Relocating to NOVA - Leesburg? (Arlington, Alexandria: new home, transfer, buy)

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by 5stones

I too would vote for Purceville if you want a slower pace. But still have grocery store, resturants etc... close by. It has a small little historic downtown as well.

But... If you want that Historic charm Leesburg is hard to beat. (we lived there for a couple of years) YOu 've got shopes, resturants, rec center, bars, outdoor concerts etc...

2007 -2008 RE market hit leesburg hard...(I outta know we lost a 90k on our house) 2003-2004 Many people moved out of thier tiny condos by the metro and bought out in the Leesburg area...Buliders went crazy and so did spec investors. So many people who bought in 2004-2005 paid about 100-150k too much...if you didn't put any money down that's a mighty big hole to climb out of.
Just do your reseach and steer clear of neighborhoods with high volumes of forclousers and rentals...you'll be fine.
I like the area of north Leesburg.

Only problem with north of Leesburg is Route 15. Being a single lane highway, any time there is an accident, it becomes a nightmare. At least Route 7 West is dual highway with more alternate routes.

Purcellville is kinda ugly but there is a lot of money and sophistication.

Good luck OP.

[Ashburnite]

Originally Posted by 5stones

If you want that Historic charm Leesburg is hard to beat. (we lived there for a couple of years) You've got shopes, resturants, rec center, bars, outdoor concerts etc...

I live near Leesburg and don't find the downtown area particularly charming. The potential is there but I think it needs a bigger draw than tea shops and expensive antique stores. But that's just my opinion. (I think downtown Gettysburg is much nicer.) I wish it had more to offer - for example, with Leesburg and Ashburn being very family oriented, I think a children's museum downtown would work well. Or something to bring more folks that way. It's too bad the library isn't downtown because I think that would help draw people.

So basically the important thing after getting some feedback on the various areas you should check them out yourself and see if they seem right for you. Look for a community that has features that interest you.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by leftyinch

Having recently retired in Chapel Hill NC we are looking to relocate to the DC area to be closer to our kids.

Are you looking for a "hometown feel", a more rural area, or planned developments in the suburbs?

The Leesburg areas overdeveloped IMO. The downtown area is quite small and there are McMansions, tract housing, and strip mall/town centers outside of the downtown area. Purcellville to the west as LynchburgLover mentioned, is a little more rural and affordable as far as single family homes. It is also easily accessible to DC and north to NYC on Rte 15. The Lucketts area, on Rte 15 may be suitable too but I am not sure about housing in that area or golfing. Lucketts and north Rte 15 is also close to Point of Rocks, MD and Harpers Ferry on the Potomac River which is beautiful and again, a fairly easy way out to NYC.

I would suggest also posting on the Maryland Forum. You may get some ideas of places to live which gives you easy access to both DC and NYC.

[Guamanians]

Originally Posted by 5stones

I too would vote for Purceville if you want a slower pace. But still have grocery store, resturants etc... close by. It has a small little historic downtown as well.

But... If you want that Historic charm Leesburg is hard to beat. (we lived there for a couple of years) YOu 've got shopes, resturants, rec center, bars, outdoor concerts etc...

2007 -2008 RE market hit leesburg hard...(I outta know we lost a 90k on our house) 2003-2004 Many people moved out of thier tiny condos by the metro and bought out in the Leesburg area...Buliders went crazy and so did spec investors. So many people who bought in 2004-2005 paid about 100-150k too much...if you didn't put any money down that's a mighty big hole to climb out of.
Just do your reseach and steer clear of neighborhoods with high volumes of forclousers and rentals...you'll be fine.
I like the area of north Leesburg.

Thats what I had thought... And you also had gas prices skyrocket which really hurt the people who had to commute from Leesburg to DC. If gas prices jump over $3/gal then the real estate market will remain slow for the "burbs.

[tysons2008]

Leesburg is a great choice. We just moved here last Summer and just in awe how much we love it. Housing here is solid. We actually had to offer over the asking price bc we kept getting outbid on homes. Homes are flying off the market in Leesburg. The homes that push the numbers down are the more expensive homes. The reasonable home market in Leesburg is going strong and the market will come back big since a lot of jobs are in the Dulles Corridor. That will only rise with the Metrorail extension and HOT Lanes project....increasing mobility and economic development = more jobs = solid housing mkt.
If I were retired, I would not move any closer to DC than Leesburg. All other reasonable areas have other issues, especially traffic.

[Denton56]

Stoneleigh is great neighborhood with a beautiful golf course. You could make friends instantly by joining their Country Club. http://www.stoneleighgolf.com/ The neighborhood that surrounds the course has some beautiful homes. You can check them here: FranklyMLS.com Virginia & DC MLS via Keyword Search & Wiki. Homes for Sale That's a good website for looking for homes in whole area. Just type in the area where you want to look, like Leesburg, or Purcellville. You can also check for sold homes in the last year or the last 4 years.

I must warn you, Loudoun county has the highest property taxes in the state. They will soon go to $1.41 per $100. So a nice family home of $700,000 will have property taxes of around $10,000 per year. That's quite a large addition to your mortgage, $800 more a month. Western Loudoun is beautiful, with mountain views, horse farms and many vineyards. But it's NOT cheap!

[Ashburnite]

The Brambleton subdivision in the Ashburn area is nice and has shopping, walking trails, and nice landscaping.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Guamanians

Thats what I had thought... And you also had gas prices skyrocket which really hurt the people who had to commute from Leesburg to DC. If gas prices jump over $3/gal then the real estate market will remain slow for the "burbs.

That doesn't really make sense. Why would people commute from Leesburg to DC? The jobs are in the suburbs, not in DC. Most of the new jobs are in the Dulles Corridor, in other words the Reston/Herndon/Ashburn/Leesburg area.

[leftyinch]

$1.41/$100? That is New Jersey-esque!!! Not really what I am looking for when one considers living on a fixed income. Are the rates at that level now or is this the expectation?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Ashburnite

I wish it had more to offer - for example, with Leesburg and Ashburn being very family oriented, I think a children's museum downtown would work well.

I totally agree. I'd love to see the developers who are talking about a second baseball stadium build a permanent home for the children's museum instead. A travelling museum is ok, but we really need a permanent home for it.