Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Damn, got some tough love in the last few responses. I'm hearing you though and these are all fair points. Spouse and I decided we are going to wait till next Spring and then make a call rather than rushing something now. I just hope the market doesn't tank in the meantime. We owe the house a full year to see if the situation improves.

No need to fear a market decline. It may stay relatively flat, but you're in a desirable part of a desirable County with excellent schools; property values should remain relatively stable and will likely to better than many alternatives where you could have bought instead.

Great Falls isn’t nearly as popular as closer in areas with walkability and neighborhoods. There are so many empty nesters there - not great for kids. Inventory all over northern va is much higher than last year and will likely get worse in the next year.

OP where did you move from? What did you like/not like about your prior living situation?

This is OP, thank you for the encouraging words

Just like moving to a new country causes culture shock, moving into a new home can have the same effect. I would give it some time. You’ll get used to the neighborhood and eventually it will start to feel like home. But this can take some time.

Anonymous wrote:Just to temper expectations- we live in a more suburban setting. Kids are pretty highly scheduled- no one is really outside riding bikes randomly. My son is in hs and uses it as a form of transportation. We have bugs here too. Although I would be very unhappy in the setting you described, so I get it.

We live in Bethesda and it is kid central in the neighborhood- bikes, spontaneous get together, meeting at the park, etc. so it is possible.

It’s tough to adjust to something that is very different from what you envisioned. But hang in there, find your community, find your new routine and maybe you will find your peace. Give it some time; and it if truly doesn’t work, move.

OP, we moved a couple of streets away in our current neighborhood 6 months ago, and I’m having secret regret. A bunch of stuff in our life changed since then (shift in kid activities, new school which wasn’t expected, DH job switch) and I actually think we should have moved to a place on the other side of town that is more aligned with the changes we’ve made.

But I also recognize that this comes while we are still pouring money into the house beyond the big number we’d already allocated, easily 6-7% of the purchase price. Some stuff isn’t unpacked because of the ongoing work and we haven’t been truly living in the house, more like working around it. If that’s where you are, I commiserate and maybe we just need to give it a little more time?

Anonymous wrote:Damn, got some tough love in the last few responses. I'm hearing you though and these are all fair points. Spouse and I decided we are going to wait till next Spring and then make a call rather than rushing something now. I just hope the market doesn't tank in the meantime. We owe the house a full year to see if the situation improves.

Good. But look at listing/sold/pending maps on Redfin and Realtor.com. If your property is in what is a largely blank zone on the maps don't hesitate to list. That's the area north of Georgetown Pike with Walker Rd access zoned for Great Falls ES.

Really hate the place then I'd consider listing due to low inventory. Meanwhile get a mow service and remove any mice and bugs from the house.

Anonymous wrote:Damn, got some tough love in the last few responses. I'm hearing you though and these are all fair points. Spouse and I decided we are going to wait till next Spring and then make a call rather than rushing something now. I just hope the market doesn't tank in the meantime. We owe the house a full year to see if the situation improves.

No need to fear a market decline. It may stay relatively flat, but you're in a desirable part of a desirable County with excellent schools; property values should remain relatively stable and will likely to better than many alternatives where you could have bought instead.

Don’t rush into anything but there are many other good school pyramids elsewhere. And if you have the money to pay millions in cash, I assume you will most likely do private school.

Damn, got some tough love in the last few responses. I'm hearing you though and these are all fair points. Spouse and I decided we are going to wait till next Spring and then make a call rather than rushing something now. I just hope the market doesn't tank in the meantime. We owe the house a full year to see if the situation improves.

You won't find better schools elsewhere unless you pay for privates, and even then you'd be hard pressed to do better by your children than the public schools in GF. You also have no guarantee that your next home purchase will provide any of your desired perceived advantages, apart from a smaller lawn to maintain and a smaller house to clean, neither of which should be a consideration for most people who can afford to live in GF - just hire people to do those things for you. Hire a handyman for the innumerable small fix-it/maintenance jobs, too. Outsourcing those for a decade will cost much less that the costs of relocating again.

You'll lose your transaction costs at a minimum, will pay a second set of moving costs, and may or may not lose money on the sale compared to what you paid.

Frankly, it sounds as if you have a fantasy neighborhood and home in mind, which may not have any real-life counterpart. Your kids may not find nearby playmates in a new neighborhood, the weather and insects will be the same anywhere in NoVa, houses on smaller lots will be subject to more noise from adjacent properties and possibly from closer and busier roads. In other words, you may make your situation worse, not better, by indulging in your buyer's remorse.

I'd plan to stick it out for at least a couple of years, taking more advantage of your sunk moving and transaction costs, and giving the property a chance to appreciate a little. During that time you can also do actual due diligence and employ some discernment in looking at other neighborhoods and homes, something you did not do this time.