Why are DC Metro homes so Ugh....? (bank owned, foreclosures)

[rlchurch]

Originally Posted by tech2enable

It depends, from a global perspective probably, buts its wrong, also don't forget that new york city's address structure is different, people think new york city is equivalent to "new york,ny" which refers to Manhattan because new york city is a big city, and doesn't have the same address designation when people refer to cities that are often located within a county. The same can be said about places in LA, chicago, and parts of D.C. although there land area is much smaller so its not as much as a problem

It's important if your going to talk about Washington DC in comparison to other cities to address the PMSA not just the District of Columbia, which is a political, not economic distinction. The Washington PMSA includes about 5 million people.

[tech2enable]

Originally Posted by rlchurch

It's important if your going to talk about Washington DC in comparison to other cities to address the PMSA not just the District of Columbia, which is a political, not economic distinction. The Washington PMSA includes about 5 million people.

There was an interesting debate, about whether to include all the areas because obvious the housing stock and layout of D.C. suburbs is vastly different the D.C. itself (except for maybe arlington,alexandria , nearby places).

The Washington MSA includes places in West Virginia and places like faquier, Stafford, prince William, and even spotslyvania county where the charachter is different and the homes are cheaper, one author used the metro and the homes were expensive.

Let's stick on topic here, Why are D.C. homes so Ugh, means that they are very expensive for what you get, cookie cutter, while it can reflect supply and demand, or desirably for a certain layout or simply for a more transit and street grid layout, it has characteristics of a bubble, similar to what happened in California.

However, D.C. has government, and people may put up with extra for less pay for even greater housing costs, because they simply want a job, there may be defense contractors, outside money and lobbying to sustain prices even more although it may still be a bubble even if it doesn't completely pop it may contract.

Of course developers are going to take advantage of it, and its cheap to offer cookie-cutter homes, also high demand may mean developers may not take time to make a less Ugh, and the layout and grid as well as to get things done quick, may mean the feeling of not having to go the extra mile, just do quick and easy and let the demand and the attractiveness of downtown cause someone to overlook and quickly buy the home.

That's not just specific to D.C. though, its part psychological on the part of the developer and the buyer who decides to purchase who may not have a family yet and give in or overlook for the sake of it.

[rlchurch]

Originally Posted by tech2enable

There was an interesting debate, about whether to include all the areas because obvious the housing stock and layout of D.C. suburbs is vastly different the D.C. itself (except for maybe arlington,alexandria , nearby places).

The Washington MSA includes places in West Virginia and places like faquier, Stafford, prince William, and even spotslyvania county where the charachter is different and the homes are cheaper, one author used the metro and the homes were expensive.

Let's stick on topic here, Why are D.C. homes so Ugh, means that they are very expensive for what you get, cookie cutter, while it can reflect supply and demand, or desirably for a certain layout or simply for a more transit and street grid layout, it has characteristics of a bubble, similar to what happened in California.

That just a matter of personal choice. I find turn of the century Victorian townhouses to have charm and grace. The cookie cutter crap is all out in the suburbs. I think the market has spoken and the people with money and taste voted with their feet. A bubble that lasts 50 years + is a very strange bubble. Perhaps you just don't have the same taste or financial where with all as those who choose to live in DC.

Saying there's a cheaper place in Queens is like saying prices are cheaper in PG County. Well, Duh.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by rlchurch

Saying there's a cheaper place in Queens is like saying prices are cheaper in PG County. Well, Duh.

Give up everything I have (and love) about my current home in Logan Circle to move to Queens?

LOL, I think not.

[tech2enable]

Originally Posted by rlchurch

That just a matter of personal choice. I find turn of the century Victorian townhouses to have charm and grace. The cookie cutter crap is all out in the suburbs. I think the market has spoken and the people with money and taste voted with their feet. A bubble that lasts 50 years + is a very strange bubble. Perhaps you just don't have the same taste or financial where with all as those who choose to live in DC.

The houses in question looked as if they were newly built townhouses, of course there is a debate as to new vs. old, older townhouses may have more quality parts in them then newer construction but can be costly to maintain and fix depending on condition.

The D.C. housing bubble is not 50 years old, only in the recent 15 years or so D.C. area housing prices have jumped dramatically.

Saying there's a cheaper place in Queens is like saying prices are cheaper in PG County. Well, Duh.

Your analogy is not correct, even the townhouses close to manhattan in Brooklyn or Queens or cheaper than D.C., why not compare fairfax, arlington, alexandria, and other instead you choose to pick PG county a mostly african american county with a large amount of social problems despite its greater affluence than most African American areas.

[tech2enable]

Originally Posted by 14thandYou

Give up everything I have (and love) about my current home in Logan Circle to move to Queens?

LOL, I think not.

His analogy wasn't correct, don't use faulty analogy to equate x with z.I stated before that only parts of New York City can be compared with Logan Circle.


The point is that the OP is correct, D.C. homes are expensive, and its not so much taste but the fact that developers can capitalize on making it very expensive, the folks that make it expensive, or not so much the middle or upper middle income folks although they may give in and pay ridiculous prices for condos, but perhaps maybe the defense contractors and people with well connected government ties.

[arkcitynative]

Okay, I wasn't going to get in the middle of this because, well, it is just painful to read.

However, we just bought a 1700 Sq. foot townhouse not including the basement in DC proper for less than 330K with about a 12 minute walk to the metro. We are maybe a 10 minute metro ride to downtown. Our house is beautiful and was built in 1923 so hardly the cookie cutter, thrown up stuff you might find in the burbs. It isn't uugggh at all. I love it and it is completely renovated.

It seems that while you are asking people not to ignore neighborhoods that you are too. There are plenty of neighborhoods that are safe that are not Georgetown or Dupont Circle.

We couldn't even a get townhouse in BedStuy for that much, which is hardly as close in to downtown as our house is to downtown DC.

We lived in NYC (central harlem) before we moved to DC and could never save any money and our apartment was cheap! We spent more on going out, more on food, and more on transportation (mainly because we are so close to stuff now that we just walk everywhere.) My husband is even able to walk to work.

I would say that our current neighborhood has the same level of amenities that our neighborhood in central Harlem did but our current neighborhood is safer. However, we are in walking distance to way more restaurants and things to do. You couldn't even buy a decent 1 bedroom apartment in Harlem for less than 330K. No way could you get 1700 sq. feet for that much the same goes for close in Queens and Brooklyn.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by arkcitynative

Okay, I wasn't going to get in the middle of this because, well, it is just painful to read.

Don't waste your time. I've had "tech" on ignore for awhile so I haven't been reading his posts, but from the sounds of this argument it looks like he's still peddling that same laughable nonsense about NY being cheaper than DC. This very "argument" went on and on and on in the recently closed "NYers moving to DC" thread. No amount of evidence or rational argument causes him to rethink his position, he just presses on with it.

We all know that of the two markets, NY is by far the more expensive of the two.

[rlchurch]

Originally Posted by tech2enable

Your analogy is not correct, even the townhouses close to manhattan in Brooklyn or Queens or cheaper than D.C., why not compare fairfax, arlington, alexandria, and other instead you choose to pick PG county a mostly african american county with a large amount of social problems despite its greater affluence than most African American areas.

The poster from Logan Circle said it all. Most people who choose to live in the District would never even consider places like Arlington.

The DC revival began when John Kennedy was a Senator and chose to live in Georgetown, DuPont and Logan Circle revivals began in the late 70s and early 80s, Capitol Hill even earlier. Many of us choose older houses because they reflect the charm of an earlier era rather than the mass produced ticky tacky houses of today. The neighborhood also reflect a maturity and diversity that modern suburbs try to fake, but never achieve.

There are many places cheaper than DC. Those that choose to live cheaply, should pick one.

[Moth]

Originally Posted by rlchurch

The poster from Logan Circle said it all. Most people who choose to live in the District would never even consider places like Arlington.

The DC revival began when John Kennedy was a Senator and chose to live in Georgetown, DuPont and Logan Circle revivals began in the late 70s and early 80s, Capitol Hill even earlier. Many of us choose older houses because they reflect the charm of an earlier era rather than the mass produced ticky tacky houses of today. The neighborhood also reflect a maturity and diversity that modern suburbs try to fake, but never achieve.

There are many places cheaper than DC. Those that choose to live cheaply, should pick one.

Well said.