OP here. Thanks to everyone! This has been a super helpful thread full of very specific recommendations which gives me a great place to start. I'm reading up about Maury and it sounds awesome. I'd forgotten that my son could be eligible for free PK-3...score another point for DC!

Thanks to the PP who suggested Yarmouth realty. Their properties look great. Are there any similar, small management companies like that to check out?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, all. OP here. We actually have a 2 year old, so having a bit more space would be preferred to an apartment. But I do like the idea of living near Union Station, though a row house would be more ideal than an apt. Our rental budget is probably about $3k - will that be enough for a 3BR in a safe area?

I'm also going to investigate the other MD areas mentioned. Thanks to everyone!

Check out Yarmouth realty for Capitol Hill rentals. There was a super nice house on my block (one block from Lincoln park) renting for around $3500. Great great area for kids!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is another vote for somewhere around the Capitol - SW, NoMa, Capitol Hill. We live in SW and I drive to the Baltimore suburbs 4 or 5 times per week. Getting out of DC is very fast to MD or VA. Getting to Baltimore (695 and I-70 ) takes me 1 hour, leaving early in the morning. I also think you should look into SW. There are good things happening if you have some patience for the build out.

Don't buy a home on a maybe. You have to buy the neighborhoods that are actually there, not the neighborhoods you wish will be there in 5-10 years.

Yes, if one can afford to buy a neighborhood that is already perfect. Otherwise, it can be a very rational trade off analysis to choose something that is affordable, but with a few warts and comes with reasonable risks.

Some people prefer the warts being "terrible in-bounds public schools" and "annoying petty crime problem." Other people choose "45 minute commute" as their wart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't know much about MARC, but would caution against relying on that for transportation, especially for a reverse commute. Do the trains run as frequently in the opposite direction or at non-rush hour times?

MARC going Baltimore to DC isn't so bad because it's a city to a city, though I generally agree with this point about commuter rail. I once looked into a reverse commute using VRE to Quantico and it was nigh unto impossible.

Penn line you can. Camden not so much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is another vote for somewhere around the Capitol - SW, NoMa, Capitol Hill. We live in SW and I drive to the Baltimore suburbs 4 or 5 times per week. Getting out of DC is very fast to MD or VA. Getting to Baltimore (695 and I-70 ) takes me 1 hour, leaving early in the morning. I also think you should look into SW. There are good things happening if you have some patience for the build out.

Don't buy a home on a maybe. You have to buy the neighborhoods that are actually there, not the neighborhoods you wish will be there in 5-10 years.

Yes, if one can afford to buy a neighborhood that is already perfect. Otherwise, it can be a very rational trade off analysis to choose something that is affordable, but with a few warts and comes with reasonable risks.

I thought OP was thinking of renting, hence an earlier poster's reply about the place with rent control (who knew there was still such a thing)? I think the rental market's almost as tight as the sales market in those areas, though Craigs List suggests a bunch of 2 bedroom options.

Anonymous wrote:Don't know much about MARC, but would caution against relying on that for transportation, especially for a reverse commute. Do the trains run as frequently in the opposite direction or at non-rush hour times?

MARC going Baltimore to DC isn't so bad because it's a city to a city, though I generally agree with this point about commuter rail. I once looked into a reverse commute using VRE to Quantico and it was nigh unto impossible.

Don't know much about MARC, but would caution against relying on that for transportation, especially for a reverse commute. Do the trains run as frequently in the opposite direction or at non-rush hour times?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is another vote for somewhere around the Capitol - SW, NoMa, Capitol Hill. We live in SW and I drive to the Baltimore suburbs 4 or 5 times per week. Getting out of DC is very fast to MD or VA. Getting to Baltimore (695 and I-70 ) takes me 1 hour, leaving early in the morning. I also think you should look into SW. There are good things happening if you have some patience for the build out.

Don't buy a home on a maybe. You have to buy the neighborhoods that are actually there, not the neighborhoods you wish will be there in 5-10 years.

Yes, if one can afford to buy a neighborhood that is already perfect. Otherwise, it can be a very rational trade off analysis to choose something that is affordable, but with a few warts and comes with reasonable risks.

The Maury district might be good for you on Capitol Hill. Your son might be old enough for PreK next year, depending on bday. and you'd get a good school and could either walk to Stadium Armory metro or take a bus going to Union Station after you drop off your son. You'd stand a good chance of getting into Maury for PreK3 being inboundary. (We were called pretty quickly off the waitlist this year.) You'd also have Appletree in walking distance. And its extremely family friendly, walkable neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since the MARC train and the Metro have stops at Union Station, I'd say look in DC for a place in walking distance to the Metro. Could be Brookland, SW, Capitol Hill. What's your budget?

Keep in mind that taking the MARC train adds up and can be a fairly long ride.

+1

And this is from a Washingtonian in VA who could not otherwise imagine having to live in DC (yuck). But, this is definitely the best solution. And move near a Redline stop (e.g., Chinatown!) - that way you can be at Union Station in no time to hop on the MARC train. And the MARC train ride isn't any longer than most local driving commutes into downtown, so it won't be bad.

I don't think you can call yourself a washingtonian after having a made a statement like that

You are the joke - but you don't even know it because you aren't from here. You probably know nothing about what went down in DC years ago or the history of many families like mine. But I care not to tell you - your ignorance is your bliss. See, you even laugh in it. It's funny to me actually.

I'm not the PP, but learn to take a joke! Sheesh. PP is right anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Here is another vote for somewhere around the Capitol - SW, NoMa, Capitol Hill. We live in SW and I drive to the Baltimore suburbs 4 or 5 times per week. Getting out of DC is very fast to MD or VA. Getting to Baltimore (695 and I-70 ) takes me 1 hour, leaving early in the morning. I also think you should look into SW. There are good things happening if you have some patience for the build out.

Don't buy a home on a maybe. You have to buy the neighborhoods that are actually there, not the neighborhoods you wish will be there in 5-10 years.