Relocating from Europe to Great Falls or surrounding area (Reston: bank owned, foreclose)

[arabellava]

I meant to put it in quotes "free" - I said we paid taxes on top of fairfax county- that is supposed to cover services like trash etc.. that shows it's in no way free

[FranklyRE]

Hey Regan,
The places you discussed are between the airport and DC.

However the further you get from DC the more your money will stretch. If you go on the other side of Dulles, even by just 10 minutes, you get into some areas where you can get a mansion for HALF the price in Great Falls.

Also there are MANY bank sales in Loudoun. Recently I helped somebody get a place that was previously $800,000 for $400,000.

So if DC is not your priority and you want bank for your buck, then look further out.

Moderator cut: sig removed

[saganista]

Originally Posted by arabellava

A clarification, trash is once a week and recyclables are once a week.. As you said, free since we pay town of vienna taxes on top of ffx cty.. (we've been happy with town services)

Ah, I stand corrected, then. They must use the same trucks for both jobs. Either that or my typical drives take me along multiple routes, as I seem to see the trucks more often than once a week...

[saganista]

As the economists say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. But the town taxes are a lump sum that you pay regardless. What you get in return is a pretty nice package of valuable services that happens to include trash collection at no charge. A typical non-resident in the area could expect to pay better than $500 per year for residential trash collection. That's pretty close to half the town taxes on a $600K home right there...even though the $.18 per hundred rate I noted earlier has been raised to $.21 for 2008...

[Regan]

Dear Frank,

Thanks for your comment on Loundoun. Are there any significant differences between demographics in Loundoun and Great Falls? Even though we appreciate bank for the buck and wouldn't mind a mansion, I'm a bit concerned when you say that the there are lots of bank sales. Can we also find these in Great Falls with the credit crunch you are experiencing now?

Do you also know what we can expect to pay for schooling etc for our daughter. Are non-private schools free in Fairfax and Loundoun?

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by Regan

Dear Frank,

Thanks for your comment on Loundoun. Are there any significant differences between demographics in Loundoun and Great Falls? Even though we appreciate bank for the buck and wouldn't mind a mansion, I'm a bit concerned when you say that the there are lots of bank sales. Can we also find these in Great Falls with the credit crunch you are experiencing now?

Do you also know what we can expect to pay for schooling etc for our daughter. Are non-private schools free in Fairfax and Loundoun?

Public (non-private) schools in both Fairfax and Loudoun are funded through property taxes.

Langley High School and the other schools in the Great Falls area are known to be exceptional while the schools in Loudoun are known to be very good.

There will be a demographic difference between Loudoun and Great Falls - it will be subtle and has a lot to do the with the substantially higher prices of houses in Great Falls. I have not investigated bank sales but would imagine that there would be substantially fewer bank sales in Great Falls than in Loudoun.

[smaug20000]

I recommend that you look at Greatscools.net - It will tell you ratings for the schools and also demographic information. I find that very helpful because there are some areas around here with a large immigrant population, and it is nice to know that before you move to a particular neighborhood. For instance, I was researching some areas in Vienna and found a school or two that was majority latino. That would be a great asset if you want your child to learn spanish growing up. So anyway, it's good to research as much as possible the schools ahead of time.

[Regan]

:-) Thanks all

I see there are quite a number of foreclosures in the DC area. What are the down sides of such processes - besides the fact that it could take time? Would such process include pre-payments, hiring of lawyers etc? Could one, having initated a bank sale process, back out and purchase another house or are you tied down until process has ended?

[arabellava]

Originally Posted by saganista

Ah, I stand corrected, then. They must use the same trucks for both jobs. Either that or my typical drives take me along multiple routes, as I seem to see the trucks more often than once a week...

I can see why you thought that- those trucks are always out! They basically go out every day of the week- for either trash or recyclables.. for recyclables they have one truck for glass and one for paper..(that come and pick up the same day)..

[saganista]

Originally Posted by smaug20000

For instance, I was researching some areas in Vienna and found a school or two that was majority latino.

Percentage of Hispanic Students at Public Schools in Vienna:

Cunningham Park Elementary --- 19%
Louise Archer Elementary --- 5%
Marshall Road Elementary --- 6%
Vienna Elementary --- 7%
Westbriar Elementary --- 5%
Wolftrap Elementary --- 1%

Thoreau Middle School --- 6%
James Madison High School --- 5%