google it

We were becoming increasingly frustrated with our house search and over the past month began to feel pretty defeated. We started brainstorming what else we could compromise on from our list to get into a home. On a whim I googled some new construction town homes in Chantilly I had seen an ad for but we ultimately decided it was too far of a drive for both us. One website led to another though and we discovered some builders that were building in Fort Washington, MD. It turns out that the homes were surprisingly more affordable and substantially bigger than everything we had seen to that point. We were officially intrigued.

After lots of googling using many of the tools we told you about here we also discovered the area is in the middle of a big transition with many upper middle class neighborhoods being built around the growing National Harbor area. The school system leaves a lot to be desired... although the elementary school is OK.  We figure by the time we have kids ready to leave elementary school  it will be well over a decade away and who knows what our life will be like by then.

Our lot looking from above.

Our search was narrowed to two builders based upon location, Ryan Homes and DR Horton. We looked at national reviews, local reviews, and even got the opinions of some people that had already built in the potential neighborhoods. I also rediscovered a great website for asking advice of others based upon a specific location. After weighing ALL the information, price of the homes, upgrade options, and looking at the available lots we decided to go with DR Horton. When you make decisions do you just take the leap or cautiously dip your toe in the water until you know its safe like us? Hey, there might be sharks...you never know.