I'd look at Woodside Park. $700K will buy exactly the type of home you're describing. Much prettier than North Arlington, too.

The schools in North Arlington are very good.

McLean

I really can't say enough good things about North Arlington. To me it has the best of all worlds - green space, parks - but also has city features ("urban villages" Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse, Westover, etc) and is close to downtown.

Arlington used to be part of the District, that is why it is in the "square," but you don't get the extra local income tax, with the marginal schools and the lamentable local government.

We absolutely love living here for the past several years - really the best of all worlds.

There are many great neighborhoods. You can find something in your budget, it may not be the most pristine, but something you could be happy with long term.

I also like the advice of waiting a bit -- 1 BR is enough(!) A baby doesn't need too much space. Think about where you really want to live, and buy when certain. Enjoy everything!

OP here- that is all good advice. We live in Logan Circle in 1 bedroom so have to move. We work downtown and this area is great for that, and we like the neighborhood, but I find myself wanting a little more green space for the baby.

Anonymous wrote:Think hard about schools. Right now, it seems like your baby won't be in school for a long time, but that five years will fly by! So I would carefully investigate school options for the houses you are considering and make sure that there's one that is acceptable to you in case you don't want to or can't move in five years.

100% agree.
5 years seems like a long time but it goes by pretty darn fast. You never know how the market will look in 5 years and if moving will be an option. Unless you have money for private school I would only buy in a neighborhood with schools you would send your child to. If you really want to live in the city I would rent.

Anonymous wrote: - Chevy Chase (higher end of budget, but fits your bill very well)
- Woodside (more for your $, but still walkable to shopping/transit)
- Arlington
- Del Ray

I say no to Del Ray....cute area but the schools are not that great.

I'd move someplace other than the DC area. In most places in the country (even in real cities), you can live incredibly well with that kind of budget. Here? You're really limited, and will have a very hard time finding what you want.

- Chevy Chase (higher end of budget, but fits your bill very well)
- Woodside (more for your $, but still walkable to shopping/transit)
- Arlington
- Del Ray

12:22 here. I'd also add that part of the bidding war is because we are zoned for a JKLMM school.

We had a budget of under $650K, and we found a pre-war townhouse last year in CC DC. Needed very little work, a bit small, but we were happy to sacrifice space for charm, convenience, and walkability. There was a bidding war for the home (even in this economy!).

If you want a SFH, it's possible in your budget but will be difficult to find one that does not require updates (I would budget at least $30K-$50K for renos) or is within walking distance to amenities. Also, remember that with a SFH, you will have to spend more on maintenance and utilities than with a TH.

I've found AU park and Bethesda (esp with Maryland property taxes) to be more expensive than CC DC. However in MD, you don't have to worry about finding a good middle or high school. I don't know the hill very well.

It would help a lot of you indicate what your commuting issues are (who is commuting where?) If it were me, I'd look in the parts of Kensington that feed into BCC or WJ high schools, North Chevy Chase, or the less pricey Bethesda neighborhoods. But I'm big on schools, and hate to move. You will get responses from people who LOVE their AU Park / Cap Hill / CCDC neighborhoods. All of these will be a stretch at your price range, but you could probably find something in any of these neighborhoods if you're patient.

You don't have time to think about schools, really, unless you want to sell and move within 4 years. Where are you now? If you're happy with the location and price, I'd consider saving up and thinking about the move closer to school time. For right now, a 3-month-old will be happy anywhere. Another important piece of info--where will you be commuting to? That will make a difference.

Eventually, you're going to have to compromise on something. I can tell you that we compromised on "charming and cute" but did end up with a friendly, nice neighborhood and good schools. I think if we were house-hunting earlier, we might have ended up in a charming and cute house in a neighborhood with less good schools, and we'd be kicking ourselves now.

Think hard about schools. Right now, it seems like your baby won't be in school for a long time, but that five years will fly by! So I would carefully investigate school options for the houses you are considering and make sure that there's one that is acceptable to you in case you don't want to or can't move in five years.

Would appreciate any insight on a direction we should go in. We are new parents to a 3 month old, so have a little bit of time to think about schools, although being in a place where we could stay for a while would be nice. If we go on the higher end of our budget, we wouldn't have much leftover to improve the house. I would like a 3 bedroom in a charming, cute little house on a tree-lined street, walkable to a playground and a few amenities. I would really like to be in a friendly, nice neighborhood for our child to grow up in. Some places we have been looking are-
-Capitol Hill
-Chevy Chase, DC
-AU Park
-also starting to consider Bethesda

We really consider ourselves city-people so Bethesda would be a stretch for us, but I really want whats best for the baby.

Any thoughts? Thanks!