Reply to Do you consider race when looking for a neighborhood to live in?

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[quote=Anonymous]From the original post:

[quote=Anonymous]The reason I am asking is because I'm trying to understand who folks around here (DMV) think.

Recently an affluent black couple purchased a pretty expensive home on our block (I think the most expensive) in MoCo.  The racial make-up of my small neighborhood is about 60/30/10 white/asian/black+other. Recently, more blacks have moved into the area.  In recent discussions with my neighbors, they have shared concerns that, with so many homes for sale in the area, more blacks may be moving in, and the value of our property would start to tank. Their logic wasn't that they think blacks would not keep up with the home or be good neighbors. It was[b] the perception that other more affluent white or asian families who would buy in the area might be turned off by seeing a black couple. [/b] Hence, demand would drop since whites and asians in this area generall have more buying power.  They then cited examples from PG county and East MoCo, which have affluent blacks in their neighborhood but have lower housing values and lower performing public schools.

To me this line of thinking is almost like a self fulfilling prophesy. Is this truly a concern for you when you are looking to purchase a home/or rent? I'm not asking to judge, but moreso to understand where these beliefs derive.
[/quote]

Yeah, the answer is "I'm/we're not racist, but assume other people are."

Judging by some of the comments here, it's a safe assumption.  Thankfully, it's not true for everyone but even here in the DMV people speak one way and act another.  Just one of many reasons segregated housing persists, even - and maybe especially - among the affluent.  Just as one group doesn't want their home values to go down, another group doesn't want to spend good money on a neighborhood that shuns them (hence, wealthy black enclaves).

So I wouldn't say it's as simple as schools and commute.[/quote]

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