Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: Crime and bars on windows.

OP, where do you live now? In a big city, even nice areas have crime. In AU Park (which is a very nice neighborhood), there have been a number of daytime burglaries. I have an acquaintance that got mugged at gunpoint at Cleveland Park (another very nice neighborhood) a few years back. The Hill and Dupont have their fair share of crime. Basically, nowhere is 100% safe and crime free.

As to bars - our house in a pricy area of the Hill had bars on windows when we bought it and I was quite happy about it. Not to mention that it's been our practice to install bars on basement windows whenever we live if they weren't there already, just in case. That has nothing to do with the area being high crime. It's just a sensible precaution in the big city.

Yeah, I think the OP should consider much safer schools in suburban areas. You can never go wrong with quiet places away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You know, quiet places like suburban Denver, maybe in the Columbine Valley. Or maybe the countryside outside of New York, somewhere like Newtown, Connecticut. When your child is ready for college you can send them to a bucolic school like Virginia Tech.

Too on the nose? How about this one:

http://science.time.com/2013/07/23/in-town-versus-country-it-turns-out-that-cities-are-the-safest-places-to-live/

Let me scream it from the mountaintop:

IF YOU ARE TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS NEVER LET THEM GET INTO A CAR. THAT WILL BE BY FAR THE MOST LIKELY WAY THEY WILL DIE OR BE SERIOUSLY HURT BEFORE THE AGE OF 18.

OP is looking for a place walkable to metro.

I think you missed the joke in the second post you quoted, 15:50.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: Crime and bars on windows.

OP, where do you live now? In a big city, even nice areas have crime. In AU Park (which is a very nice neighborhood), there have been a number of daytime burglaries. I have an acquaintance that got mugged at gunpoint at Cleveland Park (another very nice neighborhood) a few years back. The Hill and Dupont have their fair share of crime. Basically, nowhere is 100% safe and crime free.

As to bars - our house in a pricy area of the Hill had bars on windows when we bought it and I was quite happy about it. Not to mention that it's been our practice to install bars on basement windows whenever we live if they weren't there already, just in case. That has nothing to do with the area being high crime. It's just a sensible precaution in the big city.

Yeah, I think the OP should consider much safer schools in suburban areas. You can never go wrong with quiet places away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You know, quiet places like suburban Denver, maybe in the Columbine Valley. Or maybe the countryside outside of New York, somewhere like Newtown, Connecticut. When your child is ready for college you can send them to a bucolic school like Virginia Tech.

Too on the nose? How about this one:

http://science.time.com/2013/07/23/in-town-versus-country-it-turns-out-that-cities-are-the-safest-places-to-live/

Let me scream it from the mountaintop:

IF YOU ARE TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS NEVER LET THEM GET INTO A CAR. THAT WILL BE BY FAR THE MOST LIKELY WAY THEY WILL DIE OR BE SERIOUSLY HURT BEFORE THE AGE OF 18.

OP is looking for a place walkable to metro.

Anonymous wrote:Re: Crime and bars on windows.

OP, where do you live now? In a big city, even nice areas have crime. In AU Park (which is a very nice neighborhood), there have been a number of daytime burglaries. I have an acquaintance that got mugged at gunpoint at Cleveland Park (another very nice neighborhood) a few years back. The Hill and Dupont have their fair share of crime. Basically, nowhere is 100% safe and crime free.

As to bars - our house in a pricy area of the Hill had bars on windows when we bought it and I was quite happy about it. Not to mention that it's been our practice to install bars on basement windows whenever we live if they weren't there already, just in case. That has nothing to do with the area being high crime. It's just a sensible precaution in the big city.

Yeah, I think the OP should consider much safer schools in suburban areas. You can never go wrong with quiet places away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You know, quiet places like suburban Denver, maybe in the Columbine Valley. Or maybe the countryside outside of New York, somewhere like Newtown, Connecticut. When your child is ready for college you can send them to a bucolic school like Virginia Tech.

Too on the nose? How about this one:

http://science.time.com/2013/07/23/in-town-versus-country-it-turns-out-that-cities-are-the-safest-places-to-live/

Let me scream it from the mountaintop:

IF YOU ARE TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS NEVER LET THEM GET INTO A CAR. THAT WILL BE BY FAR THE MOST LIKELY WAY THEY WILL DIE OR BE SERIOUSLY HURT BEFORE THE AGE OF 18.

OP, have you been to DC before? If so, have you been outside downtown, the monuments, etc.?

This is an urban area that has a lot of crime and poverty. Certain areas of the city are also rapidly gentrifying. Many of the areas that people are suggesting that you move to are those areas. Your expectations are out of line with the reality of living in this city, which is fine. Your current reality is something else, but you have to adjust your expectations to be more in line with what the reality is here.

You might be able to find a rental in an area of the city that is "safer" than the rapidly gentrifying areas where you might be able to buy with the budget that you have. But you will also need to accept that renting will come with a number of compromises and that renting at a low price point (studio apartments in the city generally start at $1500-1800/mo) is going to come with more compromises.

The school's test scores will tell you some things, but they won't tell you everything. My child goes to a school with terrible test scores, but the school is changing. Keep in mind that the test scores you're looking at apply only to grades 3-5 and that that test isn't even used anymore. DC experienced a baby boom around the time your child was born, and many of those new parents have chosen to stay in the city, rather than Move To Burke (as several posters are instructing you to do). The result of this is A) it's harder to get into the "good schools" than it used to be and therefore you cannot rely on that as an option anymore and B) schools that previously were not considered options even for PK are now being considered beyond K. Powell in Petworth is a good example of this. Three years ago, Powell was not considered. Then the children of the Petworth gentrifying crowd turned 3 and all of a sudden, it was hard to get in out of bounds. This year, I don't think they admitted any out of bounds 3 year olds. (Note: I am a Petworth gentrifier but NOT a Powell parent. I say "gentrifier" not to be derisive but to describe a migration trend and the social effects it has.)

Bars on the windows do not mean that your house is going to get broken into. Schools with high rates of low income kids do not mean that your child will not learn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is a condo in your price range. Zoned for Raymond EC, which has ok test scores: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/3619-14th-St-NW-20010/unit-1/home/82099072

This looks nice. Is it a safe area? I don't like the bars on the windows.

Move to burke already. There are bars on windows in georgetown.

I've never lived somewhere with bars on the windows. Sorry if that bothers you.

Op, its not about 'bother' but I do think its true, especially if you want a rowhouse and not a condo. DC is expensive...even the dicey areas aren't cheap, so everyone is just telling you so that you are prepared. If you live here, you will want the bars, honest.

I live in Chevy Chase, DC -- two blocks away from the Maryland border -- and I have bars on my basement windows. Peace of mind.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned that renting in a good school zone doesn't guarantee a spot for PK4 especially in upper NW. In boundary families are often on waitling list and never get a call.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still think folks are too cramped in their thinking about OP's options, as if everything is riding on the first house they buy or on placing all their chips on the lottery. This seems to me to ignore things like the future potential for appreciating of DC real estate and continued improvement in the DC public and charter school landscape. There's already a good amount of flexibility out there for early elementary, and while middle and high schools have a ways to go, they offer a much better world than even a few years ago. As others are suggesting, why not buy in Trinidad or Eckington or Park View or some other "gritty" neighborhood with better housing prices and some quiet buzz, plus elementary options that will last you three or four years? Then see how those schools improve and play the lottery for a few years to try and get something through fourth or fifth grade? By then, you might not be in bounds for a good middle school, but you might have lotteried into something, or your house might have appreciated enough to sell for a premium to someone who cares less about schools so that you could trade up to a better neighborhood. This is exactly what happened to us. Not saying it's a guarantee -- but frankly, there are no guarantees in life. Just risks that some people are comfortable with and some are not. Why not go after something new and different? It's not like OP can't decide in a few years it's not for them and then head for the suburbs. But for now, it sounds like OP is game for trying something else.

Has OP said how old her child is? If she buys in a gritty neighborhood has to move in a couple of years, any appreciation will be eaten in realtor fees.

OP child is 4.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is a condo in your price range. Zoned for Raymond EC, which has ok test scores: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/3619-14th-St-NW-20010/unit-1/home/82099072

This looks nice. Is it a safe area? I don't like the bars on the windows.

Move to burke already. There are bars on windows in georgetown.

I've never lived somewhere with bars on the windows. Sorry if that bothers you.

Op, its not about 'bother' but I do think its true, especially if you want a rowhouse and not a condo. DC is expensive...even the dicey areas aren't cheap, so everyone is just telling you so that you are prepared. If you live here, you will want the bars, honest.

Anonymous wrote:I still think folks are too cramped in their thinking about OP's options, as if everything is riding on the first house they buy or on placing all their chips on the lottery. This seems to me to ignore things like the future potential for appreciating of DC real estate and continued improvement in the DC public and charter school landscape. There's already a good amount of flexibility out there for early elementary, and while middle and high schools have a ways to go, they offer a much better world than even a few years ago. As others are suggesting, why not buy in Trinidad or Eckington or Park View or some other "gritty" neighborhood with better housing prices and some quiet buzz, plus elementary options that will last you three or four years? Then see how those schools improve and play the lottery for a few years to try and get something through fourth or fifth grade? By then, you might not be in bounds for a good middle school, but you might have lotteried into something, or your house might have appreciated enough to sell for a premium to someone who cares less about schools so that you could trade up to a better neighborhood. This is exactly what happened to us. Not saying it's a guarantee -- but frankly, there are no guarantees in life. Just risks that some people are comfortable with and some are not. Why not go after something new and different? It's not like OP can't decide in a few years it's not for them and then head for the suburbs. But for now, it sounds like OP is game for trying something else.

Has OP said how old her child is? If she buys in a gritty neighborhood has to move in a couple of years, any appreciation will be eaten in realtor fees.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is a condo in your price range. Zoned for Raymond EC, which has ok test scores: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/3619-14th-St-NW-20010/unit-1/home/82099072

This looks nice. Is it a safe area? I don't like the bars on the windows.

Raymond test scores are not OK.

Compared to what? They are much better than Takoma, which others have suggested. http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/raymond+education+campus

Anonymous wrote:I still think folks are too cramped in their thinking about OP's options, as if everything is riding on the first house they buy or on placing all their chips on the lottery. This seems to me to ignore things like the future potential for appreciating of DC real estate and continued improvement in the DC public and charter school landscape. There's already a good amount of flexibility out there for early elementary, and while middle and high schools have a ways to go, they offer a much better world than even a few years ago. As others are suggesting, why not buy in Trinidad or Eckington or Park View or some other "gritty" neighborhood with better housing prices and some quiet buzz, plus elementary options that will last you three or four years? Then see how those schools improve and play the lottery for a few years to try and get something through fourth or fifth grade? By then, you might not be in bounds for a good middle school, but you might have lotteried into something, or your house might have appreciated enough to sell for a premium to someone who cares less about schools so that you could trade up to a better neighborhood. This is exactly what happened to us. Not saying it's a guarantee -- but frankly, there are no guarantees in life. Just risks that some people are comfortable with and some are not. Why not go after something new and different? It's not like OP can't decide in a few years it's not for them and then head for the suburbs. But for now, it sounds like OP is game for trying something else.

This might be good advice except OP appears extremely risk averse and so gambling on elementary school improving to her satisfaction or lotterying doesn't seem to be her thing. Not to mention that if she's freaking out about bars on the windows, gritty neighborhoods are not for her.

Re: Crime and bars on windows.

OP, where do you live now? In a big city, even nice areas have crime. In AU Park (which is a very nice neighborhood), there have been a number of daytime burglaries. I have an acquaintance that got mugged at gunpoint at Cleveland Park (another very nice neighborhood) a few years back. The Hill and Dupont have their fair share of crime. Basically, nowhere is 100% safe and crime free.

As to bars - our house in a pricy area of the Hill had bars on windows when we bought it and I was quite happy about it. Not to mention that it's been our practice to install bars on basement windows whenever we live if they weren't there already, just in case. That has nothing to do with the area being high crime. It's just a sensible precaution in the big city.

I still think folks are too cramped in their thinking about OP's options, as if everything is riding on the first house they buy or on placing all their chips on the lottery. This seems to me to ignore things like the future potential for appreciating of DC real estate and continued improvement in the DC public and charter school landscape. There's already a good amount of flexibility out there for early elementary, and while middle and high schools have a ways to go, they offer a much better world than even a few years ago. As others are suggesting, why not buy in Trinidad or Eckington or Park View or some other "gritty" neighborhood with better housing prices and some quiet buzz, plus elementary options that will last you three or four years? Then see how those schools improve and play the lottery for a few years to try and get something through fourth or fifth grade? By then, you might not be in bounds for a good middle school, but you might have lotteried into something, or your house might have appreciated enough to sell for a premium to someone who cares less about schools so that you could trade up to a better neighborhood. This is exactly what happened to us. Not saying it's a guarantee -- but frankly, there are no guarantees in life. Just risks that some people are comfortable with and some are not. Why not go after something new and different? It's not like OP can't decide in a few years it's not for them and then head for the suburbs. But for now, it sounds like OP is game for trying something else.

Anonymous wrote:

You can lottery for DC Bilingual, Bridges and Sela. Lamb would be a long shot.

Also SSMA, which above 1st grade is not that hard to get into.

They are moving that's why I didn't list that school, although nearby currently.

Anonymous wrote:There are 1000sf+ 2-bedroom condos in your price range in Wilson-feeding schools but they have very high fees, may not include in-unit laundry or parking, and often ban pets. See 4740 Connecticut Ave. NW #208 as an example.

If you are set on DC, I would look in the Takoma elementary school district (Takoma DC, not Takoma Park MD). There is stuff there in your price range (see 809 Floral Place NW), it's close to the metro, and if you find a place north of the metro and happen to lottery in to Shepherd Elementary, you're in the best-scoring feeder pattern in the District: Deal and Wilson.

Honestly, as much as you want to buy, you might want to rent for a year and see where you get in to next year's lottery. That will either lead you to buying/renting in a neighborhood whose school you like (even if it's smaller or more expensive than you wanted) or allow you to find a cheaper place closer to the school. Or you'll find a place in the suburbs.

Truesdell and Whittier are other options near there, with better test scores than Takoma. It's worth noting that right now, test scores include the middle school students on the campus (they're all PK3-8 schools) but in the future the middle schoolers will go elsewhere.

OP, I ask with no malice: have you been to DC before? Not just the zoo and some museums, but actual neighborhoods where people live? Where did you like or dislike? What do you like or dislike about where you currently live? Where will you and/or your spouse be working? School is important but it's not all you should consider.