Anonymous wrote:

I would hesitate to purchase in Prince George’s county because another recession will hit in late 2020 according to financial markets. PGCo was hit really hard last time around which made selling really hard for people who might have wanted to move for other economic opportunities. It took PGCo much longer to bounce back than other places in the DMV area.

Eastern MOCO aka Silver Spring was hit just hard and too as long if not longer to recover. In fact, MOCO and PG county are partnered in an ongoing lawsuit against banks with predatory lending practices back then that hurt their respective areas.

Both areas have high populations of individuals living either under the poverty line or in what civic planners call situations of economic risk or instability. This means that a downturn, job loss or even just an extended government shutdown sends them into poverty sometimes in an unrecoverable state. MOCO has the higher risk profile though because it has local county based drivers for additional loss in a downtown or stable national situation. MOCO has the financial instability, school rezoning risks, less desirable commute location., growing level of poverty and a big bubble of retirees. Locally, PG is relatively stable and has potential factors that will lead to growth and appreciation. Plus if there is going to be a downturn in housing across the country you will lose less on a less expensive house in PG than buying an over valued house in Silver Spring.

I'd go with PG.

I’ll concede that eastern MoCo is like PGCo for the impoverished levels, predatory levels, but let’s not pretend PG local schools are anything to brag about. There are maybe 3-4 acceptable schools, most people do private over there and if Heaven forbid if the OP or her DH were to suffer the loss of an income they’d need to use the local public, which in this case PGCo is not better than eastern MoCo. The great option about MoCo is that the poverty is contained and not as widespread as PGCo. But if I had to live in PGCo I’d choose Hyattsville or College Park and maybe Mt. Rainier. Anything outside of those areas is high risk.......including Bowie, Clinton, Upper Marlboro. You can always move to a variety of high performing public school clusters in MoCo. PGCo doesn’t have as nearly as many high performing clusters.

OP, try also considering VA public schools as well.

With both your commutes, I’d definitely pick Historic Hyattsville, University Park, Calvert Hills. Your budget will go far and the route 1 corridor is in the full upswing of revitalization to give you the walkable “downtown” feel. You’ll still need a car for sure, but you won’t feel so suburban/disconnected from DC. University Park in particular is a beautiful neighborhood with a well regarded elementary.

I might even bet on Riverdale Park (closest to Whole Foods) were you can get something nice for $500k or less, and the purple line coming makes it a good bet on long term continual improvement. The (elem) schools don’t seem to be as highly regarded in that pocket as nearby options though.

With that budget I would pick Silver Spring.

I would hesitate to purchase in Prince George’s county because another recession will hit in late 2020 according to financial markets. PGCo was hit really hard last time around which made selling really hard for people who might have wanted to move for other economic opportunities. It took PGCo much longer to bounce back than other places in the DMV area.

Eastern MOCO aka Silver Spring was hit just hard and too as long if not longer to recover. In fact, MOCO and PG county are partnered in an ongoing lawsuit against banks with predatory lending practices back then that hurt their respective areas.

Both areas have high populations of individuals living either under the poverty line or in what civic planners call situations of economic risk or instability. This means that a downturn, job loss or even just an extended government shutdown sends them into poverty sometimes in an unrecoverable state. MOCO has the higher risk profile though because it has local county based drivers for additional loss in a downtown or stable national situation. MOCO has the financial instability, school rezoning risks, less desirable commute location., growing level of poverty and a big bubble of retirees. Locally, PG is relatively stable and has potential factors that will lead to growth and appreciation. Plus if there is going to be a downturn in housing across the country you will lose less on a less expensive house in PG than buying an over valued house in Silver Spring.

I'd go with PG.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

I don't have specific $ per square foot numbers. Here are a couple of options. Also, don't forget University Park, which has lovely housing stock (bottom two).

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4315-Gallatin-St-Hyattsville-MD-20781/37516912_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4109-Queensbury-Rd-Hyattsville-MD-20781/176048876_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6916-Oakridge-Rd-University-Park-MD-20782/37541993_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4310-Underwood-St-University-Park-MD-20782/37544179_zpid/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look in 20910, especially if your husband will continue to work in College Park.

For now, he'd have to drive (15 minutes) or bus (30 minutes) but the Purple Line will connect Downtown Silver Spring and College Park within a few years.

East Silver Spring seems like a great compromise. There is a lot of variety in home and lot size, so you should be able to find something that meets both of your needs.

Something like this with a smaller lot: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/632-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278281_zpid/

This is a bigger lot, same street: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/512-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278525_zpid/

Op, I would NOT suggest East Silver Spring because the school is high FARMS, and thus your children would be surrounded by highly impoverished, often first generation students. This in turn would affect the kind of education your children receive, the PTA make up and other things. But it would also affect your real estate values in the future.

Here is the link for East Silver Spring ES data: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02756.pdf

Here are better suggestions:

https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/1209-millgrove-rd-silver-spring-md-20905--2019109401
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/14740-locustwood-ln-silver-spring-md-20905--1042429399
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/10115-meadowneck-ct-silver-spring-md-20910--2019130880




By the way you can also look up demographic data and other kinds of data using this link here, its helpful to help you determine purchasing in a diverse neighborhood but also getting a quality education for your future children.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/


MoCo is in the middle of redoing boundaries because its building more schools. For example,

damn as a child immigrant who went to a top5 university these statements are so jarring. you all are so afraid of immigrants and minorities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look in 20910, especially if your husband will continue to work in College Park.

For now, he'd have to drive (15 minutes) or bus (30 minutes) but the Purple Line will connect Downtown Silver Spring and College Park within a few years.

East Silver Spring seems like a great compromise. There is a lot of variety in home and lot size, so you should be able to find something that meets both of your needs.

Something like this with a smaller lot: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/632-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278281_zpid/

This is a bigger lot, same street: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/512-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278525_zpid/

Op, I would NOT suggest East Silver Spring because the school is high FARMS, and thus your children would be surrounded by highly impoverished, often first generation students. This in turn would affect the kind of education your children receive, the PTA make up and other things. But it would also affect your real estate values in the future.

Here is the link for East Silver Spring ES data: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02756.pdf

Here are better suggestions:

https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/1209-millgrove-rd-silver-spring-md-20905--2019109401
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/14740-locustwood-ln-silver-spring-md-20905--1042429399
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/10115-meadowneck-ct-silver-spring-md-20910--2019130880




By the way you can also look up demographic data and other kinds of data using this link here, its helpful to help you determine purchasing in a diverse neighborhood but also getting a quality education for your future children.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/


MoCo is in the middle of redoing boundaries because its building more schools. For example,

It's a little weird for you to specifically call out an elementary school for being "high FARMS" while suggesting homes zoned for much higher-needs middle and high schools than PP's suggestions. The OP can decide whether Great Schools scores matter to them, but your suggestions are nonsensical if the goal is avoiding kids from working class families.

Agreed! And the OP said they wanted to be able to walk to a downtown. That's not happening way out in Cloverly. I would definitely check out close-in Silver Spring/Takoma Park options in 20910, as well as 20912.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

You’re going to want a car for any of these places so it’s good that you’re pricing that in. I drive so much more since I moved out here. The upside is that parking is much easier and I walk around the neighborhood a lot, just not to errands as much. Rte 1 is also a great place for recreational biking if you like that. The trolley trail and the anacostia trail system are so nice and so not overcrowded. I went recently with a friend on the capital crescent and I nearly had a panic attack. It’s nice to bike down to the navy yard and then either bike back or take the green line. The bridge to the arboretum will be great as well (although there will be a steep hill on the arboretum side!)

Tbh though you sound a little bit stressed about the neighborhoods. If you think you’d be more comfortable in MoCo then maybe you would be. Maybe you should try renting in College Park for a year and just see how you feel about it. You want to pick a neighborhood you like now and not one that you might like, conditional on it’s future gentrification.

Re: the new build, you can look at comps on Redfin and filter by year built to see how many new builds there have been and what they sell for. A lot of them are from one company, Werrlein, that is theoretically building a whole slew of townhouses where the old WSSC building is. There are also a bunch of rehabbed houses with a higher $/sq foot that you should be able to find as well. Mt Rainier is like that too. I assume College Park although I don’t know the neighborhoods as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look in 20910, especially if your husband will continue to work in College Park.

For now, he'd have to drive (15 minutes) or bus (30 minutes) but the Purple Line will connect Downtown Silver Spring and College Park within a few years.

East Silver Spring seems like a great compromise. There is a lot of variety in home and lot size, so you should be able to find something that meets both of your needs.

Something like this with a smaller lot: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/632-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278281_zpid/

This is a bigger lot, same street: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/512-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278525_zpid/

Op, I would NOT suggest East Silver Spring because the school is high FARMS, and thus your children would be surrounded by highly impoverished, often first generation students. This in turn would affect the kind of education your children receive, the PTA make up and other things. But it would also affect your real estate values in the future.

Here is the link for East Silver Spring ES data: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02756.pdf

Here are better suggestions:

https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/1209-millgrove-rd-silver-spring-md-20905--2019109401
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/14740-locustwood-ln-silver-spring-md-20905--1042429399
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/10115-meadowneck-ct-silver-spring-md-20910--2019130880




By the way you can also look up demographic data and other kinds of data using this link here, its helpful to help you determine purchasing in a diverse neighborhood but also getting a quality education for your future children.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/


MoCo is in the middle of redoing boundaries because its building more schools. For example,

It's a little weird for you to specifically call out an elementary school for being "high FARMS" while suggesting homes zoned for much higher-needs middle and high schools than PP's suggestions. The OP can decide whether Great Schools scores matter to them, but your suggestions are nonsensical if the goal is avoiding kids from working class families.

I would hesitate to purchase in Prince George’s county because another recession will hit in late 2020 according to financial markets. PGCo was hit really hard last time around which made selling really hard for people who might have wanted to move for other economic opportunities. It took PGCo much longer to bounce back than other places in the DMV area.

Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

Chances are you could probably get that house for less than the list price if it is substantially above the neighborhood comps. Builders usually shoot high for any market.

In general its never a good idea to buy the largest, most expensive house on the block. You also do not want to over improve. If you really want a 6K mansion then you need to be in Bethesda or Potomac.

However, here are some other things to look at...

..is this the first house on the block to be a new build? Are there other new builds in progress? Are there similar new builds nearby? Are there lots of remodels? Look at the history of the other houses. Have any other new builds sold lately? Look for flips? Look at price history to see how many houses are rentals, when they last sold? Try to figure out if you are buying in a block that is in transition or if the new build is an outlier.

Other things to look at are signs of young families moving in. Look for basketball hoops, outdoor child toys, those kids at play traffic blocks etc.

Anonymous wrote:Look in 20910, especially if your husband will continue to work in College Park.

For now, he'd have to drive (15 minutes) or bus (30 minutes) but the Purple Line will connect Downtown Silver Spring and College Park within a few years.

East Silver Spring seems like a great compromise. There is a lot of variety in home and lot size, so you should be able to find something that meets both of your needs.

Something like this with a smaller lot: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/632-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278281_zpid/

This is a bigger lot, same street: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/512-Mississippi-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37278525_zpid/

Op, I would NOT suggest East Silver Spring because the school is high FARMS, and thus your children would be surrounded by highly impoverished, often first generation students. This in turn would affect the kind of education your children receive, the PTA make up and other things. But it would also affect your real estate values in the future.

Here is the link for East Silver Spring ES data: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02756.pdf

Here are better suggestions:

https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/1209-millgrove-rd-silver-spring-md-20905--2019109401
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/14740-locustwood-ln-silver-spring-md-20905--1042429399
https://www.trulia.com/p/md/silver-spring/10115-meadowneck-ct-silver-spring-md-20910--2019130880




By the way you can also look up demographic data and other kinds of data using this link here, its helpful to help you determine purchasing in a diverse neighborhood but also getting a quality education for your future children.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/


MoCo is in the middle of redoing boundaries because its building more schools. For example,

Thank you to everyone so far who gave thoughtful advice! In terms of Hyattsville, what do you think is a good benchmark for price per square foot for something that has been completely updated? This is probably too specific a question, but I might as well ask! We saw a house we loved, but it was significantly more expensive than the other houses on the surrounding blocks. However, it was at least 1,000 sq ft larger than them and was a new build. We also thought we might feel awkward being in the nicest house on the block.

https://www.redfin.com/MD/University-Park/6916-Oakridge-Rd-20782/home/11033185?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy_link&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link

https://www.redfin.com/MD/University-Park/4310-Underwood-St-20782/home/23277963?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy_link&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link

Look at University Park, College Heights Estates or Calvert Hills. Prices in those areas are only going to go up, and they are zoned for a well regarded public elementary school that goes through 6th grade. Middle school is a little iffy, with people sending their kids to Hyattsville middle, College Park Academy or private. Eleanor Roosevelt is a public high school with an excellent magnet program if you can get into it.