How high is the snob factor/keeping up with the Joneses in NOVA? (McLean: real estate, house)

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by arielmina

This is bang on...I couldn't care less what anyone else is doing, too busy worrying about my own life. I honestly think though that this is something that has developed in my old age As a teen growing up in a wealthy town and being one of the solidly middle class kids, I was very very focused on having the "right" outfits, the "right" haircut, car, purse blah blah. So many of the comments we get on this "snobish" behavior do some from the younger set on this board, which I think are still kind of in this mind set that they are being continually judged, as they must also do to others. Trust me folks, as you age, in normal society these things just fall by the wayside.

Great points! It is normal for teenagers to worry about fitting in. They are all looking for who they are and where they fit in. Nearly all think that they don't fit in, but are sure they would if they just had more, more money, more clothes, the right haircut, cooler parents, a cooler car. At some point people grow up and get over that. They make friends who are like them, find a spouse, have kids, and focus on entirely different things. They come to realize that it doesn't matter AT ALL what kind of haircut, car, shirt, or anything else that their neighbor has. They're just busy with their own lives, doing what works for them.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Denton56

You worked in a store where people bought things so you assume that everyone else was doing the same thing and because they bought things that means they cared deeply about possessions.

If you were still in the military you'd be starting your third PCS. But you are not in the military. Ok. Not sure what that means.

You never even spoke with your neighbors and you have no idea how many were SAHMs. My point exactly!

My point on the PCS (permanent change of station- move) is that 6 years is a long time so I don't get why you call it brief.

I think I'm done with you (knowing full well I'm going to react to the next smart remark you make to me.)

[Nemesis16]

Being "snobbish" is a subjective term.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by dod236

Yankeesfan, for someone who was blah blah about RESPECT not too long ago, you sure do have a MOUTH on you!. Live what you speak!

Dod, it was just a little reality check. Several others have made the same point. But it's nice to see you back; I don't think I had seen your posts for a while (unless we were just posting on different threads).

[Cagirl767]

Denton - I'm soooo relieved to hear kids go to Kumon and other supplemental educational programs. My DS goes to Sylvan here (which is the norm in Orange County where I'm from) and is taking a summer reading program at Arizona State, we keep it all very hush hush though, although it'd be a relief to "come clean" with my crime, LOL. He can do 4 digit math and his teacher is still giving him worksheets with "color 2 fish blue" types of activities. She even has no clue.

I'm not sure exactly where the office is that DH will be transferring to. We're thinking Reston, he should find out today. We've just heard of this opportunity a couple of days ago, and are trying to jump on it if it's sounding promising, DH had said they're compiling a list of people who want to transfer. *Sigh* a list. We had looked into DC briefly a few years ago, but were basically priced out due to housing costs then. So now I'm starting from scratch. I don't have a pricepoint, but we'd probably rent for a year, to familiarize ourselves with the area so we don't end up in this same situation again. It looks to me like we'd have to spend around $500k (????) for a suburban house, based on what I'm seeing on Realtor.com and cross referencing with Greatschools.net schools that score >7.

[arielmina]

Originally Posted by Cagirl767

Denton - I'm soooo relieved to hear kids go to Kumon and other supplemental educational programs. My DS goes to Sylvan here (which is the norm in Orange County where I'm from) and is taking a summer reading program at Arizona State, we keep it all very hush hush though, although it'd be a relief to be out of the closet with it, LOL. He can do 4 digit math and his teacher is still giving him worksheets with "color 2 fish blue" types of activities. She even has no clue.

I'm not sure exactly where the office is that DH will be transferring to. We're thinking Reston, he should find out today. We've just heard of this opportunity a couple of days ago, and are trying to jump on it if it's sounding promising, DH had said they're compiling a list of people who want to transfer. *Sigh* a list. We had looked into DC briefly a few years ago, but were basically priced out due to housing costs then. So now I'm starting from scratch. I don't have a pricepoint, but we'd probably rent for a year, to familiarize ourselves with the area so we don't end up in this same situation again. It looks to me like we'd have to spend around $500k (????) for a suburban house, based on what I'm seeing on Realtor.com and cross referencing with Greatschools.net schools that score >7.

Sounds about right pricewise. There are some deals in the mid $400s farther out west, but $500K is a good number to start with.

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by Cagirl767

Denton - I'm soooo relieved to hear kids go to Kumon and other supplemental educational programs. My DS goes to Sylvan here (which is the norm in Orange County where I'm from) and is taking a summer reading program at Arizona State, we keep it all very hush hush though, although it'd be a relief to "come clean" with my crime, LOL. He can do 4 digit math and his teacher is still giving him worksheets with "color 2 fish blue" types of activities. She even has no clue.

I'm not sure exactly where the office is that DH will be transferring to. We're thinking Reston, he should find out today. We've just heard of this opportunity a couple of days ago, and are trying to jump on it if it's sounding promising, DH had said they're compiling a list of people who want to transfer. *Sigh* a list. We had looked into DC briefly a few years ago, but were basically priced out due to housing costs then. So now I'm starting from scratch. I don't have a pricepoint, but we'd probably rent for a year, to familiarize ourselves with the area so we don't end up in this same situation again. It looks to me like we'd have to spend around $500k (????) for a suburban house, based on what I'm seeing on Realtor.com and cross referencing with Greatschools.net schools that score >7.

Hey, Congratulations to your husband!

Like most of the country, our schools in Fairfax and Loudoun have adopted the worst math textbooks available. It's always shocking how much they are able to dumb down math. As a result, many, if not most, supplement math with tutors, Kumon, and summer math programs. Without that, kids simply wouldn't learn math well enough to take the advanced math programs in high school. Of course the educrats continue to scratch their heads as to why the kids on the bottom aren't excelling and why the gap continues to grow between the the upper and middle classes and the poor children! If they can't afford tutors and supplement programs they are destined to remain on the bottom because the educrats continue to push math programs, and language arts, that don't educate anyone! duh!

I would NOT recommend that you move to Reston if you care about schools. Their middle school and high school are among the lowest ranked in FCPS and many of their elementary schools do also. But there are areas nearby that have excellent schools, like Oak Hill, Vienna, and Oakton. Working in Reston also means you could live farther out, in Loudoun County. Good schools there too, in Ashburn and beyond. Renting for a year is a great idea, as long as your kids don't mind changing schools twice in two years.

Best wishes to you and your family!

[Stephen 81]

Originally Posted by Denton56

I would NOT recommend that you move to Reston if you care about schools. Their middle school and high school are among the lowest ranked in FCPS and many of their elementary schools do also. But there are areas nearby that have excellent schools, like Oak Hill, Vienna, and Oakton. Working in Reston also means you could live farther out, in Loudoun County. Good schools there too, in Ashburn and beyond.

Reston feeds into two middle schools and high schools, though. One of which does have a better reputation than the other, but neither of which are towards the bottom of the FCPS system.

And the supposed "among lowest ranked in FCPS" had an average SAT score of 1568 in 2008 and 1588 in 2009, outperforming all the Loudoun County schools aside from Loudoun County, Loudoun Valley, and Stone Bridge (two of which aren't in Ashburn). So while South Lakes may not be the shining star of FCPS, telling the OP to move to Ashburn instead of Reston because the schools are better may not be entirely accurate.

So you can see that I'm not making up my statistics:

http://www.fcps.edu/mediapub/pressre...to4.pdf#page=2

Loudoun County Public Schools | News Archive (http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/509759161361/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=497458&C=84414 - broken link)

[claremarie]

"As a result, many, if not most, supplement math with tutors, Kumon, and summer math programs."

We didn't use math tutors or Kumon. There is a segment of the community that does use tutors or other math supplements, but it was definitely not the majority in McLean (at least, not among the non-Asians).

[bmwguydc]

There are actually three districts in play in Reston: Herndon, South Lakes, and Langley. Langley takes the smallest number of students from Reston areas by Route 7, and there's few, if any, houses under seven figures in that area. Most homes in Reston are districted for South Lakes, and some are Herndon. Neither school is horrible, but in terms of NoVA, they are to the middle of the rankings. $500k is not going to get the OP into the Langley section of Reston; and Herndon/South Lakes tend to perform on the same level. SAT scores are one measure, but not an overall measure of the quality of a school. Factors such as teacher:student ratios, school environment (social), and quality of the facilities are all components in measuring the best fit for a particular family. The number of AP offerings, honors graduates, etc. also can be important considerations.

For around $500k, the OP could get into parts of Fairfax in the Woodson District for a smaller, older (1960s-era) house in the Woodson District. Loudoun would work for a slightly newer house, too, though not a McMansion.

As to the snob factor, here it's minimal in comparison to other areas. And, there are educated SAHMs in the suburbs, some who are very well educated. I have a SIL with two graduate degrees who has a best friend who is an Ivy-educated lawyer. Both gave up careers/practices to become mothers, and they like to shop at Target and Kohl's (arriving in their Hondas), and will buy some designer items if the mood strikes. I also know a former, successful lobbyist who now takes full-time care of her daughter.

Many people here are able to afford to live, drive, and wear what they want, so it's not a question of being consumed by things that they cannot have, nor an undue longing for a lifestyle to which they put up an appearance.