I think the county is refusing to buy that place up and give it the redevelopment it needs because it would seriously increase home values in the area - and increase housing crunch. If they get rid of that awful spot then then crummy apartment buildings all around would ultimately turn over too.

I think once that old shopping center on the corner of Layhill and Georgia gets completely redeveloped, Glenmont will be the last affordable community that you could still be well connected to DC, Silver Spring and Bethesda. I really don’t understand how farther out would be comparable or desirable, even at a lower price point, because there will never be a Metro stop close by. It’s a built in limitation.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t dismiss the negative comments outright. I grew up in 20906, bought a starter home in 20906, but moved because of the schools, crime and lack of social network. I have friends and family who still live in 20906, so I’m in the area regularly. And, I don’t live in Bethesda. I live further out and commute to DC.

You shouldn’t dismiss feedback from btdt locals just because it’s not positive. Some of us bet on 20906 and were let down. Given how overpriced the market is, it’s a risk that could leave you stuck.

Want to hear my favorite 20906 story from a local? He popped into glenmont to buy cigarettes and noticed that the guy in front of him bought a single beer and condom before disappearing into a back room. Sex trafficking in the shopping center. That’s glenmont. Of course, it’s also happening in other parts of the county and dc. It has everything to do with a certain subcultural demographic.

Do your research before you drop $550 on a home.

Who said I dismissed comments. I only said the current residents feedback carried more weight. You know, because they currently live there?

We also didn’t make a decision based on what the area was like but rather our desire to be closer in. If we’re going to move that far out from DC we figure we might as well move out of the area to somewhere cheaper and closer to family.

“ You shouldn’t dismiss feedback from btdt locals just because it’s not positive. ”

Key to your point being the “BTDT” piece. People who live in Bethesda and have never set foot in Glenmont have nothing to offer but not those living there now and those that have in the past have valid points to offer.

I wouldn’t dismiss the negative comments outright. I grew up in 20906, bought a starter home in 20906, but moved because of the schools, crime and lack of social network. I have friends and family who still live in 20906, so I’m in the area regularly. And, I don’t live in Bethesda. I live further out and commute to DC.

You shouldn’t dismiss feedback from btdt locals just because it’s not positive. Some of us bet on 20906 and were let down. Given how overpriced the market is, it’s a risk that could leave you stuck.

Want to hear my favorite 20906 story from a local? He popped into glenmont to buy cigarettes and noticed that the guy in front of him bought a single beer and condom before disappearing into a back room. Sex trafficking in the shopping center. That’s glenmont. Of course, it’s also happening in other parts of the county and dc. It has everything to do with a certain subcultural demographic.

Do your research before you drop $550 on a home.

I used to live in the Foxhall neighborhood, behind the Glenmont Metro station and I loved it. My backyard was like a nature preserve, lots of wildlife, but I could walk to the metro. There was also the paved Mathew Henson trail that I could walk to as well and use to connect to Rock Creek trail on my bike. I could ride my bike to Lake Needwood only using paved biked trails. Many long term neighbors.

I think many people don’t even realize that the neighborhood exists.

OP back again. I appreciate the feedback from the current residents. It carries more weight than the “crappy schools [but I live in Bethesda and we have a governess to wipe my kids butts]” posters. We ended up not going for the house we loved up there to try for one closer that we also really liked. We didn’t get it, but it did help us feel more confident that we don’t want to be that far out. It’s truly just a distance thing. Both our jobs are very much community based so being close is important. We did look at a house in I think Layhill south and it was really a lovely neighborhood. We both longingly wished we could move it closer to DC!

Anyway, thanks again to all who positively contributed. It helped us make a somewhat more informed decision and not just a judge a book by its cover one.

Olney is lovely but very far for commuting to DC. If you are up in the 80s developments up Layhill slightly past the metro area I don’t think the crime is too bad. Can’t leave doors unlocked or anything but it is not risky feeling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-20906/

Crime stats for 20906 are really bad.

Be sure to check this out; crime is not "better" in the single family neighborhoods in Kensington or close in Silver Spring.

I know.

But it is better in Olney and Brookeville.

Check out the map. It's just slightly better in the sfh neighborhoods there than it is in Layhill. We checked everything before we moved here. I live in the Layhill 20906 area and run errands in Olney; we debated Olney, but couldn't see moving further from work, much like the OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-20906/

Crime stats for 20906 are really bad.

Be sure to check this out; crime is not "better" in the single family neighborhoods in Kensington or close in Silver Spring.

I know.

But it is better in Olney and Brookeville.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Kemp Mill, op? I know it is very Jewish, but it seems like a lovely area and it is close to where you are looking now.
Is it in your budget?

There are threads about how insular kemp mill is.

Had great friends in Kemp Mill. They were part of the Jewish community though and it seemed a VERY tight knit community. I would not want to live there since I would feel like an outsider of that dynamic a lot.

Anonymous wrote:https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-20906/

Crime stats for 20906 are really bad.

Be sure to check this out; crime is not "better" in the single family neighborhoods in Kensington or close in Silver Spring.

Pp from page one here who used to live in that area - really strongly caution against near metro those tiny old houses. I think you will not get the neighborhood community feel you want.

Although I see nothing for sale here if you are doing Glenmont I suggest stalking my old neighborhood - Middlebridge Village. THs are in your budget; very strong community feel since it is a contained community with its own pool, HOA and list serve. THs especially were a big community area when we lived there.

Example: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2007-Hickory-Hill-Ln-Silver-Spring-MD-20906/37331465_zpid/

Or you can look at Poplar Run next to it. Those are much newer and nicer but I can’t speak to community feel and prices for THs may be too much still.

Do not count on that awful strip mall by the metro ever getting better. I thought for sure it would get sold and redeveloped or that the county would come to their senses and declare eminent domain over it. It is a blight and terrible. But the stores apparently are all owned by a zillion different people so eminent domain is your main hope for real change there since it is so impossible to get critical mass otherwise.

I find it interesting that those of us who actually live in Glenmont and 20906 are getting drowned out by people who don't.

Crime is not any higher in the sfh neighborhoods here than it is in Kensington or closer in Silver Spring. Check out the crime map, in some cases it is lower.

Are the schools attended by poorer people whose parents rent apartments? Yes, they are.

I really like my half an acre yard, and nice quiet neighborhood where kids play outside. All about a ten minute drive to the metro, and conveniently situated a close drive to Olney, Wheaton, Kensington and Rockville.

Anonymous wrote:I live near this Kensington neighborhood, which would be a bit closer commute for you. Crime and schools are better, too. It’s $549,000 so at the top of your budget.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3212-Edgewood-Rd_Kensington_MD_20895_M57631-62028

It’s pending.