Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in McLean. I chose to buy a home and raise a family in Vienna, which I assure you is as nice if not better than McLean. You're just a snob pure and simple.

Totally delusional. How is Vienna is better than McLean/Langley?

Sidewalks. Actual town feel and events - it’s an incorporated town. W&OD Trail right in town. Many more restaurants than McLean. Best of all it’s a mix of socioeconomic statuses not just high earners.

Save. Invest. Live below your means. You can get there.

Not many people buy a $2+ million home for their first home. A lot of people had kids in a $600k home, sold it for $1 million and then bought a $2+ million home.

I don’t think $2m+ neighborhoods are great for kids anyway.

Anonymous wrote:We did. You need high paying jobs and to live below your means to save up a down payment before you have kids.

This. Virginia>Maryland

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did. You need high paying jobs and to live below your means to save up a down payment before you have kids.

We did too. And we had student loans. We worked 6 days a week and never went on vacation. We bought used cars. It paid off.

Before 35 you were able to buy a $2-3M home?

I think that if you want a SFH, a wealthy neighborhood, and to be close in to a major city like DC. Plus you want those things in place before your first kid is born, and then to have more than one kid? That's a lot to have by 35. Yes, I think you need to be rich to have all those things. Either because you inherited it, or because you are some kind of superstar.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in McLean. I chose to buy a home and raise a family in Vienna, which I assure you is as nice if not better than McLean. You're just a snob pure and simple.

Totally delusional. How is Vienna is better than McLean/Langley?

Anonymous wrote:We did. You need high paying jobs and to live below your means to save up a down payment before you have kids.

We did too. And we had student loans. We worked 6 days a week and never went on vacation. We bought used cars. It paid off.

I’ve always lived in transitional area Le due to the cost of real estate , but in places with good schools or access to great magnets and privates. I never wanted to stretch on a home payment. I have missed having similar families right around me but my kids are doing well and already in or about to go to college.

Fairfax County has 400,000 households, and there are only 500 sales in the county per year more than $2,000,000.

Most are not being bought by people with family money. Most of these buyers are just regular high earners with household income $500,000+ per year.

There are lots of nice neighborhoods that aren’t a million or more.

^raising not aiding

No generational wealth. Aiding kids in a great neighborhood that isn’t Bethesda or McLean.

I mostly agree with OP especially if it’s a hard “under 35” cutoff.

We make $750K in our early 30s with a lot of income growth ahead of us and would never stretch for a $2M home on this HHI. We bought around 2x our HHI which has decreased to 1x with promos. Our friends from work around our ages with similar HHI’s also bought around the 1-2x HHI mark. We’re all saving like squirrels.

We’ve got some $2.5M+ new builds on our street with first-time parents in their mid 40s. We joke I’ll be considered a teen mom in N Arlington when we have kids in our mid 30s : )