So the Amazon housing boom isn't happening right

[Anonymous]

Or the employment boom or anything else

[Anonymous]

Even without the pandemic it was a 10 year projection. Add a couple of years more with pandemic

[Anonymous]

Why is Arlington still so freaking expensive

[Anonymous]

I don't know, in the last few months I've had several cold calls and texts about my Pentagon City condo. I can't think of any other reason why there would be such interest after 12 years of ownership.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Amazon could look at this as even more reason to diversify its staff, and not be as centered in one city on the west coast.

[Anonymous]

I really don’t know but my home value has increased a lot and I bought it after they announced.

[Anonymous]

It already happened. Now we see if the reality catches up with the speculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know, in the last few months I've had several cold calls and texts about my Pentagon City condo. I can't think of any other reason why there would be such interest after 12 years of ownership.

And I've been getting calls and texts about my Ft. Dupont Park (EOTR) house. Vultures trying to pick off anyone thinking about selling due to covid/economic repercussions.

[Anonymous]

To the extent that there was a boom it is still on track. They said in November that they are on schedule with hiring and construction goals. I personally know two people who were hired there in the past 6 months. Also Amazon is not a full-time WFH culture so once everyone is vaccinated they will all be back in the office.

That said...the original projections were not a ton of jobs over ten years so the impact wasn’t going to be as great as some people thought it would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It already happened. Now we see if the reality catches up with the speculation.

agreed, it happened - I've seen gnarly rowhouses near braddock st (yellow line) with 1 bathroom backing to the darn train tracks and in the mid 600s. Nicer ones going for nearly 700k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the extent that there was a boom it is still on track. They said in November that they are on schedule with hiring and construction goals. I personally know two people who were hired there in the past 6 months. Also Amazon is not a full-time WFH culture so once everyone is vaccinated they will all be back in the office.

That said...the original projections were not a ton of jobs over ten years so the impact wasn’t going to be as great as some people thought it would be.

I always felt tangential growth would be the driver over 10 years, like the college campus, and software companies moving in. Either way, I moved away from the area. Traffic was bad enough.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who thinks the "boom" is over should take a look at Seattle housing prices. The Amazon effect is here to stay as they grow.

[Anonymous]

I lived between California and Seattle for 12 years and worked the entire time in the tech industry, including 4 years with Amazon. I finally moved back to the DC area to be near family. Here's what you need to understand: DC's culture is the polar opposite of the west coast. I don't know how else to say it. It's so conservative here. Not politically conservative like pro life/low taxes but just in terms of lifestyle and evaluation of risk. People are not creative in the same ways. They can't envision widescale disruption. Any time there is a startup related post on the DCUM jobs forum it's some absurd question that would never be asked in Silicon Valley, met by equally absurd replies that make me roll my eyes.

If Amazon scales up their office here, they will end up with the culture of a 9-5 consulting firm. That is not what they want. It's a death knell. You can always stick back office and retail folks here but that just negatively reinforces the culture even more.

I wish I knew how to shake up DC's tech scene but it has so much momentum behind what it does well (Gov consulting and services) that I don't think it's possible, and heck that oil well may keep producing for decades to come so there's an argument to keep the status quo as is.

DC's other major problem is NYC. Real estate prices have fallen so much in NYC that it's become extremely attractive to the major tech firms. In the last 4 quarters, Amazon has leased more space in NYC than anywhere else. JB1 always wanted to be there but split HQ2 due to political pressure. If costs continue to fall in NYC and Yang wins the Mayorship, which puts a friendly face in City Hall, then NYC will probably pull back in all of the talent that may have otherwise headed down to DC. If I'm a mid 40s exec in ecommerce, media, or cloud, I would much rather be in the NYC ecosystem, in terms of network and career.

Just my 2 cents. Time will tell.

[Anonymous]

We tried to tell you. Amazon is a lot of work from home and high turn over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the extent that there was a boom it is still on track. They said in November that they are on schedule with hiring and construction goals. I personally know two people who were hired there in the past 6 months. Also Amazon is not a full-time WFH culture so once everyone is vaccinated they will all be back in the office.

That said...the original projections were not a ton of jobs over ten years so the impact wasn’t going to be as great as some people thought it would be.

What are you talking about? It depends on the division/company and supervisor. Everyone we know works from home except if they want to escape their family or specific jobs that have to be done in the office. Many were never in the office at all. Everyone gets a laptop and is mobile.