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Old 04-07-2010, 12:59 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,852,003 times
Reputation: 19090

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Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagotodc View Post
$500K in Reston buys you a nice townhome or perhaps even a SF, $500K in Mclean buys you a cat-infested 1980's shag urine-stained carpet decor should-a-been-a-teardown 2 bd. Well ok, maybe not *that* bad, but you get my point.

Surely there's a reason for the price difference.

edit: I see you edited your response after I replied.
Also, some of Reston was built in the 60's, 70's and 80's. So, some of it is well built but you'll find some "should-a-been-a-teardown's" there, too. Eastern Loudoun is mostly new. Some neighborhoods are just a few years old, but most of the area was built 5-15 years ago. IMO, the construction in Loudoun tends to be a little better than the construction in Reston (with some big exceptions, such as Newport lake area in Reston).
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Old 04-07-2010, 03:44 PM
 
2,462 posts, read 8,894,396 times
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"$500K in Reston buys you a nice townhome or perhaps even a SF, $500K in Mclean buys you a cat-infested 1980's shag urine-stained carpet decor should-a-been-a-teardown 2 bd. Well ok, maybe not *that* bad, but you get my point.

Surely there's a reason for the price difference."

Of course there is. McLean is a lot closer to DC. And because there are very few low-income families in McLean, the schools there have higher test scores. Those two factors generally explain about 90% of housing price differentials in northern Virginia.
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Old 04-08-2010, 10:41 AM
 
837 posts, read 1,794,348 times
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So my wife is falling in love with Georgetown. Anyone have any idea what it might mean to commute from Georgetown to Mclean? I'm guessing 1 hour?

Are the times listed here even remotely accurate?

http://blog.brianblock.com/public/item/232352

They stirke me as low.
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Old 04-08-2010, 10:51 AM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,852,003 times
Reputation: 19090
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagotodc View Post
So my wife is falling in love with Georgetown. Anyone have any idea what it might mean to commute from Georgetown to Mclean? I'm guessing 1 hour?
I don't know offhand, but crossing the river can be a pain if the bridge gets backed up.
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Old 04-08-2010, 10:54 AM
 
216 posts, read 630,773 times
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I think the times are accurate assuming there is no traffic. But the traffic can be pretty bad. It took me half an hour this mornining on GW Parkway to get from Chain Bridge Road in McLean to the Roosevelt Bridge (normally a 5-7 minute drive). That said, you'll be going against traffic so perhaps it won't be bad.
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Old 04-08-2010, 11:30 AM
 
5,125 posts, read 10,049,028 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagotodc View Post
So my wife is falling in love with Georgetown. Anyone have any idea what it might mean to commute from Georgetown to Mclean? I'm guessing 1 hour?

Are the times listed here even remotely accurate?

Commuting from McLean Virginia: An Easy Commute to Almost Everywhere | Virginia Real Estate News

They stirke me as low.
Georgetown is a completely different residential experience than a place like McLean. However, if you're looking for suburban charm in McLean, you might want to take a look at Franklin Park, where there a lot of nice houses in heavily wooded areas. It's in the part of McLean that borders North Arlington.
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Old 04-08-2010, 12:23 PM
 
309 posts, read 825,723 times
Reputation: 99
Are the times listed here even remotely accurate?

Commuting from McLean Virginia: An Easy Commute to Almost Everywhere | Virginia Real Estate News

They stirke me as low.

I think he forgot the disclaimer:

"travel times are based on no one else being on the road"
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Old 04-08-2010, 08:35 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,272,372 times
Reputation: 7137
You're not going to find anything decent in Georgetown for around $2500 with three bedrooms. You can usually find decent 1BRs around that price, though more toward Upper Georgetown, and some of the tiny townhouses with 2BRs start in the low $3k range. A 1BR apartment near the canal or the river is going to start around the $3k range. A 3BR townhouse is going start around double your preferred budget, and can top $10-12k.

Georgetown is an easy commute to McLean, though.
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Old 04-08-2010, 09:22 PM
 
2,737 posts, read 5,433,226 times
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Parts of Georgetown are also filled with college students living 4 to a townhouse. There have been some crime incidents there recently as well. It's a fun place to visit but I think your options are better elsewhere.
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Old 04-09-2010, 05:59 AM
 
2,462 posts, read 8,894,396 times
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And though there are families living in Georgetown, it wouldn't really make the "family-friendly" list. Most residents are either college students/young adults, or empty nesters. Yards, if they exist, are tiny.
And then there is the school issue. Public schools in DC are dreadful.
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