Talk to me about McLean Gardens...and condo hunting in NW DC
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Anonymous
| Looking for a 2 BR and 1.5 bath in NW DC zoned for good schools and max budget is 650K. I’ve looked a lot and it seems that McLean Gardens is about the only condo community we can afford, and that’s fine, but I just hate the tiny kitchens and spiral staircases so much. Isn’t there anything that can be done about them or is it impossible to renovate that? Also, any thoughts about the community? Are there other families with kids? Friendly neighborhood? Also, why are the condo fees so insanely high in the rest of NW—I have seen places on New Mexico charging $1700 or more per month. I don’t understand how any of those sell, yet somehow they do. |
Anonymous
| Lots of families with small children in McLean Gardens. Neighborhood park, close walk to family friendly restaurants, good public schools, police station nearby |
Anonymous
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Don't forget the pool, which is huge if you have kids. Plus one new-ish Giant right there along with a Wegmans down the road. A bit of a hike to Metro but not overwhelming, and there's always the bus.
Parking can be bad if you don't have a dedicated spot. |
Anonymous
| Countdown to airplane-noise troll in 5,4,3... |
Anonymous
| OP here, I live down the road so am used to the airplane noise. It doesn’t bother me. |
Anonymous
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My kids attend Eaton, so we know lots of families that live in McClean gardens. The all seem happy and love the pool access.
If we down the road decide to stay in the area after our kids are grown I’d consider it as I don’t want to have the upkeep of a house once the kids have moved out and we love this neighborhood. |
Anonymous
| If you're willing to increase your budget a bit you could find something in Sutton place without the spiral staircases. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| Have you looked at the many condo buildings along Connecticut? They are zoned for Murch or Hearst, and I've seen several listed for less than $650K. |
Anonymous
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Thanks, will add this to the list. |
Anonymous
Looked at a few but some of the condo fees are insane. One we toured told us they had to do a 6,000 assessment that year to fix an elevator. Do you have specific suggestions of good buildings? |
Anonymous
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This is zoned for Stoddert, Hardy and Deal.
https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/3900-Watson-Pl-NW-20016/unit-B-G3C/home/77618846 |
Anonymous
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We've been looking in Sutton Pl and McLean Gardens. How is the diversity over there? |
Anonymous
Yes but the HOA is 1430 a month.... |
Anonymous
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It's a very good value. We were in a few bidding wars and the condo association seems to be very pro-active about maintenance and healthy finances.
The prices have not appreciated too much in the DC real estate run-up. Just be aware that you won't likely see a massive amount of appreciation if your time horizon is less than two decades. |