Depressed about house hunting in Alex./Arl. (Arlington, Alexandria: 2013, houses)

[Montacute]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I agree the spring will have more inventory and options for you. As to the house on ODD, I do think that without kids or plans to have any, buying in one of the very top school districts means paying a premium for something that's of no value to you (except in resale). The other thing to keep in mind is that in a top-rated school district, you and your husband will be vastly outnumbered by the families with kids. I can tell you firsthand that this can get a little awkward and annoying. We've thought about moving to a DINK paradise like Old Town.

Thanks Carlingtonian. Very good points indeed. We would very much like to be near other DINKs and not be vastly outnumbered by families by kids. I'd hate to to be the only ones around for miles with no kids. I wish I could find something with a decent yard on Old Town.

[stpickrell]

Problem is many of those w/o kids also don't give a flying !@#$ about yards.

[dmv101010]

Reference to home on 34th St NW in Washington DC.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Problem is many of those w/o kids also don't give a flying !@#$ about yards.

How does not having kids equate to poor lawn maintenance?

[Montacute]

Originally Posted by dmv101010

Reference to home on 34th St NW in Washington DC.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not quite ready to give up on NoVa yet. I'd love a pool, but not at the expense of having a garden.

[Montacute]

Originally Posted by spencgr

How does not having kids equate to poor lawn maintenance?

I'm also not sure there is a correlation between those. I hope not.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by spencgr

How does not having kids equate to poor lawn maintenance?

Not having kids often corresponds to not caring or wanting a yard. So, they live in places like Orange Line Arlington, downtown DC and thereabouts, and Old Town Alexandria -- where they don't have to deal with yardwork at all.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Not having kids often corresponds to not caring or wanting a yard. So, they live in places like Orange Line Arlington, downtown DC and thereabouts, and Old Town Alexandria -- where they don't have to deal with yardwork at all.

Seriously? You think the main draw of living along the Orange line and Old Town is the lack of yards? What about walkability, amenities, easy access to DC? Those might actually be the draws. And just because someone may not desire a yard in no way means they would necessarily ignore one if they had it. Gee, comparing couples I know without children to those with, the best yards, hands down, goes to those without children. My guess is that they have more free time to spend on it.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Not having kids often corresponds to not caring or wanting a yard. So, they live in places like Orange Line Arlington, downtown DC and thereabouts, and Old Town Alexandria -- where they don't have to deal with yardwork at all.

That doesn't apply to us - a childfree couple. We have a townhouse with a postage stamp of a yard that we take pride in, and we would love to have a larger yard.

I'm curious as to how you formed your opinion.

[Montacute]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Not having kids often corresponds to not caring or wanting a yard. So, they live in places like Orange Line Arlington, downtown DC and thereabouts, and Old Town Alexandria -- where they don't have to deal with yardwork at all.

I thought it was because childfree couples tend to have more disposable income than couples with children--no childrearing expenses, no college to save for. The places you mentioned tend to be expensive.