (which are happening OUTSIDE of Capitol Hill historic district, Logan Circle historic district, etc.), (3) make alterations to historic buildings that grossly undermine its historic characters, and (4) build new construction that doesn't fit with the character of the neighborhood (though high contrast architecture is allowed). Yes, designation also creates more process for property owners - but, depending on your sensibilities, this extra process may be worth it.

The house linked to TKPK is in a historic district - which means that the neighboring property owners will not be able to come in and build huge properties to the adjacent lot lines. In contrast, check out a new build on Alleghany that is under contract. Again - it depends on your aesthetics which street you'd want to live on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like both places.

I think the people who assert that the architecture will be "more interesting" for sure in TP aren't actually familiar with the housing stock across 20015.

And P&P isn't even in Chevy chase, lovely though it is.

I don't know that the architecture in TP is in general more interesting, but for most budgets, the architecture you can afford in TP is definitely more interesting.

For example, I find this:

http://tour.mouseonhouse.com/property/195/22553/?Branding=0

to be much more architecturally interesting than

http://www.weichert.com/47763020/

even though the latter is almost 100K more.

The house linked to above in TKPK is in the historic district. CCDC is not a historic district - which is a plus or minus depending on your sensibilities. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/10/chevy_chase_dc_rejects_histori.html. .

Know your facts. That TP house was built in 1903. The oldest homes in CCDC -- and there are many -- are from the same period (1901 - 1910). A designation, or not, of an historic regulatory overlay has no bearing on this reality.

PP here - my brief post re: historic designation wasn't disputing the fact that there are historic homes (the linked article clearly states that CCDC is eligible for historic district designation). The facts are that the residents of CCDC decided not to go for historic district designation - and this makes a difference. In HDs, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to (1) raze a historic property and build a mcmansion on the lot, (2) build popups (which are happening OUTSIDE of Capitol Hill historic district, Logan Circle historic district, etc.), (3) make alterations to historic buildings that grossly undermine its historic characters, and (4) build new construction that doesn't fit with the character of the neighborhood (though high contrast architecture is allowed). Yes, designation also creates more process for property owners - but, depending on your sensibilities, this extra process may be worth it.

The house linked to TKPK is in a historic district - which means that the neighboring property owners will not be able to come in and build huge properties to the adjacent lot lines. In contrast, check out a new build on Alleghany that is under contract. Again - it depends on your aesthetics which street you'd want to live on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you tend to be more traditional go CC,DC. More secure investment.

CCDC is a mature market where values are high relative to surrounding areas. Although it's impossible to tell what the future holds, it seems like a safer (more conservative) investment; however, more conservative doesn't mean a better return. In recent years, Takoma Park real estate has greatly outperformed CCDC. An earlier poster even linked this to data from Zillow to substantiate this. Again, I can't say what will happen next year. If the real estate market tanks CCDC is probably a safer bet, but if things continue on as they have, TKPK will also continue to provide a higher return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another thing about buying a home in Takoma Park is the huge local TP tax. In Bethesda, we only pay county taxes, not county + local neighborhood tax. Homes in Bethesda start about 600K and go up from there (my little neighborhood has a huge range from 550K to 1.5M). Equivalent homes in CC are about 100K higher. I think more people in CC send their kids to private school than in Bethesda. Bethesda has great schools and pretty good diversity, at least in my neighborhood (though not as much as TP), and is very safe. Chevy Chase, DC is very nice, but I have not heard very good things about DC public schools. If you want to live in DC, you should also check out AU Park (around American University). Too pricey for us, but I love the homes and lots of families with young kids and nice neighborhoods.

Aren't local taxes a setoff against county tyaxes (so net-net it's the same?) I used to pay local Gaithersburg city taxes but it didn't change my overall tax amount because it was offset against the county and state taxes. Maybe things have changed in recent years however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know that the architecture in TP is in general more interesting, but for most budgets, the architecture you can afford in TP is definitely more interesting.

For example, I find this:

http://tour.mouseonhouse.com/property/195/22553/?Branding=0

to be much more architecturally interesting than

http://www.weichert.com/47763020/

even though the latter is almost 100K more.

The house linked to above in TKPK is in the historic district. CCDC is not a historic district - which is a plus or minus depending on your sensibilities. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/10/chevy_chase_dc_rejects_histori.html. .

Isn't the latter house in Barnaby Woods?

Know your facts. That TP house was built in 1903. The oldest homes in CCDC -- and there are many -- are from the same period (1901 - 1910). A designation, or not, of an historic regulatory overlay has no bearing on this reality.

PP here - my brief post re: historic designation wasn't disputing the fact that there are historic homes (the linked article clearly states that CCDC is eligible for historic district designation). The facts are that the residents of CCDC decided not to go for historic district designation - and this makes a difference. In HDs, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to (1) raze a historic property and build a mcmansion on the lot, (2) build popups (which are happening OUTSIDE of Capitol Hill historic district, Logan Circle historic district, etc.), (3) make alterations to historic buildings that grossly undermine its historic characters, and (4) build new construction that doesn't fit with the character of the neighborhood (though high contrast architecture is allowed). Yes, designation also creates more process for property owners - but, depending on your sensibilities, this extra process may be worth it.

The house linked to TKPK is in a historic district - which means that the neighboring property owners will not be able to come in and build huge properties to the adjacent lot lines. In contrast, check out a new build on Alleghany that is under contract. Again - it depends on your aesthetics which street you'd want to live on.