Up and Coming Areas (apartments, lease, condos)

[kowalski344]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, and have found the discussions I have read very informative. My wife and I have rented in NW (16th and Florida) for a year and love the area. We are looking to buy in the next 12-18 months, either a 2bedroom Condo or townhouse. Our budget is 350-400K, which prices us out of our (waaaaay out) current area, Dupont etc.

Does anyone have any thoughts/instincts about so-called "up and coming" areas. Place's I hear mentioned are Ledriot Park, Petworth, 14th and H NE, and SW.

Alternatively, has anyone jumped the DC ship and moved to Baltimore? We have considered it, but having read some of the forum pages on it, maybe the cons outway the pro's. My wife and I both work around the Farragut Metro stations downtown.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Zippy7fo]

Originally Posted by kowalski344

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, and have found the discussions I have read very informative. My wife and I have rented in NW (16th and Florida) for a year and love the area. We are looking to buy in the next 12-18 months, either a 2bedroom Condo or townhouse. Our budget is 350-400K, which prices us out of our (waaaaay out) current area, Dupont etc.

Does anyone have any thoughts/instincts about so-called "up and coming" areas. Place's I hear mentioned are Ledriot Park, Petworth, 14th and H NE, and SW.

Alternatively, has anyone jumped the DC ship and moved to Baltimore? We have considered it, but having read some of the forum pages on it, maybe the cons outway the pro's. My wife and I both work around the Farragut Metro stations downtown.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Baltimore is on the come up because the young and educated can't afford DC so their moving into B-more and bringing property values up....I would recommend Baltimore for the price range you suggested. You can get a nice home and just commute for your job....I know your hearts set on DC and being close but the value in equity potentially can get and the more disposable dollars in your pocket is well worth it...

[seldomseen]

Baltimore is actually an up & coming city...if you're willing to live through its growing pains, you can score very nice, and relatively cheap property in Baltimore now...But I'd still choose the DC Metro over Baltimore...lol

[pvdusen]

i currently live in mount pleasent. also a first time home buyer with my husband. we found great property in brightwood and petworth. Petworth can be a bit ghetto, depending on the street. however, the area is up and coming and some streets are very quite. We are currently bidding on a house listed at 285.. are budget in up to 370, however, as a first time homebuyer you must account for unplanned expenses so we are looking at cheaper houses first. We have been searching for 4 months now, and have found that some cheaper houses are nicer than the more expensive ones!

[NationsKappatol]

I live right off of the Fort Totten metro, in North Michigan park. It is already clean, safe, and below your price range. They just built condos next to the metro. Fort Totten Station - 300 Luxury Apartments at Fort Totten Metro

The developer who did the work at Columbia Heights is doing a mixed use project with a brand-new grocery store, restaurants with outdoor dining, and more, with condos above over three blocks at South Dakota and Riggs. They have started leveling it, and have not started building, but it is due late this year. Fort Totten Square

Also, khovnanian is building emerson park. In your price range you can get a 3br/2.5ba brand new townhouse with a 2 car garage, three blocks from three metro lines. http://www.khov.com/home/md/ep3/_properties_auth.htm

Looks like what you are looking for is right here in DC already

[juniperbleu]

I moved to a townhouse in SW a few months ago and really like it. It's quieter than many other neighborhoods, which is pro or con depending on your preference. It's also pretty safe, decent community, and is close to a lot of things (all metro lines but the red, Capitol Hill, Mall, Penn Quarter/Chinatown). My friends who have recently moved to Mt. Vernon Square, Columbia Heights, and near Dupont Circle all mentioned that they wished they knew about this neighborhood before they bought/signed a lease.

The really nice townhouses on G Street closer to 7th are outside of your price range, unfortunately, but those closer to 4th and 3rd (near my complex) are generally around $400k. Condos are a little less. The further south and east you go (closer to the Nationals stadium), the cheaper it gets, but you'll run into some more crime down there. There's a lot of redevelopment underway, so if you're interested I'd keep an eye out to see what they've got going on. The good thing about all the redevelopment here is that the infrastructure is already there, it's just sprucing it up a little and getting the businesses to rent out space. As for your commute, you're looking at 15-20 minutes, depending on how far you are from the metro.

I'd be hesitant about Baltimore, purely because your commute will be about 90 minutes each way. That's a good chunk of time, and (personally) would drive me nuts. My coworker commutes by train to Union Station, and it just wears her down. And, if she ever has to work just a little late, it's a hassle.

[jm67]

I did the Baltimore commute for a year and it almost killed me. But then again I was driving - it would be easier via MARC. But... if you want to live in a townhouse near the MARC stations in Baltimore, you will be paying north of $400K anyway. The nice areas of Baltimore are cheaper than DC, but they aren't a bargin anymore. Too bad, because as a fun, livable city I actually prefer Baltimore in some ways.

I live in Bloomingdale in DC, and enjoy it, although its not a hub of development activity like Columbia Heights. Other areas I'd consider... Petworth, Takoma Park, parts of Shaw (block by block), Brookland, Mt Rainier, and Capitol Hill south of H St. Columbia Heights is probably too expensive, but you might find a cheap 2bdrm for $400k still.

Good luck!

[Valsun12]

DO NOT MOVE TO BALTIMORE~

Stay in D<C////If you ar e a professional that is smart, Baltimore has a really LONG journey in their growing pains to be "Up and COming" ..like a 30 year growing pain.

[Zippy7fo]

Originally Posted by Valsun12

DO NOT MOVE TO BALTIMORE~

Stay in D<C////If you ar e a professional that is smart, Baltimore has a really LONG journey in their growing pains to be "Up and COming" ..like a 30 year growing pain.

I think my response was before gas was like 10 dollars a gallon but theirs nothing wrong with baltimore if you pick the right spots...and young college educated people are moving in droves because they can't afford dc...

[DCguy03]

I don't think moving to Baltimore is a smart move if you both work in D.C.

Reasoning:
-A 90 minute commute 2x per day = 720 hours you will be wasting commuting each year. Wow! Imagine what you could accomplish and enjoy with that time!

-studies show that Super-commuters have higher stress, more health problems, and higher divorce rates than the rest of the population. Sure, you might get a nicer yard but is that really a worthy trade-off given you having less time w/ your wife and friends (and perhaps someday kids)?

Don't get me wrong - I think Baltimore is a great up and coming city...but that is only if you work there too.

What do you think you will do?