Secret Is Out on Fort Washington (Bowie, Potomac: real estate, foreclosures, houses)

[mrchao]

Well, it's finally happening. Nice houses near DC, military bases, national parks and National Harbor is finally starting to have a major impact on the pricing of the Fort Washington area. This is particularly true in the Tantallon sections west of MD 210.

I'm bittersweet about this. My recent tax reassessment jumped up the price of my house by over 100K, meaning I'm fighting tooth and nail to keep my property taxes as low as possible. On the other hand, I'm excited about the interest in this area, as well as the development I see coming with it.

There's still a lot of good deals now (thanks to the zombie foreclosures that banks are slowly releasing to the market), but even the older houses are now severely higher in cost than they were just a year ago.

[backsmd]

True!!! I've been following the house market there and prices are rising...

[adelphi_sky]

At the same time, builders like Caruso Homes are constructing more traditional suburban communities with single-family houses on half- to 2.5-acre sites near Bowie, Upper Marlboro, Brandywine and Fort Washington.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/reale...=.7d3a30396699

[papichulo2]

Great news

[scorch666]

Yeah great news. It really was only a matter of time with the real estate in DC becoming so expensive.

[slowlane3]

What about the public schools, though, have they improved any? My family lived in "Tantallon South" until moving out in 2006 because of gangs selling drugs and vandalizing right in front our house. We barely knew anyone who used, or had anything good to say about the public schools. Virtually everyone we knew used private schools, or home-schooled. We did enjoy some things, like the events at Harmony Hall community center, the scenery in Tantallon, the events at Colonial Farm and Hard Bargain Farm, and the trails in F.W. National Park. And the new police station they just added, is good.

[mrchao]

The public schools are not very good. The well-to-do that encompasses the Fort Washington (esp. West of 210) area continue to do what they always do, which is send their kids to the numerous private schools available. This is actually much the same for the families that live across the river in Alexandria, which has huge pockets of terrible schools in spite of having amazing communities. Between these two choices, I pick Fort Washington hands down. It is a far more affordable opportunity.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by mrchao

The public schools are not very good. The well-to-do that encompasses the Fort Washington (esp. West of 210) area continue to do what they always do, which is send their kids to the numerous private schools available. This is actually much the same for the families that live across the river in Alexandria, which has huge pockets of terrible schools in spite of having amazing communities. Between these two choices, I pick Fort Washington hands down. It is a far more affordable opportunity.

Progressive Alexandria is an enigma in this regard. Even though there is a significant impoverished black & Hispanic population, affluent whites with kids are numerous enough to turn around the schools but they refuse to enroll their kids for the most part. Lyles-Crouch is pretty good though

[skeddy]

Until the schools improve in the Ft. Washington area prices won't change that much.

[Baghead]

Originally Posted by skeddy

Until the schools improve in the Ft. Washington area prices won't change that much.

I thought the consensus was that at least Potomac Elementary is a fine school.