possible relocation to area(Nokesville,Manassas,Lorton, Burke) (Alexandria, Springfield: how much, houses)

[acdkayak]

Hi,

It feels odd to post this as I grew up in Fairfax and spent many years in Prince William County, but the area has changed quite a bit since I last lived there (8 years ago) so I feel I need to post some questions.

My hubby is looking at a job at the Patent Office in Alexandria (on VRE). He will really only be commuting every day for 9 months, then will likely work 10 hour days and then after another 9 months to a year be able to telecommute effectively full-time. So, he is willing to put up with a hell commute for those 2 years to get enough land that he can "tinker" (he likes to build boats). I telecommute full-time.

So...we are looking for a house with at least 2500 sq ft, at LEAST and acre, preferrably trees, not a through street, decent school district. We would like to stay below 450k in todays market (if it starts swinging up, then we would reevaluate that number)

Nokesville keeps popping up....as does Manassas.

So here are the questions:

1. Any feedback on the new Kettle Run High School (some Nokesville houses are in Fauquier)

2. Osbourn Park....I have heard mixed reviews on this school...some say it has improved....others say it still is rough and not-so-good.

3. Any word on whether VRE is planning to continue expansion, if so where?

4. How is the drive from Warrenton area to Bristow VRE?

5. Changing focus to the other VRE route...how is Lorton?

6. Springfield? (I know our land preference is not possible there for the price)

7. Burke? (again I realize the land to price issue here)

8. Any areas that I missed that I should look at?

We are fortunate in that I have lots of family in Fairfax, so we will be able to make many recon trips. Our first is this weekend with a Nokesville/Manassas focus.

Thanks in advance for the input!

Anne

[mominbristow]

Don't know how much help I can be since I can't answer a lot of your questions, but I personally think Nokesville would give you the most bang for your buck, especially if it's land you're after. Don't know anything about the new Kettle Run school, but our daughter goes to Brentsville and we love it. Sure, it's a bit old and crowded these days, but we love the teachers and the education she's receiving and, most importantly, she feels safe at this school. It's still "cow-pie high," which, in my opinion, isn't necessarily a bad thing considering the problems the more urban schools face. FWIW, there are plans for a new high school on Kettle Run Rd in Nokesville (no relation to the Fauquier Kettle Run!). Last I heard, this was scheduled for 2012 and as I understand it would replace Brentsville...

As far as VRE, my husband takes the train from the Bristow station (the first stop). Rt 28 has been widened from Linton Hall into Manassas, and they finally installed a traffic light (and a shopping center!!) at Piper Lane, so it's much easier getting out in the evening. Since it's the first stop, there's generally no problems finding a seat on the train.

Good luck!