Have It All in Montgomery County

Even if you work in DC and love it, you may not want to live in this pricey, condo-dominated area. Your vision for your life may include some green grass and a little distance between where you live and where you work. If you set your sites on the Inner Ring suburbs of DC in Montgomery County, you can have it all.

Montgomery County is home to the three cities of Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Takoma Park, 12 towns including Kensington, Chevy Chase, and Somerset, four villages, including Chevy Chase, Section 3 and Section 5, North Chevy Chase, four Special Tax districts, including Friendship Heights, and dozens of unincorporated areas like Bethesda , Potomac , and Germantown. This mix of entities, each with its own personality, is governed by a County Executive/County Council.

Located north of the District and south of Baltimore, Montgomery County is well connected to the central city with three passenger rail systems, buses, and highways. The county is the 8^th most affluent in the county, with a median household income of $91,440, yet median housing prices are about $100,000 less than in DC.

Don't yet the high income scare you away, though; since the 1970's Montgomery County has actively tried to incorporate affordable housing into the mix with a Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) zoning plan. Developers who include more than a minimum number of MPDU's in their plans are allowed to make their developments more dense. In return for allowing them to build more homes and increase revenues, the neighborhoods are potentially more socioeconomically mixed.

An average home in Montgomery Counts is $397,320, about 17% less than year ago. Homes are on the market for an average of 97 days - more than in the core (80 days) but also more plentiful. The area has a 12.2 month stock of homes as compared to only a 5.5 month stock of homes in the District.

Whether you are a first time homebuyer in hot pursuit of the &8,000 tax credit or a seasoned buyer looking for high end amenities, Montgomery County could be the site of your next home. It's time to talk to Realtor® Courtney Griffiths. She specializes in working with first time buyers and can help you find an affordable home in Potomac or other fine cities in Montgomery County.