******** vs Fontana vs Dunlora vs other close-in Albemarle neighborhoods? (Forest: real estate, apartment complex)

[CityResearcher]

Note: Title is supposed to say "Ash-croft" without the hyphen, but for some reason city data has censored it.. Therefore I have had to refer to the neighborhood using the incorrect hyphenated spelling. Weird stuff..

Would enjoy hearing some feedback from residents or those familiar with any of the above neighborhoods. For the purposes of comparing like neighborhoods, I'm treating "Ash-croft" as the original Ash-croft and not the extension which only contains homes over a million dollars.

A little about myself which may provide some perspective: Single professional male in my early 30s, looking to move into a larger house that I plan to spend several decades in. I like the idea of living in the city but after doing it for quite some time, I'd like to have enough space for a garage, a bonfire and also not have to worry about bothering or being bothered by neighbors right on top of me. Budget is anywhere from 300-600K. Not as concerned with flashy brand-new appliances as I am with quality, useable space and floor plans. I have no kids (yet), but living in the Monticello school pyramid does not make me overly concerned even if it's the worst ranked in the area.

So far, here's how I see each:

Ash-croft

Pros: Close to 64/250, larger lots (1-3 acres), mature and established neighborhood (trees and landscaping), unique designs

Cons: Older homes, what some call unique others may call ugly or odd (lots of grey siding), $100 month HOA (not sure how that compares elsewhere), despite being as close to town as Fontana, the original entrance is closed off and you must go out via an entrance closer to 64 than the Giant shopping center.

Unknowns: Builder quality? RL Beyer seemed to have built most of them between 1980-1995 or so.. how does the quality stack up? Homes seem to sit on a market for a while and go well below asking price. Is there something going on internally that I'm unaware of? I figured people that live there frequently use 64 its connections to the other end of 250 as sort of a bypass when trying to get on the western side of 29 from there, would that even make sense?

Fontana

Pros: About as close to the city as you can get while still being in Albemarle county. Easy access via 20 to 250, Newer homes, some have really good views, more modern designs

Cons: Income restricted apartment complex with a fair amount of crime near the entrance, much smaller lots with little to no privacy, a multitude of builders of varying quality. Neighborhood built during the real estate boom when everyone was getting rich throwing up low-quality flashy homes. How will these structures stand the test of time? Homes seem to sit on the market longer and go for lower than their Ash-croft counterparts. A new, flashier neighborhood is being built behind it with much nicer homes for not too much more. I wonder how this may affect home prices long-term

Unknowns: Given the discounts homes typically sell for, the high turnover and how long they take to sell, I wonder if people want out for some reason?

Dunlora:

Pros: This used to be about as convenient as you could get for a modern neighborhood near Cville. Right off of Rio means not having to deal with 250 and being close to lots of things, some lots are semi-private, neighborhood has matured and now blends in with the surroundings (definitely not the case in the early 1990s)

Cons: Not on a hill side, very little potential for views, only slightly younger than Ash-croft, so the designs are a bit dated (and more traditional)

Unknowns: Homes were built by a multitude of builders so it's hard to nail down if they're built well or not. I get the impression that they were built by lots of the same companies that built Forest Lakes, which are not exactly known as the pinnacle of quality. Homes also seem to sit on the market and sell for less than asking here as well.

Other options: you tell me? The only other one that comes to mind is Mosby Mountain, which seems like a more upscale version of Fontana.


Finally, can anyone tell me about the demographics of each? I get the impression that Ash-croft, Dunlora are more white empty nesters while Fontana and Mosby are a mix of ages and ethnicities.

[TownAndCountryPerson]

Beware - Fontana may be perfectly fine but there is an adjacent and enormous development under construction immediately to its north that will bring hundreds of residents and their vehicles to your neighborhood. Getting across Free Bridge will be even worse than it is now, which depending upon your perspective and commuting pattern is terrible/not-so-bad-really.