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[quote=Anonymous]I work at NASA.  I can definitely tell you that no one wants to work here and they we only get the worst of the worst, the losers that can't get work anywhere else.

NOT.

I work with rocket scientists, engineers who invent, develop, design and implement some of the world's cutting technology.  I work with more PhDs in hard sciences than most people meet in a lifetime.  Yes, we have a large number of average intelligence folks around here that are going the mundane bureacratic work of a government agency, but with over 9000 employees on center and over 6000 contractors at local off-center locations, we have thousands of the best and brightest here working on space and Earth science, engineering and IT.  We have no shortage of applicants for every opening that comes up for positions here.  I've known people who have worked here, left for more lucrative positions, and then spent YEARS trying to return to NASA because the work environment is better, the work more interesting and the general knowledge of the community is so high.  This year, NASA was voted the #1 large agency of the federal government for the 7th year in a row (and more than a dozen times total).  Goddard in Greenbelt dropped to the #2 center (out of 13 centers) for the agency.  People want to work here and they don't want to leave.

My wife and I both work in PG county, so we live here.  I have lived in PG County for over 25 years and love it here.  Yes, our schools are weak.  But I have a college friend.  We both bought our starter homes about the same time and we both upgraded to our current homes about the same time (both purchases within 2 years of each other).  His starter home was a 1200 sf rambler in Rockville that cost about 150% of what my 1800 sf rambler in Laurel cost.  His 2100 sf home in Bethesda cost him $100K more than my 3700 sf home in Laurel.  I could buy a 2400 sf home for $300K less than what he paid.  If I had bought a comparable size home to him in Laurel, over the life of the loan, I would have paid $300K less in price and $175K less in mortgage interest over the life of the loan.  And less in property taxes too.  We are zoned for a good (8 or 9 on the GS scale annually) ES, Bond Mill.  We are zoned for an okay MS (GS 7) but a horrible high school.  If our kids don't get into Roosevelt, I can pay $30K each for 4 years of high school for $240K, which is less than the $475K I would have spent to live in Rockville and it would more than double my commute time.  I would pay more and lose a lot more time in the car away from my kids.

As for those people who think that property is a bad investment in PG county, they aren't doing the research and are just going on their guy feelings.  Other than the recession period 2007-2009, PG County year-over-year RE price increases have always been one of the best markets in the DC area.  The profit margin is less because the home prices are lower, but by percentage, PG virtually always beats out Montgomery County.  From August 2017-August 2018, PG average home prices rose 7.3% vs Montgomery County 4.2%

[url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/in-suburban-maryland-market-indicators-move-in-opposite-directions/2018/10/09/5be0736c-c296-11e8-b338-a3289f6cb742_story.html?utm_term=.9ce6f8847352[/url]

February 2016 - February 2017, PG County average home prices rose 19%, much higher than in Montgomery County (the combined average sale prices of both counties rose 9.6%)

[url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/housing-prices-on-the-rise-in-prince-georges-montgomery/2017/03/30/d3fc7024-08ef-11e7-93dc-00f9bdd74ed1_story.html?utm_term=.9928e02571fd[/url]

As for crime, I have mentioned this frequently, the crime statistics that are high come from the 10% of so of the county that is inside the beltway.  If you look at crime statistics for the 90% or so of the county outside the beltway, they are comparable to Montgomery County and most of NoVa.

[url]https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/md/crime[/url]

Zoom in and you'll see that the crime statistics are comparable.  Inside the beltway crime in both counties is the highest area.

I understand that it isn't a choice for everyone, but there are many good reasons to live in PG County.  And if you live here, it is far more affordable.  I know many families who lived here for conveniences that had the option of private school for children because they saved so much money on housing and still spent less money on combined housing and school than their counterparts in Montgomery County.[/quote]

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