brand new 2,800 sq ft townhome (no yard) in Fairfax City for $670K -- is it worth it? (Reston: sale, apartments)

[Natthapol]

Originally Posted by saganista

I'd concur -- 40 to 45 minutes to Tyson's in the morning. 66 is not usable at all, and 123 only for the little stretches that are not either Oakton or Vienna. Old Lee Highway would be one option to start out on. Then the choice-making begins. Downtown will be over an hour via Metro, but not by much. I'd have a 10-15 minute advantage, and I can do a Farragut/McPherson commute in a few minutes under an hour, barring some stupid thing upsetting the balance of nature.

For some reasons, I thought Fairfax is closer to Tysons than 45 minutes in rush hour!! Well, it's 7 miles and all the roads are heavily congested, I guess.. My office is actually in Faragut square area. It's sad that 1 hour is quite a decent commute in this area..

[Natthapol]

Originally Posted by HereinVA

The above 2 quotes really stood out to me because, at least for me, house needs/wants really change when you have kids.

Walkability to bars is great, but how much bar hopping do you think you'll be doing once you're a parent? And while no yard might not seem like a big deal now, a small yard could be invaluable once you have a toddler.

Are you willing to sacrifice at all on the "newer" aspect of your home? Maybe you'd be able to find a home with a yard and a shorter commute if you are willing to look at older neighborhoods/homes.

Honestly, I have never thought much about when we have toddlers.. I guess I was just being selfish to the future kids thinking that they would manage alright.
What if we have a park nearby -- does that help?

[Natthapol]

Thanks everyone once again for all these insightful inputs! I really do appreciate. Our home search has just begun and I think we still have a long way to go!

By the way, the brand new town home that we are interested is this one:
Madison Mews

In addition to the listing suggested here, I will I also check out Preserve at Great Oak (brand new $700K SFH), Metro West (to be complete in 6-12 months) and the Mosaic project (not until Fall 2012). Anyone have thoughts on these developments?

Alexander's Chase | Northern Virginia New Homes - D.R. Horton

MetroWest

http://www.mosaicdistrict.com

[shamrock847]

Are you only looking at new construction? A lot of people end up paying more for something new than for something similar that is not brand new. Obviously this varies depending on the specific transaction, but I would check out the existing comps carefully to make sure you don't overpay. I would at least look at the options beyond new construction - there are a lot of choices for nice townhouses and single family homes in your price range with good schools and a less than 1hr commute.

And I strongly agree with what one of the previous posters said about having some yard space. Being near a park or playground is good, but ideally you'll want your own space where they can run around without you having to leave home and go to the park. You will care a lot more about proximity to kid friendly activities than to bars and restaurants once you have a toddler.

[NOVA_almost_native]

Natthapol, the townhouses look very nice, but as I am not an expert on Fairfax City nor homes in your price range, I can't say whether it's overpriced. I do think you have to consider the convenience of having your own yard for kids to run around in. You probably won't want to go to the park every time they want to go outside. I also wonder whether there would be other young kids within the townhouse community for them to play with. My guess is that most people with young children buying in Fairfax County would opt to buy an SFH if they had your budget.

It looks as if you prefer new construction, but have you looked at houses in Oakton? You'd be pretty close to the Vienna metro and to Tysons.

[Natthapol]

No, we are definitely not looking only at new construction -- our choices would be really limited, I realize that. We are in an early phase of home searching and would like to get a feel of what can we get for new construction -- of course, everyone love the idea of being able to pick and choose each piece of your home.

Thank you guys for emphasize the importance of having the yard, I hear you!

I would love to buy in Oakton too, but it's more expensive than Fairfax in general, I think.

[vermonter16]

I think you just need to really narrow down your needs vs. wants and future growth for you and your future family. A yard may become important down the road for small children....but, people in NY city have children and live in high rises and I don't think those children are stunted or anything . You can make trips to parks on the weekend or even during the week nearby.

I grew up in Vermont....we lived in a small doublewide and my brother and I shared a room. There wasn't anywhere to play for so long (until my dad finished a room in the basement when we were a little older) so we spent ENTIRE days outside all day every day.

I think no matter what you choose - you can make it work! Is it super important that you have a yard...maybe not....maybe it is....it's what's important to you that counts.

[yolli71]

Originally Posted by Natthapol

Thanks everyone once again for all these insightful inputs! I really do appreciate. Our home search has just begun and I think we still have a long way to go!

By the way, the brand new town home that we are interested is this one:
Madison Mews

In addition to the listing suggested here, I will I also check out Preserve at Great Oak (brand new $700K SFH), Metro West (to be complete in 6-12 months) and the Mosaic project (not until Fall 2012). Anyone have thoughts on these developments?

Alexander's Chase | Northern Virginia New Homes - D.R. Horton

MetroWest

http://www.mosaicdistrict.com

If you and your spouse work in DC and Tysons, it doesn't get much better than MetroWest. Personally, living in an area that significantly cuts down my commute is more important than a yard...and I have a kid. You can work around the yard thing (plus it means no weekly yardwork). Having long commutes daily will beat you down after awhile. If it were me, I'd look in the Vienna, Falls Church, Fairfax (Merrifield) areas. I think MetroWest and Mosaic would be my first choices as long as they have homes that you like within your price range. As an added bonus, there will be lots to do within walking distance as well (restaurants, movies, shopping, etc.) when those projects are completed in the next year or so.

[Middlin]

WOW, those are some significant increases in budget. I would strongly suggest you take daycare expenses into account. A lot of new home buyers don't realize the expenses don't stop after you leave the settlement table. New construction homes are really nice, but adding things like decks, window treatments, etc will add up. Besides having an excessively long commute, nothing sucks more than being house poor.

I agree with other posters that you can adjust your lifestyle and it's hard to imagine what you want once you have a kid and frankly how long you'll stay in the house. When we purchased our first home (I was pregnant) we struck a balance between commute time and price. I'm really glad we stayed on the more conservative side of $ since my husband got laid off 2 times shortly after moving. If we pushed our housing budget we would have been in serious trouble.

[liloulou]

I have been reading all of these postings and am putting my two cents in here now. :-) We initially bought with no kids, then bought again with kids. The differences? Once kids were a factor, schools became the driving factor. Having a neighborhood with other kids and a place where they can play outside became more important (front yard, back yard, small yard, big yard, cul de sac- didn't matter, just some space).
I think you ought to buy something with a great commute though too if possible. Since you are at the start of your search, make a wish list for a new home and a wish list for an existing home. Prioritize your list. And please, please keep in mind your realistic budget and don't stretch it. You will be tempted, trust me... but don't do it. Especially if you are planning children in the near future. Full time daycare costs can easily run $1,000/month.
If I were in your shoes I'd go for a great commute, great schools, some kind of yard or outdoor space, and near some restaurants/shopping. With existing homes... if the layout is good, you can always update things to your specifications if you like (similiar to a new home).
Good luck.