I'm the poster with the parking space analogy. I'm stupidly psyched that people actually liked my analogy. Thought I'd get flamed for comparing a major purchase to something relatively stupid.

Problem with living in DC, or other major cities: we do have to pay an awful lot for houses that aren't our dream houses. It can be frustrating, if you're from anywhere else, to compare your own home to someone else's from a cheaper market.

I have it easier than some. I'm from a Midwestern city where most of the housing is from decades that weren't that great for architecture. The older houses I do love are in sh*tty school districts. So I'd have a dilemma there too - buy a house I loved in a sh*tty school district (just like DC!) or a house I wasn't excited about in a good one (just like Arlington!) Granted, it would be cheaper, but my salary would be smaller, so it might not seem cheaper.

With the limited supply of homes in most desirable areas in DC and nearby suburbs --- and with the prices the way they are, EVERYONE has to compromise on the home they live in.

That's the hell of it. You get to pay 900K for a home you may not even like. Totally unlike the rest of the country.

Anonymous wrote:There's nothing wrong with making the strength of your offer correspond to how much you like the house. Love it and can't bear to lose it = high price, just like it = offer less. You may be less likely to have your offer accepted, but it's amazing how much more perfect a home will seam if you paid a reasonable price.

I agree with this. When we went to the open house for our current home we said "this is the one" partly because at list price we loved it. We told the agent if there was a bidding war and it went up 5% we'd like it, and if it went up 10% we wouldn't want it. Ended up a little over 5%-- right at the border of where we were comfortable, but we're glad we got it.

On the other hand, a difference of a few thousand isn't that much in a 30 year mortgage so don't let that drive your decision making.

I agree with the parking space analogy too. We've been in our new home almost two years. I still look at new listings and see houses that might have been "better." Its really hard for me to totally let it go. Also, my husband got a big raise/bonus shortly after we closed (totally unexpected) which would have put us in a different price category. We do have a great street/neighbors though which really helps. It gets easier over time, but I still daydream about it 2 years later. "I wonder if we had bought the one on Maple..."