Anywhere Commutable to Tyson's Corner with AFFORDABLE Homes Like These? (Arlington: sale, lease)
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After some soul-searching here's a best-case scenario for me:
1.) I've decided to stay in the Northern Virginia area long-term.
2.) I'm going to be working in Tyson's Corner for the foreseeable future.
3.) I will likely be earning a $90,000 salary at age 30.
Where can I find a home in this area that is affordable for a single person on a $90,000 salary with these minimum requirements?
2 BR
1 BA
1,100 Square Feet
0.10 Acre Lot (Just enough to plant a few sunflowers, a few tomato plants, a spot for my Siberian husky to pee, and maybe a hot tub someday if I'm lucky). Character (No, seeing vinyl siding on a cul-de-sac governed by a Nazi-like HOA has no "soul" or "charm" to me).
Here are some example of homes that I love, albeit most are still way too large for my tastes:
24 W 7Th Avenue, S. Williamsport, PA, 17702 - MLS #57542 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/24-W-7Th-Avenue_S-Williamsport_PA_17702_1112626763 - broken link)
358 Eldred Street, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #57409 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/358-Eldred-Street_Williamsport_PA_17701_1112144476 - broken link)
1236 Pennsylvania Avenue, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #57745 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1236-Pennsylvania-Avenue_Williamsport_PA_17701_1113355735 - broken link)
247 Hughes Street, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #56430 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/247-Hughes-Street_Williamsport_PA_17701_1108853886 - broken link)
936 Race Street, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #57559 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/936-Race-Street_Williamsport_PA_17701_1112670689 - broken link) 327 Brandon Avenue, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #57679 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® 931 High Street, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #56995 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com®
120 Eldred Street, Williamsport, PA, 17701 - MLS #56722 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/120-Eldred-Street_Williamsport_PA_17701_1109830341 - broken link)
After some fact-checking, I've found that the poverty rate in Williamsport is four times that in NoVa, the average incomes are 1/4th that in NoVa, and the local population is declining, not expanding. The town seems to attract no new immigrants - almost entirely White and Black with very few Asian and Hispanics. I bet that, with the historic architecture from the lumber era, it's a great place to visit but I wonder whether all the "civic pride" Scran is seeking really exists there.
Does Denton's reminder of the laws of supply and demand come into even slightly sharper focus now?
Have you considered moving overseas, such as to Quebec? Maybe they have what you seek. More sophisticated? Affordable? Progressive? I dunno. Immigration-Québec - Cost of living
One thing you don't seem to understand is that many, if not most, people are not buying $400,000 properties as their first purchase. Of course real estate prices are daunting here for the first-time buyer, if their dream is a nice-looking SFH in a safe convenient area. That's why people buy starter homes or condos to begin with. The current market is stifling big returns right now, but for tax reasons, you want to hold for 2 years anyway. If you bought a 2 BR condo this year or next, had a roommate to pay part of the mortgage, in 2 or 3 years the market will have improved and you'd have equity.
BTW, it's hard to tell if you are wanting us to convince you this area is great, or if you're wanting to convince us that it isn't.
Last edited by robbobobbo; 10-25-2009 at 10:57 AM..
Location: Expatriate Philadelphian in Northern Virginia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by powersnax
I have the answer to your problem finding "reasonably priced" houses close to DC - everything EAST of the city! Don't forget to bring your bullet proof vest!
Am I correct to assume you're referring to Prince Georges County? (I believe various parts of Howard, Anne Arundel and other counties east that are "shared" with the Baltimore metro are generally pretty nice.) If so, I must repeat my occasional assertion that while some inside-the-Beltway communities certainly do have their challenges, many towns outside the Beltway are ironically among the wealthiest in the country, particularly for African-Americans.
That said, I agree with later posts that it would be an absolutely brutal commute to Tysons.
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Have you considered moving overseas, such as to Quebec? Maybe they have what you seek. More sophisticated? Affordable? Progressive? I dunno. Immigration-Québec - Cost of living
What sea does one cross to get to Quebec?
Montreal is not very affordable, and there is no mortgage interest tax deduction in Canada, which creates one less reason to buy. That said, the city does have a ton of character. No jobs, but character galore. Can't speak for other parts of Quebec.
I will still consider Prince George's County, Maryland, but I have to say while I don't personally have any issues against African-Americans I'd be worried that a white professional person moving in and fixing up a classic Cape-Cod or Craftsman-styled home would be seen as unwelcome there, and I don't want to be labeled negatively and black-listed by my neighbors for trying to help gentrify an area that may not want to be gentrified (or make myself a target for potential burglars in the process).
Wow. Trust me, they've seen white folks in Prince George's before. You wouldn't be news.
Montreal is not very affordable, and there is no mortgage interest tax deduction in Canada, which creates one less reason to buy. That said, the city does have a ton of character. No jobs, but character galore. Can't speak for other parts of Quebec.
Overseas, overriver (St. Lawrence) - it's still a world away from Reston.
I thought Montreal was actually doing pretty good these days. It's a great city. The joke in the 80s was the English-speaker who went to Montreal and saw all the buildings with "A Louer" on the sides. He asked who Mr. Louer was, since he seemed to be a pretty important guy who owned a large chunk of Montreal, only to be told that it's French for "For Rent"!
It is a great city, no doubt. And a bajillion times more urban than Reston, or even Arlington. My husband grew up there and we love going back to visit; my in-laws are still there. But my husband and almost all of his friends that he grew up with don't live there because there aren't enough jobs (or, good enough jobs) for the younger generation. But it could be on the upswing.
Location: btw Bmore and DC but in the Bmore Metro Stat Area
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silver spring, takoma park, catonsville? lol, historic ellicott city, arbutus/halethorpe?, baltimore
perhaps you should move to the baltimore area cheaper may remind you of you area in pa due to the industrial past but still within a decent commute to the dc area. laurel? lol. try working in dc itself and commute options won't be so bad. frederick, md?
mabye you can try for a job in MD? the capitol is in Annapolis so a lot of MD gvpt jobs there.
BRAC is bringing lots of government jobs to ft meade.
here's live baltimore's pg for people from the dc area Relocating From DC
what is so "amazing" about this area that has pushed housing prices up to unattainable levels for single-income households? "Proximity to DC" is a moot point if our terrible mass transit options and nation's second-worst congestion make it so difficult to access anyways.
Nothing. There is no reason on Earth to pay more to live here than in Boise. We're all laboring under a mass delusion and paying higher than market value for every single property we buy.
There, happy? But guess what - the housing prices still haven't changed.
And no. Housing prices are not unattainable for single-income households. The house you want in the place you want is unattainable for a single-income household. This does not mean that all housing is. 95% of my friends are single-income households (with kids to support, so they've got less financial flexibility than you), and they ALL own. They just own in Centreville or Herndon instead of Arlington. And they all either started with tiny condos ten years ago and built up over time, or were lucky enough to grow up here and buy a house before the real estate bubble.
And "proximity to DC" is not moot. My husband has a 15 minute drive to work because we rent close-in. If we bought in Centreville like our friends, it would be 90 minutes. Obviously that 75 minute difference is not "moot."
You not getting what you want does not translate into conditions for entire groups of people.
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