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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Fort Totten area is still affordable and pretty quiet.  Good charters close by to lottery into.[/quote]

It makes no sense to move to Ft. Totten in hopes of getting a charter spot. Better to see where/if you get a place in the lottery and then move nearby. There's no IB preference for charters so applying without an address is no big deal. And if you need more time to find a place after the enrollment deadline, you could lease an apartment anywhere in the District, use that address to enroll, then break the lease/sublet the apartment and find a real home in the District over the summer.

Or just move to TP or SS.  https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/2109-Derby-Ridge-Ln-20910/unit-2-6/home/11129108 is $460,000 (plus a small condo fee) and has 2 bedrooms upstairs, another in the basement, and plenty of space. You're just two metro stops further out and the schools are good from K-12. Crime's a lot lower too.  Yes, you're 1.3 miles from the metro, but it's not that hard to get to Silver Spring and there's a lot more going on there than near Ft. Totten.[/quote]

One problem with these plans is the short time between the lottery results (end of March) and when you must turn in residency paperwork (early May for many schools).  So if you are going down this route, be ready to move quickly.  This page details what documents you will need to prove residency and be able to enroll.

http://www.myschooldc.org/enroll/dc-residency-requirements/[/quote]

It's not that hard, but it might be a expensive. When you get into a charter through the lottery, rent an apartment in DC. Any apartment in DC. Look for one that allows you to sublease or transfer the lease without penalty, or a 6-month lease that goes month-to-month after that (protip: in DC, all leases go month-to-month after they expire).  Use that address for enrollment, explaining that you are in the process of moving there. You can live there if you don't find anything better (so don't pick a studio far from the school if that's not going to work for your commute and family size) , but you can be mentally prepared that what you'll actually do is spend the summer looking for a place that works better for you, and move in shortly before the start of the school year.

But you seem like a somewhat risk-averse person who values a house (not apartment) with more square footage, is fine with driving to work, is currently a MD resident, has a sub-$500k budget, and wants a school with high test scores.  I don't see what the advantage for you is of living in DC. I live in DC and it works really well for me, but my situation is different.  [/quote]

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