Thinking through staying in a condo in Arlington or moving to a SFH in Silver Spring

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am another who has lived in Arlington but moved to Silver Spring.

You sound like you really want to stay in VA, OP. Just go with your heart.

I actually don’t think it’s OP stuck on VA, it’s one weird Arlington obsessed poster who is continually posting that OP shouldn’t move because moving to Silver Spring would be like entering the 3rd ring of hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:If you’re not married to a SFH, there are 3br condos in great school districts like this one that are less than $500k. You can get cheaper 3br condos in this school district, but they won’t be as nice.

https://www.redfin.com/MD/North-Bethesda/5812-Inman-Park-Cir-20852/unit-100/home/167005069

OP, I am the pp who moved from Arlington and urged you not to do so. If you are set on moving, these condos look like a really great deal. I did not know these existed; I think they are pretty under the radar still, although the one listed is already under contract. I think this is as good as you will do in MoCo for your budget. The schools you are zoned for are good and “North Bethesda” has more cachet and opportunity for appreciation than the other areas mentioned. It is frequently listed in articles about the best places to live in MD and the US. You are not far from metro there, close to great shopping and good schools. It will not be the “walk everywhere” vibe you wanted, but that would be twice the price at least. Good luck!

PP again. I know you want a house, but with these condos priced below your budget, you could save the remaining money and invest and hopefully move to a house in a few years. It looks like a nice, family-friendly neighborhood with the pool and park (no driving the kids to the pool in the summer, no additional pool fees) and the schools are better than the ones connected to that Silver Spring house.

I would be mindful of having your kid being the one living in the cheaper condos going to the wealthy Bethesda school.

There are some serious mental health issues going on in this thread.

Yup, the kids and families at the wealthy Bethesda schools are known for their inclusivity of people that are on a different socio-economic level. So much so that the families from Walter Johnson are trying to get a guarantee that the kids currently zoned for WJ are sent to either the new Woodward or remain at WJ (code for we do not want our children sent to Einstein with the “poors”). But sure, don’t factor that mindset in when deciding if you want to be the “poor” family at the wealthy school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about a townhouse in Arlington? https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5019-9th-St-S-Arlington-VA-22204/12090693_zpid/

77% farms for the elem school.

[Anonymous]

Move to fort hunt op.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP why not rent an airbnb for a week in a neighborhood? It will give you live experience on the ground and won't disrupt your day to day too much for work commuting at least.

It would be hard with kids, especially if they are in elementary school. Potentially a weekend getaway? Wont' simulate everything but you can practice a commute and see the feel while keeping your job.

Silver Spring is a fine area. Not as upscale as Bethesda but hardly run down. Have you thought about living in Alexandria? It is also much cheaper than Arlington, not as nice, but keeps you somewhat close to where you are today. I imagine it is similar to Silver Spring in terms of quality of life.

This is OP. I’m counting on the Silver Spring high schools being better than Alexandria High School. I wouldn’t send my child there. If anyone has knowledge of both and thinks they are comparable, I’d be interested in hearing that, but I can’t see my coworkers choosing Alexandria High School if they had options, so I don’t think they are comparable.

Respectfully, no one is going to come up with some miracle stay-in-Virginia solution that I just haven’t thought of. I know Virginia. I’ve lived here for 40 years. I started this thread to gather more information about Silver Spring, which I don’t know at all. I do appreciate the helpful responses that people have written! It’s given me a lot to think about.

DP. I would maybe send my kid to some of the high schools in SS but not in Alexandria. Only thing to keep in mind is if your kid has an iep MD they can do certain things without consent. The other thing is that MCPS is a large school system so has a much more substantial layer of bureaucracy than you’re used to in APS.

This is OP. By "they can do things without consent" do you mean that there is no state law (like there is in Virginia) requiring parent consent for changes to the IEP, so there are no stay put rights?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

“Silver Spring” covers so many zip codes from DTSS all the way up to almost Olney area. So saying just silver spring is hard to understand. DTSS is not the same as glenmont is not the same as aspen hill. You need to provide the zip codes you are interested in. In general, silver spring is not Arlington - it’s way more diverse, more spread out and even DTSS isn’t *that* walkable compared to Arlington.

[Anonymous]

What about this OP:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/3927-Kincaid-Ter-20895/home/11028127

[Anonymous]

My ex boyfriend used to live on that street (Kincaid.) He bought one of those little houses and turned it into a McMansion.

[Anonymous]

My ex boyfriend used to live on that street (Kincaid.) He bought one of those little houses and turned it into a McMansion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put it this way, silver spring is like Woodbridge but closer to the city though the cool parts. Sure there are lots of people who raise their families there and even a few pleasant neighborhoods. But there is a reason it’s the cheapest inner suburb not in PG. It’s up to you to decide the space Vs environment question.

Or it’s like South Arlington, but not close to places like North Arlington, Georgetown and Downtown DC, Del Ray and Old Town. Instead of having Downtown DC to the east, Del Ray to the south, and the Orange Line corridor to the north, in Silver Spring you have Wheaton to the north, PG County to the east, and some pretty dicey places in DC to the south.

What's with this random Arlington person who just clutters up this thread with falsehoods? I live in downtown Silver Spring and can be in downtown Bethesda in 15 minutes and downtown DC in 20-30 minutes. But why would I need to go to those places regularly? Everyplace I need to go is basically walkable from my house -- tons of grocery, gyms, entertainment, restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put it this way, silver spring is like Woodbridge but closer to the city though the cool parts. Sure there are lots of people who raise their families there and even a few pleasant neighborhoods. But there is a reason it’s the cheapest inner suburb not in PG. It’s up to you to decide the space Vs environment question.

Or it’s like South Arlington, but not close to places like North Arlington, Georgetown and Downtown DC, Del Ray and Old Town. Instead of having Downtown DC to the east, Del Ray to the south, and the Orange Line corridor to the north, in Silver Spring you have Wheaton to the north, PG County to the east, and some pretty dicey places in DC to the south.

What's with this random Arlington person who just clutters up this thread with falsehoods? I live in downtown Silver Spring and can be in downtown Bethesda in 15 minutes and downtown DC in 20-30 minutes. But why would I need to go to those places regularly? Everyplace I need to go is basically walkable from my house -- tons of grocery, gyms, entertainment, restaurants.

A lot of people work in downtown DC - that is why they need to go there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Silver Spring” covers so many zip codes from DTSS all the way up to almost Olney area. So saying just silver spring is hard to understand. DTSS is not the same as glenmont is not the same as aspen hill. You need to provide the zip codes you are interested in. In general, silver spring is not Arlington - it’s way more diverse, more spread out and even DTSS isn’t *that* walkable compared to Arlington.

Or…you could read the thread.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. I’m not committed to staying in Virginia, but it’s interesting to me that so many people here are trying to problem-solve for me to stay in Virginia. I think the other people posting are pretty committed to me staying in Virginia! I actually agree with poster who said it’s hard to be the least wealthy person at a rich school. It’s hard if you don’t have the clothes and the same birthday parties and take the same trips and go to the same camps and have the same toys. I don’t want her to always feel “less than.” I actually prefer a more diverse school for that reason.

[Anonymous]

Agree this thread is bizarre. I grew up in Silver Spring, my parents still live in that house (20901), I have lived in 20902 (SS) and 20906 (SS) and now am raising my kids in 20895 (Kensington).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I’m not committed to staying in Virginia, but it’s interesting to me that so many people here are trying to problem-solve for me to stay in Virginia. I think the other people posting are pretty committed to me staying in Virginia! I actually agree with poster who said it’s hard to be the least wealthy person at a rich school. It’s hard if you don’t have the clothes and the same birthday parties and take the same trips and go to the same camps and have the same toys. I don’t want her to always feel “less than.” I actually prefer a more diverse school for that reason.

I would definitely set alerts for 20895. The parts of Kensington zoned for Oakland Terrace or Rock View are really great and some of the last neighborhoods that close-in where you can get a SFH that does not need a ton of work for under $700k. I don’t know how old your child is but the HS, Einstein, is currently overcrowded but is due to get some relief from that in 2027 when a new HS opens in North Bethesda/Rockville. It’s also part of the DCC which allows for some HS choice depending on your child’s academic interests and strengths. The neighborhoods are walkable to old town Kensington and the MARC station and it’s super easy to access Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring. We no longer live there but I recommend it every time someone is looking for a SFH close-in with a budget like yours.