Anonymous wrote:Dear op. before u set your heart on a neighborhood - do the drive during commuting time. The best neighborhood in the world is not worth it if the drive ruins your day. The only certainty in the dc area is that traffic will only get worse. The more time commuting/stuck in traffic, the less time with kids, family or taking care of the sfh/yard. Mowing the grass in the dark is never fun.

Given your budget- u might want to reevaluate a condo or townhouse. I know a lot of people who decided smaller place in a better neighborhood with a shorter commute was better for their family as a whole. 20/20 hindesight being everything, I wish I just had a cozy garden apartment near a metro- no yard to take care of and no commute!

This is OP, commute is a moot point because as I stated one of us works way up county and one works way down county. Its a wash....

commutes impact amount of time available for parenting. When i get emergency texts from friends who work in va and need help at school pick up because they are trapped in traffic - that tells me something about hard it is to manage a terrible commute and be a present parent.

Wapo had an article today about 90 min commutes being new normal in dc. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-has-one-of-the-highest-levels-of-extreme-commutes-in-the-nation/2013/03/04/aee03892-850f-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html?hpid=z3 This is only going to get worse as time wears on.

We made a choice to be close in and live smaller - still single family home but small in awesome school district. it does not sound like op's budget provides that flexibility. if we had less money, in light of the quality of life issues, i would op for good schools over living space any day of the week.

Since OP's budget is decent but not great for the dc region, she might want to make a careful analysis on what parenting activities she or her spouse will be not be available for if the commute is one of those new normals of 90 minutes. every family has different needs but the optimism bias generally leads folks to underestimate the impact of a bad commute on quality of life.

Condo or townhouse? We are not all the kind that can raise a family in a small condo. A nice townhome is hard to find. When you got kids,the quality of schools and neighborhood and affordability affects your life far more than commute

http://www.homesdatabase.com/homes-for-sale/MD/SILVER-SPRING/20901/1012-PLAYFORD-LN-78168313

Forest Knolls E.S.
Silver Spring International
Northwood/ Down County Consortium

Dear op. before u set your heart on a neighborhood - do the drive during commuting time. The best neighborhood in the world is not worth it if the drive ruins your day. The only certainty in the dc area is that traffic will only get worse. The more time commuting/stuck in traffic, the less time with kids, family or taking care of the sfh/yard. Mowing the grass in the dark is never fun.

Given your budget- u might want to reevaluate a condo or townhouse. I know a lot of people who decided smaller place in a better neighborhood with a shorter commute was better for their family as a whole. 20/20 hindesight being everything, I wish I just had a cozy garden apartment near a metro- no yard to take care of and no commute!

You can get a single family house in Poolesville for $350K. Excellent schools, safe community. People will tell you that its a bad commute but its only 15 miles from Gaithersburg, a piece of cake. Those in the know use River Road to commute to Bethesda.

I'm in western potomac about 15-20 minutes east of Poolesville and take river into DC. Trust me River Road this far out is not just for those in the know. You would need to hit River in Poolesville by 6:15 AM not to get stuck in rush hour and bus traffic.

Anonymous wrote:Life is life, why not let your kids learn firsthand which people they prefer to hang out with and who does or does not live up to your stereotypes?

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Op is looking for a neighborhood with good schools and within her budget. That is really hard when you do not earn much

Life is life, why not let your kids learn firsthand which people they prefer to hang out with and who does or does not live up to your stereotypes?

I live in damascus. You need to drive here a few mornings and then commute to your work and see it for yourself

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, for those that suggested Damascus and Gaithersburg areas off of Woodfield, how is your commute if you are traveling to Bethesda/DC. I've been back there from time to time and I get the impression that its a nightmare getting to a major road off of the two laned streets common in that area. But again, I'm just making an assumption.

Long. Getting to 270 isn't bad, 270 can be a nightmare if there is a single raindrop. The metro from Shady Grove isn't bad either.

FWIW, we're off Woodfield in scary "East Gaithersburg" (not as far north as Laytonsville). My oldest is only in 1st grade, but we have no complaints so far. His teachers have been fantastic.

I thought you'd be able to find a small SFH home in the Kensington/Silver Spring area that feeds into Oakland Terrace or Rock View, my neighborhood. But prices have moved back up.

If you can inch over $350,000 to $375,000, this one might have potential. Would go to Oakland Terrace, I think.

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/2315-Plyers-Mill-Rd-20902/home/11030460

This little one for $324,900 in the nearby Linden neighborhood probably goes to Woodlin Elementary (highly rated by DCUM parents), but then on to Sligo Middle, which fewer parents like. Great neighborhood of eclectic homes.

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/9318-Warren-St-20910/home/11070901

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get a single family home in the Forest Glen area (elementary is Flora Singer) or in nearby Kensington (Oakland Terrace or Rock View elementaries).

A SFH in Kensington for under $350k?! Not likely!

A small home, but a SFH, yes.

http://www.redfin.com/homes-for-sale#!lat=39.02113815462115&long=-77.03786569873115&market=dc&max_price=600000&min_price=375000&uipt=1&v=8&zoomLevel=15

This is not Kensington but here's something close in SS.