Why so many Manassas homes for sale? (Arlington, Reston: house prices, neighborhoods)

[car54]

Originally Posted by ggjacobsen

Oh, stop with all this talk about "illegals" causing housing values to fall. It simply isn't true. Housing prices all over N Va are falling because of the mortgage crisis and other factors.

Ummmm, they drop a little faster if the house next door has a couple dozen residents and an equal number of cars parked all over the yard.

[Merlander]

Originally Posted by El General

I agree, except it wasn't really nice 10 years ago.

I think all the discussion about illegal immigrants is kind of a moot point. Even if it's true, I just never saw the appeal of Manassas in the first place. A lot of people bought homes there because of affordability issues, and now that the market is falling, the least desirable places are falling the fastest.

[plf86]

get real people, the whole county has generally gone down the toilet. Bravo to the county for trying to curb the illegals.

They buy houses and live 20 to a house. If they get foreclosed on they just walk since they likely bought no money down and arent really out anything. On top of that, their credit isnt ruined because they just assume another identity. anyone hwo has lived in the county for a while knows that while it wasnt the greatest before, the influx of illegals is in direct corelation to the decline.

[normie]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

I think all the discussion about illegal immigrants is kind of a moot point. Even if it's true, I just never saw the appeal of Manassas in the first place. A lot of people bought homes there because of affordability issues, and now that the market is falling, the least desirable places are falling the fastest.

Bingo! That's exactly what's happening.

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by plf86

get real people, the whole county has generally gone down the toilet. Bravo to the county for trying to curb the illegals.

They buy houses and live 20 to a house. If they get foreclosed on they just walk since they likely bought no money down and arent really out anything. On top of that, their credit isnt ruined because they just assume another identity. anyone hwo has lived in the county for a while knows that while it wasnt the greatest before, the influx of illegals is in direct corelation to the decline.

I think that is what happened in Sterling Park. There are entire neighborhoods that have more cars per house than small used car lots, and, those residents usually have to park on the lawns. Most of the homes that originally had garages no longer do; they got converted over to make more liveable space. I know in some cases homeowners just need the room for a growing family; however, I can't help but feel it is needed by landlords to get more families to live in one house.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by plf86

get real people, the whole county has generally gone down the toilet. Bravo to the county for trying to curb the illegals.

They buy houses and live 20 to a house. If they get foreclosed on they just walk since they likely bought no money down and arent really out anything. On top of that, their credit isnt ruined because they just assume another identity. anyone hwo has lived in the county for a while knows that while it wasnt the greatest before, the influx of illegals is in direct corelation to the decline.

See I live in Manassas, and I can't find a car up on blocks, in yards, or people 20 to a home anywhere within eyeshot of my home. I know of some areas of Manassas where what you speak of can be true; however it's not fair or accurate to paint the whole 20109/20110/20111/20112 zip code swath with that label. There are plenty of lovely, safe, attractive areas here.

Also, I might add, there are a gracious plenty of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens who are being foreclosed upon. Illegal immigrants, however many of them there are or aren't, didn't cause our mortgage default problem.

[goldenmom7500]

Right, we are never going to agree about Manassas. There are some gorgeous areas - the homes on large lots of wooded land, the gorgeous parts in Robnel, wonderful Old Town, Sumner Lakes, etc., etc. The negative posts might reflect the bottom third or even half of the Manassas market, but do not encompass the area as a whole.

[plf86]

if 1/3 of the area is bad, it reflects on the entire area...

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by plf86

if 1/3 of the area is bad, it reflects on the entire area...

*chuckle* apparently only if it's Manassas. Easily 1/3 of the area known as Alexandria is sketch, yet Alexandria retains an overall great reputation because of all the nice areas of Alexandria. Same should apply here.

[El General]

Originally Posted by goldenmom7500

Right, we are never going to agree about Manassas. There are some gorgeous areas - the homes on large lots of wooded land, the gorgeous parts in Robnel, wonderful Old Town, Sumner Lakes, etc., etc. The negative posts might reflect the bottom third or even half of the Manassas market, but do not encompass the area as a whole.

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.