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Advice for moving to the Maryland side of Washington, DC (1 Viewer)

Another question- I assume you're not a city guy? At $200K you can do pretty well in the city. $500K will get you an amazing 1 BR condo or a decent 2 BR one. Plus you get the peace of mind of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed to make money on it when you sell.

 
I found the DC burbs to have some of the most pretentious a-holes I've ever encountered. And I'm from frigging CONNECTICUT.

 
TobiasFunke said:
Another question- I assume you're not a city guy? At $200K you can do pretty well in the city. $500K will get you an amazing 1 BR condo or a decent 2 BR one. Plus you get the peace of mind of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed to make money on it when you sell.
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I've never lived IN a big city, although I grew up right outside of Philadelphia. It wouldn't be some giant shock to me. I was under the impression that people didn't LIVE in DC, just worked there.

 
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Northwest, in particular, is Yuppy central. As is the Capitol Hill area where Tobias lives.

I live in Georgetown. Which means that I pay 2800/month to live in a 150 year old 1000 square foot apartment with sweet gay landlords who don't know what they're doing. But you're not married to my wife, so you needn't make the same bad decisions. On the plus side, I walk everywhere. I don't own a car. I either walk, take public transportation, or impose on fatguy.

 
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
Another question- I assume you're not a city guy? At $200K you can do pretty well in the city. $500K will get you an amazing 1 BR condo or a decent 2 BR one. Plus you get the peace of mind of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed to make money on it when you sell.
Click to expand...
I've never lived IN a big city, although I grew up right outside of Philadelphia. It wouldn't be some giant shock to me. I was under the impression that people didn't LIVE in DC, just worked there.
Click to expand...
I've lived downtown for 16 years, still in the city even though I'm now married with two kids. I was single in a 2 BR condo near Adams Morgan/U Street for about a decade, loved every minute of it. If you're interested in that option I could definitely point you in the right direction as far as neighborhoods and whatnot.

 
TobiasFunke said:
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
Another question- I assume you're not a city guy? At $200K you can do pretty well in the city. $500K will get you an amazing 1 BR condo or a decent 2 BR one. Plus you get the peace of mind of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed to make money on it when you sell.
Click to expand...
I've never lived IN a big city, although I grew up right outside of Philadelphia. It wouldn't be some giant shock to me. I was under the impression that people didn't LIVE in DC, just worked there.
Click to expand...
I've lived downtown for 16 years, still in the city even though I'm now married with two kids. I was single in a 2 BR condo near Adams Morgan/U Street for about a decade, loved every minute of it. If you're interested in that option I could definitely point you in the right direction as far as neighborhoods and whatnot.
Click to expand...
How much and how big? (softball)

 
For ~$400k, on the Arlington/Alexandria side, you'd be probably looking at one of the older, yuppy neighborhood associations around here. I'm not sure how to describe them except maybe as smaller, adjoining townhouses, but still bigger than what you'd find for a 2 BR condo in the city. Fairlington is an example of that.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
Northwest, in particular, is Yuppy central. As is the Capitol Hill area where Tobias lives.

I live in Georgetown. Which means that I pay 2800/month to live in a 150 year old 1000 square foot apartment with sweet gay landlords who don't know what they're doing. But you're not married to my wife, so you needn't make the same bad decisions. On the plus side, I walk everywhere. I don't own a car. I either walk, take public transportation, or impose on fatguy.
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I'm in Petworth now. Not really yuppie- now it's grown-up former hippies trying to pretend they're ok with raising their kids in the city for as long as possible until they give in and move to Montgomery County.

 
Don Quixote said:
For ~$400k, on the Arlington/Alexandria side, you'd be probably looking at one of the older, yuppy neighborhood associations around here. I'm not sure how to describe them except maybe as smaller, adjoining townhouses, but still bigger than what you'd find for a 2 BR condo in the city. Fairlington is an example of that.
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I know exactly what you're talking about. Used to live in a place like that as a kid.

 
MattFancy said:
The_Man said:
MattFancy said:
Henry Ford said:
Doctor Detroit said:
You'll love it. Low taxes, barely any traffic, and the people are the friendliest of the friendly.
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I think in some areas, you can get into a car accident, get flipped off by a pedestrian, pay a toll, and get shot by both a citizen and a police officer all at the same time.
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Baltimore?
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Such a tired, unfair stereotype. The City has really changed.

Nowadays in Baltimore, you can fall into a collapsing train tunnel, get attacked by a pit bull, have your house seized for an inaccurate claim of an unpaid water bill, and get fatally tazed by a police officer while handcuffed.*

* All of these things have been featured in the news since May 1.
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Lol sad but true. Lived in the Bmore area for 7 years. Moved back to Southern MD last April and can't say I miss it too much.
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OK, I'll quit hijacking this thread, but seeing this posted on the Baltimore Sun's twitter feed 2 minutes ago made me laugh, in light of my previous post. The word "Latest" is what really got me.

Latest man found dead in Inner Harbor identified
 
The_Man said:
MattFancy said:
The_Man said:
MattFancy said:
Henry Ford said:
Doctor Detroit said:
You'll love it. Low taxes, barely any traffic, and the people are the friendliest of the friendly.
Click to expand...
I think in some areas, you can get into a car accident, get flipped off by a pedestrian, pay a toll, and get shot by both a citizen and a police officer all at the same time.
Click to expand...
Baltimore?
Click to expand...
Such a tired, unfair stereotype. The City has really changed.

Nowadays in Baltimore, you can fall into a collapsing train tunnel, get attacked by a pit bull, have your house seized for an inaccurate claim of an unpaid water bill, and get fatally tazed by a police officer while handcuffed.*

* All of these things have been featured in the news since May 1.
Click to expand...
Lol sad but true. Lived in the Bmore area for 7 years. Moved back to Southern MD last April and can't say I miss it too much.
Click to expand...
OK, I'll quit hijacking this thread, but seeing this posted on the Baltimore Sun's twitter feed 2 minutes ago made me laugh, in light of my previous post. The word "Latest" is what really got me.

Latest man found dead in Inner Harbor identified
Click to expand...
Marlo is getting sloppy.

 
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
Another question- I assume you're not a city guy? At $200K you can do pretty well in the city. $500K will get you an amazing 1 BR condo or a decent 2 BR one. Plus you get the peace of mind of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed to make money on it when you sell.
Click to expand...
I've never lived IN a big city, although I grew up right outside of Philadelphia. It wouldn't be some giant shock to me. I was under the impression that people didn't LIVE in DC, just worked there.
Click to expand...
I've lived downtown for 16 years, still in the city even though I'm now married with two kids. I was single in a 2 BR condo near Adams Morgan/U Street for about a decade, loved every minute of it. If you're interested in that option I could definitely point you in the right direction as far as neighborhoods and whatnot.
Click to expand...
How much and how big? (softball)
Click to expand...
It was about 950 square feet, sold it for just over $500K about 18 months ago. Didn't have a lot of storage space, though. If you want more space you'd probably need to head east and maybe look at a townhouse that's been converted to two condos or something, possibly in a place like Columbia Heights or something. Something like this

 
TobiasFunke said:
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
Another question- I assume you're not a city guy? At $200K you can do pretty well in the city. $500K will get you an amazing 1 BR condo or a decent 2 BR one. Plus you get the peace of mind of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed to make money on it when you sell.
Click to expand...
I've never lived IN a big city, although I grew up right outside of Philadelphia. It wouldn't be some giant shock to me. I was under the impression that people didn't LIVE in DC, just worked there.
Click to expand...
I've lived downtown for 16 years, still in the city even though I'm now married with two kids. I was single in a 2 BR condo near Adams Morgan/U Street for about a decade, loved every minute of it. If you're interested in that option I could definitely point you in the right direction as far as neighborhoods and whatnot.
Click to expand...
How much and how big? (softball)
Click to expand...
It was about 950 square feet, sold it for just over $500K about 18 months ago. Didn't have a lot of storage space, though. If you want more space you'd probably need to head east and maybe look at a townhouse that's been converted to two condos or something, possibly in a place like Columbia Heights or something. Something like this
Click to expand...
lol @ the exit sign.

It does look nice on the inside though. I can deal with 1200 square feet.

 
SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
SacramentoBob said:
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
OK, so you're working in Northwest. What that means is that you can live on the suburbs in either side. And you have lots of options depending on your tolerance for commuting, neighborhood, property taxes, politics, etc.

Your decision might be determined by the closest Metro stop if you don't want to switch lines. From where you work, you could certainly live on the Red Line (which would include Chevy Chase or Bethesda on the pricey side or Wheaton if you wanted cheaper.

But you could also live out on in Virginia on the Orange/Silver line. Or in Largo (Md) or Alexandria (Va) on the Blue line. Those are all easy enough commutes. Others live even farther out near a VRE or MARC station and take a commuter train before switching to Metro. And some people just drive in every day (I think those people are crazy).
Click to expand...
How long of a commute are we talking for any of those options? I'm a FBG, so I obviously want to live in a nice neighborhood. Is $200K a good salary for that area? How likely am I to get stabbed by a hobo using public transit?
Click to expand...
- Almost any metro commute downtown from the burbs is gonna be 30-40 minutes unless you move way the heck out. That's all-inclusive, assuming some sort drive or walk to a metro station plus the ride itself.

- $200K is plenty to live on and be comfortable on. It won't let you live extravagantly like it might in other places but you won't have to live in the exurbs or in a tiny apartment like you would in SF or NY. You can find a nice little house in a close in suburb for $800K or so.

- Train is very safe and clean, no worries about hobo violence esp. not during rush hour.

Exact location of your office and whether you're married with kids or not are big factors here.
Click to expand...
$800K? #### that.

Good news about the lack of hobo violence. Exact location is basically the White House. RHE nailed the station and I've just been looking at the route on google maps. Not married, no kids. Would prefer to a house that was more 2x my salary, not 4x.
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In places like Silver Spring, Rockville, and Kensington and a little further north in Montgomery County you can buy a 3-4 bedroom house for around $500-600K if you dont mind an older home. Something new or bigger or closer in is going to be what is selling for $800K and up. From most of those locations, you can shoot into DC on the metro red line in under half an hour.

 
Montgomery County, to start. Then, in no particular order, Potomac, Gaithersburg west of Rockville Pike (incuding and especially Kentlands), Darnestown, Chevy Chase, North Potomac.

Eta Bethesda

 
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McGarnicle said:
I found the DC burbs to have some of the most pretentious a-holes I've ever encountered. And I'm from frigging CONNECTICUT.
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Thank you!!! ;)

A little historical geography for a moment; if you look at a map, Washington, DC looks like most of a diamond. What is now Arlington Co, VA was originally part of DC, but was returned to Virgina in 1846 because of congressional representation and abolition of slavery issues. What this amounts to is that parts of Arlington can be closer to parts of western downtown DC (where the WH is on the edge) than some of DC. Rosslyn, Clarendon, etc are really close to the city and easy to get in out of via public transportation. I used to live just outside of Rosslyn off Lee Highway (RT 29) and would take a bus to Rosslyn and then the Metro into the city. This was better than walking to a close Orange line, because Rosslyn had both Orange and Blue Lines and trains came twice as often.

As some have said, it is largely due to where your office is located and what stations of the metro are close. I have some friends that work downtown and live in all three areas (VA, MD, and DC). I personally and a VA fan, and have lived here for all of the years that I have lived in this area since graduating in 1992.

 
SacramentoBob said:
dgreen said:
How long you planning on being in the area?
Click to expand...
I have no idea. I would hope at least 2 years if things work out.
Click to expand...
Hmm, not sure I'd buy right away. Sounds like you're considering renting first, which is probably a good idea. That gives you time to scout hoods and decide what you like. Also gives you time to better determine how long you'll be here. My guess is you'd make money on a condo in the right neighborhoods in two years, but that can obviously be a bit risky.

Others have suggested locations that give you a one-seat ride (not transferring to another line) on Metro to your work. People tend to really prefer the one-seat rides but I think that's totally overrated. Switching lines isn't hard. Sure, you may go the wrong way once or twice your first week, but you'll have it down to a science pretty quickly.

 
Sell your junk, move into a nice rental apartment in a nice D.C. neighborhood, rent a garage to park your car you won't use, go out every night you want and enjoy an awesome lifestyle on $200k with no kids.

It's really not that complicated.

 
dgreen said:
Mr. Ected said:
McGarnicle said:
I found the DC burbs to have some of the most pretentious a-holes I've ever encountered. And I'm from frigging CONNECTICUT.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!! ;)
Click to expand...
:lmao:

Get a bunch of highly educated type A personalities who think they, on their own, are going to change the world and you tend to get some pretentious a-holes. And, yes, they are proud of it.
Click to expand...
Well I live in Anne Arundel County, and even the high school dropouts think they are better than me. Boat shoes and no socks give them their power.

I'd live in Alexandria if I could chose one place in this area, somewhere around Shaw in DC, or Annapolis where I am.

 
SacramentoBob said:
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
OK, so you're working in Northwest. What that means is that you can live on the suburbs in either side. And you have lots of options depending on your tolerance for commuting, neighborhood, property taxes, politics, etc.

Your decision might be determined by the closest Metro stop if you don't want to switch lines. From where you work, you could certainly live on the Red Line (which would include Chevy Chase or Bethesda on the pricey side or Wheaton if you wanted cheaper.

But you could also live out on in Virginia on the Orange/Silver line. Or in Largo (Md) or Alexandria (Va) on the Blue line. Those are all easy enough commutes. Others live even farther out near a VRE or MARC station and take a commuter train before switching to Metro. And some people just drive in every day (I think those people are crazy).
Click to expand...
How long of a commute are we talking for any of those options? I'm a FBG, so I obviously want to live in a nice neighborhood. Is $200K a good salary for that area? How likely am I to get stabbed by a hobo using public transit?
Click to expand...
$200K is decent enough.

Using the Metro... during commuting hours you should be fine.

Using the MARC, its kinda nice.

You definitely do NOT want to drive from anywhere in Maryland to downtown DC during rush hour(s). Thats from like 6:30 to 9:30 in the morning, and 3:30 until 7 PM.

Bethesda is nice and you can get a nice enough pad on that salary assuming you have a decent downpayment. Chevy Chase is nicer, but harder to get to the Metro from there unless you live really close (walking distance) to the Friendship Heights metro stop, and pricier. Both feed into an excellent public school system and top 100 national ranked highschools.

Alternatively, you could live in Kensington or Garrett Park and either walk/drive(free parking) to the MARC. That'll take you straight down to Union Station. Then you'd need to walk/cab/orMetro over to your office. If you have kids, make sure you choose a home that feeds into Walter Johnson HS.

I live in Kensington and give it 7 thumbs up. Love it.

 
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SacramentoBob said:
TobiasFunke said:
SacramentoBob said:
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
OK, so you're working in Northwest. What that means is that you can live on the suburbs in either side. And you have lots of options depending on your tolerance for commuting, neighborhood, property taxes, politics, etc.

Your decision might be determined by the closest Metro stop if you don't want to switch lines. From where you work, you could certainly live on the Red Line (which would include Chevy Chase or Bethesda on the pricey side or Wheaton if you wanted cheaper.

But you could also live out on in Virginia on the Orange/Silver line. Or in Largo (Md) or Alexandria (Va) on the Blue line. Those are all easy enough commutes. Others live even farther out near a VRE or MARC station and take a commuter train before switching to Metro. And some people just drive in every day (I think those people are crazy).
Click to expand...
How long of a commute are we talking for any of those options? I'm a FBG, so I obviously want to live in a nice neighborhood. Is $200K a good salary for that area? How likely am I to get stabbed by a hobo using public transit?
Click to expand...
- Almost any metro commute downtown from the burbs is gonna be 30-40 minutes unless you move way the heck out. That's all-inclusive, assuming some sort drive or walk to a metro station plus the ride itself.

- $200K is plenty to live on and be comfortable on. It won't let you live extravagantly like it might in other places but you won't have to live in the exurbs or in a tiny apartment like you would in SF or NY. You can find a nice little house in a close in suburb for $800K or so.

- Train is very safe and clean, no worries about hobo violence esp. not during rush hour.

Exact location of your office and whether you're married with kids or not are big factors here.
Click to expand...
$800K? #### that.

Good news about the lack of hobo violence. Exact location is basically the White House. RHE nailed the station and I've just been looking at the route on google maps. Not married, no kids. Would prefer to a house that was more 2x my salary, not 4x.
Click to expand...
Not married and no kids changes things considerably.

Forget a house. Get a condo.

Consider DC even though their taxes are higher.

If you do live out in Maryland, you'd want to be in Downtown Bethesda probably. In the city you could consider a lot of places. Captiol Hill, Dupont, U Street, Adams Morgan all have interesting nightlife and you won't get stabbed. Most likely anyways.

 
DC or NorVa. You don't want to live in MD until you have Daniel Snyder money and can live on the river and get a membership at Congressional. And even then I'd probably still do Great Falls, VA/Riverbend instead. VA is just better in every way, which it pains me to say as somebody who grew up in MoCo. The only thing MoCo has on NorVa is the MARC train. But the Silver Line will go a long way to helping out there.

 
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