Missing Middle middle finger -- seller insists on SFH restriction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My area of Arlington has 40×150 lots. Explain to me how fitting a triplex or sixplex next door with my 8 ft side yard is not unfair.

I’m also in an R-6 neighborhood. Explain to me how the number of units in a building is different than being sandwiched between 2 new build SFH that are built right up to the maximum lot coverage?

The house in question is asking $1.2 for a teardown. That’s an expensive lot. To turn a profit, you have to build a $2.5-3M home or multiple units. Guess what? That $2-3M home will also tower over your modest house next door and shade the yard with a tall, narrow monstrosity of a home.

You truly can’t understand the difference between a single family house with 2 kids and a garage and apartment building?A minimum of 12 cars with 6 or less parking spaces. A dumpster of garbage placed right by your fence and 18 neighbors as opposed to 4. Enjoy!

I think everyone understands your life is (negatively) impacted by having a larger apartment next door to you, but come on. You’re acting like it is catastrophically impacting your quality of life. It really isn’t. Take one for the team. Your home will still appreciate.

It will negatively impact my life and that’s why I moved to my quiet neighborhood. I used to live in an apartment in Clarendon. I don’t want to live that way anymore. And it’s absurd to say take one “for the team.” You must be a troll. Also, people like me aren’t worried about appreciation. We have other investments. All our money isn’t tied up in our Arlington $hit shack. Here’s the BEST part, I can easily sell my 2.7 million dollar house and move to McLean. And the more MM that is built, that’s exactly what people like me will do. And property values will go down as Arlington becomes less desirable. More MM will be built and it will be a cycle. And viola, you’ll soon be living in Alexandria!

It's hard not to see the decline in parts of Silver Spring as a warning for what may happen in NOVA.

I’m not sure Silver Spring has declined. I guess you could say downtown has suffered post pandemic but overall and looking longer term Silver Spring is doing pretty well

Up in Wheaton/Glenmont area it has definitely declined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love to see it. “Missing middle” serves to enrich developers and nothing more. Hopefully people have begun to recognize that.

Totally agree and I can't believe how much my lot value has gone up since MM. It's a boomer grab as much as for developers.

It’s almost painful having a discussion with proponents of MM who don’t understand how the economy works. Your real estate valuation didn’t go up because of MM. It would be too early for that as MM is untested and developers have no idea if it will work. You wouldn’t see an impact yet. And also, relative to other DMV areas (all without MM), it didn’t really go up that much.

In % change in average median sold price from 2023 to 2024
Oakton was up 31%. Then came Annandale, Fairfax Station, Vienna, Fairfax, Burke, Fairfax County, Great Falls, Lorton, Reston, Alexandria, Centreville.

Arlington clocked in after all of these towns at 7.8%. If I were stupid, I would point to this and say “look Arlington is less desirable than those 12 towns because of MM!” But that’s not how the economy works.

https://www.foxessellfaster.com/blog/washington-dc-metro-real-estate-market-april-2024-insights-and-analysis/

Equally painful to discuss real estate values with people who don’t understand a bubble. Any asset that goes up 8% in one year is an amazing investment . Those that go up 30% or more is an absurdity that may well come down. That, or it was undervalued to begin with, and this is just a reversion to the mean or where it should’ve been in the first place. Neither rate should continue. Except in Arlington, we had a policy change that makes these little bitty lots worth a whole Lotta money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love to see it. “Missing middle” serves to enrich developers and nothing more. Hopefully people have begun to recognize that.

Totally agree and I can't believe how much my lot value has gone up since MM. It's a boomer grab as much as for developers.

It’s almost painful having a discussion with proponents of MM who don’t understand how the economy works. Your real estate valuation didn’t go up because of MM. It would be too early for that as MM is untested and developers have no idea if it will work. You wouldn’t see an impact yet. And also, relative to other DMV areas (all without MM), it didn’t really go up that much.

In % change in average median sold price from 2023 to 2024
Oakton was up 31%. Then came Annandale, Fairfax Station, Vienna, Fairfax, Burke, Fairfax County, Great Falls, Lorton, Reston, Alexandria, Centreville.

Arlington clocked in after all of these towns at 7.8%. If I were stupid, I would point to this and say “look Arlington is less desirable than those 12 towns because of MM!” But that’s not how the economy works.

https://www.foxessellfaster.com/blog/washington-dc-metro-real-estate-market-april-2024-insights-and-analysis/

Equally painful to discuss real estate values with people who don’t understand a bubble. Any asset that goes up 8% in one year is an amazing investment . Those that go up 30% or more is an absurdity that may well come down. That, or it was undervalued to begin with, and this is just a reversion to the mean or where it should’ve been in the first place. Neither rate should continue. Except in Arlington, we had a policy change that makes these little bitty lots worth a whole Lotta money.

Oh, I understand what a bubble is and I understand real estate values as well. I’m 50 and I own 6 million dollars worth of real estate. I’ve seen bubbles and I’ve bought a few houses. I guess I’ll have to state this again - no one knows if MM is going to work. Your lot is NOT worth more money because of it. It may be in the future. But it’s 💯 absurd to say it’s worth more today. And as I said before, the more MM the less desirable Arlington becomes for SFH buyers.

[Anonymous]

Wait till the rapacious developers hire arsonists to burn those tiny lot houses in clusters so they can get land for 6 plexes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My area of Arlington has 40×150 lots. Explain to me how fitting a triplex or sixplex next door with my 8 ft side yard is not unfair.

I’m also in an R-6 neighborhood. Explain to me how the number of units in a building is different than being sandwiched between 2 new build SFH that are built right up to the maximum lot coverage?

The house in question is asking $1.2 for a teardown. That’s an expensive lot. To turn a profit, you have to build a $2.5-3M home or multiple units. Guess what? That $2-3M home will also tower over your modest house next door and shade the yard with a tall, narrow monstrosity of a home.

You truly can’t understand the difference between a single family house with 2 kids and a garage and apartment building?A minimum of 12 cars with 6 or less parking spaces. A dumpster of garbage placed right by your fence and 18 neighbors as opposed to 4. Enjoy!

I think everyone understands your life is (negatively) impacted by having a larger apartment next door to you, but come on. You’re acting like it is catastrophically impacting your quality of life. It really isn’t. Take one for the team. Your home will still appreciate.

It will negatively impact my life and that’s why I moved to my quiet neighborhood. I used to live in an apartment in Clarendon. I don’t want to live that way anymore. And it’s absurd to say take one “for the team.” You must be a troll. Also, people like me aren’t worried about appreciation. We have other investments. All our money isn’t tied up in our Arlington $hit shack. Here’s the BEST part, I can easily sell my 2.7 million dollar house and move to McLean. And the more MM that is built, that’s exactly what people like me will do. And property values will go down as Arlington becomes less desirable. More MM will be built and it will be a cycle. And viola, you’ll soon be living in Alexandria!

It's hard not to see the decline in parts of Silver Spring as a warning for what may happen in NOVA.

I’m not sure Silver Spring has declined. I guess you could say downtown has suffered post pandemic but overall and looking longer term Silver Spring is doing pretty well

Up in Wheaton/Glenmont area it has definitely declined.

Wheaton and Glenmont have been poorer and meh for decades, define decline? Downtown has plateaued in terms of silver sprung but it is still leap years ahead of where it was in the 80s so that is progress. As Langley Park’s poverty spreads down Colesville though the Wyane, flower and Thayer Aves one might ask will inner SS hold onto the upper middle class it gained over the last 20 years when they were priced out of nicer areas to the west? Where else are the going to go? Columbia or PG…. Not a lot of them, those areas for the most part are for those priced out of silver spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My area of Arlington has 40×150 lots. Explain to me how fitting a triplex or sixplex next door with my 8 ft side yard is not unfair.

I’m also in an R-6 neighborhood. Explain to me how the number of units in a building is different than being sandwiched between 2 new build SFH that are built right up to the maximum lot coverage?

The house in question is asking $1.2 for a teardown. That’s an expensive lot. To turn a profit, you have to build a $2.5-3M home or multiple units. Guess what? That $2-3M home will also tower over your modest house next door and shade the yard with a tall, narrow monstrosity of a home.

You truly can’t understand the difference between a single family house with 2 kids and a garage and apartment building?A minimum of 12 cars with 6 or less parking spaces. A dumpster of garbage placed right by your fence and 18 neighbors as opposed to 4. Enjoy!

I think everyone understands your life is (negatively) impacted by having a larger apartment next door to you, but come on. You’re acting like it is catastrophically impacting your quality of life. It really isn’t. Take one for the team. Your home will still appreciate.

I live two houses down from a high rise apartment building and across the street two houses down from another. I don’t even notice them. They don’t negatively impact my day to day existence in the least.

What Zip code? Do you spend a lot of time in your yard? Gardening? Reading? Do you mind being under those windows?

Not telling you that.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
No.

It is literally not even the slightest inconvenience.

[Anonymous]

Restrictive covenants don’t age well. This seller is very sure of themselves but that certainty is unlikely to persist through future generations.

When you sell, you are leaving. Leave.

[Anonymous]

I would buy it and then transfer it to a LLC and let anybody prove standing while the county let the LLC build a quadplex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would buy it and then transfer it to a LLC and let anybody prove standing while the county let the LLC build a quadplex.

To what end? It's easier to build a SFH and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What could possibly motivate the seller to do this? I wonder if the neighbors have said they will pay for this restriction.

Bitterness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What could possibly motivate the seller to do this? I wonder if the neighbors have said they will pay for this restriction.

Bitterness

Arlington allows historic deed restrictions that bar future owners from tearing the house down for a specified number of years. It reduces the value of your property, but your tax assessment reflects that. And an Arlington preservation/historical society enforces the restriction, so you know it's going to happen.

I'm not sure what the neighbors get out of bothering to enforce this -- there's a duplex around the corner. Most of the houses near this one are new construction, so I'm sure they think the typical new construction SFH is awesome, but I wouldn't assume most of them are going to have the energy to enforce a past owner's resentments. Even if a SFH is built, there's no guarantee it won't be converted to a duplex or triplex later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What could possibly motivate the seller to do this? I wonder if the neighbors have said they will pay for this restriction.

Bitterness

Arlington allows historic deed restrictions that bar future owners from tearing the house down for a specified number of years. It reduces the value of your property, but your tax assessment reflects that. And an Arlington preservation/historical society enforces the restriction, so you know it's going to happen.

I'm not sure what the neighbors get out of bothering to enforce this -- there's a duplex around the corner. Most of the houses near this one are new construction, so I'm sure they think the typical new construction SFH is awesome, but I wouldn't assume most of them are going to have the energy to enforce a past owner's resentments. Even if a SFH is built, there's no guarantee it won't be converted to a duplex or triplex later.

No one will want to buy this house with a historic easement. It’s way too small and it only has value as a tear down

[Anonymous]

I had a deed restriction on home I sold and no one cared. In my opinion surprised.

I took a FEMA payout and State grant in Sandy to rebuild. Part of condition I had to legally put a deed restriction flood insurance must always be in place in house.

That means even mortgage free you need flood insurance and in event you drop it you are barred from any type of govt grant or could be penalties.

My house was in AE8 meaning 8 feet above sea level and house at elevation of 7. I had four feet of water in Sandy.

My buyer was 65 and said it was a once in a 100 year event I guess that is next buyers problem. He liked all new. And my flood insurance grandfather solely creeps up but that sky high insurance was 20 years away.

Those feed restrictions may not seem a problem but one day they will be but todays buyers don’t care

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What could possibly motivate the seller to do this? I wonder if the neighbors have said they will pay for this restriction.

Bitterness

Lol. You’ve posted something like this on other threads. No you wouldn’t weirdo. No one would throw away money like this. Plus, we all know you don’t have money to throw around.

[Anonymous]

There’s no history to preserve in Arlington. Anybody wanting to preserve history in Arlington is a NeoConfederate