Near Ft. Belvoir <320k (Burke, Manassas: renting, credit, townhouses)

[wrngway]

My wife and I are currently renting in Kingstowne. We'd like to purchase our first home, a townhouse preferably. The issue is that we don't want to spend more than $320k (down payment + mortgage).

We've been looking around, but the price is a little limiting. I work at Ft. Belvoir. My wife flies out of National Airport twice a week and needs access to the metro.

I've found townhouse communities off of Pohick Rd near Rt. 1 and off of Southrun Rd between Pohick and Silverbrook.

They're not great, but are o.k.. Do any of you have experience in living in these areas?

We don't have kids but would like to have decent schools nearby.

Thanks for any advice!!

[Love2LiveNCities]

Originally Posted by wrngway

My wife and I are currently renting in Kingstowne. We'd like to purchase our first home, a townhouse preferably. The issue is that we don't want to spend more than $320k (down payment + mortgage).

We've been looking around, but the price is a little limiting. I work at Ft. Belvoir. My wife flies out of National Airport twice a week and needs access to the metro.

I've found townhouse communities off of Pohick Rd near Rt. 1 and off of Southrun Rd between Pohick and Silverbrook.

They're not great, but are o.k.. Do any of you have experience in living in these areas?

We don't have kids but would like to have decent schools nearby.

Thanks for any advice!!

hey there i work at DTRA on base. Lived in Pohick area for a while. Its nice if you can get over the smell of the plant off of Route 1. Its better towards Pohick Rd and towards the river its a bit quieter. Now i live in Manassas and thats not cheap either. But yes i would go with pohick SPECIALLY towards teh river without a doubt

[wrngway]

Originally Posted by Love2LiveNCities

hey there i work at DTRA on base. Lived in Pohick area for a while. Its nice if you can get over the smell of the plant off of Route 1. Its better towards Pohick Rd and towards the river its a bit quieter. Now i live in Manassas and thats not cheap either. But yes i would go with pohick SPECIALLY towards teh river without a doubt

Thanks! It looks like we may work at the same building. I'm on the DLA side.

The townhouses built in the 80's look promising, but some are a little run down.

I used to commute up and down Rt 1 through Lorton, but never really noticed the smell.

[Love2LiveNCities]

Originally Posted by wrngway

Thanks! It looks like we may work at the same building. I'm on the DLA side.

The townhouses built in the 80's look promising, but some are a little run down.

I used to commute up and down Rt 1 through Lorton, but never really noticed the smell.

yeah i know alot of DLA, That whole building off of JJ kingsman is HUGE lol. Best of luck though. You will find something right. Dont settle actually like it...ya know?

[Tish Thompson]

Originally Posted by wrngway

My wife and I are currently renting in Kingstowne. We'd like to purchase our first home, a townhouse preferably. The issue is that we don't want to spend more than $320k (down payment + mortgage).

We've been looking around, but the price is a little limiting. I work at Ft. Belvoir. My wife flies out of National Airport twice a week and needs access to the metro.

I've found townhouse communities off of Pohick Rd near Rt. 1 and off of Southrun Rd between Pohick and Silverbrook.

They're not great, but are o.k.. Do any of you have experience in living in these areas?

We don't have kids but would like to have decent schools nearby.

Thanks for any advice!!

My mother lives in that general area...in Fairfax Landing (close to Pohick and Route 1). She LOVES it there. You probably don't notice the smell because you're in the area everyday...those of us who aren't there regularly notice it.

There are some pretty good deals in the areas you mentioned. I saw a few that are priced below 320K. Depending on what your credit is like, you may be able to go with 100% financing and keep everything within your price range. Alot of the homes are older..and to make them a little more appealing, some of them have been renovated.

Why don't you and your wife drive through the neighbhorhoods you've been eyeing late on a Friday or Saturday night? Do it more than once at random...that will give you an idea of what the neighorhood is like.

[wrngway]

Originally Posted by Tish Thompson

Why don't you and your wife drive through the neighbhorhoods you've been eyeing late on a Friday or Saturday night? Do it more than once at random...that will give you an idea of what the neighorhood is like.

Thanks, we're doing just that. I've noticed some townhomes need some work, at least on the outside. Others look very nice.

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by wrngway

I've found townhouse communities off of Pohick Rd near Rt. 1 and off of Southrun Rd between Pohick and Silverbrook.

We lived in Newington Commons (the first one on South Run coming from Silverbrook) for 4 years. We was really happy there, except we disliked the general DC area and I commuted to Bethesda. But, as far as where to live, I really liked it. My husband could take his bike from the house and ride all the way to Burke Lake, passing by Lake Mercer if he wanted to fish. I use to walk/run the neighborhood in the evening and always felt safe. Newington Commons is zoned for Halley Elementary, which is in Crosspointe (a very expensive neighborhood off Silverbrook). Middle and High are zoned for the new South County school.

If you have any specific questions, let me know. I moved out about 6 months ago due to a job transfer to APG.

[dcindc]

I would suggest you look in the Belmont area of Woodbridge. You should be able to get a single family home there.

I live in this neighborhood, and we are a pocket worth living in. We are on the water side of route 1 with none of the problems of the Marumsco areas.

With the newly built marina and upscale housing surrounding us, buying here is a smart choice.

Home are older, and mostly single story ranches. Our own elementary school is in the neighborhood.

The commute is easy. I used to work there. And you won't be in a townhouse.

TH vs SFH = no brainer. Good luck!

[wrngway]

Well, it looks like we may have found a place. It's a smaller townhome in Landsdowne. My wife and I spent a fair amount of time walking around and checking the whole neighborhood out. It's definitely nicer than other neighborhoods in our price range.

Thanks for the help! Good luck to all of you still searching!

[Yankeesfan]

Congratulations! I used to live in Landsdowne. It's a really nice neighborhood. The townhouses are attractive-looking with good floor plans. Perfect location for you to get to Belvoir and your wife to get to the Metro. Plus the whole area is convenient to so many things. I immediately thought of Landsdowne when you first posted but since you already live in Kingstowne I assumed you were familiar with it. Good choice. (And BRAC is going to increase the property values too.)