Buying a Home - RTC versus Fair Oaks vicinity (Reston: rental, violent crime)

[vinkrish]

My wife and I are new to NOVA and have been here for a year. We are right now in a beautiful (and expensive) rental unit in one of the high-rises right in the Reston Town Center. Both of us work, we're in our late 20s, and make about 170K combined, and now we want to buy our first home. We love the RTC so much that we end up spending a couple of hours almost every Sunday going to open houses of some real pretty new townhomes in and around the town center... but most of the ones we end up liking are like atleast about 100K over our budget (3bed+).
And then some days we just drive south on FFX Cty Pkwy from the RTC, darting in and out of some nice subdivisions that line 7100 on either side (Oak Hill, Herndon, all the way down to the Fair Oaks Mall). We like some of these houses too, given that they are comparatively bigger, Single Family, have a backyard, front yard, 2-car garage etc etc, which we would ideally like to have in our home.
Now comes the dilemma - Considering this will be our first home, we aren't sure if we need to 'settle' for a townhome, and possibly a smaller one at that, around the vibrant RTC, or pack up and move down south to Oak Hill/Herndon/Fairfax (around Fair Oaks) where we can probably afford a SF home for the same price that we'd pay for a townhome around RTC.
Sometimes, when we look at a possibly-affordable and beautiful newer townhome around RTC, we feel like we should settle for that even though it probably has no backyard, maybe a small deck, and a 1-car garage... reason being, it might fetch higher return on investment (than a comparable home further south around Fair Oaks) if we were to sell and upgrade to a bigger place, say in 6-7 yrs.
If you were us, what would you do? RTC or Fair Oaks vicinity?

[SteelCityRising]

I'd look more so at what you expect each neighborhood to be like in 5, 10, or even 20 years down the line. Granted I only visited Reston and Herndon for three days before signing my own lease right next to the Reston Town Center (Howdy future neighbor, by the way), but I just liked the potential that the areas adjacent to the RTC had. I could tell that there was still construction and infill development occurring in and around the RTC, and I expect to see some developers purchase low-rise buildings and/or vacant land nearby in order to eventually extend the boundaries of the RTC, making it more "city-like." I will soon be moving into a unit midway between RTC and Lake Anne, so I can easily foresee my own rent rising in the coming years as the RTC grows itself outwards (and upwards) towards me. I think property near to the RTC WILL appreciate generously in the coming years. Speaking from personal experience as a young transplant the main reason why I chose Archstone Charter Oak with its older buildings and lack of community amenities over comparably-priced complexes with more to offer was due to its location within walking distance of the RTC. I'm sure there are plenty of others like me as well who would be willing to pay a premium to live nearby in the coming years.

I'm not as familiar with the other area, but do the same assessment for there as well (maybe even a SWOT Analysis). If you foresee that area becoming a "hip" place to live as well in the coming years, then you'll only be doing yourselves a favor by purchasing there now while you can still afford to and then selling high in ten years to buy your TRUE dream homes by the time you're both 40.

[Borge]

Hmm... I'm not sure but I don't think the Reston area is any more expensive than Oak Hill or Fairfax down 7100. If anything I'd think the opposite unless your within walking distance to the RTC but than you should be comparing that to someplace like walking distance to Fairfax Corner. Being within walking distance to a town center is going to increase the price.

Some things to consider are the metro coming to Reston in the next decade or so that would be a big plus.

Also consider Schools, South Lakes High School is considered less desireable than Oakton/Chantilly/Westfields etc. Lots of areas in Oak Hill which went to Oakton High have recently been re-districted to South Lakes. So even if you don't plan on having kids now, it pays to know that could hurt property values.

Where do you work? Is it more convenient to live near Toll-Road/7100 or 7100/50/66?

Just some things to think about, all-in-all there all nice locations.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

It depends on if you plan on having kids - if not - I would stay in exciting RTC because the suburbs are mighty boring.

[vinkrish]

Thanks guys.. This really helps give it a perspective along the lines of things that we weren't really thinking about... like kids/schools etc., which we really weren't thinking about as yet, because we just got married last summer! We were only looking at things like commute (work in Tysons), neighborhood, demographic, size of house....
We hope to sell our first house, maybe after 6-7 years, make some good money off of the appreciation in value, and upgrade to a 'dream' home, considering we're buying in a down market and selling a few years after house prices have stabilized/increased.
So I guess, from an investment point-of-view, it makes sense to buy a smaller place within walking distance of the RTC, looking at appreciation potential, as compared to buying a bigger, more suitable house (in keeping with our requirements from a house) that might not have as big a return on investment in about 6-7 years.
I did notice that homes in Oak Hill are considerably more expensive than those just south of it falling under 'Herndon' and then moving further south into the Fair Oaks mall vicinity.
Anyways, thanks again. I'm gonna be doing a lot more research before I take the plunge!

[SteelCityRising]

In general Herndon seems to have a negative reputation, hence the more depressed housing values than neighboring communities, and I personally don't know why. We spent roughly 60% of our weekend in Herndon, and we thought it was a great place to potentially live. The town was very clean, very well-kept, very diverse, and had a wide array of housing options. All of the "horror stories" I was told about high violent crime and about "illegal immigrants on every corner" didn't seem to be true. Methinks some people are just Chicken Littles!

[normie]

Since both Reston and Fair Oaks are good neighborhoods, I'd focus more on finding a house and street that just "feels right." Buying a house is somewhat like finding a spouse. Take your time looking, and one day you will come across a place you just love.

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

...and about "illegal immigrants on every corner" didn't seem to be true. Methinks some people are just Chicken Littles!

The day laborer problem in Herndon is obvious on any given day. They're hanging out on many corners all day every day waiting on someone who wants cheap illegal labor rather than pay a fair wage to an American. The town, over the objections of voters a few years ago, established a day laborer center using tax dollars to set it up. Following the next election, when those responsible were voted out, it was closed and the problem has returned to the street corners. Somehow it seems the citizens of Herndon don't like the loitering, trash, and public urination that seems to accompany such gatherings. I work near Herndon but see the same things in areas of Manassas, which I live close to (but not too close!)

This is not a "Chicken Little" problem. People don't want such problems close to home and when it appears, it signals a strong downturn in the area, in property values, safety and quality of life. The perception of Herndon as a desirable place to reside has suffered greatly because of this issue.

[fdeitz]

Regarding the day laborer problem, up until last October I lived in Manassas and it is a terrible problem there. It is the main reason I moved out of there. Unfortunately, even though PWC has passed some laws to try and crack down on the problem, it persists. I didn't live real close to a day laborer site, but the problem affected my neighborhood with lots of trucks and such parked on the streets, etc. Also the amount of trash, loud noise, graffiti, etc. increased in a huge way the last few years I was there. I'm just happy I got out of there, as I don't see things moving in a positive direction for some time. I believe Manassas is much harder hit than Herndon, but I know for a time the problem was really bad in Herndon too.

[fdeitz]

Finally, anyone who does not believe in the day laborer problem, and illegals/day laborers hanging out at 7-11's, etc. is fooling themselves. I know many people have posted in forums about Manassas, that they no longer go to 7-11's there because the day laborers make them uncomfortable, particularly women. Also, someone can not become an expert having spent 48 hours at most in the area. Give us a break! It is not "chicken little" as that poster said! Enough already of pre-judging things based on your miniscule experience in the area. Suddenly you are an expert here and posting advice to people moving here on areas outside of Reston/Herndon even, where you haven't even set foot!