Anonymous wrote:There is zero reason to live in an expensive neighborhood. Even in DMV and MoCo, you can get lovely SFHs with a nice yard for 500K. You are just not willing to look beyond the expensive neighborhoods.

Where exactly should I look? Prefer somewhere I can access downtown DC by Metro or car in an hour or less.

I feel blessed that we bought in the boonies when we did. On a single low income, we were able to have a SAHM, live in a nice and spacious new SFH with a good sized yard, send our kids to public magnets schools, and send them to in-state flagship college with generous merit aid, and have money for retirement. We live a good life with zero money worries.

The worst thing to do in my opinion is to have a lifestyle that is dictated by the need to pay an expensive mortgage. It will impact your decisions to have a SAH parent, childcare, education, retirement, health, nutrition etc.

There is zero reason to live in an expensive neighborhood. Even in DMV and MoCo, you can get lovely SFHs with a nice yard for 500K. You are just not willing to look beyond the expensive neighborhoods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Exactly! Empty nesters wanting a city-like lifestyle but don’t want to do it in a condo. And they’re paying cash!

Yup, and BTW, many Boomers and GenXers don't need elevators in their first downsize home; that's for later. And, even if you do want/need to install one, that's a relatively easy and cheap fix (especially if you can afford a $1.6 million TH).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Having a place for you and others like you to downsize will increase the supply of SFHs available. MM is about increasing the supply of housing to lower costs. Sounds like it might work based on your comment.

You are an idiot. Only ~ 3% of Arlington households can afford 2M homes. You think freeing up 3% of the homes will suddenly make housing affordable for the 65% than can only afford $300,000 homes?

I can afford a $2m house and I promise you I don’t want to live near people who can only afford a $300k house.

I'm the original poster in this sub-thread and while I agree with the bolded comments by other posters above, I want to clarify that I wouldn't use the term "idiot" to address anyone, nor would I mind living near a $300,000 house. My point is that there aren't going to be any $300,000 houses or townhouses or condos built as a result of the missing middle movement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Having a place for you and others like you to downsize will increase the supply of SFHs available. MM is about increasing the supply of housing to lower costs. Sounds like it might work based on your comment.

You are an idiot. Only ~ 3% of Arlington households can afford 2M homes. You think freeing up 3% of the homes will suddenly make housing affordable for the 65% than can only afford $300,000 homes?

I can afford a $2m house and I promise you I don’t want to live near people who can only afford a $300k house.

My old town was all bungalows, capes and a few small condos. I mean small like 800sf to 1,200 sf with very very low property taxes and many homes were second homes or occupied by widows or dinks. Very few large families or renters

Over last 20 years you monsters with 7 figure holes rolled on tearing down homes and putting up mansions. Of course more people bigger homes and more rentals to cover cost of large home. With Covid now homes in town are 2-10 million.

We had one sell 15 million and that house makes the 2 million homes look like homeless tents.

Trust me when I say that the person you quoted does not have even close to a seven figure salary (he/she wishes it was that high). If they did they could afford more than "only" a $2m house. Assuming she bought during covid for 2m, that is only a PITI of around 8k which ain't impressive for this area. So don't know why that poster thinks they are "so much better than the 300k family" when max piti can afford is only 8k.

The person you quoted really does think of themselves as someone better though, even though he/she/the whole family is just trash. People like her like to pretend they are rich, but comments like hers show the lack of class she really has.

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Exactly! Empty nesters wanting a city-like lifestyle but don’t want to do it in a condo. And they’re paying cash!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Having a place for you and others like you to downsize will increase the supply of SFHs available. MM is about increasing the supply of housing to lower costs. Sounds like it might work based on your comment.

You are an idiot. Only ~ 3% of Arlington households can afford 2M homes. You think freeing up 3% of the homes will suddenly make housing affordable for the 65% than can only afford $300,000 homes?

I can afford a $2m house and I promise you I don’t want to live near people who can only afford a $300k house.

My old town was all bungalows, capes and a few small condos. I mean small like 800sf to 1,200 sf with very very low property taxes and many homes were second homes or occupied by widows or dinks. Very few large families or renters

Over last 20 years you monsters with 7 figure holes rolled on tearing down homes and putting up mansions. Of course more people bigger homes and more rentals to cover cost of large home. With Covid now homes in town are 2-10 million.

We had one sell 15 million and that house makes the 2 million homes look like homeless tents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlingtons goal is to have insane density. MM is just the beginning. There’s also plan Langston or whatever it’s called. Arlington wants high rise buildings lining every major road. And those major roads narrowed for bike lanes. Roads and schools can’t handle any of this but the politicians don’t care.

Those who can afford private or even Catholic schools are pulling their kids out of Arlington schools. The four schools north of Langston are all below capacity.

DP. What a dumb conclusion. Private schools have and will always be primarily populated by people who can afford them. That’s also not why those schools are below capacity. Zoning for elementary boundaries take into account walkability for the students. The area north of Langston is the least walkable and they don’t bus kids from other areas in the county.

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

I know you’re a boomer but surely you can see how stupid it is to downsize to an elevator-less townhouse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised to see new construction sold before completed. But these will turn into rentals - that is the true MM crime

These townhouses will not turn into rentals. At 20% down and ~7.5% mortgage rate you’re looking at at least $10,000/month total cost not including other costs like hvac maintenance little repairs. It won’t pull in enough in rental income to break even.

Nobody is going to buy this to turn around and rent it out, there are many other properties that would offer better returns for someone wanting a rental property.

There are some issues with MM, but i don’t see many of the Arlington MM projects becoming rentals. The math doesn’t really make sense.

Not the townhouses but a lot of the multiplexes have and will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Having a place for you and others like you to downsize will increase the supply of SFHs available. MM is about increasing the supply of housing to lower costs. Sounds like it might work based on your comment.

You are an idiot. Only ~ 3% of Arlington households can afford 2M homes. You think freeing up 3% of the homes will suddenly make housing affordable for the 65% than can only afford $300,000 homes?

I can afford a $2m house and I promise you I don’t want to live near people who can only afford a $300k house.

It's important that your laborers live far away and commute in. God forbid they stay after dark in your rich enclave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know just who will snatch up a place like this -- well-heeled, down-sizing Boomers and GenXers. How do I know? I'm one of them. And, no, that doesn't mean there will be a signifcant decrease in SFH prices as we downsize. Thanks, Millenials for eating up the MM fairy tale,

Having a place for you and others like you to downsize will increase the supply of SFHs available. MM is about increasing the supply of housing to lower costs. Sounds like it might work based on your comment.

You are an idiot. Only ~ 3% of Arlington households can afford 2M homes. You think freeing up 3% of the homes will suddenly make housing affordable for the 65% than can only afford $300,000 homes?

I can afford a $2m house and I promise you I don’t want to live near people who can only afford a $300k house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlingtons goal is to have insane density. MM is just the beginning. There’s also plan Langston or whatever it’s called. Arlington wants high rise buildings lining every major road. And those major roads narrowed for bike lanes. Roads and schools can’t handle any of this but the politicians don’t care.

Those who can afford private or even Catholic schools are pulling their kids out of Arlington schools. The four schools north of Langston are all below capacity.

Because the math and reading scores are in the toilet. Arlington County Schools are taking non teacher staff and training them to be tutors. No thanks, I make enough to pay for a good education for my kid. Arlington Schools are on the way down.

Anonymous wrote:Arlingtons goal is to have insane density. MM is just the beginning. There’s also plan Langston or whatever it’s called. Arlington wants high rise buildings lining every major road. And those major roads narrowed for bike lanes. Roads and schools can’t handle any of this but the politicians don’t care.

Those who can afford private or even Catholic schools are pulling their kids out of Arlington schools. The four schools north of Langston are all below capacity.