Anonymous wrote:McLean has a rich history of affluent, politicians etc... North Arlington is just a built up congested faux city near DC. In fact compare 1979 North Arlington vs McLean and you can see how North Arlington was giant highway dump before the metro came in.

Tell that to the dead buried at Arlington National Cemetery, mkay?

Anonymous wrote:McLean has a rich history of affluent, politicians etc... North Arlington is just a built up congested faux city near DC. In fact compare 1979 North Arlington vs McLean and you can see how North Arlington was giant highway dump before the metro came in.

OK. And yet, many people still spend $1.5-$3 mill to live there. Sadly, they must have vastly inferior taste to yours. Of course, since they are plenty wealthy, I'm sure they don't care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're talking about Country Club Hills or thereabouts (sounds like it from the description?) then your home will fit right into the numerous other $1.5-3 million homes in the area. Look at the neighborhood comps to determine whether you're making a wise investment.

Who is the poster that's stupid enough to think that because wealthy people drive to their offices downtown, they want to spend 2 hours in their car every morning on the Beltway? That's the funniest thing I've heard all morning. The less wealthy people I know are the ones that buy all the way out in the far-flung suburbs because they can't afford nice homes near downtown. You are really off the mark, which makes me think you neither have money yourself, nor any wealthy friends. And of course, no common sense.

I can say with absolute certainty that many wealthy people have looked at downtown DC and decided not to buy there. If you argued in favor of N. Arlington or McLean, OK. But downtown DC? No.

Huh? By "near downtown," I meant precisely those suburbs you just mentioned. They are "near downtown," as opposed to suburbs, say, outside the Beltway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

We've addressed this time and time again. The inventory is flying off the shelves. How is the HHI not supporting the sale of all of these $1.5-3 million homes in Arlington? Somebody that wants to live very close to DC, near Metro and tremendous walkability is not considering Potomac, Great Falls, McLean, etc.

The majority of people in our neighborhood have moved there in the last 5 years when prices were this high. I would not live in CC because I hate MD. I grew up in McLEan and found it d.e.a.d boring. I did live in Georgetown for many years and love it but did not want to send my kids to private school. Who exactly do you think is buying these million+ homes?

Somebody that doesn't want the 45min -1 hour commute to DC each morning. It takes a 1/4 of that from Clarendon.

Clarendon is a completely different area than where OP is looking to buy. Her commute will not be the same as yours from Clarendon, just because her town is technically still Arlington, she is still miles away.

McLean has a rich history of affluent, politicians etc... North Arlington is just a built up congested faux city near DC. In fact compare 1979 North Arlington vs McLean and you can see how North Arlington was giant highway dump before the metro came in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

Who is "no one," exactly? Is "no one" someone like me, who looked at both homes in the $2 million range in McLean and North Arlington, and settled in North Arlington? Or could "no one" refer to many friends who, when faced with similar price ranges and decisions, made the same choice? I think what bizarrely defensive posters like you fail to grasp is that we don't care about your views on "desirability." I think "desirable" is having a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood with good schools and a short commute to my office downtown. You may think that "desirable" means giving people the name of your neighborhood and watching them bow down to you in some sort of deference to you? Well, as an owner of an expensive home that also could have afforded one in the other lovely neighborhoods you mention above, sorry, I'm not buying the crap you're shoveling, lady.

Looks like you took the troll bait. If you re-read your post, it comes across as pretty darn defensive.

Seriously, if you can afford a $2 M home in either McLean or North Arlington, it ought to be all good, and you shouldn't need to spend large amounts of time either defending your decision or reciprocating by lashing out two posts later at someone else's decision.

What now? I didn't "lash out" or insult anyone else's "decision." What I ridiculed was a clearly insecure poster's blanket statement about some vague "desirability" factor that Arlington lacks, which would supposedly preclude wealthy people from purchasing there. Notice I didn't insult the other neighborhoods, which are, as I said, lovely. We certainly considered neighborhoods on both side of the McLean/Arlington border, and ended up in Arlington. Obviously, at the $2M price point, we could have afforded most other neighborhoods around town. We chose North Arlington. Not sure why that comes across as "pretty darn defensive" to you. I suspect that the PP who throws around blanket statements like "no one considers Arlington to be in the same league as _____" is a poster who lives in a modest, not particularly pricey home in an area she views as very fancy, and thus, feels threatened when people spend a lot more $$ than her home is worth in neighborhoods she believes should be -- but aren't -- less "desirable."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

We've addressed this time and time again. The inventory is flying off the shelves. How is the HHI not supporting the sale of all of these $1.5-3 million homes in Arlington? Somebody that wants to live very close to DC, near Metro and tremendous walkability is not considering Potomac, Great Falls, McLean, etc.

The majority of people in our neighborhood have moved there in the last 5 years when prices were this high. I would not live in CC because I hate MD. I grew up in McLEan and found it d.e.a.d boring. I did live in Georgetown for many years and love it but did not want to send my kids to private school. Who exactly do you think is buying these million+ homes?

How is Mclean any more boring than the area that is essentially exactly the same, deeply suburban, with large lots and not much walkability. The border between the two is not noticeable to someone from out of town. I am from the west coast and could not tell the difference when one town ended and the other began. To me, there was no difference living in one vs. the other, as they provide the same type of lifestyle. So, we based our decision on school ratings and perception of the different areas in DC metro. We are not from here, so for us, published ratings and opinions of people we knew, were all we had to work with and that is what the perception of many people is based upon, even though there is no intrinsic truth to it if you really do your research or conduct extensive opinion polls.

Finding prices to be the same in residential N.Arlington and Mclean, we went with Mclean, because it was perceived at that time to be more desirable with higher ranked school district, so we felt our home value would keep better. Just an honest opinion. I am not from here and have no dog in this fight and don't frankly care for either of these areas at all. I wanted to look in more urban parts of NWDC, but was worried about schools and didn't like price/sq.ft over there. To me, they are honestly all the same with invisible border, you would never know you crossed, until you looked at the map.

Anonymous wrote:If you're talking about Country Club Hills or thereabouts (sounds like it from the description?) then your home will fit right into the numerous other $1.5-3 million homes in the area. Look at the neighborhood comps to determine whether you're making a wise investment.

Who is the poster that's stupid enough to think that because wealthy people drive to their offices downtown, they want to spend 2 hours in their car every morning on the Beltway? That's the funniest thing I've heard all morning. The less wealthy people I know are the ones that buy all the way out in the far-flung suburbs because they can't afford nice homes near downtown. You are really off the mark, which makes me think you neither have money yourself, nor any wealthy friends. And of course, no common sense.

I can say with absolute certainty that many wealthy people have looked at downtown DC and decided not to buy there. If you argued in favor of N. Arlington or McLean, OK. But downtown DC? No.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

We've addressed this time and time again. The inventory is flying off the shelves. How is the HHI not supporting the sale of all of these $1.5-3 million homes in Arlington? Somebody that wants to live very close to DC, near Metro and tremendous walkability is not considering Potomac, Great Falls, McLean, etc.

The majority of people in our neighborhood have moved there in the last 5 years when prices were this high. I would not live in CC because I hate MD. I grew up in McLEan and found it d.e.a.d boring. I did live in Georgetown for many years and love it but did not want to send my kids to private school. Who exactly do you think is buying these million+ homes?

Somebody that doesn't want the 45min -1 hour commute to DC each morning. It takes a 1/4 of that from Clarendon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

We've addressed this time and time again. The inventory is flying off the shelves. How is the HHI not supporting the sale of all of these $1.5-3 million homes in Arlington? Somebody that wants to live very close to DC, near Metro and tremendous walkability is not considering Potomac, Great Falls, McLean, etc.

The majority of people in our neighborhood have moved there in the last 5 years when prices were this high. I would not live in CC because I hate MD. I grew up in McLEan and found it d.e.a.d boring. I did live in Georgetown for many years and love it but did not want to send my kids to private school. Who exactly do you think is buying these million+ homes?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gamble your child's future in preference of your own commuting comfort.

Slogging in from the great schools out in McLean or Vienna means hours away from your kids. Comme ci, comme ça.

Wait, isn't Mclean right across Kirby rd from the area where OP is considering buying? You mean extra 2 min driving will mean hours away from her kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

Who is "no one," exactly? Is "no one" someone like me, who looked at both homes in the $2 million range in McLean and North Arlington, and settled in North Arlington? Or could "no one" refer to many friends who, when faced with similar price ranges and decisions, made the same choice? I think what bizarrely defensive posters like you fail to grasp is that we don't care about your views on "desirability." I think "desirable" is having a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood with good schools and a short commute to my office downtown. You may think that "desirable" means giving people the name of your neighborhood and watching them bow down to you in some sort of deference to you? Well, as an owner of an expensive home that also could have afforded one in the other lovely neighborhoods you mention above, sorry, I'm not buying the crap you're shoveling, lady.

Looks like you took the troll bait. If you re-read your post, it comes across as pretty darn defensive.

Seriously, if you can afford a $2 M home in either McLean or North Arlington, it ought to be all good, and you shouldn't need to spend large amounts of time either defending your decision or reciprocating by lashing out two posts later at someone else's decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

Who is "no one," exactly? Is "no one" someone like me, who looked at both homes in the $2 million range in McLean and North Arlington, and settled in North Arlington? Or could "no one" refer to many friends who, when faced with similar price ranges and decisions, made the same choice? I think what bizarrely defensive posters like you fail to grasp is that we don't care about your views on "desirability." I think "desirable" is having a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood with good schools and a short commute to my office downtown. You may think that "desirable" means giving people the name of your neighborhood and watching them bow down to you in some sort of deference to you? Well, as an owner of an expensive home that also could have afforded one in the other lovely neighborhoods you mention above, sorry, I'm not buying the crap you're shoveling, lady.

Anonymous wrote:So, back to OP question somewhat, if Arlington is in a bubble, what about Mclean, Bethesda, Potomac? Are prices there still below housing bubble 1.0 peaks? Or not as crazy as the multimillion teardowns that are now selling in Arlington?

McLean, Bethesda and Potomac have always hovered around those price points and the type of people living there show that.

North Arlington has quickly bubbled up to those price points without the same high HHI and is not considered as desirable. If given the choice between McLean and North Arlington at the same price point (remember North Arlington was always lower) you would consider looking at the historically more affluent places when considering North Arlington. Once North Arlington hit a certain price point it puts it into comparison with McLean, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Great Falls etc...

Let's get real here, no one thinks of North Arlington as the same league as those places mentioned, so the price point is artificial.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gamble your child's future in preference of your own commuting comfort.

Slogging in from the great schools out in McLean or Vienna means hours away from your kids. Comme ci, comme ça.

Huh? Like this, like that? How are the two things mentioned here similar?

Even if Mclean/Vienna schools are similar, parental involvement is a big predictor of school success. So you trading down the time you have with your kids (less parental involvement) with a longer commute for (what you perceive as) better schools.

Because I'm sure the Arlington parents who have the extra time at home spend every last minute of it with their kids, at least until the parents get on their Facebook pages or the kids tell the parents to go away.

Seriously, the sweet spot is finding a place where you can spend time with your kids, not monopolizing their time with helicopter parenting.