NoVa recession, housing, christian education: Oakton etc. (Reston, Dale City: short sales, foreclosure)

[spockout]

Is the housing more "affordable" in the: Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Fairfax, Chantilly,Sterling, Haymarket area...since the recession the rest of the country has been experiencing?
Also, I am newly divorced and want my 3.5 year old son to attend a good (duh?) Christian school...are there any in the area? If so, can I get a scholarship for him? Is there a program to donate my time to the school instead of tuition - I am in the Human Service's field with a Bachelor's and a LCDC certificate. I will probably attend McClean Bible Church where my father already attends...
The last time I lived there I was 28 (10 years ago) - in Haymarket - and I can't believe the growth and expense in housing! Yikes!
One more thing, is Manassas still kind of, um, not nice - not to be rude - I just never cared for it....
----A nice $200k stone home in Middleburg would be great!

TIA

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by spockout

Is the housing more "affordable" in the: Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Fairfax, Chantilly,Sterling, Haymarket area...since the recession the rest of the country has been experiencing?

----A nice $200k stone home in Middleburg would be great!

TIA

I'm not sure about Haymarket, but as far as the other areas go, I supposed it depends on your POV. Prices are lower than they were at the very peak of the bubble in 2006. They're about where they were in 2004, from my observation. Homes in my Sterling neighborhood are selling in the $750-800,000 range when in 2006 they were selling for $900-950,000. I don't know that I'd call that much more affordable, though.

"A nice $200k stone home in Middleburg would be great!" LOL, I'm with you on this one, it sure would be great! Not gonna happen, but it would be great.

Sorry I can't help you with the school question, but probably someone else knows about it.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by spockout

Is the housing more "affordable" in the: Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Fairfax, Chantilly,Sterling, Haymarket area...since the recession the rest of the country has been experiencing?
Also, I am newly divorced and want my 3.5 year old son to attend a good (duh?) Christian school...are there any in the area? If so, can I get a scholarship for him? Is there a program to donate my time to the school instead of tuition - I am in the Human Service's field with a Bachelor's and a LCDC certificate. I will probably attend McClean Bible Church where my father already attends...
The last time I lived there I was 28 (10 years ago) - in Haymarket - and I can't believe the growth and expense in housing! Yikes!
One more thing, is Manassas still kind of, um, not nice - not to be rude - I just never cared for it....
----A nice $200k stone home in Middleburg would be great!

TIA

There was a graph within an article in Sunday's Washington Post that listed the % increase in short sales and foreclosure sales in the area. Prince William County - and within that, Manassas/Manassas Park as a separate entity - had the highest amounts. All of the other NOVA cities and counties were below the average for the DC area.

I presented that not to suggest buying a short sale but to give an example of how the area has been affected. In my observation, there has been some drop-off in housing prices but not too much. The one exception, consistent with the Post article - would be in Prince William County. Even there, the Haymarket/Gainesville/Bristow area in the west is holding up much better than Manassas/Woodbridge/Dale City in the east.

$200K will not get you a newer detached home in most places that are considered a doable to commute to most job centers. There was a recent thread that suggested some homes in Sterling (Park?) may be available for under $300.

Is $200K at the top of your housing budget? And to where do you plan to commute? These may be the most important questions of all.

I don't know anything about parochial schools so I will defer to others on that subject.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Tone509

$200K will not get you a newer detached home in most places that are considered a doable to commute to most job centers. There was a recent thread that suggested some homes in Sterling (Park?) may be available for under $300.

Yes, that would be Sterling Park if you want a SFH. In the other parts of Sterling, I think you could find a few townhouses for under $300,000.

[bmwguydc]

If you want to be close to McLean Bible Church, then you would likely want to look in Oakton, Fairfax, and Vienna. At the price range for the SFH in Middleburg, you could find a 2BR condominium, and perhaps a tiny townhouse somewhere around $200k in the far western areas of Fairfax or Centreville, but even then it might need work.

Trinity Christian School is non-denominational Christian, and is a smaller school, overall, IIRC. It covers K-12, and is located on Braddock Road, between George Mason and Shirley Gate Road.

[spockout]

Thank you, all~ Good information to check out and I can't wait until I'm there again! My folks had a friend who owned an Inn in Middleburg and I'm pretty sure that I'll never be able to afford it out there! I'm not even sure $200k will get me any place at this point -especially being in Human Services
I will look into Trinity...and IIRC. I know Braddock Rd - used to live off of it -weird!
I've lived in MN, WI, AZ, TX, FL, NM, MD and VA....the DC area rules!
Lisa

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by spockout

Is the housing more "affordable" in the: Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Fairfax, Chantilly,Sterling, Haymarket area...since the recession the rest of the country has been experiencing?
Also, I am newly divorced and want my 3.5 year old son to attend a good (duh?) Christian school...are there any in the area? If so, can I get a scholarship for him? Is there a program to donate my time to the school instead of tuition - I am in the Human Service's field with a Bachelor's and a LCDC certificate. I will probably attend McClean Bible Church where my father already attends...
The last time I lived there I was 28 (10 years ago) - in Haymarket - and I can't believe the growth and expense in housing! Yikes!
One more thing, is Manassas still kind of, um, not nice - not to be rude - I just never cared for it....
----A nice $200k stone home in Middleburg would be great!

TIA

Don't know a thing about Christian schools.

Housing has mostly held up, maybe even made a comeback since spring 2008 in the nicer parts inside the FFX County Parkway.

Do you have a job lined up? If you don't, you may find living in Northern VA to be pricey. I'd rent in Winchester, Front Royal, or Fredericksburg if living with your parents is not an option -- during which time I'd interview and do temp work. There are several nice church families around Northern and Northwestern Virginia, and even if you want to attend MBC, I'm sure your son would enjoy a special trip to see Grandpa every Sunday.

There are a couple of 2BR fixer-uppers in the Town of Middleburg for under $300k. I have thought of doing that myself, but we have begun to make friends, etc., here in Vienna. If my wife decides to stay at home we may yet move out.

EDIT: for under $200k ...
In Fairfax County, you're getting condos or trailers (yes, we have trailer parks here!)
Sterling: I see a few short sales for under $200k, but in Sugarland Run, which I have yet to hear much good about (OTOH, if you're going to public school, it may not be as bad.)
Leesburg: There are several TH's for under $200k. This may well be your best bet, IMO.

Good luck.

[Gottasay]

Originally Posted by spockout

Is the housing more "affordable" in the: Oakton, Vienna, Reston, Fairfax, Chantilly,Sterling, Haymarket area...since the recession the rest of the country has been experiencing?
Also, I am newly divorced and want my 3.5 year old son to attend a good (duh?) Christian school...are there any in the area? If so, can I get a scholarship for him? Is there a program to donate my time to the school instead of tuition - I am in the Human Service's field with a Bachelor's and a LCDC certificate. I will probably attend McClean Bible Church where my father already attends...
The last time I lived there I was 28 (10 years ago) - in Haymarket - and I can't believe the growth and expense in housing! Yikes!
One more thing, is Manassas still kind of, um, not nice - not to be rude - I just never cared for it....
----A nice $200k stone home in Middleburg would be great!

TIA

Given your family size and budget, I'd look into a basic townhome or upscale condo in Sterling or Ashburn. Both are w/in reasonable commute to MBC. There are a couple of private Christian schools in the Sterling area. Dominion Academy comes to mind. I think you'll find info. on www.privateschools.net. I also recommend you do a google search on any and all schools to get the inside scoop so as to avoid unacredited or dubious schools.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Housing has mostly held up, maybe even made a comeback since spring 2008 in the nicer parts inside the FFX County Parkway.

Is that the new standard, replacing "inside the beltway"? I like it!

[normie]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Is that the new standard, replacing "inside the beltway"? I like it!

FWIW, housing has also bounced back in many areas outside the Fairfax County Parkway, as well.