Recs on neighborhoods for young couple between Frederick and downtown DC

[AZ Desert Guy]

Originally Posted by autiger92

My daughter has accepted a job in Frederick, MD. Her husband works in downtown DC. They currently live in Bowie--renting a townhouse (her current job is in Annapolis).

The high end of their price range is 550k. The would prefer single family, but it looks like very few in their price range.

They are currently looking in Gaithersburg, Montgomery Village, Germantown, and Clarksburg. Their realtor keeps bringing up crime. Neither of them is super familiar with DC or the suburbs. He is from Philadelphia. She is from B'ham, AL. They have only been in the area since May of last year.

They do not have children but would like to start a family in the next several years. School probably doesn't need to be a top priority atm.

Since they both work full time, and I am basically retired... I offered to do some looking online for them--which they both appreciate. Their realtor hasn't been very proactive in looking for them. That is not surprising as that has been mine and my husband's experience in our past relocations. We have been the ones to send the realtor the properties we want to see. We have always found our homes ourselves with each move. I feel like that is to be expected. They are a bit overwhelmed, and I can understand why after a quick look at Zillow!

Anyway, I always got great info from this forum when my husband and I were relocating with our kids, so I thought I'd ask on their behalf. I have never lived anywhere near the DC area, so I'm clueless.

Can her husband deal with a commute?

My wife and I did that for years. Our house was just east of Frederick, me commuting to Springfield and her working in Frederick at Ft Detrick.

QOL was best, crime was very low, COL was balanced. I just added a long commute X 2 to my daily grind. It worked out for us.

I would take the 355 south to Clarksburg then get on the 270 South. It opened to more lanes shortly after and traffic would move better. Reverse in the evening. In the summer I rode my motorcycle, which opened HOV lanes.

[goldenage1]

If the daughter has just accepted a job, I suggest they rent for a year. I suggest Rockville in one of the high-rises near the Metro stop. When they decide if they can stand the commute, then look at purchasing a condo or townhouse. If the have a family, it would be about 7 years before the child needs a school. Don't hurry the decision.

[autiger92]

Thank you all for the helpful replies. They have a better feel for those areas now. I believe they have enough info to find a place where they'll be happy.