Buying a house in NoVA.

[Denton56]

Move into the town of Vienna and you won't have to worry about being booted from Madison. It is the town high school and there is NO WAY that the town council would allow the country to redistrict anyone in the town out of Madison.

[Denton56]

Knoxville girl,
I know of an available house, in good shape, walking distance to metro and in the town of Vienna. They've done a ton of work on it and it's about to go on the market, so you might get a good deal now, before they list it. Send me a private message, if you are interested. Or anyone else who is interested.

[barryhussein]

Originally Posted by car54

I don't get this mindset that new=better! All I'd need to walk right through the exterior wall of most new houses is a utility knife (to cut the vinyl siding) and my big foot to kick through the 1/4" of sheathing and 1/2" of drywall.

This Woodson district has many very nice neighborhoods of solidly built 1960's houses that are solid brick and block (on all four sides!), not that fake brick veneer front like out in Loudoun. 750K will buy a beautiful house in Camelot or Mantua, with plenty of money left over to retrofit it with whatever modern geegaws that are chic at the moment.

Don't let that granite and stainless steel crap fool you...most new houses are stapled together in a factory and thrown up on site as cheaply as possible.

To the OP: Be very careful if you are shopping for a house in a particular school district. The Fairfax School Board does regular "redistrictings"....most recently a bruising one in the western part of the County. It involved sending kids from Westfield, Oakton, Madison, and Chantilly high schools to under-enrolled (and poorly regarded) South Lakes High School. The lawsuit is still pending over this redistricting. So buy a house as close to the desired school as possible....across the street is best!

Here's the site belonging to the parents fighting the last redistricting:

FairfaxCAPS - Fairfax Coalition of Advocates for Public Schools

Very sound advice 54. I look at those vinyl siding monstrosities in Haymarket, and it almost makes me queezy. I've seen more architectural style in old commie, government housing, in Warsaw. I would be a really practical place to buy if you hated your family, though--you wouldn't be home much; you would be out in some of the worst traffic in the United States.

[mojo_1979]

Originally Posted by FranklyRE

For the most part, you get that $50k back when you sell it (even if the market went up or down)

So let me get this straight... If you spend an extra $50k now, you will get that money back when you sell it, even if prices have gone down? This is definitely some "fuzzy math".

By my calculations, you will lose $50k alone just on the realtor fees when you sell. Plus you have to account for the fact that Fairfax and Loudoun county prices are in a serious decline right now. No offense, I'm sure you're a great person, but only a realtor could make a statement like the one above.

[aliciamonahan]

I am a Realtor and therefore cannot give specific advice about schools, but here is what I tell my clients.

When thinking about buying a home in the DC area first think about your commute! Find your limits on how far, how long, and how much traffic you are willing to drive in and stay within those. Research the schools within these areas and go see them if you can, especially in session. Also, what makes a school a great one to you? Some people look at the sports teams, if they have sports oriented children. Some look at academic programs alone, extracurricular activities, the theater, art or choral program etc. When buying a home you also have to keep re-sale in mind. The next buyer of your home may care more about their commute than having the top school system. Homes that are closer to the majority of jobs tend to increase in value faster than those that are a hefty drive away. Always stay within your budget and do not buy more home than you can afford!

Happy house hunting!

[handy man88]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Move into the town of Vienna and you won't have to worry about being booted from Madison. It is the town high school and there is NO WAY that the town council would allow the country to redistrict anyone in the town out of Madison.

Keep in mind that Vienna City is less upscale than Vienna itself. A lot of older homes and infills. Also, there are parts of Vienna City that send kids to Marshall HS.