Why so many Manassas homes for sale? (Annandale, Springfield: rental, mortgage broker)

[ariadel]

I work in Fairfax. I've been with the same company for about four years, and everyone here is very chatty and close. I'm just writing this to give you guys some idea what people say about Manassas, from the point of view of a bunch of middle class tech workers in Fairfax.

The very first thing I ever heard anyone tell me about the entire NoVA area was "Don't live in Manassas." I heard stories from coworkers who lived in what appeared to be decent (400k+) neighborhoods and found their car stereo stolen one morning or their windows smashed. I heard stories about nightmare two hour long 8 mile commutes down 28. It was a pretty constant refrain: "don't live in Manassas. it may seem like a deal, but it is not." I've been hearing this for three years or so.

I'm not saying that all of Manassas is bad, but I'm saying that the negative reputation is pretty strong, and by now the name itself is too heavily associated with past problems. Most people are opting for Chantilly or Gainesville or Reston. Right now, if you want a relatively cheap townhouse with a commute to Fairfax, your choices seem to be Manassas and Herndon - both 30-50% cheaper than other areas the same distance from Fairfax. And while Herndon has definitely fallen on hard times, I don't have the stockpile of horror stories from coworkers about it.

So this is one prospective homeowner scared away from Manassas. Take that as you will.

[El General]

That's a pretty fair assessment (more fair than the inflated Manassas tax assessments).

[goldenmom7500]

Originally Posted by El General

There are many for sale units in Sumner Lake; several foreclosures. The surrounding area--Georgian Hamlet, Liberia, etc. stinks. Sumner is a very well planned, good looking community; the lake is beautiful at sunrise. There are some units that have been converted into duplexes. I think 250K--not 500K.

I haven't checked real estate in Sumner in maybe a year so I can't say. I remember when the area was being built, quite frankly, I wasn't sure it would sell. The surrounding area is, I admit, not great and I don't think the schools (at least elementary and middle) are supposed to be very good. But it sold really well and is beautifully done.

[plf86]

i guess it is just that the houses are just not worth the price. what would a 5 bed 3/12 bath house 3000 sq foot house go for in the "good" part of Manassass?

And would it really be worth it?

the housing bubble in northern va saw house prices double in 5 years the double again in two. the house i bought in dale city in 97 doubled by the time i sold it in 2002. Two years later it doubled again.
So is a house that was 125 K in 1997 worth 500K in 2004?
no it is still the same crappy house.

[goldenmom7500]

I'm not sure if that's a rhetorical question ... I only know about the houses on acreage; I'm not sure about prices for houses on more typical lots. I would guess around 575-650K depending ...

[plf86]

i guess i am very jaded since I grew up in PWC. My house as described in the raleigh area is 220K, nicely but no overly upgraded on 1/4 acre lot. just cant see the value having lived there

[DavidS827]

Originally Posted by plf86

i guess it is just that the houses are just not worth the price. what would a 5 bed 3/12 bath house 3000 sq foot house go for in the "good" part of Manassass?

And would it really be worth it?

That house can run from 330k to well over 600k depending on where it is. As for whether or not it's worth it...I guess it's all a matter of perspective. Is the same house in Arlington worth 900k -1.2 million? I personally don't think so, but many people do...

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by plf86

i guess it is just that the houses are just not worth the price. what would a 5 bed 3/12 bath house 3000 sq foot house go for in the "good" part of Manassass?

And would it really be worth it?

the housing bubble in northern va saw house prices double in 5 years the double again in two. the house i bought in dale city in 97 doubled by the time i sold it in 2002. Two years later it doubled again.
So is a house that was 125 K in 1997 worth 500K in 2004?
no it is still the same crappy house.

Whether it would be "worth it" or not depends on your commute from Manassas. If you're living in an out of the public transportation-line part or sketch part of Manassas and commuting to MD or DC in the heart of rush hour by single passenger auto, no, totally not worth it.

5 bedroom 3.5 bath houses in good parts of Manassas can be had for 400k, though. Knock that down to 3-4BR and 2BA and you can find it for less than that.

*chuckle* I just realized that I'm mentioning that you look for several bath houses. Manassas probably isn't the best place for that.

[goldenmom7500]

I actually have a different answer on "is it worth it" - I moved to a different state where I'm in a gorgeous house, excellent neighborhood, for low 300s. I sort of decided that the whole Northern Virginia lifestyle maybe wasn't worth it - not that I'm a critic of Northern Virginia, Manassas, etc. - but there is a different way of life elsewhere if that's what you want or need (for me it was more the 'need' thing).

[mojo_1979]

Originally Posted by HEATHER72

I live in 20155 and bought my home in December of 2006. The builder hasn't lowered their prices since then...

LOL... Wake up and smell the roses.. builders are dropping prices like rocks and they're throwing in, FOR FREE, every incentive they can. They're paying your closing costs and giving you free granite, free sunroom extensions, etc. If your builder hasn't lowered their price since 2006 then they probably haven't sold a house in quite a long time.

All you have to do is go to Ryanhomes.com every so often. Every month or two for the past year they have lowered their prices.