Anonymous wrote:As someone who graduated from Walt Whitman High School less than 15 years ago, I’m telling you that that house for that price is absolutely not worth it just because it’s zoned for Whitman. Whitman is a good school, but there’s plenty of other good schools too. At some point, the amount of house you sacrifice doesn’t measure up in benefits you’re seeking in other areas, and that’s the case with this house. Even right next door in the Churchill cluster, you can get a lot more house and essentially the same exact school.

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Anonymous wrote:It surprises me that people want to pay this much to live in a blah neighborhood where there is nothing you can walk to and nothing much to do. We live a few blocks away from these houses, and while the neighborhood is fine, it’s definitely nothing special. Just sprawling, nondescript suburbia. At least nearby Kenwood has a sense of neighborhood identity with holiday parties and such. There’s plenty to walk to just a little east of here, but prices are also higher the closer you get to Woodmont or downtown Bethesda. Our neighborhood is relatively close-in, so that’s great in terms of commuting, and the schools are decent, but it just seems a little sad that there isn’t more going on in terms of community feel.

The schools are more than decent. You’re paying to be able to walk to the best middle and high schools in the county, and for the easy commute to DC

The schools are decent. I live in this neighborhood (within walking distance to these houses). I know about the schools. A lot of our friends' kids have been through these schools. They have problems, like any massive, crowded, public schools. Massive public schools, even in affluent areas, have drug problems, occasional violence, lots of kids with mental health issues, overwhelmed and underpaid teachers and administrators, bullying, and so forth. It's easy for kids to get lost in the shuffle socially/emotionally, or to become a target, or to get a sub-optimal education because no one is paying that close of attention to any one kid. The pandemic only made these things worse. On top of they typical problems, there is also an incredibly intense competition for those kids who want to be at the top of the class, because these neighborhoods are populated by a disproportionate number of striver families. It's harder for an individual kid to get into an ivy league school from Whitman because there is so much more competition than at other upper-middle-class public high schools. If you took a poll of current Whitman or Pyle parents, I think you'd be surprised at the level of dissatisfaction and, for many, disillusionment felt by families that thought the "best" schools meant something different than their actual experience has borne out. I think Moco does a good job with public education, but it can only work with the resources it has. Even being the best in the county (which some would dispute, I think, in terms of demonstrative outcomes) doesn't mean the schools are anything other than decent. Public education needs an overhaul. I would think that parents who care deeply about education (enough to plan where they live around it) and who can afford private school, would choose private school. Lots of our neighbors (again, inbounds for Pyle and Whitman) send their kids to private school. Drive around our neighborhood and look at the private school car magnets and window stickers and you'll get a sense of it.

Anonymous wrote:Will be worth $1M less next year at this time.

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Anonymous wrote:There are so many highly paid people in this area who have been indoctrinated with the belief that they must live in the Whitman cluster, so I doubt you’ll see much of a discount on these houses.

But why not buy a house in a more interesting neighborhood and send your kids to private school? I mean if the hypothesis is that well-paid people are going to buy in this kind of neighborhood, even if it means overpaying for an unexceptional house in an unexceptional neighborhood. Why do these families feel chained to the Whitman cluster when private school is an option (for those with excess income)?

Anonymous wrote:Just because you disagree with someone’s reasoning doesn’t mean they are going to make a decision based on your views! The fact remains that there are plenty of families with plenty of money who want new builds in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It surprises me that people want to pay this much to live in a blah neighborhood where there is nothing you can walk to and nothing much to do. We live a few blocks away from these houses, and while the neighborhood is fine, it’s definitely nothing special. Just sprawling, nondescript suburbia. At least nearby Kenwood has a sense of neighborhood identity with holiday parties and such. There’s plenty to walk to just a little east of here, but prices are also higher the closer you get to Woodmont or downtown Bethesda. Our neighborhood is relatively close-in, so that’s great in terms of commuting, and the schools are decent, but it just seems a little sad that there isn’t more going on in terms of community feel.

The schools are more than decent. You’re paying to be able to walk to the best middle and high schools in the county, and for the easy commute to DC

Anonymous wrote:There are so many highly paid people in this area who have been indoctrinated with the belief that they must live in the Whitman cluster, so I doubt you’ll see much of a discount on these houses.