Reply to Better investment - fancy neighborhood in DC or MD?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Imagine having enough money to buy in Upper NW and quibbling over a few percentage points over decades/ What a miserable way to live your life. Buy the house you like best and shut up.[/quote]

We haven't had it easy and I feel an obligation to my kids to make a wise decision from an investment point of view, as well as what I would like for now for me. I'm guessing a lot of people weigh that. [/quote]

You are trying to play fortune teller.  Who knows what will be desirable by the time you want to sell or retire, but the fact you can purchase in any of these places makes you incredibly fortunate.  Maybe look at 10-20 years back and see the prices of each area to get an idea of if they kept their value.  Many people "haven't had it easy" and still can't buy in any of these places!

Any of those areas are desirable and probably will stay that way, but who knows?  Look at SF and Oakland!  Many people I know who lived/ worked there have fled, especially those with kids.  DC needs to fix the crime problems, big time.  I have friends who wanted to move to Capital Hill, but now are looking elsewhere because of the crime and Maury/Miner discussions.

That being said I would try and buy somewhere that didn't have a ton of cheap new builds.  I think many of them are tacky and who knows what new materials will be the new lead and asbestos in the future.  No thanks.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't buy where new custom homes are being built, or ones that are clearly not being done by flippers.  I only say this as it sounds like you have a nice budget.  Not everyone is afforded that luxury, because that is what it is, a luxury.

Spend time in the neighborhoods, talk to neighbors, go to restaurants and shops around.  [/quote]

I hear you. I like your idea of looking back historically, but I also have never seen this amount of flux. It's almost like everything feels topsy turvy PLUS a weird housing market. I am very aware of what happened in SF.... that's really stuck in my brain. I've seen DC rise - horrible to see it "freefall" in terms of crime and CRE. It might be arrested with some policy changes, who knows. Definitely trying to avoid buying into that anywhere it's evident it's "about to happen"- like early days of the SF disaster in making. I think both neighborhoods are pretty well insulated, but I appreciate all the perspectives. Especially if anyone sees that coming in MoCo.

It may seem like a few percentage points, but I know a lot of people who sold their DC homes and "can't buy back in". I am guessing the MD homes we are looking at we could do that... Some of this is probably irrational.

Fortunate? Yes, it's a good feeling. We haven't always had much luck, which is a different thing. I'm hopeful![/quote]

Crime aside, it looks like you're asking whether MD has any economic issues that are bubbling to the surface on the scale of CRE that could tank MD's economy and house prices. I think the answer is no, not really. There are always fights over tax and spending priorities. But nothing we know of (at least, yet) like the #2 commercial lessee backing out of a lease early, taking a huge amount of tax revenue with it.[/quote]

Thank you. This is exactly the kind of thing I'm asking. I know DC like my own hand, the history, the trends, the people, the neighborhoods, the local traditions (not just in NWtopia, I've been around).... It's bit daunting to bet a lot of money on an unknown element...I'm a newbie. We get up the road sure, but it's not like being from a place.
 I have seen a few things on the "Metropolitan Local Politics Page" about concerns people have with MoCo, but nothing on the scale of DC proper. I appreciate that you think the answer is no... (I assume by #2 commercial lessee you are referring to all the real estate backing out in DC right now and the ripple effect)[/quote]

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