Where to live for $350-450k? (Columbia, Silver Spring: houses, neighborhood, public school)

[rwingace]

I know there's a ton a threads out there about housing, so here's one more.

My wife and I will be moving to the area around Dec/Jan. I have a job lined up in Laurel, MD and she will most likely be working in Bethesda, MD.

Our budget for a home is around $350-$450k. We would like a decent size lot, not huge just something with a deck and room for a dog. A basement large enough for a media/bar, 3-4 bedrooms, and a "nicer" neighborhood with restaurants/grocery stores within 5 miles. We're willing to update, we just want something with good bones that may just need cosmetic work.

Due to these wants we mainly been looking just north of Silver Springs as the housing seems to be "affordable" with much of what we want. However, I am unfamilar with the area and I don't know if this is a decent "up and coming" area or if there are other reasons why its cheaper than some other surrounding areas.

Due to commutes to Bethesda and Laurel, I feel like Silver Springs is the best bet for the cost. Are there any neighboorhood, zip codes, or neighbooring cities I should looked at?

Is Laurel really only a commuter town with not much to do? How about Rockville, Wheaton, or Columbia?

Thank you for all your help!

[inatizzy]

I would check out the 20853 zipcode to start. I think it's technically Rockville (Silver Spring is on the other side of Georgia Ave). It has a lot of houses built in the mid 60s that seem to fit all of your criteria. It's cheaper because by local standards the houses are "older" and it butts up against the area of Rockville and Bethesda served by some of the best public high schools in the country. There's nothing wrong with the other Montgomery County schools, but they aren't as prestigious. Prestigious schools= expensive homes.

[tonyc]

I would look in the KempMill area (off Randolph road) ,very nice homes in that price range with decent size lots. Older now that may need updating, but a very good midpoint between both jobs.

Is public school part of the equation?