Friendship Heights (apartment complex, rent, townhouse)

[Artmeliana]

Alright, so I am finally doing the inevitable yet fairly foolhardy thing, and looking to move to DC before I get a job (because I sure am not going to get one from here).

I'm going on a scouting mission next week after the inauguration crowds have gone home. I'll look at some properties and I hope to move down in early February.

I've found a lovely large furnished corner room with private bathroom (plus a wall of closets and window seats!) in a pretty townhouse in Friendship Heights, about a 10-min walk from the F.H. metro stop. Rent is $950+about $50-75 for electricity depending on the season. Is this average for the neighborhood? I hear it is a very nice area, and the house is a private home with all the amenities.

Spoke to the landlady on the phone for half an hour. She liked me from my email and even more after our chat, and said she is happy to keep the room for the right person. So I can't wait to go see it.

(I am going to look at other rooms of course, not putting all my eggs in one basket.)

Any thoughts? Input? Fire away.

[saganista]

Sounds great! Friendship Heights is indeed a nice area, and if the house and neighborhood are up to snuff, all that may be pretty hard to beat! You could probably find rooms for less (and more) than $950-plus, but unless that number would eliminate things like eating, whatever savings might not really be worth it...a comfy home that you actually enjoy living in is a really big thing...

[CaseyMac]

Friendship Heights is a very nice area, right on the DC/MD border. You have upscale shopping at your doorstep and the Cheesecake Factory is there. There are great nightlife options 1 Metro stop up in Bethesda and then of course you can ride into DC as well. If you don't have a car, this is the place to be as there are plentiful transit options.

[Artmeliana]

I'm kind of used to living in nice places like that, so 950ish isn't out of my range and I'm looking for something more homey than what I have now. I'm paying just as much for a tiny room in a creaky, dusty old converted railroad apartment with tiny shared bathroom in Brooklyn about an hour away from Manhattan.

And no, I don't have a car anymore, so proximity to buses and the metro especially are really important.

Thanks for responding!

[CHIP72]

Rent at $950/month in the Friendship Heights area, unless you are living in a closet, is a good deal. You almost definitely couldn't get that kind of rate if you were living in an apartment complex in the Friendship Heights area, unless it was a small efficiency apartment.

As others have noted, Friendship Heights is a nice area. You'll have easy access to downtown DC, the development along Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues in NW DC, and Bethesda (all via Metrorail, Metrobus, and in the case of parts of NW DC via foot as well), and could also go to Silver Spring pretty easily if you want too (via Ride On bus).

[MDbound2]

Hi,

It looks like we are both in the same shoes except I'm looking for places in the MD area which are close to DC. I also don't have a job there as of yet but am ready to pack my bags and go! Sorry, I can't help you with your question since I am not from DC but I'm just curious as to what you tell the landlords there not having a job. I may have to do the same exact thing but I work within an hour and a half away from DC and if needed to will commute back to work until I find something there. I too believe it is probably easier to look for employment as a resident than to do so as a non-resident. For some reason, employers there aren't looking very fondly at out-of-towners. I'm just asking because this is a terrible economy to try and move and not have something...

[Artmeliana]

CHIP - thanks for your input. Even if this place falls through, I will continue to look for rooms in Friendship Heights. Seems like it'll suit me.

[Artmeliana]

MDbound2 - I just have to be honest, tell them I am looking for something, and wait for one who will accept that. I mean, students and interns have to find places to live too and there are places all over for them. But the unemployed are at such a disadvantage.

[Artmeliana]

Just thought I'd mention I've taken that $950 room in Friendship Heights. I went to see it on Wednesday - it's cavernous, and totally luxurious. The attached bathroom is the size of my bedroom in Brooklyn, and the bedroom, with a wall of closets and 4 window seats, is 4 times the size of the bathroom. All the pretty furniture stays, and there's a brand new soft carpet. The bus on Conn Ave is just a few steps from the door. And the landlady and I get along really well, she picked me up, dropped me off, even drove me all around town. Totally wonderful! Can't wait to move in a couple of weeks!

[Moth]

Grew up there. Sounds like a good deal. Its not a trendy area as far as nightlife goes, but its very nice on all other fronts. Enjoy.