Need advice on family-friendly neighborhoods near DC (Columbia, Silver Spring: mortgage, how much)

[deanna2378]

We are considering moving from Atlanta to the DC area. We have 2 elementary-school-aged children and our primary requirement is excellent schools, followed by liveliness and walkability of the neighborhood. We have no idea where to start looking. Everyone says Bethesda is great, but too expensive, and we can only afford up to $400,000 for a single-family house. Also, we would need to take the Metro into DC for work, so proximity to the Metro is a plus.

Where should we look? Thanks!

[goldenage1]

You won't find everything you are looking for with a limited budget. You could look at parts of Gaithersburg, Rockville and North Potomac for excellent schools. Your money will go further if you consider a townhouse. You won't necessarily find walkabliity, but you will find parks, playgrounds and sidewalks in nice suburban developments.

OTOH, if you prioritize walkability, look at Takoma Park. it is an interesting area, but the schools have challenges.

[scrapper105]

Deana,

Look no further than the communities of the Route 1 corridor in Prince George's County. Town of University Park, City of Hyattsville, neighborhood of Calvert Hills in City of College Park, neighborhood of University Hills in City of Hyattsville. City of Greenbelt is also a nice option. I've posted ad nauseum on these communities - search the archives for "University Park" and lots of my posts will come up.

You'll also need to be more specific about what "excellent schools" mean to you. I've also posted frequently about school issues in the DC area. Excellent schools to me mean a diverse student body, engaged teachers, strong administrators and a good PTA. But if you are looking for the highest test scores in the country (which almost always equate to affluent areas) then the above communities aren't a good fit for you because our test scores will be lower than neighboring counties because we have a higher percentage of ESL students and free/reduced lunch students.

That being said, its going to be tough to find a SHF for under $400K in an affluent area.

[KCP_1980]

We have lived in Hyattsville for the past 10 years and it's really blossomed. You might want to seriously consider it. We can walk to metro, to an organic market, various shops, etc. You still will be stretching your budget for a SFH, though. At least... one that's nice.

[tercel95]

Olney meets a lot of those requirements besides walkability but it is definitley on its way to being "lively"

[2rock]

Look at the east side of Rockville metro station.

[jniter]

I actually like the Homewood, Carroll Knolls, and Stephen Knolls areas covered by parts of Kensington and Silver Spring 20902. There are actually a few houses listed there right now in the upper $300ks to mid $400ks. I wouldn't worry about a house being listed for over $400k. Depending on neighborhood, people are still giving offers in excess of 10% below asking. How do I know? Because I've done it myself. I've been pouring over home prices in that area, and you can definitely find something in the range you want.

Homes in those areas are zoned for Oakland Terrace Elementary and Newport Mill Middle, which are well regarded schools. High school gets a little dicier because you'll be in the Downtown Cluster Consortium. BUT you will be super close to the Wheaton Metro, Wheaton Mall, and Downtown Kensington, which has a year round farmer's market. There are a few neighborhood parks that are nice too. They are building up the area, so I anticipate home prices to go up over time.

While going to open houses in that area, I talked to some nosy neighbors that were checking out what was on the market. Super nice in that area. It is a diverse area.

Scrapper105 is right that you need to think about what you mean by "excellent" schools. I recently spoke to an alum of Johns Hopkins. She said she has interviewed a lot of HS seniors looking to go there, all from schools all over MoCo and Howard County. She told me that it didn't seem to matter what school or ethnic group the kid was from: the kid was prepared for a rigorous college education. So it depends more on the kid and the parents using the resources available. Didn't seem to matter if they went to Bethesda Chevy-Chase or JFK or wherever.

Disadvantages:
Typical of a neighborhood closer to DC, you will be hard pressed to find a house w/a driveway, much less a carport or garage. Lots are small (typical is about 5200-6000 sqft), and streets are crowded because of all the parked cars.

Pros: Family oriented area with pretty low turnover of homes. Tons of kids in the area. More walkable than most neighborhoods in MoCo.

[BBlacklow]

My wife and I are in a similar situation to the original poster. We have two kids, an almost one year old and an almost 4 year old. The four year old is a child with special needs (developmental delays), so we'd like to be in a school system with a quality special education program (particularly occupational therapy and speech therapy). In my research, that seems to limit it to Fairfax County, Arlington City, Montgomery County, and Howard.

We recently moved here. I make 90K a year and work in the district. My wife doesn't want to work outside of the home while the kids are young and would likely just tutor even when they both were in school. We're currently living with family in Chevy Chase, but, obviously, we can't afford to live there. We keep looking/seem to be drawn to the Silver Spring/Wheaton area. While I understand there's no way to get everything we desire in a home (the cost of trying to do it on one income!), the key component outside of the hosue itself is that we want a nice neighborhood within walking distance to a park and a decent public school (we've been impressed with Glenhaven, Oakland Terrace, and Rock View, less so with Arcola and Highlands). Being near to a downtown area is nice too. Things like metro access are a bonus, but not essential. There is a home my wife loves in the $430K range in the Forest Glen area, but a $2,300 mortgage seems pretty steep for 90K a year. I am hopeful that you all can answer a few questions for me:

1.) Is it typical to pay $430K for a 4BR / 2 BR home near Metro and parks?
2.) Is that really affordable on 90K a year? We could put 10 percent down and the mortgage plus PITI comes out to about $2300. Some of the mortgage calculators say I shouldn't be going over $2100, some $2,700. Anyone with previous experience, particularly considering expenses for children? I don't want to be in a situation where we have the house and then can't buy clothes for the kids in spring!
3.) Anyone know anything about the Forest Estates area and the new school there, Flora Singer ES?
4.) Are there other places we should be looking?

Bonus: If I'm commuting to to the downtown area of DC (around NOMA), how much does living in Howard County add to a rush hour commute, compared to Silver Spring?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm very grateful.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by BBlacklow

There is a home my wife loves in the $430K range in the Forest Glen area, but a $2,300 mortgage seems pretty steep for 90K a year. I am hopeful that you all can answer a few questions for me:

1.) Is it typical to pay $430K for a 4BR / 2 BR home near Metro and parks?
2.) Is that really affordable on 90K a year? We could put 10 percent down and the mortgage plus PITI comes out to about $2300. Some of the mortgage calculators say I shouldn't be going over $2100, some $2,700. Anyone with previous experience, particularly considering expenses for children? I don't want to be in a situation where we have the house and then can't buy clothes for the kids in spring!

I am the owner of a home in the Wheaton zip code, and that price is typical. You are paying a bit of a premium to be near the Metro. (EG, our house is worth about the same, but it further away from Metro, and has 3.5 bedrooms.) If you can't negotiate the price down on this house, I'd suggest looking for something less expensive and continue saving. You don't want to be house poor.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by BBlacklow

Bonus: If I'm commuting to to the downtown area of DC (around NOMA), how much does living in Howard County add to a rush hour commute, compared to Silver Spring?

I'll address this separately. The time from Howard County depends on where and how you commute. If you took the express buses from Columbia, as I did, it could be an hour and a quarter each way, but that was a very relaxed commute, as you can read or work. Driving from HoCo is at least 20 minutes longer each way.

BTW, I don't believe you will find "more" house for the money in Howard. There is more new housing in Howard, but new houses are larger and more like the $500K range.

I'd suggest sticking with older homes in Montgomery County, and keeping your price range under $400K.