What Are the Not Good areas in Arlington and Alexandria? (McLean: low crime, lawyers)

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by tigger37708

Thank you.
I will keep that in mind as I look.

"Stick to North Arl." is really overly general advice.

Zip code 22202 (Arlington Ridge/Aurora Hills) has housing prices and mix, and metro access, similar to those of 22201 and to some extent 22203, and parts of 22207. 22202 is also extremely convenient for parts of DC (Capitol Hill) and different types of shopping.

Also, for townhomes, there are some very nice areas in 22206 and 22204 (e.g., Fairlington). They are not cheap, though.

[Leezer]

Originally Posted by ACWhite

"Stick to North Arl." is really overly general advice.

Zip code 22202 (Arlington Ridge/Aurora Hills) has housing prices and mix, and metro access, similar to those of 22201 and to some extent 22203, and parts of 22207. 22202 is also extremely convenient for parts of DC (Capitol Hill) and different types of shopping.

Also, for townhomes, there are some very nice areas in 22206 and 22204 (e.g., Fairlington). They are not cheap, though.

Basically, go with any area that is within the boundary of Yorktown HS.

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by Leezer

Basically, go with any area that is within the boundary of Yorktown HS.

Did the OP say whether s/he had school age children? (I may have missed this). If so, then the school should be a consideration. If not, this is like advising everyone to buy an Escalade rather than a Lexus, or rather than a Prius and a European vacation.

[Leezer]

Originally Posted by ACWhite

Did the OP say whether s/he had school age children? (I may have missed this). If so, then the school should be a consideration. If not, this is like advising everyone to buy an Escalade rather than a Lexus, or rather than a Prius and a European vacation.

Believe it or not, the schools have a big impact on interest (when it's time to sell) and value of your home whether you have kids or not.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Leezer

Believe it or not, the schools have a big impact on interest (when it's time to sell) and value of your home whether you have kids or not.

But wouldn't that be offset by the premium he'd be paying a current seller?

[Leezer]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

But wouldn't that be offset by the premium he'd be paying a current seller?

If he can afford it, then it'd be a good investment in my mind.

When it's time to sell, the last thing you want going against you is a home in an undesirable part of town. Take PW County and PG County for instance.

[robbobobbo]

At or below $500,000 will limit your choices to townhouses and duplexes in most of Alexandria (and North Arlington, too, I believe).

There are detached houses available in that range in the Holmes Run/Taney Ave area of Alexandria (West End). I don't believe it's a terrible or particularly dangerous area, but you might have neighbors with 5 or 6 cars to one house, and lots of noise (or so a resident of the area tells me).

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by Leezer

If he can afford it, then it'd be a good investment in my mind.

When it's time to sell, the last thing you want going against you is a home in an undesirable part of town. Take PW County and PG County for instance.

The old argument about schools is exactly why I offered the analogy. Let me explain it if you didn't "get" it. There is no need to buy an Escalade if you don't need an Escalade and, if for the same price, you could get a Lexus that offers more of the things you want. Schools are not the only things that add value--otherwise Georgetown and most of the rest of NW Washington and Old Town Alexandria would not be as expensive as they are -- and they are as expensive or more so than the same type of property in North Arlington. Metro access adds as much or more value -- see the Wa Post's map by zip code of Arlington recently -- metro-accessible areas stayed the same or went up, while 22207 (mostly Yorktown) went down. But you shouldn't pay for metro access either, if you don't value it. Many other things add value - being on a nice street, large rooms, beautiful lots, an updated kitchen, etc., etc., etc. And, schools don't guarantees value any more than other important factors like location.

The point is that a home buyer should pay for what benefits him or her. Yes, location is very important and people should consider that. Around here there are many tradeoffs to make that are much more extreme than in less expensive cities. It is stupid to pay for things that you don't need and give up other things that you do.

The other parts of Arlington that I identified are not undesirable parts of town. Are you sure you aren't a homeowner trying to pump up your neighborhood?

[Leezer]

Originally Posted by ACWhite

The old argument about schools is exactly why I offered the analogy. Let me explain it if you didn't "get" it. There is no need to buy an Escalade if you don't need an Escalade and, if for the same price, you could get a Lexus that offers more of the things you want. Schools are not the only things that add value--otherwise Georgetown and most of the rest of NW Washington and Old Town Alexandria would not be as expensive as they are -- and they are as expensive or more so than the same type of property in North Arlington. Metro access adds as much or more value -- see the Wa Post's map by zip code of Arlington recently -- metro-accessible areas stayed the same or went up, while 22207 (mostly Yorktown) went down. But you shouldn't pay for metro access either, if you don't value it. Many other things add value - being on a nice street, large rooms, beautiful lots, an updated kitchen, etc., etc., etc. And, schools don't guarantees value any more than other important factors like location.

The point is that a home buyer should pay for what benefits him or her. Yes, location is very important and people should consider that. Around here there are many tradeoffs to make that are much more extreme than in less expensive cities. It is stupid to pay for things that you don't need and give up other things that you do.

The other parts of Arlington that I identified are not undesirable parts of town. Are you sure you aren't a homeowner trying to pump up your neighborhood?

Are you sure you're not a homeowner trying to get people to buy where you bought?

Buying a car isn't the same as buying a house. You can get rid of a car easier than getting rid of a house.

And, comparing the 'burbs to Georgetown (city) is ridiculous. People who can afford Georgetown probably have their kids going to private school anyway.

There are many factors that add to the value of a house and make it more desirable if and when it hits the market. They include schools, proximity to jobs, and proximity to public transportation to name a few. Those who live in the 'burbs though, probably have a car so public transportation is not as important as the other factors.

Buying a home is an investment. Buying a car is not. Therefore, people should look at a home not only for their own needs, but the marketability of that home to others down the line.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Leezer

Buying a home is an investment. Buying a car is not. Therefore, people should look at a home not only for their own needs, but the marketability of that home to others down the line.

What marketability? The houses in the cheaper neighborhoods usually sell faster. When real estate hits the skids the high end homes are the ones that sit on the market for a long time.