Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

So, you use your generalizations to paint the entire county with problems that are not endemic to the entire county, but to segments within the county. So, despite the fact that crime is high in only the inside-the-beltway communities, the entire county is crime-ridden. Instead of select schools throughout the county being poor, and some schools actually being good if not great, the entire school system is horrifically bad. There are good and bad areas of the county. No one is arguing that, but to paint the entire county as undesirable is just unrealistically biased. A number of those stories that you've cited are also older. Many of the protagonists of the political corruption have left office, some in handcuffs (ala the Johnsons) and some voted out. There is change underway, but everyone seems to want to rely on the stories from years ago and continue to paint the county with labels that it has worked hard to change.

Should we paint all of Montgomery County as crime-ridden because of the crime statistics from Wheaton (which by the way, has 3 times the amount of annual violent crime as Bowie) and Silver Spring (roughly double the amount of violent crime as Bowie annually)? Should we rate all of Montgomery County by the school ratings of Wheaton and Silver Spring (which average lower than Bowie). Should Montgomery County be classified as gang-ridden because local activities for MS-13 are based out of Wheaton?

The main thing that all of PG County has in common is that it is majority black across the county. If you can only see the county as a whole, then you are racist and basing your opinions on your bigotry.

You are confusing indavidgule biases and sociatial bias on a whole. You are confusing the way it morally should be and the way it is. The question isn't how should people look at Bowie, the question is how do people look at Bowie?

Yes MoCo is starting to be judged by it's increasingly minority majority, have you not seen the snark coming out of fairfax and Arlington. Yes MoCo is experiencing a form of white flight which is partially responsible to the explosion of prices in other places. As to people hating on PG and pulling up bull shit statistics that are out of context or just down right lies, so what? It is just them trying to put into words what nobody can say. The majority of people have no intrest of moving to a majority black area and never have in the entire history of the country. We are simply not there yet. And if you use DC as an example the few little inner pockets of PG that are reversing that trend it would be glossing over the reality that it is happening by using economic pressure which installs a faith that the areas will turn whiter because of low general black wealth. Bowie is the opposite with it's high level of black wealth which means it's black majority isn't going anywhere. I have never met a gentrifier that didn't give me a status of their newly beloved areas's "improvement" within 30sec of being told where they live. What do we think improvement means. Number of new residents vs old. How are hippsters going to push out people who have more money then them?

Places turn white when a richer demographic deems it desirable and starts buying it up, the likelyhood of richer white people targeting Bowie from an already affluent black population is low. Until then it will continue to be pragmatic and open minded people here and there until race relations improve and it can be judged on it's own merits.

Especially if you're a DC worker who wants a short commute. Longer commute and mediocre MS and HS aren't exactly great selling points.

I say this as someone who knows a number of people who live in Bowie and think it's a nice place, if a little dull. But none of the Bowie residents I know commute to DC. They all work somewhere in MD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

So, you use your generalizations to paint the entire county with problems that are not endemic to the entire county, but to segments within the county. So, despite the fact that crime is high in only the inside-the-beltway communities, the entire county is crime-ridden. Instead of select schools throughout the county being poor, and some schools actually being good if not great, the entire school system is horrifically bad. There are good and bad areas of the county. No one is arguing that, but to paint the entire county as undesirable is just unrealistically biased. A number of those stories that you've cited are also older. Many of the protagonists of the political corruption have left office, some in handcuffs (ala the Johnsons) and some voted out. There is change underway, but everyone seems to want to rely on the stories from years ago and continue to paint the county with labels that it has worked hard to change.

Should we paint all of Montgomery County as crime-ridden because of the crime statistics from Wheaton (which by the way, has 3 times the amount of annual violent crime as Bowie) and Silver Spring (roughly double the amount of violent crime as Bowie annually)? Should we rate all of Montgomery County by the school ratings of Wheaton and Silver Spring (which average lower than Bowie). Should Montgomery County be classified as gang-ridden because local activities for MS-13 are based out of Wheaton?

The main thing that all of PG County has in common is that it is majority black across the county. If you can only see the county as a whole, then you are racist and basing your opinions on your bigotry.

You are confusing indavidgule biases and sociatial bias on a whole. You are confusing the way it morally should be and the way it is. The question isn't how should people look at Bowie, the question is how do people look at Bowie?

Yes MoCo is starting to be judged by it's increasingly minority majority, have you not seen the snark coming out of fairfax and Arlington. Yes MoCo is experiencing a form of white flight which is partially responsible to the explosion of prices in other places. As to people hating on PG and pulling up bull shit statistics that are out of context or just down right lies, so what? It is just them trying to put into words what nobody can say. The majority of people have no intrest of moving to a majority black area and never have in the entire history of the country. We are simply not there yet. And if you use DC as an example the few little inner pockets of PG that are reversing that trend it would be glossing over the reality that it is happening by using economic pressure which installs a faith that the areas will turn whiter because of low general black wealth. Bowie is the opposite with it's high level of black wealth which means it's black majority isn't going anywhere. I have never met a gentrifier that didn't give me a status of their newly beloved areas's "improvement" within 30sec of being told where they live. What do we think improvement means. Number of new residents vs old. How are hippsters going to push out people who have more money then them?

Places turn white when a richer demographic deems it desirable and starts buying it up, the likelyhood of richer white people targeting Bowie from an already affluent black population is low. Until then it will continue to be pragmatic and open minded people here and there until race relations improve and it can be judged on it's own merits.

Wasn't (between the world and me) inspired about a police killing in PG?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

So, you use your generalizations to paint the entire county with problems that are not endemic to the entire county, but to segments within the county. So, despite the fact that crime is high in only the inside-the-beltway communities, the entire county is crime-ridden. Instead of select schools throughout the county being poor, and some schools actually being good if not great, the entire school system is horrifically bad. There are good and bad areas of the county. No one is arguing that, but to paint the entire county as undesirable is just unrealistically biased. A number of those stories that you've cited are also older. Many of the protagonists of the political corruption have left office, some in handcuffs (ala the Johnsons) and some voted out. There is change underway, but everyone seems to want to rely on the stories from years ago and continue to paint the county with labels that it has worked hard to change.

Should we paint all of Montgomery County as crime-ridden because of the crime statistics from Wheaton (which by the way, has 3 times the amount of annual violent crime as Bowie) and Silver Spring (roughly double the amount of violent crime as Bowie annually)? Should we rate all of Montgomery County by the school ratings of Wheaton and Silver Spring (which average lower than Bowie). Should Montgomery County be classified as gang-ridden because local activities for MS-13 are based out of Wheaton?

The main thing that all of PG County has in common is that it is majority black across the county. If you can only see the county as a whole, then you are racist and basing your opinions on your bigotry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

Your assumption that just because PG is majority black that the entire county is "plagued" by all these things and that you are going to be an "unintended casualty" (talk about hyperbolic!!) is...

sort of racist.

One of the founders of Google grew up in PG, people. It's not some sort of inner city nightmare. It's a suburb with a lot of black people. Who are you guys trying to fool?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

Isn't there a fallacy about assuming that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future? Young families looking for a home TODAY will find that homes in Arlington, Bethesda, and DC have reached a price they cannot afford, while Lanham is still affordable. That price difference is so extreme. Which community has the greater potential for growth?

potential for growth or change in demand by the non-African American masses? The things keeping it from being in demand today will keep it from being in demand tomorrow. New areas that are more inclined to be molded to the whims of the new residents will be the ones that use their room to grow. PG will continue to be PG and it will only grow as the AA community grows and begins to counter act generations of institutional racism and build generational wealth.

Room to grow as the AA community grows, absolutely. Room to grow as the self segregating practices of the upper classes break down, that is going to take a little longer. It will continue to live and die by the success of DC but it will continue to be the last to reap the rewards compared to the other connected counties in the metro area. That is going to have to be good enough

I think you missed my point. My point is that it is a fallacy to assume that people are going to continue to pay 600k+ extra for a house for the privilege of not having to look at black people. I think the price appreciation in DC has already proved that, hasn't it? Have you been to PG County lately? Aside from the schools issue and the poorer areas near SE DC, it is pretty nice. I am not black, and come from an upper middle class background, and I chose to live here, because my commute is short and I am saving a shitload of money.

Saving a shitload of money is a good, good feeling, even if your friends and randoms on DCUM feel sorry for you for moving to "PG."

My house has also appreciated a healthy amount since I moved here after the crash. I don't know if my children will inherit a lot of money from my house, but honestly... that is not highest on my list of priorities.

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

Again, the problem is that PG county was hit hardest by the recession and housing collapse from 2008-2011. Taking out those years, both before and after, PG county had the highest percentage increases over other beltway communities.

I bought a home in Laurel in 1995 for $139K. It was 1800 sf and 3 BR. I would not have been able to get much for under $150K in most of the other beltway communities at the time. My good college friend paid $165K for a small 1200 sf 2 bedroom place in Rockville and it was a real fixer-upper that required A LOT of work. I sold in 2008 for $315K. If I could have gotten the home ready to sell in 2006, I could have sold for $400K as a house down the street, same model, same level of home improvement sold for $399K about 6 months before I was ready to sell.

That house dropped in value from $315K to $215K and is back up to about $332K. But for the value at the time, I could not have gotten anything for my price range. The same scenario holds now. If you have a limited amount of funds for a downpayment and house payments, you have to look into PG. If you are truly middle class and not what DCUM considers middle class, you cannot afford to live in most of MoCo and NoVa. You either have to move farther out or look in PG or be willing to make 1001 other compromises (townhome/condo instead of SF, very, very big fixer uppers needing lots of work, etc). Most middle income families are priced out of most of MoCo and NoVa.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

Isn't there a fallacy about assuming that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future? Young families looking for a home TODAY will find that homes in Arlington, Bethesda, and DC have reached a price they cannot afford, while Lanham is still affordable. That price difference is so extreme. Which community has the greater potential for growth?

While I agree with your logic but that's not what is actually happening. Price has been driven in part due to two income households, these same families are bending over backwards to buy in Bethesda, McLean, Falls Church, Arlington, DC, Rockville, Vienna. In my circle, all young families are staying out of PG. Now, my circle is limited and I can't speak for everyone, it's just something I have experienced and therefore sharing. The harsh reality is that PG County's values will not see improvement till non blacks start moving, I wish it weren't so but it is a fact.

Yes, but there is simply a ceiling on what two average (you know, like federal government, non-big law/finance) salaries can afford. At some point, you just can't make 1 million+ work for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

Isn't there a fallacy about assuming that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future? Young families looking for a home TODAY will find that homes in Arlington, Bethesda, and DC have reached a price they cannot afford, while Lanham is still affordable. That price difference is so extreme. Which community has the greater potential for growth?

potential for growth or change in demand by the non-African American masses? The things keeping it from being in demand today will keep it from being in demand tomorrow. New areas that are more inclined to be molded to the whims of the new residents will be the ones that use their room to grow. PG will continue to be PG and it will only grow as the AA community grows and begins to counter act generations of institutional racism and build generational wealth.

Room to grow as the AA community grows, absolutely. Room to grow as the self segregating practices of the upper classes break down, that is going to take a little longer. It will continue to live and die by the success of DC but it will continue to be the last to reap the rewards compared to the other connected counties in the metro area. That is going to have to be good enough

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

Isn't there a fallacy about assuming that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future? Young families looking for a home TODAY will find that homes in Arlington, Bethesda, and DC have reached a price they cannot afford, while Lanham is still affordable. That price difference is so extreme. Which community has the greater potential for growth?

While I agree with your logic but that's not what is actually happening. Price has been driven in part due to two income households, these same families are bending over backwards to buy in Bethesda, McLean, Falls Church, Arlington, DC, Rockville, Vienna. In my circle, all young families are staying out of PG. Now, my circle is limited and I can't speak for everyone, it's just something I have experienced and therefore sharing. The harsh reality is that PG County's values will not see improvement till non blacks start moving, I wish it weren't so but it is a fact.

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

Isn't there a fallacy about assuming that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future? Young families looking for a home TODAY will find that homes in Arlington, Bethesda, and DC have reached a price they cannot afford, while Lanham is still affordable. That price difference is so extreme. Which community has the greater potential for growth?

Anonymous wrote:Bowie sounds great! There are a lot of great areas around Bowie like College Park, etc. It all comes down to jobs and schools. If you work in PG/Montgomery or downtown DC it can work but if you work in Rockville or north, or in VA, or even upper NW DC, you can't live in these PG county neighborhoods and have a decent commute! So I think it works great for some, but just isn't an option for others. Schools are also a major issue and I haven't heard good things about the schools (middle and HS) from folks who grew up in PG County.

Huh? Bowie and College Park are not that close to one another.

The neighborhood clusters are more like (from farthest to closest to DC) Bowie-Lanham-New Carrollton, and Greenbelt-CP-Hyattsville.

Anonymous wrote:You know why. It's in PG county.

Ditto.