East Market at Fairlakes (Reston, Fairfax: sales, condos, townhouse)

[metclubin]

Hi All,

We are considering buying a townhouse/condo in East market at Fairlakes in Fairfax (22033). There are 2 new commnunities by Centex Homes and Ryland Homes. Both of them provide varied plans and the sales representatives are quite aggressive in selling their units. Anybody have any idea about the reputation of Centex homes and Ryland homes?

Has anybody looked into those communities? Your reviews are most welcome.

Thanks,

Met

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I live nearby in Fairfax 22032 nad the East Lakes area is where I go to shop sometimes - brand spankin new condos and stores - safe, clean place to live - nice parks nearby.
I have heard both companies have good reputations but I have never lived in their homes.

[libgyrrl]

I am not sure about the quality, but you can definitely get more bang for your buck if you wait a couple of months. I just purchased a Centex townhome in Ashburn directly from the builder who assured me that I was getting a "pre construction" price and the prices would just go up from there.

I found out today that they took the price down by 15K. I'm not trying to see how I can back out of the contact.

[metclubin]

Last week I visited Centex homes in East Market at Fair Lakes, and today the sales rep calls me and told they have reduced the price of their model home by 30K, and also said she can give 3% off on the reduced price because they have some corporate preferred buyer programs. But its a little too small for us, so we might not take that offer. I am sure Centex is a good builder if you believe J.D Power ratings, they have builder ratings and Centex is ranked 2nd in this area. And I have seen their construction which looks much better and strong as they use brick and hardiplank exterior. A lot of builders use vinyl siding which is nt that great.

[east market]

Are you still looking to buy a Centex condo in East Market? Prices are great right now.

[Zack]

I looked at them awhile back and both of them seemed expensive compared to what you could get closer in to DC, especially considering they are condos and not true townhomes. Neither company particularly impressed me with build quality; it just seemed to be pretty standard stick built homes. If you could I would check the noise levels between units before buying there.

[metclubin]

We actually bought one from Ryland in Sept. The community seems to be pretty good. The construction quality is good, I personally feel Centex quality is better than Ryland. The insulation from noise is very good. Our unit is facing 66 and once I close the doors and windows I hear nothing. Between units too its great. I never heard my neighbors. I found some deficiencies like inside door does not lock, formation of pools on the deck etc. I also liked the quality of materials used. Hopefully, they will correct all those after I submit warranty list.

[goldenmom7500]

I had a friend who owned a Ryland townhouse in a different part of town, different county of Northern Virginia. I have to say I absolutely loved the design of the townhouse. It really made use of high (arched) ceilings, including two story ceilings - so open and airy. That was 10 years ago and I always say "Ryland - wow".

Beyond that, you always want to know about the integrity of the construction and their responsiveness to problems that come up, and I don't know a thing about that either way ... but haven't personally heard complaints about either of those builders.

PS - I really like that Fair Lakes area as a whole; is this anywhere near that open town center, the one like Reston Town Center with Arden Day Spa, Chipotle, etc., etc.?? Love that ...