Bristow: New SF homes around 400K... Worth it?

[sgermanguy]

Originally Posted by knopfler

NEW construction, you sloppy reader so and so. Re-read my post. If you can find NEW construction for under 400k in Springfield, I'll eat my shorts. That's what our friends are considering in Bristow.

(buying new construction, not eating my shorts. At least, I don't think so!)

I grew up in Annandale/West Springfield and love the area. No complaints about the area. That said, West Springfield HS and Battlefield HS are rough equivalents - they are both excellent options. The sketchy high school districts in Prince William are nowhere near Bristow.

Comparing Bristow/Gainesville/Haymarket (and parts of North Manassas/Sudley) to Woodbridge/Dale City is very much like comparing Vienna to Hybla Valley/Route 1 Corridor and saying they're the same thing, because they're both Fairfax County. Completely untrue.

How "new" is a home that has been sitting there empty for 6 months?
If you live in West Springfield, you are no more than 3 miles from the HS. How far is it from Bristow to BHS? There are no new homes in 22152, because there are no lots left--this adds to the value.

"North Manassas"? I've never heard that one before--that's a good one.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by sgermanguy

How "new" is a home that has been sitting there empty for 6 months?
If you live in West Springfield, you are no more than 3 miles from the HS. How far is it from Bristow to BHS? There are no new homes in 22152, because there are no lots left--this adds to the value.

"North Manassas"? I've never heard that one before--that's a good one.

I gather you're not stupid, you're just choosing not to get it in order to keep from admitting that gosh, you didn't see the "new" part and assumed I didn't know what I was talking about. They wanted first-owner new construction. Not foreclosed upon or empty for 6 months, or a property built in the 70's or 80's, but first owner new construction. There are advantages and disadvantages of going new-construction, but that's not what was asked - they've clearly already leaned in that direction. We don't have much of that in Springfield since it's an older town, and the fill-in lots you do find with new construction are filled with $700k+ properties on smaller lots than one would typically find in Bristow. The Springfield properties you're matching to their new construction in Bristow are largely 70's and 80's split levels and ramblers, with a few colonials thrown in. It's not a fair comparison. There are lots of good reasons for choosing West Springfield at a particular price point, and lots of good reasons for choosing Bristow at a particular price point.

North Manassas is simply my shorthand for referring to the part of Prince William County that's north of the City of Manassas. I've seen it be called Sudley although I think that's a bit of a stretch. If we didn't have two major Civil War battles here that were called Manassas (even though they were 7 miles north of Manassas), the area north of Manassas but south of Catharpin probably would be called Sudley. But as it is now, potentially having the Manassas Battlefield National Park in Sudley, VA sounds exceedingly lame.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by knopfler

NEW construction, you sloppy reader so and so. Re-read my post. If you can find NEW construction for under 400k in Springfield, I'll eat my shorts. That's what our friends are considering in Bristow.

(buying new construction, not eating my shorts. At least, I don't think so!)

I grew up in Annandale/West Springfield and love the area. No complaints about the area. That said, West Springfield HS and Battlefield HS are rough equivalents - they are both excellent options. The sketchy high school districts in Prince William are nowhere near Bristow.

Comparing Bristow/Gainesville/Haymarket (and parts of North Manassas/Sudley) to Woodbridge/Dale City is very much like comparing Vienna to Hybla Valley/Route 1 Corridor and saying they're the same thing, because they're both Fairfax County. Completely untrue.

Very well said.

[Daisyduff]

I know the exact neighborhood you're looking at -- we live just about a mile down the road (towards 29). We've been on this end of the county for five years after living five years on the Eastern end. We LOVE the Gainesville/Bristow/Haymarket area. Great schools, friendly people..... Plus, I love the addition of all the new shops and restaurants. The only concern I might have if I were you is the commute. I do know people that commute via train or bus to DC, but the commute to Old Town is the one that would worry me. Getting in an out of the District is bad enough, but when you've got to side-step your way around the beltway it can be HORRIBLE.