Where to buy a home, Rockville or Gaithersburg? (Bethesda, North Bethesda: neighborhoods, school district)

[AAVC]

We are looking to buy a single family home for $600-700K, and are wondering which location would be better from an appreciation perspective? Rockville or Gaithersburg? Desirability, schools, safety, resale, etc. Thanks for your input.

[bufflove]

i don't see a reason why the two adjacent cities would suddenly diverge in appreciation rate in any significant way. You'd have to get far more granular to find specific neighborhoods or properties that might overperform. For example, maybe the Lakeforest or Twinbrook redevelopments will have an outsized impact on the surrounding blocks. Another example is the upcoming school redistricting which will certainly affect some property values positively and others negatively.

[ion475]

Which part of Rockville and which part of Gaithersburg also matter...

Lakelands / Kentlands is not the same as the area closer to Montgomery Village is not the same as the area near Rockville Town Center which is not the same as the area of Rockville closer to "North Bethesda" (the latter also has Rockville address).

[BigCityDreamer]

If it were me, I would choose a school district with high ratings.

But yes, you have to be careful with the redistricting.

[AAVC]

Originally Posted by bufflove

i don't see a reason why the two adjacent cities would suddenly diverge in appreciation rate in any significant way. You'd have to get far more granular to find specific neighborhoods or properties that might overperform. For example, maybe the Lakeforest or Twinbrook redevelopments will have an outsized impact on the surrounding blocks. Another example is the upcoming school redistricting which will certainly affect some property values positively and others negatively.

When is the redistricting going to take place?

[AAVC]

Originally Posted by ion475

Which part of Rockville and which part of Gaithersburg also matter...

Lakelands / Kentlands is not the same as the area closer to Montgomery Village is not the same as the area near Rockville Town Center which is not the same as the area of Rockville closer to "North Bethesda" (the latter also has Rockville address).

Thanks, and are these areas desirable or not? Not sure how to interpret the comments... Thanks for your help.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by AAVC

When is the redistricting going to take place?

Crown HS is opening Fall of 2027. New boundaries will be effective at that time. I imagine the boundary study, public input period, etc. would take place 12-18 months prior (early/mid 2026). Rockville HS isn't included in the study, so if you want 100% confidence in where your kid would go to school then pick that cluster. All the other clusters (Richard Montgomery, Gaithersburg HS, Quince Orchard, Northwest, Wootton) will be affected.

[AAVC]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Crown HS is opening Fall of 2027. New boundaries will be effective at that time. I imagine the boundary study, public input period, etc. would take place 12-18 months prior (early/mid 2026). Rockville HS isn't included in the study, so if you want 100% confidence in where your kid would go to school then pick that cluster. All the other clusters (Richard Montgomery, Gaithersburg HS, Quince Orchard, Northwest, Wootton) will be affected.

Thanks so much