My husband has accepted a job in DC. we'll be hopefully moving next month. He wants to find a house for $150 -200k in a safe neighborhood. I KEEP telling him that it's not possible. This is one of the most expensive areas of the country and you either can pay $150 and live in a very very bad part of town or pay more and live in a decent area. We're having tons of arguments over this b/c he refuses to understand that the prices are NOT like they are here in El Paso Texas on the border.

We want to move to Columbia MD and he can commute from there. He wants to find a detached house w/ 3 or more bedrooms, 1 1/2 or more bathrooms, dining room, finished basement, backyard for under $200k!!!

seriously.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I would go to REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale and pull up some houses there. Then maybe pull up the crime statistics on the area???? We were stationed in DC, and lived in MD, too, and could not get OVER the housing prices, AND the commute. Good Luck.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Perhaps get hooked up with a live realtor and have him/her educate your husband on the housing market in the new area? That way you won't be the bearer of bad news. I hope that his new job pays enough better to offset the cost of living - hope he thought of that!

cj/

Hey, I could send you the Washington Post with the house prices. It will be cheaper in Columbia but the prices are still high. The prices really jumped about 7 years ago. I live in Wheaton which is part of Silver Spring (They divide you by post offices.) I have a small house. It is 3 bedrooms, livingroom, kitchen, one bath, and a basement. We do have a large corner lot. My house would sell for $400,000. I am inside the beltway.

I think you said that he has to report Aug. 6. Once here he will see the prices. My son lives in San Antonio. He has 3 bedrooms, livingroom, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, no basement and a 2 car garage for $110,000.

When we moved here 20 years ago, houses were high too. But our income doubled.

Quite frankly, I don't know how you can get a man to understand anything unless it is something they have thought of!

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

How very true!! LMAO Sometimes it's possible to give them your idea though and let them come back and ACT like it was theirs.

I would recommend renting a small place in an area you are interested in. Honestly, we lived 1.5 hrs commute from DC in 1988 and you couldn't have found those prices for what you are looking for then! If this is a permanent move for you, maybe investing might be good idea. But, if this move is to bump his career with a plan to move back in a few years, my guess is that you will take it in the shorts if you buy now.

Good luck

Great idea! When we moved to the Dallas area, I did not want to buy in the wrong area. We found an apartment, which I hated to do with kids, but I didn't know the area. It took us 2 1/2 months. See if you can find a short lease or one you can get out of.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

He will find out soon enough. Sometimes it's easier to choose your battles... especially since the move sounds inevitable.

Renting is always a great way to start out. We had to rent here while we were selling our old house before moving here. Then it took another few months to find what we wanted to buy and we searched the entire area.

Here's hoping that he has his dream job waiting for him! and that everything goes smoothly for your family during this transition.

Excellent suggestion.
In the meantime they can get familiar with the new city/state as well as scope out the real estate market.

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l/ l/ l/
Dont go through life,
GROW through life

Real eyes...realize...real lies.

Just a suggestion but, have you looked at the counties foreclosure list? That's how we've bought both of our rentals have paid no where close to what they should be going for.

Oh and as far as getting a man to understand.....GOOD LUCK!

Huh? What did you say?
Sorry- wasn't listening

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★♥Caroline★♥

If you have children in school, it's most important to look at the schools first, then make your decision about the area. In the long run, you know that you will all be happier in a neighborhood that you're comfortable in. Looking for foreclosures is a good suggestion since foreclosures seem to be on the rise. Also, maybe looking FSBO homes can save money since there would be no realtor fees.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

thanks you guys. I guess you're right. He'll figure it out. It just annoys me b/c we lived in Miami for 2 years and prices there were high. Apparently he's forgotten how high.

read52, I'm taking you out for lunch when we get there!

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

We were stationed there for three years and loved it. The sticker shock was tough, but we did what another poster said...looked for areas around the schools that we wanted. It is also important to consider your commute. You might look at Militarybyowner.com -- we have known many people who have found houses that way since there are so many bases within the area. Good luck and have patience with the traffic!

Jaded your DH has blinders on thats for sure, now you can get a $100,000 manufactured home aka Mobile Home in my neighborhood if you are interested brand new in Alexandria. However they are small and you would have to put up with loud music from cars knocking the picture frames off the walls, drunken people driving uninsured vehicles through the 15 mph neighborhood an hitting your tree or home, a community manager who is a jerk. A school where 90% of the kids are on free lunch and where english is the second language of 87%. But ut on the bright side the maintenace guys are great I should know I am sleeping with one of them ; my DH everyone loves him , they wish he was the Community Manager.

Foreclosures are a good idea as long as the people havent trashed them, My BIL and FIL got a great house in Stafford VA on a foreclosure in 2001 and it is now worth 4 times what they paid for it, even when they bought it they had equity in it and it wasnt half bad, needed some tlc paint and carpet.

Let your DH see the Washington Post realty section he will get a real good wake-up call.

Do have a safe move here.

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~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy

When searching for housing, research the commute time as well. DC metro area traffic is horrible. Housing prices are through the roof. A lot of people live in VA or MD and bite the bullet re: the commute. Columbia (Howard County) is very high priced, running 2nd to Montgomery County in expensive areas.

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We're off to never never land

hueston, we've decided to also think about the Fredericksburg area of VA also. MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper and we can deal w/ the commute - we had a 2 hour one when we lived in Miami.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Has he listened to you yet?!

Is your dh going to work in downtown DC? There are trains and metro that get people places. How did your open house go this past weekend? VA is a good place to look. When we first moved here my dh was working in Silver Spring. We were going to look in Howard county. But we rented near his work and just kept our ears open for house. It is a great place to live. Great schools both public and private. Many things to do and see. My kids got to do things that would not have been possible where we lived.

well, he thinks he thought about Fredericksburg. I'm the one who mentioned it to him.

Yes. He'll be working in L'Enfant Plaza.

We ended up not having it - it was a really bad stormy day.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

You are his conscience speaking... That is how my DH is! My kids too. I think that they are not listening to my rattling on and on but then later on, we'll be having a conversation and they make me feel like they felt this way all along. Oh well, it works!

Use it to your advantage...

That's what I was talking about!! It's a charming male trait that as Cuthie mentions, we need to work to our advantage. Plant the seed and watch it grow.

I wish the best for you both & hope the commute won't be that long! I am so happy to hear that you found some alternative locations. Be sure to check out all the areas you guys have considered, so you know that you haven't missed the deal of the century! Keep us posted!

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We're off to never never land

Exactly. Don't rush into anything... I'd think that if you could cut down the commute time from 2 hours, that would be a great! I can't imagine having that every day but I know that people do it all the time.

Remember that a commute like that means more than just time involved... It means more vehicles, more $$$, more gas, more toll fees (?)etc... be sure to figure that into the equation.

Also, be sure to look into the tax structure of the area. Sometimes the property taxes in one area can be much higher than other areas. HOA fees, insurance, home improvements, cost of living... Look at the whole picture.

And, best of luck in your move and in your many decisions... Give it a few years for settling in. It will happen!

thanks yall!

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

If he is working in L'Enfant Plaza, is he going to work for HUD or the Post Office? He is right on the Mall. The first time we visited DC, we stayed in the hotel. We stayed there one other time as part of an auction night. I'll been to the hotel for different events. Nice place but expensive. That is why I never mention that hotel when people visit DC.

The person who mentioned property taxes etc is right. Although the housing is expensive, the property taxes are not high. I am paying the same taxes on my house as I did in Wisconsin twenty years ago. My house is worth 5 times more than my house in Wisconsin. Check with VA. They pay a car tax every year but I think they are getting rid of it.

He'll be working in GSA's National Capital Region Headquarters.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Jaded...I think I'm on the verge of a move to VA, too. Only to the Richmond area....