Home Purchase - Where in NOVA - Help!! (Reston, Oakton: townhome, schools)

[5stones]

I've seen some 1960's splits that have been redone wonderfully modern and very contemporary. I am not a contemporary fan I like my old hardwood and crown moldings and built in etc...
But...if the house has already be "refirbished"... it will be more expensive.

areas... N.Arlington, Burke, Falls church, McLean, Vienna, all have nice family neighborhoods and great schools. My top for my kids (if we could have afforded it....) would have been McLean and N.Arlington. (just my personal preference.

As for buying... I think this year is a good year to buy, prices have dropped and buyers have a larger quanity to choose from (buyers market) sellers want out and are more willing to acept lower offers than they wanted to.

For despirate sellers.... look for homes that have been on the market for 60 days or longer, ask your realtor to see if the house has be taken off the market and re-listed. Are they activly dropping the price and having "open houses" every weekend. Don't be afraid to "low-ball" an offer, worse thingthat can happen is they can say NO. best they counter at lower than what you expected!

GET A GOOD REALTOR!!

[spidercharm]

5stones, jb124, I am wondering if I should also additionally consider Bethesda/Silver Spring regions in MD?

[claremarie]

We live in McLean and commute to jobs and schools in MD. The commute is not bad because it is against traffic -- there is much more traffic coming from MD to VA in the morning.

Living in MD and working in VA is a BAD IDEA. If you want to be convinced, get up early one weekday morning, drive out to an affordable neighborhood in Bethesda or Silver Spring, and then drive to your office at the time you would ordinarily be traveling to work. Then do the same thing in the evening. The traffic on the Beltway in the Tyson's area is horrendous, and if you live in MD you will not be able to avoid it. If you choose wisely in VA, you can find multiple routes to work.

I would look in Vienna and Falls Church. You're already in Vienna, so you should know that there are a number of more reasonably priced homes there. They will NOT be new, or even new-ish, but they will be in your price range and on decent-sized lots.

[libgyrrl]

Check out Ashburn. Centex Homes has a brand new community- my husband and I just bought out there. They have 3 bedroom, 2 baths, 2 car garages, brick front, townhome for 399,999. Its called the Glen at Goose Creek. We worked with Emma. The only negative is that they have just started to clear land and we don't expect to move in for at least another 6 months. Oh, Centex also had discounts for some preferred employees (Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, Mitre, Raytheon, etc).
Hope that helps. My husband will be commuting from there to Bethesda for work.

[Yankeesfan]

Since you only mention your job and commute, it sounds like your wife has already decided to stay home with the baby? I bring this up because I've seen a lot of people buy a house based on two full-time salaries and then after the baby is born one of them (usually the mother; I'm not being sexist, just realistic) realizes they want to leave their job or cut back to part-time, but they feel trapped by the large mortgage. So in those cases I try to gently suggest that they wait until several months after the baby arrives to make a decision on a house in case they decide to change their employment situation in a way that reduces their income. If you are already planning this based on one income, please keep in mind that a smaller and older home can be a worthwhile trade-off if it means a shorter (relatively speaking) commute and more time with your family.

[Tish Thompson]

Western Prince William County will fit the house size, age, price, and school requirements. The commute is another story. They're widening 66 all the way down to Haymarket BUT that doesn't fix the mess at Vienna.

[maxximus1]

I'd try Centreville too. It is convenient to 66 and you could get to McLean in 30-45 min. Great townhouses and single family homes for sale for reasonable prices. Sully Station has lots of pools, trails, shopping, etc.

[Ashburnhome]

Are there any brand new single family homes being constructed or ready to move in with in 500k to 550k ranges?

[Tish Thompson]

Originally Posted by Ashburnhome

Are there any brand new single family homes being constructed or ready to move in with in 500k to 550k ranges?

There are brand new single family homes available in Ashburn in the lower 500s. If you're able to move quickly, builders may offer additional incentives.

[Mr.Kode]

Hi libgyrrl

We too are planning to buy a house at glenn at goose park. We are working with Emma. The next batch of house will delivered in April'09. Could you please give your thoughts on the neighborhood, commute and the over all experience with Centex?
Thanks