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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Little stuff doesn't matter so much with the HHIs on this forum.  The best things you can do are buy a reasonable house that is only 1x-2x HHI with a 15 year mortgage and buy Hondas/Toyotas/Subarus with cash and drive them until they die (10-15 years).  The other stuff doesn't matter so much if you get these things right.[/quote]

This doesn't help those of us who are looking to buy a house today and the average home in MoCo or DC is over $400K. [/quote]

Yes!  So glad we bought in a neighborhood that was not even up and coming for 3x our then annual income and a thirty year mortgage and paid ahead. We will finish our mortgage in a total of 22 years (hopefully before our oldest starts college) and it has allowed us to have a lot more flexibility than we would otherwise have.

This means you need to think outside the box a bit (you won't be living in Georgetown or Bethesda or Chevy Chase or AU Park) but there are a lot of good options out there for a $400K house still. PG, a fixer in DC, further out in MOCO, a Hispanic neighborhood in MOCO. At first those of us raised in Lily white suburbia may scoff but if you look past your stereotypes and assumptions about where you will live, if can make your life much better. Less traffic in the not as fancy areas. Pay less for housing. Fewer asshole lawyers for neighbors (my dad is a lawyer so I love them but you know what I'm saying). [/quote]
Not to mention, DC is problematic if you plan on having kids (or have them already) since you will be forced to pay for private.  I'd look into the suburbs in VA and MD for something that fits your budget and has good public schools.  If you narrow your search down to DC proper or MoCo you better find a way to earn more money.
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