Info about Parkside at Alexandria? (Arlington: for sale, apartments, condos)

[pandoragrl]

Hello, I'm looking in the Alexandria/Arlington areas for a condo/townhome and came across some for sale at Parkside at Alexandria. I googled them and can only find info about some of them going to auction a couple of years ago...Is anyone familiar with this area (Van Dorn St. near Seminary Rd) and/or the townhomes in the complex? I'm a first-time home buyer so I'm trying to be extra cautious. My primary concerns are safety and a non-horrendous commute to DC (45 min max to Farragut West).

I'm also looking in Fairlington and Shirlington and have found a few places that I like, but all have baseboard heat and wall unit air and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet considering that prices aren't particularly low in that area.

Anyway, any insight into the Parkside at Alexandria complex/area would be greatly appreciated. This forum is seriously a lifesaver!

[pcity]

I don't know that much about the complex, but I do know it is old (though not as old as Fairlington!), it used to be apartments and converted to condos a few years back. They had trouble selling all of them and that's why they did an auction. I got a lot of flyers about the condo conversion back when I lived in Arlington.

As for the area, it seems safe to me. I don't hear about too much crime happening in that part of the city.

[pandoragrl]

Thank you - I appreciate the insight because I literally have not found ANYTHING on this neighborhood through google or any other forums...

[michellenova]

Hi there! My boyfriend used to live at Parkside, and I still have friends that do. Like pcity said, the complex is old and was a condo conversion, but I do think that they did a great job with updating and renovating with newer appliances and paint/ drywall. I'm not sure what your commute would be to DC, but I can definately say that I always felt safe in that neighborhood. The neighbors are very friendly, a lot of younger couples and some families. The pool there is one of the nicer and bigger ones too, so that's also a great perk. My only complaint is, during the time my boyfriend used to live there, the neighborhood was notorious for getting cars towed. They are very strict about having parking passes, and I remember that they'd start towing early in the night, so it can be a problem if visitors can't get to the office before it closes to get a pass. There is street parking, but that usually fills up quickly. Other than that, at the prices these condos are going for now, I think that it is a good buy inside the beltway.