Where should we buy (Sterling 20165) (Alexandria, Herndon: sales, to rent, how much)

[MaIrVi]

Hi, guys,
We are planning to buy a house in Sterling 20165. We are 30 y.o. couple with 2 y.o. daughter. I’m SAHM, my husband is working in DC. He is planning to drive to Herndon Monroe Park&Ride, and then take a Bus to West Falls Church metro, we know it will be a little long, but we are fine with it. He is in IT, so he will probably find something else, who knows. Now we are living in Alexandria, but we should move, because there is no good elementary school here. Also we don’t want to rent anymore.
We want to buy a townhouse, but don’t know that to choose.
1st option
Newer townhouse in more expensive part of 20165, with better schools. Our price range is $250-300th. We don’t know if the school boundaries will change in next 3 years. It can be, so we probably will pay for nothing in that case. We are not planning to have more kids, so we don’t need to have a big home.
2nd option
Older townhouse in Countryside. We can find something 25 y.o. for $150-180th. Of course it won’t be a house we like, but I think it can be ok for 3-5 years. We can pay it off quickly and find something we really like. We won’t need a school in next 3 years, and can become more familiar with the area.
What do you think?
Sorry for the mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker.

[normie]

Both are good neighborhoods. So you really can't go wrong no matter which one you choose.

One way to choose is to decide if you're going to be moving again in a few years. If so, go for the less expensive place. If you're going to be in the townhouse for several years, make the investment and get the more expnsive place. After all, when prices go back up you'll end up with more money when the time comes to sell. But that would probably happen only if you held onto the townhouse for at least 5 years. This is just my opinion, by the way. I'm not a realtor.

[EuroExpat]

I personally like Countryside. And the elementary school is supposed to be good there. The location in convenient (all the shopping plus major routes nearby) and the houses are cute. If your budget is 250-300K, you could even afford a single family home. The houses aren't huge but cute and some of the lots are rather small.

[horseplayer]

I like Countryside, too. The area off of McPherson is nice. Steal a TH. Money talks......

[MaIrVi]

Thank you all.
What about the resale? What can we resale quicker? And I also worry about older house, what about maintenance, how much money can it take? Sorry for the stupid questions, it will be our first house.

[normie]

There's a woman in this forum named Margery who knows everything there is to know about Sterling resales. I suggest looking for her posts and then sending her a direct message to get the best answer.

My guess is that resales take more or less the same time in both areas. Unless the more expensive neighborhood happens to be very close to the Trump National Golf Course. I notice those properties seem to sell unusually quickly--not sure why that is, or if it's expected to continue.

You have to look at each property to determine maintenance issues, age isn't the only factor. Some 20 year old places have been well maintained and have new roofs, etc. Some newer properties need a lot of work. Nothing in Sterling is older than 20 years, if that helps.

One other tip: You don't have to drive to the Herndon Park and Ride. You can catch a bus to the West Falls Church metro station at Great Falls Plaza. They have designated parking spaces for metro riders there. Great Falls Plaza is at the corner of Lowes Island Blvd. and Algonkian Pkwy.

[MaIrVi]

Thank you, Normie. You were very helpful. We are still not quite sure what to buy. Your suggestion about a bus is great. I knew about this bus, but considered it only as an option for more expensive part of 20165 (I don’t know if it has one name), my bad.

[horseplayer]

resale speed depends a lot on your price--buy low, sell low (and quickly). The more expensive part is Cascades. 20165 is nicer than many parts of Fairfax County. I wouldn't want to go to DC more than a few times a month (best beer prices), but so many other employment centers are reasonable. A friend told me that now that the airlines are charging for bags, he'll just travel light, and walk to the terminal from 20165. He said it would take about an hour and 10 minutes. If you get much closer, the jet noise becomes a factor, and is much worse in South Riding.

[Margery]

[quote=normie;9365282]There's a woman in this forum named Margery who knows everything there is to know about Sterling resales. I suggest looking for her posts and then sending her a direct message to get the best answer.

Thanks for the kind words, Normie. I hope I can live up to that. You won't go wrong with any location in 20165 as far as schools go, I have 2 grandchildren in Potowmack Elementary so I am more familiar with that but I haven't heard anything bad about any of them. As far as re-sale, all areas are good. There were 37 sales in May in 20165, 26 of those sold in 30 days or less. There is no magic to picking the best area, all HOA's make sure the common areas are maintained and a drive around will impress you with the appearance of the area. My advice to you is pick an area with homes that suit your price range, visit it on the weekend when people are out working on their lawns and talk to them. Walk around the neighborhood and get a feel for it, they all have their own personality and you will find a place where you feel at home. Then buy in that neighborhood, enjoy your home and family without worrying about the future. None of us can predict the future, although many people on this forum think they can. To check on market statistics, go to MRIS.com, click on news and then click on market statistics. You can customize the reports by zipcode, which gives you specific info about that zip, or you can get info on a county basis, month by month or year to date. Good luck to you, I know you will love Loudoun County.

[mimitche]

I like Countryside as well. You might be able to find a SFH at the top end of your price range there. As far as I know 20165 is completely built out and there won't be any more school boundary changes so I wouldn't worry about that.

As far as your husband commuting to DC- I'd advise driving to the Dulles North Park & Ride (shorter drive than Monroe Park and Ride) and riding one of the Loudoun Commuter buses directly in to DC (quicker, more comfortable than Metro) More info and schedules can be found at Commuter Bus Schedules