Chesterbrook area of McLean - desirable?

[DC resident]

Wow. So many people looking in McLean! Our family [wife and two kids] has also been looking in McLean that past couple of months. We have looked in N. Arlington, City of Falls Church, Vienna and Great Falls too. I think we have decided, for now, that we like City of Falls Church, McLean and N. Arlington. Great Falls and Vienna are to far out. We actually gave Vienna one last try this weekend as I was interested in a couple of listings on Tapawingo St. We drove around the area behind the shopping center in the middle of town. Many of the homes had no curb appeal and then there are the new craftsman’s style homes, they just did not seem to fit in well. I've been to Chesterbrook, and they have done a much better job of making new homes fit into the landscape. And the commute was terrible. Driving from DC on Sunday afternoon there was stop and go traffic on 66, especially as you approached the Nutley St/Vienna exit. While there are some nice homes in Vienna, McLean [Chesterbrook and Franklin Park areas] and City of Falls Church are more desirable to us. Two things McLean has that we really like .. the maturity of the neighborhoods, the trees and hills and the proximity to DC.

[rarebucky]

I am ok with a 0.25 acre lot. Not ideal but for the next 5-7 years should be perfect.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by DunnLauren

We recently looked at the house on Pathfinder Lane too. We thought the house was incredibly nice inside and the price was reasonable for the amount of space.

The deal-breaker was the lot. We knew the lot was small but hadn't anticipated that another similar house would be in the backyard! I know the developer must have just been trying to cram as many houses as possible in the neighborhood, but it was off-putting. Was that your reaction too, Rarebucky? We've also looked in Chesterbrook and haven't come across any lots that were so odd. But the prices there are generally higher.

Oh well, the right houses are out there somewhere. Guess I know what we'll be doing next Sunday.

P.S. - I laughed when I saw the reference in another post to the Rubicon Trail. One of the things my DH said when we driving around some of the hilly areas of Chesterbrook was "if we move here, we'll have to buy a four-wheel drive." Maybe he just wanted one anyway, but some of the roads did seem better than others.

There's a difference between poorly maintained roads (thus my reference to the Rubicon Trail) vs. hilly areas. In general, you'll find hilly areas in Vienna (north of maple) all the way up to Great Falls, and many parts of North McLean.

[DC resident]

While looking in CHESTERBROOK did anyone look at 1856 Patton Ter MLS #
FX6961206? Thoughts about the home or the area? Listed at 2900 sq ft, but felt smaller.