Aspen Hill

[bunky3301]

Originally Posted by needhelpfastplz

So I visited the neighborhood at two different times today. during the day and evening, and after the second visit was happier with the area. I talked to some residents outside their homes and they all seemed happy and thought the subdivision was safe and friendly. A lot of them have lived there for many many years. I also knocked on some doors close to the house we are interested in and they said that they have never had any problems. Still am not totally sold but I feel a little more comfortable.

I checked crimereports and the police blotter and the area didnt seem any more dangerous then many of the areas people recommend. In fact it suffered from less of the more serious crimes than most. I know they dont report criminal on criminal, or so i have heard, but I don't think I should worry about that. That can really happen anywhere.

Give me your thoughts.

My wife and I have also been looking in the same area as you. I did like the area overall and think that the neighborhood was fine. But the schools in the area have me alittle concerned. I don't know if you have children or have thought of that aspect of home buying or not?

So we look closer to the Kensington(mostly because we rent there now and know the area) area and although we couldn't really afford a house in Kensington at this time , just outside in the Silver Spring zip codes of 20902 or 20910 there are some better deals on housing and schools are really better. We are looking at houses in the Carroll Knolls neighborhood off of Plyers Mill Road and really like the neighborhood.
The area would be a plus for you and your husband for commuting.

We are military and are only here for another 4 years and do love the Kensington and Silver Spring area around Kensington alot. But if we were here for the long run I would sacrifice my commute and live in Olney with no questions asked. If your budget is tight you might have to settle for a townhouse versus a single family home. But it would be worth it to me for the peace of mind of good/great schools for my kids. IMO

[needhelpfastplz]

Thanks again everyone for your replies.

We don't have children and don't expect to have any in the near future. So by the time they are school aged, we are looking at 7+ years from now, we don't intend to be in the area any more. We have looked in areas around kensington. In fact we put an offer in on a short sale over there. It was not short to say the least and the person ended up getting a mortgage modification after they were delinquent on their payments by over a year!!!! I don't know what the government and banks are thinking but I digress. Most of what we have seen in the area are short sales that have no real guarantee of selling. We are going to check out the neighborhood some more tonight. I'll post when we get back.

[bunky3301]

Yes I understand completely when it comes to short sales , it took 86 days to get a Third party approval on our offer. That was at the end of April and we are finally closing on the house Monday Aug. 31 . Short Sales are by no means short , but if you have the time you can save some money.

Good luck on your search !!!

[TheTornado]

Aspen Hill to Tysons is quite the commute. Connecticut or GA Ave to the Beltway is easily 20-30 minutes and then it'd be another 20-30 minutes to Tysons. I would consider the Wheaton or Forest Glen areas so that you're closer to the Beltway.

[psychofan]

Why the need to buy if you only plan on living in an area for less than 10 years? What exactly is the point of that?

[diallomacedo]

Whatever you do, do not move to olney. Very very very very boring. Its the farthest town in montgomery county. Trust me. I would look at rockville, kensington if you want to live in a nicer area around aspen hill. And if you are looking for a job around there, dont bother if you arent bilingual in spanish.

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by diallomacedo

Whatever you do, do not move to olney. Very very very very boring. Its the farthest town in montgomery county. Trust me. I would look at rockville, kensington if you want to live in a nicer area around aspen hill. And if you are looking for a job around there, dont bother if you arent bilingual in spanish.

Why bring this months old thread back just to crap on Olney which is one of the few nice places in Montgomery county?...

[Bigbluelandrover]

What is your price range? I must say that for a so-called upper income county Moco has a LOT of hit or miss areas. It seems like only Bethesda,CC and Potomac are free from "sketchy" areas. Everywhere else borders some little enclave with crime or low income housing. My husband commutes to Tyson's also, have you looked further east like in the 20901 zip -Burnt Mills, Woodmore off Colesville? There are also some cute small brick homes in Hillandale across from the FDA I think the residental area over there is ok but the apartments over by White Oak draw crime.
HU and I are in the same boat and the search here is depressing as many of the homes are awful for the amount of money you have to shell out.