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Old 10-30-2013, 10:03 PM
 
184 posts, read 335,946 times
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I'm a recently laid off corporate archivist looking for a new position, which will probably require a relocation on my part. (I currently live in the Twin Cities and these jobs are very few). I'm looking at a position for a location in Potomac, MD. I haven't applied for the position yet, so I'm not sure what the salary range is.

Before I go to all of the work of applying, interviewing, etc. for a variety of jobs I'm trying to get a sense if the areas are even affordable for me. We're a family of 3, with a household income currently on the low end of around 85,000 as husband is also struggling with unemployment. "Normally" our household income is around 100,000. We purchased our current home for 240,000.

I'm sure I'll get a bump for COL, between Twin Cities and D.C., plus this new position is a bit of a step up. However I still see us looking more in the 300K range for houses vs. 500-600K.

Any suggestions for decent suburbs near Potomac? Everything I've read tells me that Potomac is a great place to live...but we can't possibly afford it.

Alternately, if someone can tell me the average household income for the area, that would help too.

Thanks!
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Old 10-30-2013, 10:26 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,778,087 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Autum1031 View Post
Any suggestions for decent suburbs near Potomac? Everything I've read tells me that Potomac is a great place to live...but we can't possibly afford it.
You can certainly find housing in Rockville or greater Silver Spring in the range of $300-350K. It may be a townhouse, or not as nice as your present home, but you can find something.

Silver Spring median HH income was $70,797 in 2011. In Rockville it was $89,634. In Potomac it was $167,436. So you can conclude that everyone in the DC suburbs does not live like they do in Potomac.

The figures are all available at: http://www.city-data.com/city/Rockville-Maryland.html and corresponding.
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Old 10-31-2013, 02:24 PM
 
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Not sure why you want to live in Potomac specifically since you say you cannot afford it. Potomac is a semi-rural suburb so there aren't jobs there. All the wealthy people who live there work in places like D.C., Bethesda, or Tysons. There are lots of normal priced neighborhoods in the MD area like Silver Spring, Rockville, Olney, and Gaithersburg.
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Old 10-31-2013, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,778,087 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fundman View Post
Not sure why you want to live in Potomac specifically since you say you cannot afford it. Potomac is a semi-rural suburb so there aren't jobs there.
The OP specifically said they were interested in applying for a job located in Potomac. Obviously there are some jobs there.
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Old 10-31-2013, 04:09 PM
 
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In Potomac, $100,000 a year is considered low income.
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Old 10-31-2013, 09:56 PM
 
56 posts, read 79,238 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaofan View Post
In Potomac, $100,000 a year is considered low income.
Yup, the average income around Potomac is about $150,000 a year. I grew up there, actually (though we weren't nearly as rich as that). House prices have tripled in the last forty years.

You would probably have to live relatively far from Potomac. A commute from Silver Spring (because it would involve taking the Beltway) or Olney (because it would involve I-270 south during rush hour) would be terrible. I'd stick to Southwest Montgomery County, like Rockville or possibly Gaithersburg. Again, Gaithersburg would involve I-270, but if you're in the Darnestown area, you could probably commute through suburban backroads, which are relatively clear. Also, where in Potomac would your work be? If you're at Potomac Village, a house near Darnestown would be much easier -- you could take Seneca Road down to River Road, all the way into Potomac. If you're closer to Rockville or Bethesda in the east, it would be hard to avoid I-270. Still, try to stay clear of the major highways. So, consider Rockville, Gaithersburg (including Darnestown) and Bethesda (including North Bethesda). If you're willing to commute a bit more (>45 mins), you may be able to consider Germantown, but you'd almost certainly have to take 270. DC-area traffic has been ranked the worst in the country by many sources, even worse than L.A.

Unfortunately, DC's amazing metrorail coverage does not include Potomac, so you'd have to invest in a car, regardless of where you buy a house. The bus system (Ride On) is relatively reliable, but it's slow and coverage is iffy. To get from my old house to the Potomac Library, you had to change buses 3 times, and the whole trip would take you an hour (for a 10-minute car ride). Most buses directly connect to Metro routes, but there's no certainty that a bus will even cover your office in Potomac.

Last edited by wisvishr0; 10-31-2013 at 10:09 PM..
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Old 11-01-2013, 07:46 AM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
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Gaithersburg - North Potomac (20878) are good options. However, I'm not sure the prices of homes are low enough.
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Old 11-02-2013, 11:09 PM
 
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Yes, PP, the job is actually located in Potomac. Looking at Google Maps, it looks to be in between Potomac and North Potomac and Darnestown. Germantown looks to be a little more north than that. Silver Spring is probably in the wrong direction.

Car is not a problem-- my area is just discovering the joys of light rail and the bus system is merely OK, so unless you live right in Minneapolis or St. Paul having a car is an absolute necessity. We have two. Of course I'm sure the problem here would be garage and parking space (and associated costs) so we may need to sell one.

This is all very helpful, thank you. I'll do some more in depth research on the above-mentioned towns on this site. Husband would be working too, so with the right income offered this could work.
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