OP - you originally asked if there was a demographic trend moving away from Potomac. There has been a significant shift away from Potomac in the past 10 years. Potomac houses are generally priced anywhere from 5%-10% over market, sit for months, and decline in value each year.

Potomac is a great to place to live if you want land, a big house, trees, and good public and private schools. We loved having 2 acres but there are very few people who want 2 acres now or even a big house. The trend is toward walkability, close in urban/suburban areas, and less land. Potomac has a lot of older inventory that was built in the 80s and now needs more intensive updating/upgrading - new HVAC, roof, undetected water intrusion from foundation, pools that need systems replaced. Potomac sellers usually haven't replaced or addressed these issues or factored them into their prices.

On the upside its a buyers market with lots of choices. On the downside, you will be dealing with delusional sellers and listing realtors. I say this as someone who sold a house. I was shocked at how many Potomac realtors wanted to over price our home. Potomac realtors are the worst. Check the comps for the past several years and look at comps for fall/winter vs spring. Some Potomac sellers get lucky with the spring market but there are so many houses on the market many in Potomac are more in line with lower fall comps. Don't be persuaded to pay more for someone else's poor tastes in curtains, updating a bathroom or kitchen appliances. Ask your realtor to pull disclosures before you look at houses. Realtors like to try to get you emotionally hooked before you start looking at the defects in a property.

My advice would be to look at this as buying the home you want not making a business deal but don't over pay. Don't pay more than recent 2017 comps (Potomac declined 6% from 2016-2017) and factor into your five year budget that you house will decline in at least 5% over the next five years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

Bradley Farms is full of old money mansions:

http://www.thefleishergroup.com/ls/fleisher-sold-property-details.asp?id=53727&agent=0&mlsID=

Ugly!

Anonymous wrote:Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

Bradley Farms is full of old money mansions:

http://www.thefleishergroup.com/ls/fleisher-sold-property-details.asp?id=53727&agent=0&mlsID=

OP here. Thanks to all those who've chimed in. Much appreciated. Will also take the advice and look into some of the other neighborhoods recommended. Let me know if you have additional feedback.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All 3 neighborhoods are full of ugly and outdated McMansions from the 80s and 90s.

Which neighborhoods have the non McMansions? Or are all mansions in the dMV considered McMansions? It would be more useful to OP if you provided your own suggestions/recommendations rather than simply belittling her taste.

Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

I see. So these are not McMansions

http://www.koitzgroup.com/bradley-farms-potomac-real-estate.php

But all of these are?

http://www.koitzgroup.com/avenel-potomac-md-real-estate.php?p=2
http://www.koitzgroup.com/falconhurst-potomac-real-estate.php

Got it! ? Makes total sense now.

Do you know what a MCMansion is? Because even though you thought you were being clever and sarcastic the first one would not be considered a McMansion and the second two clearly are. So yeah the first one isn't and the second two are.

I'm grabbing popcorn to enjoy while watching this slug-fest over who really knows their McMansions!

It's just a fact. The first one is ugly. But it's not a McMansion. Although it is architecture that I don't particularly like it is constant throughout and nothing seems mismatched with everything else. The second two have the weird architecture that is classic "trying to hard". They are literally painful to look at. I look at the second two and immediately think "McMansion". I look at the first one and think "ugly big old house". That being said, Beverly farms is a great neighborhood and is very family friendly. Also has a good mix of people because there is a large range of housing costs. I have seen houses there in the 6-700k price point and ones like the pp posted. We also looked there when we were house hunting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All 3 neighborhoods are full of ugly and outdated McMansions from the 80s and 90s.

Which neighborhoods have the non McMansions? Or are all mansions in the dMV considered McMansions? It would be more useful to OP if you provided your own suggestions/recommendations rather than simply belittling her taste.

Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

I see. So these are not McMansions

http://www.koitzgroup.com/bradley-farms-potomac-real-estate.php

But all of these are?

http://www.koitzgroup.com/avenel-potomac-md-real-estate.php?p=2
http://www.koitzgroup.com/falconhurst-potomac-real-estate.php

Got it! ? Makes total sense now.

Do you know what a MCMansion is? Because even though you thought you were being clever and sarcastic the first one would not be considered a McMansion and the second two clearly are. So yeah the first one isn't and the second two are.

I'm grabbing popcorn to enjoy while watching this slug-fest over who really knows their McMansions!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All 3 neighborhoods are full of ugly and outdated McMansions from the 80s and 90s.

Which neighborhoods have the non McMansions? Or are all mansions in the dMV considered McMansions? It would be more useful to OP if you provided your own suggestions/recommendations rather than simply belittling her taste.

Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

I see. So these are not McMansions

http://www.koitzgroup.com/bradley-farms-potomac-real-estate.php

But all of these are?

http://www.koitzgroup.com/avenel-potomac-md-real-estate.php?p=2
http://www.koitzgroup.com/falconhurst-potomac-real-estate.php

Got it! ? Makes total sense now.

Do you know what a MCMansion is? Because even though you thought you were being clever and sarcastic the first one would not be considered a McMansion and the second two clearly are. So yeah the first one isn't and the second two are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP did not ask about Mcmansions....all these losers need is a spark about mcmansins and the rout is on...lol

Yes she didn't ask about them. But that is all that is in those neighborhoods so it was bound to come up.

McMansions? What are you talking about? Falconhurst has some of the best builders from the 1980's and 1990's---Gene may, Jeffrey Schneider, crowell and baker, WE Miller, Cullinane, etc. Those houses are some of the largest and best built houses in this area. Yes, you are right, some didn't age well--but I don't think I would call them McMansions---it's more like tired Mansions. The houses are solid homes. I can't talk about Potomac manor or Avenel---but Falconhurst was and is pretty amazing. Drive down Bentcross or iron gate drive ---one mistake a lot of people make is they think teversall (sp?) on newbridge is falconhurst. Teversall was built buy William berry and he built large homes that weren't really that well constructed--BUT, they are at the price point that OP is pointing out. If I could find a house in Falconhurst for 1.5 million I'd jump on it.

They might be solidly built, but they so obviously sacrifice architecture and aesthetics at the altar of size and 'opulence' that their heritage as some of the country's original McMansions isn't in question. Yes, they could have built worse, but obviously they could have, especially given the coin dropped, built much better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All 3 neighborhoods are full of ugly and outdated McMansions from the 80s and 90s.

Which neighborhoods have the non McMansions? Or are all mansions in the dMV considered McMansions? It would be more useful to OP if you provided your own suggestions/recommendations rather than simply belittling her taste.

Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

I see. So these are not McMansions

http://www.koitzgroup.com/bradley-farms-potomac-real-estate.php

But all of these are?

http://www.koitzgroup.com/avenel-potomac-md-real-estate.php?p=2
http://www.koitzgroup.com/falconhurst-potomac-real-estate.php

Got it! ? Makes total sense now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All 3 neighborhoods are full of ugly and outdated McMansions from the 80s and 90s.

Which neighborhoods have the non McMansions? Or are all mansions in the dMV considered McMansions? It would be more useful to OP if you provided your own suggestions/recommendations rather than simply belittling her taste.

Bradley Farms and Great Falls Estates (Potomac Falls)

I live in Avenel and I love it. Great location - close in but peaceful. Our street is turning over, we've had a few young families move in. There are great walking path/access to park, swim club, etc. Homes are solidly built and well-designed. My neighbors are nice and down to earth.

Potomac town, not Potomac then

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP did not ask about Mcmansions....all these losers need is a spark about mcmansins and the rout is on...lol

Yes she didn't ask about them. But that is all that is in those neighborhoods so it was bound to come up.

McMansions? What are you talking about? Falconhurst has some of the best builders from the 1980's and 1990's---Gene may, Jeffrey Schneider, crowell and baker, WE Miller, Cullinane, etc. Those houses are some of the largest and best built houses in this area. Yes, you are right, some didn't age well--but I don't think I would call them McMansions---it's more like tired Mansions. The houses are solid homes. I can't talk about Potomac manor or Avenel---but Falconhurst was and is pretty amazing. Drive down Bentcross or iron gate drive ---one mistake a lot of people make is they think teversall (sp?) on newbridge is falconhurst. Teversall was built buy William berry and he built large homes that weren't really that well constructed--BUT, they are at the price point that OP is pointing out. If I could find a house in Falconhurst for 1.5 million I'd jump on it.

Newbridge isn’t Falconhurst? What are the boundaries? Who sets them?

My understanding is that the land teversall was is built on was originally part of falconhurst. Different builders would buy sections or lots in falconhust and the build homes—-is the gene may section, the Crowell and baker section, etc. when William berry built teversall he made the lots smaller, and the teversall homes were the biggest homes he’d built at that point so he was trying to make a name for himself and figured if he made his own neighborhood there would be more prestige. The problem was, although his homes were big, they were not as well built as the other falconhust homes. So now realtors use the falconhust name as a means of selling—yet teversall has its own hoa—google it. If you want to know what is the teversall vs falconhurst fifferentiator, there are two ways..price and the teversall hoa website—they show the plats of all the teversall homes. Also, know that Potomac town transitions into falconhust—Potomac town homes sit on smaller lots than falconhust—falconhust is almost always 2 acres Potomac then is 1/2 to 3/4 acres

Anonymous wrote:Is it really a 45 minute commute to DC from the neighborhoods that OP is looking at? I live in Bethesda inside the Beltway and it can take me that long to get to the Metro Center area (in my car) during rush hour. Same deal on the way home.

Depends on where in these neighborhoods. Certain parts of avenel (near Macarthur blvd) should get you to foggy bottom in 30-40 Mins (depending on traffic). Same with Bentcross in Falconhurst.

Anonymous wrote:All 3 neighborhoods are full of ugly and outdated McMansions from the 80s and 90s.

Which neighborhoods have the non McMansions? Or are all mansions in the dMV considered McMansions? It would be more useful to OP if you provided your own suggestions/recommendations rather than simply belittling her taste.