Nah, nothing immediate, but making some long term plans. We have friends in Delaware, pretty much btw. The two metros. So, if we wanted a more city life, we could pick between the two. I'm a city girl at heart; I love the city. And the East Coast. Since NYC isn't in the cards, it leaves: Boston, Philly, Baltimire and DC.
Boston-Further away from family and more NE than CT, if possible. That's a con in my book, ha, but beautiful city.
Philly-Tons of friends there. Closest to family. Lived there before. My big concern is the school system if I want to live in the city.
Baltimore-Know almost nothing. I've heard the downtown has some rough areas and there's been some crime/corruption but it's on the upswing. Not quite as bustling as the others.
DC-Totally different feel. Have family in town. Could pursue a career here fairly easily, if I wanted to, I think. Costly (comparable to CT or even more?).
DC suburbs are totally doable (cost wise) and there are good school systems. Do it! We could be neighbors <)
Post by W.T.Faulkner on Jul 30, 2014 13:25:44 GMT -5
Yeah, given the state of Philly schools, BF and I will likely love out to the suburbs within the next couple of years. Unfortunately, you really do need to bank on private or parochial schools here.
A lot of our friends have made the exodus out of the city into Chestnut Hill lately. Or Southern Jersey on the other side, but, man, I really want nothing more than to live in a nice row home on a cobblestone street and never have a yard again in my life. Four kids in private school is a tough pill to swallow though. : /
Chestnut Hill is still Philadelphia public school system, so if you're trying to avoid the private school route, don't go there! It's beautiful though, one of my BFF's grew up there.
Nah, nothing immediate, but making some long term plans. We have friends in Delaware, pretty much btw. The two metros. So, if we wanted a more city life, we could pick between the two. I'm a city girl at heart; I love the city. And the East Coast. Since NYC isn't in the cards, it leaves: Boston, Philly, Baltimire and DC.
Boston-Further away from family and more NE than CT, if possible. That's a con in my book, ha, but beautiful city.
Philly-Tons of friends there. Closest to family. Lived there before. My big concern is the school system if I want to live in the city.
Baltimore-Know almost nothing. I've heard the downtown has some rough areas and there's been some crime/corruption but it's on the upswing. Not quite as bustling as the others.
DC-Totally different feel. Have family in town. Could pursue a career here fairly easily, if I wanted to, I think. Costly (comparable to CT or even more?).
DC suburbs are totally doable (cost wise) and there are good school systems. Do it! We could be neighbors <)
What is doable? I need a SFH for $500kish. Doable? Or do I need to bump that up?
Post by snipsnsnails on Jul 30, 2014 13:27:34 GMT -5
Well, heck, man, somebody has to be going to the schools! My DH went to Catholic school and then magnet school, but I always went to a (terrifically under resourced) public school.
Chestnut Hill is still Philadelphia. It's a really cute area.
No, I know it is, but it's admittedly a totally different feel than Art Museum area or R-Square.
Oh definitely.
My H grew up in FM (Art Museum Area) and my sister lives there now. It's a really nice area and becoming very young and family oriented. The houses are expensive but you pay for location.
DC suburbs are totally doable (cost wise) and there are good school systems. Do it! We could be neighbors <)
What is doable? I need a SFH for $500kish. Doable? Or do I need to bump that up?
yes, doable in Montgomery County. Rockville, Gaithersburg and North Potomac. about a 30 minute ride into DC depending on traffic. Or you can stay in some places that are by the Metro. I'm about a 6 minute drive to the Metro and a 25 minute commute from there.
I grew up about a half hour from Baltimore. I actually really like Baltimore. I feel like it gets shit on a lot and while some of it is deserved it really is an awesome city. That being said I wouldn't want to live in the city itself. I would want to be in the burbs.
I left Baltimore in 2007 to move to California and then Ohio. I'm back in Baltimore doing an internship this summer for my MBA. The city is so different (BETTER) from 7 years ago. It does get shit on a lot, but it's a very proud city, with a lot of neat local color.
I can't speak a lot to Philly, though my experiences visiting have always been great.
As for Baltimore, the city and burbs both have pros and cons.
City pros: tons of stuff to do, relatively affordable, renewed focus on public transportation (including free water taxi and bus service), very walkable, exploring different neighorhoods never gets old, improved access to grocery stores in the downtown core, diversity of neighborhoods = there's a perfect neighborhood for everyone
City cons: "nuisance" crime, schools, really high property taxes (unless you buy an older house and get the CHAP tax credit), most schools aren't great,
Burbs pros: very good schools (especially Howard County), generally very safe, commuting into the city isn't terrible
Burbs cons: boring as fuck (I'm staying with my parents in Columbia this summer and while I realize as a 31-year-old non-parent I have different priorities than many other people my age, OMFG the quiet makes me feel like I'm going insane...my parents' biggest problem this summer is an epic battle with their neighbors over the trees in their cul-de-sac...suburb problems, man), I hate commuting because it's soulless and wrong, nothing is walkable (many cities have close-in suburbs with SFHs with small yards and garages that are still walkable...this does not exist in Baltimore), little diversity, no local color (there are almost no local restaurants or shops in Columbia, which I have to imagine is a function of real estate prices...it's all TGI Friday's, Costco, Target, etc).
ETA: Full disclosure, I am 31 and married with 0 kids and no plans for kids. H and I are planning to return to Baltimore next summer. We will live in the city (probably Locust Point, which is like a little safe, quiet oasis in the city...it's an amazing neighborhood, and my in-laws are here already). If you have any more specific questions about Baltimore, let me know. I used to be a bike messenger here; I know the city pretty well!
Love this endorsement for B'more! I'm definitely going to take a visit soon and check out some specifics. Thx!
DC suburbs are totally doable (cost wise) and there are good school systems. Do it! We could be neighbors <)
What is doable? I need a SFH for $500kish. Doable? Or do I need to bump that up?
I am not trying to be a dream crusher but with four kids you may need to bump that up in any of the cities you mentioned. I am admittedly not in the know about Philly housing prices though.
ETA nvm listen to LLL she isn't a dream crusher like me.
What is doable? I need a SFH for $500kish. Doable? Or do I need to bump that up?
yes, doable in Montgomery County. Rockville, Gaithersburg and North Potomac. about a 30 minute ride into DC depending on traffic. Or you can stay in some places that are by the Metro. I'm about a 6 minute drive to the Metro and a 25 minute commute from there.
Brother is in McLean. This is roughly 25-30 minutes in, yeah?
What is doable? I need a SFH for $500kish. Doable? Or do I need to bump that up?
I am not trying to be a dream crusher but with four kids you may need to bump that up in any of the cities you mentioned. I am admittedly not in the know about Philly housing prices though.
ETA nvm listen to LLL she isn't a dream crusher like me.
Ha, we'll bump up if need be, I just need to know what I'm working with.....dream crusher!
yes, doable in Montgomery County. Rockville, Gaithersburg and North Potomac. about a 30 minute ride into DC depending on traffic. Or you can stay in some places that are by the Metro. I'm about a 6 minute drive to the Metro and a 25 minute commute from there.
Brother is in McLean. This is roughly 25-30 minutes in, yeah?
I don't think you can do SFH in McLean for 500kish but yeah, roughly 30 mins. Are the jobs in DC proper? And because I want you to drink the DC Kool Aid here is an example of a Rockville house about 30 minutes away from DC in a good school district in your price range.
I am not trying to be a dream crusher but with four kids you may need to bump that up in any of the cities you mentioned. I am admittedly not in the know about Philly housing prices though.
ETA nvm listen to LLL she isn't a dream crusher like me.
Ha, we'll bump up if need be, I just need to know what I'm working with.....dream crusher!
If you are willing to bump it up and you are looking in the DC area look at the City of Falls Church. It is close to DC and the metro, great schools, and walkable.
Brother is in McLean. This is roughly 25-30 minutes in, yeah?
I don't think you can do SFH in McLean for 500kish but yeah, roughly 30 mins. Are the jobs in DC proper? And because I want you to drink the DC Kool Aid here is an example of a Rockville house about 30 minutes away from DC in a good school district in your price range.
I could drink that Kool-aid. I'll stick all my naughty kids in the wood paneled room. Did @weeble get a pool? I'm coming to her house to swim!
I am not trying to be a dream crusher but with four kids you may need to bump that up in any of the cities you mentioned. I am admittedly not in the know about Philly housing prices though.
ETA nvm listen to LLL she isn't a dream crusher like me.
Ha, we'll bump up if need be, I just need to know what I'm working with.....dream crusher!
It also depends what you're looking for. Are you willing to compromise space (sq ft) for top schools? How many bedrooms would you want/need? www.everyhome.com breaks it down by school district. The 2 that we will look in are lower merion school district (search under montgomery county) and radnor school district (search under delaware county). Tredyffrin-Easttown is in CHester county and is also a wonderful school district, but it is a little farther out than I'd ideally like to be (I pretty much live withing 5 mins of Lower Merion and 5-10 of radnor, so I already feel like I live in those areas). We will be open to homes in those towns though bc of the highly rated schools.
Post by snipsnsnails on Jul 30, 2014 13:47:26 GMT -5
I'd want 3 bedrooms, I don't need 4 or 5. I'm totally willing to compromise on anything but location. Location has always been the most important for me. That means, for me, close to great amenities or the public transport to get to them, desirable neighborhood, something for kids to do.
I'd want 3 bedrooms, I don't need 4 or 5. I'm totally willing to compromise on anything but location. Location has always been the most important for me. That means, for me, close to great amenities or the public transport to get to them, desirable neighborhood, something for kids to do.
I'm really thinking Art Museum area is ideal for you.
I also really like my neighborhood but I am biased. I live in East Falls.
I'd want 3 bedrooms, I don't need 4 or 5. I'm totally willing to compromise on anything but location. Location has always been the most important for me. That means, for me, close to great amenities or the public transport to get to them, desirable neighborhood, something for kids to do.
I'm really thinking Art Museum area is ideal for you.
I also really like my neighborhood but I am biased. I live in East Falls.
Ha, me, too. Party on my roof deck on Green Street!