Where should I buy a new home (NOVA,MD) (Alexandria: short sale, foreclosure)

[manojkk]

Hi,
I work in DC near Union Station. I have been living in Herndon for almost 5 years on rent and now planning to buy a new townhome within the range of 400K. I don't really have a big list of requirment for myself just the basic ones (nice community, schools, food stores & easy commute to work). I am open to live either in NOVA or MD area. Could you guys suggest me which community would be good for me??
Thank you in advance.

[claremarie]

"Just the basic ones" happen to be the things most folks seek in buying a home. (Not too many people want to live in a slum with bad schools and stores, and a difficult commute, after all.)

Are you looking for new construction, or just "new-to-you?" The latter will be much easier to find in your price range. Are you willing to drive to work? And how long is an "easy" commute?

[JD984]

I don't know about brand-new townhouses, but there are $400K townhouses in Rockville/Derwood near the Shady Grove metro (so you could take the Red Line directly to Union Station). If you plan to drive, there are townhouses in that price range in Alexandria (both in the City of Alexandria and in some of the adjoining neighborhoods in Fairfax County) not too far from 395. In terms of commuting, I'd think either would be an improvement over Herndon.

[manojkk]

I know that nobody wants to live in a community which has bad schools, difficult commute. I call it basic requirements because everybody wants these. I am sorry if you understood it wrong.
I am looking for new construction home only and also easy access to Metro or MARC.
I am into IT consulting business and I would be considering the easy commute to DC as long as I live in this region. I know that I may not be working in DC in future but I can't overlook the idea of finding easy commute to there no mater where I live as you never know when could that happen.

[JD984]

I did a quick search - the first thing I came across that met your specs were some new townhouses around $400,000 in Germantown and Gaithersburg, Maryland - which have MARC stations. It's about 45-55 minutes on the MARC to Union Station.

l could be wrong, but I'm not sure you'd find any new townhouses in Virginia currently near a Metro station for less than $400K. You could find some townhouses in Ashburn for that price, but the Metro won't come to Ashburn for quite a few years.

Have you posted on the Maryland forum? There may be people there who know more about the Gaithersburg and Germantown schools.

Good luck.

[FindingZen]

I agree with JEB77: you'll have to compromise on some of your preferences, particularly on the VA side, to find something in your price range. Newer construction closer to the Metro can be found in a condo in your range but likely not a TH (barring a random foreclosure/short sale).

[stpickrell]

I did a little searching and I saw TH's around Haymarket/Gainesville/Manassas that fit the OP's requirements -- just be careful of the school zone as Brentsville/Battlefield/Osbourn Park are better than Osbourn/Stonewall Jackson in terms of test scores and hence general reputation.

OP, just because a place is new doesn't mean it will be problem-free. For example, many builders use green lumber so there will be some setting or whatever it's called when the lumber dries out.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

I did a little searching and I saw TH's around Haymarket/Gainesville/Manassas that fit the OP's requirements -- just be careful of the school zone as Brentsville/Battlefield/Osbourn Park are better than Osbourn/Stonewall Jackson in terms of test scores and hence general reputation.

OP, just because a place is new doesn't mean it will be problem-free. For example, many builders use green lumber so there will be some setting or whatever it's called when the lumber dries out.

Assuming the housing budget is non-negotiable, this would definitely require the OP to decide what's more important to them: newer construction or an "easy commute".