Relocating to NOVA - Leesburg? (Alexandria, Reston: foreclosures, rentals, condos)

[leftyinch]

Having recently retired in Chapel Hill NC we are looking to relocate to the DC area to be closer to our kids. Was researching the Leesburg area which, on paper, looks to offer what we're seeking (a town of decent size, within 1 hr of DC, decent property taxes) however our inquiries on Trulia reveal an inordinate number of foreclosures. Has the area been developed to the point that the present market value is at best uncertain? Thanks

[Caladium]

I'm surprised to hear this, but Leesburg is a very large area. My guess is that the foreclosures are mostly in the same development, maybe one that was built in 2006. If that's the case, then I'd avoid that development. But as far as I know, Leesburg is not in any kind of trouble. Several areas, such as Lansdowne, are doing very well.

What exactly are you looking for? And where do the kids live? The reason I ask is that there are a number of other communities around Leesburg that might be just as appealling to you. Many people from out of state don't realize eastern Loudoun County is full of small communities. They don't appear on a lot of maps for some strange reason, but they're there.

[leftyinch]

Caladium
Thanks for your quick reply. We have a son in DC and a daughter in NYC and would like to be closer. i will not move to NJ (where we lived for 10 yrs) due to the cost of living so it comes down to MD or VA.
We are looking for a town setting where you don't have to drive 10 miles for a cup of coffee or a qt of milk. My wife goes to a gym and I play golf - that's about it. We're looking for a stand alone house but will consider a condo if we must. The prices in Annapolis and Alexandria are unrealistic, which brings me to Leesburg. Do you have any suggestions?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by leftyinch

Caladium
Thanks for your quick reply. We have a son in DC and a daughter in NYC and would like to be closer. i will not move to NJ (where we lived for 10 yrs) due to the cost of living so it comes down to MD or VA.
We are looking for a town setting where you don't have to drive 10 miles for a cup of coffee or a qt of milk. My wife goes to a gym and I play golf - that's about it. We're looking for a stand alone house but will consider a condo if we must. The prices in Annapolis and Alexandria are unrealistic, which brings me to Leesburg. Do you have any suggestions?

LOL, I have lots of suggestions. Are there any other things in particular that you'd like? And what sort of budget do you have?

Two towns in particular that I really like are Reston and Cascades. I live in Cascades, so hope you don't mind if I get a little rah rah rah. I like it here--that's why I bought a house here. It's not urban or anything, but every store you can imagine is either along Rt. 7 or in DTC or Cascades Marketplace. The neighborhoods also have small shopping plazas within walking distance for things like coffee, Rite-Aid, or groceries. We have an excellent senior center and library, and you can easily get into DC without needing to drive (a major plus for me). The HOAs have their own gyms and pools, and in addition to that just down the street the County has Claude Moore Park (http://www.loudoun.gov/default.aspx?tabid=841 - broken link) which has an incredible indoor facility with pools, a rocking climbing wall, gym, etc. I like to golf at Algonkian Park, but you can also join Trump National, which is in Lowes Island.
Algonkian Park
Trump National Golf Course

Cascades is right on the border of Fairfax and Loudoun counties, which would make it more conveneient than Leesburg. DC is about a 40-50 minute drive from Cascades.

But before I get too rah rah rah, the other communities are nice, too. Like I said Reston is a really neat little town IMO. Here are some photos to give you an idea of some of the communities you might like. These are in the eastern part of Loudoun or the western part of Fairfax:

Lowes Island (Lowes Island is part of Cascades, which is the northern section of Sterling. Zip code 20165)
Reston-South Lakes
Reston-Town Center and Lake Anne
Herndon
Brambleton (a part of Ashburn)
Vienna
Leesburg

[arielmina]

you could go farther out to Hamilton, Purcellville or Round Hill as well. I am in Round Hill and it's exactly one hour door to door for me to get to Union Station on a weekend or off hours.

I think Leesburg is fairly stable price-wise but I do personally think it's overdeveloped unless you get out into the countryside more.

[LynchburgLover]

Try Purcellville -- reasonable size town and prices. There's two golf clubs close by -- Loudoun Golf and Stoneleigh in Round Hill that are more affordable than the ones in Leesburg. There's a gym, two grocery stores (with a third planned), coffee shops, couple of restaurants (one very nice). Not as densely populated as Leesburg and not as hard hit by foreclosures. SFHs on 1/4 acre lots in the $450-500K range. Of course, there are also lots of McMansions (from the $700K and up range) all around town, if you want more acreage.

And it's only 15 minutes from everything else in Leesburg.

[bornindc]

Originally Posted by Caladium

It's not urban or anything, but every store you can imagine is either along Rt. 7 or in DTC or Cascades Marketplace. Every neighborhood has shopping plazas within walking distance for things like coffee or groceries. We have an excellent senior center and library, and you can easily get into DC without needing to drive (a major plus for me).

For the OP, I believe Caladium's reference to the "DTC" here is the Dulles Town Center which is a nice, new retail center in that Ashburn/Cascades area.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by bornindc

For the OP, I believe Caladium's reference to the "DTC" here is the Dulles Town Center which is a nice, new retail center in that Ashburn/Cascades area.

Thanks for explaining that, rep points to you. I do tend to use the acronyms a bit too much.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by arielmina

you could go farther out to Hamilton, Purcellville or Round Hill as well. I am in Round Hill and it's exactly one hour door to door for me to get to Union Station on a weekend or off hours.

I think Leesburg is fairly stable price-wise but I do personally think it's overdeveloped unless you get out into the countryside more.

Yes, those are nice communities too. A little more out in the country but OTOH you get more for your money.

Here are some photos:

photo-tour hamilton-purcellville-round-hill

[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.