Buying in NoVA-General Question (Arlington, Alexandria: for sale, real estate, foreclosures)

[BMWZ4RUlz]

New to the area-any tips in the best values out there in NoVA? Are there any? Def looking for a first time home, I am not looking to spend but 200-350K tops.
Any thoughts?

Work in Crystal City-Alexandria? Property Taxes seem cheaper than MD-that is good at least.

[Claire2900]

what's your tolerance for commuting? What type of home are you looking for?

[FindingZen]

Unless you're flexible for foreclosures, $350K will more likely get you a decent to above-average 2BR condo or an older TH than a SFH in Alexandria or Arlington and Fairfax Counties.

Your options would expand in Loudoun County, particularly the under-rated Sterling Park area; this would be a lengthy commute for you but you would not be alone on the road.

Your chances may be best in Prince William County although that is due in part to the increasing intolerance for commuting to major job centers further north as well as the depressed market from the relatively high foreclosure rate.

[CAVA1990]

Contrary to the above, there are a lot of 3+/2+ SFHs in/close to Alexandria in your price range:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...-200000-350000

You'll have no trouble getting what you're looking for.

[Gottasay]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Contrary to the above, there are a lot of 3+/2+ SFHs in/close to Alexandria in your price range:

Alexandria Homes for Sale - Alexandria, VA Real Estate - Realtor.com®

You'll have no trouble getting what you're looking for.

Unless you're like this guy...

https://www.city-data.com/forum/north...ia-stinks.html

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Contrary to the above, there are a lot of 3+/2+ SFHs in/close to Alexandria in your price range:

Homes for sale in Alexandria, VA - Alexandria Real Estate - Realtor.com®

You'll have no trouble getting what you're looking for.

Whoa. Those are (mostly) all very nice homes, too. My guess is that they're in the reportedly "less desirable" Fairfax County part of Alexandria? I could see myself very happily living in many of those homes.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Contrary to the above, there are a lot of 3+/2+ SFHs in/close to Alexandria in your price range:

Alexandria Homes for Sale - Alexandria, VA Real Estate - Realtor.com®

You'll have no trouble getting what you're looking for.

I stand corrected. Although if by a "first time home" the OP means newer construction, those properties wouldn't apply.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Whoa. Those are (mostly) all very nice homes, too. My guess is that they're in the reportedly "less desirable" Fairfax County part of Alexandria? I could see myself very happily living in many of those homes.

That is a very good guess! From the zip codes I recognized, they are indeed in "unincorporated" Alexandria.

[bmwguydc]

A couple of things to mention in that price range in Alexandria. First, some of the better houses on the list provided are already sold, as in "Contingent with no kickout," since they would go very quickly at those prices.

Some of the areas are older, cookie-cutter developments that have issues with blighted properties that can affect resale, and limit upward potential as there are no discernable differences among many of the houses, despite cosmetic renovations at the higher end of the market.

Certain neighborhoods have a history of flooding, including: Belle View, New Alexandria, and Huntington. And, then there's a variance in the unincorporated areas of Alexandria, some are close to Springfield, and others are close to Fort Belvoir, so it's not as easy a proposition to get to Crystal City as it would be to take the GW Parkway, for example. I am not suggesting that you discount Alexandria, at all, but realize that there is a reason why a property is selling for a comparatively low price in a closer-in market.

If you're open to the possibility of a townhouse, but don't want a commute from Prince William, you should be able to find something in a newer (last 10 years or so) townhouse, perhaps even a garage townhouse, in Lorton. The commute is slightly better than PWC, since you're already in Fairfax County; and, it's possible to take the VRE, so you could avoid traffic if the commute would work for you (even if only a couple of days a week saving the hassle of driving).

Falls Church is similar to Alexandria, where you could find a house in the area, not necessarily the city, toward the higher end of your budget, but it will be a smaller home. And, some of the neighborhoods are similar in that there are older homes on small lots around that price point, not all of which have been maintained -- something that would be different in a newer community.

Fairfax might be another possibility for an older home, too; or, you could find a more recent townhouse in areas of Fairfax, which again can be rather a large area from Fair Oaks to the east. You could find a house in the city, in some of the neighborhoods, and many are well kept, since the city has an active program to combat blight, and offers funding to residents to make improvements/repairs. The other plus is that if you wanted to use public transportation, you could catch the city's CUE bus to the Vienna-Fairfax Metro.