Request info on "South Run" section of Springfield (Burke: foreclosure, renter)

[Moose4]

My wife and I are relocating to Northern Virginia and are have toured the area and are initially interested in the "South Run" area of Springfield, zip code 22153. We are interested in any positive or negative feedback out there.

We will be commuting to downtown DC (the SW waterfront area). We will almost always have 3 members of our family in the car on the way to/from work, so we should be able to use HOV most days. We also get some work reimbursment for metro or VRE, so those are options too.

A few questions:
1. This area looks like a nice family area. Anyone have the opposite opinion.
2. How miserable will the commute be?
3. Schools seem to generally be Sangster elementary and Lake Braddock Secondary. Online info appears positive on these schools. Any other opinions? There have been lots of postings saying that Springfield homes feeding West Springfield HS are best, is Lake Braddock worse?
4. We may need to leave the area for a few years and then come back. During that time we'd probably rent out the house. Is this a good rental market? We were thinking that it might be good for military families going to Ft. Belvoir. Does that seem right?

We are also going to be looking at parts of Burke too, but that area seems farther to I-95, the nearest metro (springfield), and FT Belvoir.

Any feedback or information will be helpful! Thanks.

[mlv311]

1. That area is considered West Springfield and it is well regarded. It is overall safe, family-friendly and accessible to shopping and amenities.

2. I'm not sure how long the commute would be if you use HOV lanes. My husband commutes from Burke into DC and it takes him an hour in the mornings and sometimes up to 1.5 hours in the evenings (and he doesn't work the traditional rush hours). Your evening commute will be worse during inclement weather. But the good thing is that you have commuting alternatives nearby (e.g., express buses, driving to metro, VRE, or slugging).

3. Sangster and Lake Braddock are well regarded (despite the recent news story on the soccer team suspension). The one issue some folks don't like about Lake Braddock (like Robinson) is the size--it combines middle school and high school.

4. Many military families choose to rent in the area (West Springfield and Burke) so you shouldn't have a problem renting it out in the future.

Best wishes on your relocation.

[ChristineVA]

I can't really provide too many comments because I don't live there, but I have never heard anything negative about South Run. I think it is a well-regarded established neighborhood.

I live much farther out (Woodbridge) and I use HOV lanes. My commute is never over 45 minutes unless something terrible happens. If you are sticking to HOV, you will be fine. Now, I don't know what your back road traffic will be like once you exit HOV. It could be congested.

[nwc07]

Which South Run are you referring to? South Run off of Lee Chapel and 7100? South Run Forest?

There are 2 lots nearby--Rolling Valley Mall and also Sydenstryker if you need to pick or be a slug. Its a quick ride (10-15 mins tops) to the HOV lane off 7100 near the Springfield mall. This is a nice, safe area and the mentioned schools are highly sought after. You will have NO PROBLEM finding a renter I know about 3 people currently looking for a rental in that area. The jogging/bike paths behind here all lead to Burke Lake and Mercer Lake. There is also the Rec Center and a nearby dog park. The only negative I would say is it isnt "close" to many stores you are in between Springfield Mall, Fair Lakes and Potomac Mills..

[sweetpotater58]

The South Run area of West Springfield/Fairfax County is a very nice area. Schools, parks, Libraries and shopping all nearby.

[CaseyMac]

South Run is a very good part of Fairfax County as a whole. There is the full-service South Run Rec Center there as well. Not sure what membership fees are, but look online at Fairfax Co. Parks & Recreation. There are two negatives to it:

1) Lake Braddock. West Springfield is better than LB if for nothing else that it is a traditional 9-12 school, versus that crazed 1970s idea of having 7-12 in one school. I fully acknowledge thousands of students go through LB just fine, but I like the traditional 9-12 format and this would be a detractor in me purchasing a home in SR.

2) The vicinity. Besides Huntsman Square (Giant and other shops) and the Burke shopping centers, you really are not that close to a major shopping mall, Barnes & Noble, good restaurants, etc. They are all 20 minutes away. Personally, I like having those things under 10 minutes from me. Additionally, Springfield Mall is so bonkers now (I think they are tearing it down) that your major mall is Fair Oaks, which is a very nice mall, but you are looking at 20 minutes easily door-to-door.

Hope this helps and good luck to you in your move!

[nwlv]

My family moved to 22150, when JFK was still President. I like 22152, for its closer in commute. The area you're talking about would be a good investment. Parts of Newington suck; but the area near Lee Chapel is very good. You would be spending more time on the Parkway. From 22152, you can just take Old Keene Mill Rd. That area around Rolling Valley Mall used to be Commuter Hell; the parkway changed all of that. Personally, I would spend the 180K, and get an SFH in the Crestwood area. For more upscale; I would cross Accotink creek into 22152--but that will cost you.

[cardinal2007]

1. My family used to live in the Orange Hunt area just a bit north of there. If you're talking about South Run Estates, that is a nice area. The Orange Hunt area seemed nice to me, but the houses there are a bit older, early 70s/late 60s.

2. The commute is not that bad from near the parkway, but still it can be slow in the morning going toward the I-95, even at 6:15am. The HOV lanes tend to be fast, but not super fast, 50-65mph most of the time.

3. The South Run Estates feeds to Lake Braddock, but nearby developments feed to different schools.

http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarym...braddockss.pdf
http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarym...ingfieldhs.pdf

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/maps/im...danceAreas.pdf
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/maps/im...danceAreas.pdf

Just north of South Run Estates will feed to West Springfield, and just south will feed to South County.
The boundaries can change though, when my family moved from Orange Hunt to Newington my home school changed from West Springfield to Hayfield, Newington was in the Hayfield boundaries, now it is in South County. I can't tell you anything about the quality of those schools since I didn't attend any of them, except for taking 2 courses at West Springfield when I was in 8th grade, there is one obscure benefit of attending Braddock or South County instead of Irving and West Springfield I guess.

4. The rental market is pretty healthy there, there is a lot of competition, but a lot of demand as well, in comparison to most places where there are only a few houses to for rent. As long as you're okay renting out at market rents then you will have no problem finding a family to rent your house out to. You should be careful though in that unless you buy a foreclosure and fix it up you will find that the rents will not cover the mortgage, unless you put down significant amount of money. For example if you buy a house for $539k, you would need to have put down $137k in order to have a mortgage+tax payment of $2493, just below the market rent of $2495, that doesn't include insurance and maintenance costs. If you're okay with losing a bit of money and putting down a lot of money then that's good. I'm sure you will have no problem finding someone to rent to who will take care of the place. The South Run Estates is more expensive than that, but the rent to own ratio should be about the same. On the flip side though you will find that if you're one of those people that hates renters that most likely there will be someone renting out a house somewhere in the neighborhood. If you buy in the brand new development of $1M+ houses you will probably find less demand to rent and less people renting out properties too, you can always go that way.