Concerned about building in n arlington and the "bubble".

[Anonymous]

PP here. I also have to say that for your situation, OP, you have to go with what works for you, as you clearly found a special property. Like I said, technically, residential N.Arlington and inside beltway nearby Mclean are pretty much the same, you buy wherever you find the property you like to meet YOUR needs. Seems like you found something rare and desirable in N.Arlington, so don't feel worried about it, as there should be other buyers, if you decide to sell, who will appreciate uniqueness of your property and its value (nice large private yard, easy access, etc). I am just saying that if I found two identical properties for the same price I would go with Mclean, just because of the perception/school ratings. And for people buying a 2 mil home, school ratings may not be as important as they most likely can afford private schools too. And clearly, Arlington doesn't have a shortage of homes in 1.5+ mil 2+ mil price range.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like the OP has decided to go ahead with her N. Arlington plans, believe it or not with the encoiuragement of some people who live in McLean, as well as N. Arlington.

It's a nice day, by the way, just in case you have the chance to do something other than hurl insults at one another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean has a rich history of affluent, politicians etc... North Arlington is just a built up congested faux city near DC. In fact compare 1979 North Arlington vs McLean and you can see how North Arlington was giant highway dump before the metro came in.

And not one Saudi Prince - it's definitely a sh1thole!

[Anonymous]

I'm curious how soft the markets were in McLean vs. Arlington after the "pop" and which one rebounded more quickly. Did anyone happen to observe that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean has a rich history of affluent, politicians etc... North Arlington is just a built up congested faux city near DC. In fact compare 1979 North Arlington vs McLean and you can see how North Arlington was giant highway dump before the metro came in.

And not one Saudi Prince - it's definitely a sh1thole!

Who needs Prince when you have a Kid Named Breezy (sic)?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2595156/Washingtons-priciest-home-valued-23M-featured-MTV-Cribs-burglarized.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're talking about Country Club Hills or thereabouts (sounds like it from the description?) then your home will fit right into the numerous other $1.5-3 million homes in the area. Look at the neighborhood comps to determine whether you're making a wise investment.

Who is the poster that's stupid enough to think that because wealthy people drive to their offices downtown, they want to spend 2 hours in their car every morning on the Beltway? That's the funniest thing I've heard all morning. The less wealthy people I know are the ones that buy all the way out in the far-flung suburbs because they can't afford nice homes near downtown. You are really off the mark, which makes me think you neither have money yourself, nor any wealthy friends. And of course, no common sense.

I can say with absolute certainty that many wealthy people have looked at downtown DC and decided not to buy there. If you argued in favor of N. Arlington or McLean, OK. But downtown DC? No.

Huh? By "near downtown," I meant precisely those suburbs you just mentioned. They are "near downtown," as opposed to suburbs, say, outside the Beltway.

I thought you meant "near DC". "Downtown" is just one little part of DC. You could be close to DC and far from downtown. For instance, my commute from N. Arlington to Foggy Bottom is barely 15 minutes. If I commuted downtown, it could easily take 45 mins to an hour. I've never heard close-in suburbs described as "near downtown." Near DC, yes, downtown, no.

[Anonymous]

A large percentage of DCUM RE-related posts show that people have different understandings of terms like "near downtown," "close-in suburbs" and "exurbs." In fact, seeing the distinction the last poster just made between "Foggy Bottom" and "downtown," I'm not even sure I know what downtown DC means any more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

We've addressed this time and time again. The inventory is flying off the shelves. How is the HHI not supporting the sale of all of these $1.5-3 million homes in Arlington? Somebody that wants to live very close to DC, near Metro and tremendous walkability is not considering Potomac, Great Falls, McLean, etc.

The majority of people in our neighborhood have moved there in the last 5 years when prices were this high. I would not live in CC because I hate MD. I grew up in McLEan and found it d.e.a.d boring. I did live in Georgetown for many years and love it but did not want to send my kids to private school. Who exactly do you think is buying these million+ homes?

How is Mclean any more boring than the area that is essentially exactly the same, deeply suburban, with large lots and not much walkability. The border between the two is not noticeable to someone from out of town. I am from the west coast and could not tell the difference when one town ended and the other began. To me, there was no difference living in one vs. the other, as they provide the same type of lifestyle. So, we based our decision on school ratings and perception of the different areas in DC metro. We are not from here, so for us, published ratings and opinions of people we knew, were all we had to work with and that is what the perception of many people is based upon, even though there is no intrinsic truth to it if you really do your research or conduct extensive opinion polls.

Finding prices to be the same in residential N.Arlington and Mclean, we went with Mclean, because it was perceived at that time to be more desirable with higher ranked school district, so we felt our home value would keep better. Just an honest opinion. I am not from here and have no dog in this fight and don't frankly care for either of these areas at all. I wanted to look in more urban parts of NWDC, but was worried about schools and didn't like price/sq.ft over there. To me, they are honestly all the same with invisible border, you would never know you crossed, until you looked at the map.

I think the other poster was talking about the Clarendon SFH neighborhoods that have tons to do and walk to...suburbs are suburbs. A few more minutes in the car aren't much if you are already somewhere where you need to drive everywhere so you should just buy where your dollar will stretch the farthest.

[Anonymous]

When making a similar decision we chose country club hills. We like it so much better than the mclean neighborhoods we considered like Franklin park. We are very happy. Good luck OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When making a similar decision we chose country club hills. We like it so much better than the mclean neighborhoods we considered like Franklin park. We are very happy. Good luck OP.

Ah yes. That rings so true. Move to CCH and live happily ever after, all while managing to sound uneducated AF.