Why so many Manassas homes for sale? (Leesburg, Laurel: high schools, universities)

[Cupclip]

Originally Posted by HereinVA

I don't think the price difference on a Braemar home vs. a Sheffield Manor home can be "blamed" soley on the high school district--they are 2 very different communities. Braemar has many more amenities, they have two different pools in different sections of the community, and their children's pool has lots of "toys", which Sheffield Manor doesn't have. Braemars playgrounds are more extensive has well. Also, in looking at these two "nearly identical houses", did you look at the lots they were situated on? If the Sheffield Manor one is closer to a main road, while the Braemar one is on a more secluded one backing to trees,that could make a huge difference. Are they similar as far as upgrades (finished basement, upgraded flooring, cabinets, countertops, etc?
Last but not least, you said they were "priced $120k differently"...you can list a house at any asking price--it doesn't mean it will sell at that price

I visited both houses I referred to. Actually, the Sheffield Manor home had a finished lower level with a home theater and a full bath vs. the Braemar home which had no basement finish. The Sheffield Manor home also had a nicer yard and a bigger lot. Truely, walking through the house with the realtor I said out load "What's wrong with this house? Why is it it priced so low." Then the "ah ha" moment: Stonewall Jackson HS.

[LLD]

City-data is a wonderful source of information, both of personal experiences and statistics and references to sources where you can find infomation on a myriad of topics relevant to your decision on moving and renting or buying real estate.

People have different perspectives, beliefs and viewpoints. You take into account all the data you get on your own and from other people then make a decision. We all have anecodotal personal experiences that are real to us and valid. They may or may not be representative of a general trend in an area or a population. The best you can do is take everything into account and make your decision.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by Cupclip

I visited both houses I referred to. Actually, the Sheffield Manor home had a finished lower level with a home theater and a full bath vs. the Braemar home which had no basement finish. The Sheffield Manor home also had a nicer yard and a bigger lot. Truely, walking through the house with the realtor I said out load "What's wrong with this house? Why is it it priced so low." Then the "ah ha" moment: Stonewall Jackson HS.

One additional fortuitous piece of information was released today - the Virginia Department of Education Annual Report Cards - which you can view here - https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/.

[SJHS Alum]

Originally Posted by mark2544

I agree with the comment above about Manassas Mall. It is located very close to SJHS and not only is it a horrible place to shop; there is a gang problem and half of the stores are vacant. It's a lot nastier than Tyson's I and II, Springfield, or Fair Oaks.

If you want to pay 450,000 for a house, where your car will be broken into, you won't use the public schools, and there is a huge gang problem: Welcome to Manass.

That is a horrible interpretation. I currently attend Stonewall (I know it says alumnus, that's for the future) and when I go to the Mall it is not that bad. I never get into problems with gangs or anything. I'm an IB senior, in case that matters.

And Tyson's is not bad in any way at all. Come on, it's all so fresh pressed and clean. The inference that it could even be considered nasty is sketchy at best.

Basically, it's not that bad. None of my friends have ever been stabbed or shot or raped or injured in anyway by gang members. And I know alot of people.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by Cupclip

My wife and I are moving our family to NoVA, and have pretty much settled on the Manassas area. My question is why is Stonewall Jackson such an UNdesireable HS? Looking at homes, 2 houses seperated by less than a mile between Brentsville District HS and SJHS and the price difference is nearly 25%. Its easy to see that from the raw statistics that SJHS is very racially and economically diverse, while BDHS is fairly homogeneous (sp?). Personally, I think kids can learn anywhere that they are in an environment conducive to learning -- there is classroom discipline and they don't fear for the personal security. SO how bad is SJHS really? Compared to Battlefield or BDHS? Also, it looks to me like BDHS has an overcrowding problem which will get worse before it gets better. The new Kettle Run HS is actually in th next county, so its not going to solve anything, am I right? I appreciate frank answers about criume, drugs and gangs as well as advantages of larger facility, smaller classes, the IB program, etc.

Thanks.

Brentsville has always been a desireable location. It's not just the school, its the "country" type area it is located in. Battlefield is nice mainly because it is new. Battlefield has much of the "richer" kids because of the high priced communities that feed it. I haven't heard much bad press about Stonewall. Some of the eastern end schools have gotten pretty bad, but the western ones are still pretty nice. OP and Osbourn are still pretty good also.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by SJHS Alum

That is a horrible interpretation. I currently attend Stonewall (I know it says alumnus, that's for the future) and when I go to the Mall it is not that bad. I never get into problems with gangs or anything. I'm an IB senior, in case that matters.

And Tyson's is not bad in any way at all. Come on, it's all so fresh pressed and clean. The inference that it could even be considered nasty is sketchy at best.

Basically, it's not that bad. None of my friends have ever been stabbed or shot or raped or injured in anyway by gang members. And I know alot of people.

Manasssas mall has gone down hill pretty drastically. There have been some pretty good gang fights and robberies there in the past couple years. It all depends what time and what day you go there. Potomac Mills isn't much better.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by knopfler

Cupclip,

I don't have kids in the system but I do live in the SJHS school district, off Sudley Manor Drive across from Mullen Elementary. Things are safe here. In other areas of the SJHS district, they aren't as safe. It's unfair to describe the whole district - or even a majority! - as being not very nice or safe. Most of the school district, I've found, is in a quite nice part of town.

Braemar has a much higher average price because it's a newer, much more planned community with more amenities. School districting may have something to do with it, but generally speaking the school districts on the western part of PW are all pretty good.

I would submit that if you're looking for some diversity, Dingler's "Go over to the Manassas Mall and look at the people" comment should strike you as being way over the line. Yeah, you'll find a lot of Latinos. You'll find a lot of non-Latinos, too. Prince William has an estimated 18% Latino population, according to the latest data at Prince William County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. This is higher than the statewide average, but hardly a crazy-high number. Prince William is only recently working through an increased cultural diversity influx that happened in Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington 15-20 years ago. We're struggling with getting our arms and heads around it, as PW was previously a pretty lily-white county, and now we're not. Some folks are better able to accept that than others.

A couple notes about Stonewall; it was chosen as Time's High School of the Year in 2001 - information here: News Release. Additionally, Stonewall is listed on Newsweek's current list of "America's Top Public High Schools" at #557, listed here: America's Top Public High Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/?sort=Rank&count=1236&start=0&limit=100&year=2007& Search=undefined - broken link). Battlefield, Brentsville, Manassas Park, Osbourn, and Osbourn Park, as you might notice, are all ranked lower.

My purpose here isn't to suggest one school over another, as in western PW outside of Manassas City they're all decent. My purpose is just to say that Stonewall's quite acceptable, and I would be comfortable sending my kids there.

Finally, you would do well to check out Prince William's crime statistic trends - they tell a different story than the hype: http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/005943.pdf.

Welcome to PWC!

Brian

I usually agree with you but i have to disagree with this comment. I went to Gar Field in the early 90's and most of my classes were half black and half white. It all depends on what areas you are talking about. The western end of PWC has been majority white for a long time. The eastern end (excluding Lake Ridge) has been pretty diverse for awhile now. The crime stats have been pretty low because of the influx of higher priced homes in PWC in the past 10 years. I do agree that Stonewall isn't a "bad" school by any means. It is older, but it has great programs and great teachers.

[goldenmom7500]

I shopped at the Target (at Manassas Mall) many times a week - aside from difficulty parking (parking lot always packed) it was great. I also shopped at Macy's and Sears (Lands End) - sorry, I'm getting off topic. I also love that hobby-toy store, and they are sooo nice at the Hallmark. People on this board are just so mean when it comes to Manassas! True, my heart is sort of in McLean, and I guess I'd rather be at Tysons Galleria than anywhere, but Manassas is lovely and vastly underrated.

We're a little off topic from the original post, and the original poster probably now knows more than any of us. Let me add:

1. I never heard anything bad about Stonewall. (Is that the school we were talking about?) GreatSchools.net might have some parent reviews. Those can be helpful. I guess we had a babysitter who was pulled out and homeschooled, but her parents were

2. Perhaps Manassas real estate has been hard hit because people say "gee, if I'm going to spend $800,000 I might as well be in Fairfax Station and be closer in". I think that when there is greater choice, people would opt for a shorter commute, assuming many are commuting towards Fairfax or DC. Sure it goes beyond commute too, but, well, I was sort of living at the top of the price range in Manassas and was surrounded by educated, intelligent people.

I generally agree with, I think nitrovic, that there are distinctions to be made. The categories in my own head are a little bit different. I just have favorite neighborhoods all over Manassas - and then of course there are neighborhoods that I avoid. But the nice neighborhoods are as nice as neighborhoods anywhere.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

I usually agree with you but i have to disagree with this comment. I went to Gar Field in the early 90's and most of my classes were half black and half white. It all depends on what areas you are talking about. The western end of PWC has been majority white for a long time. The eastern end (excluding Lake Ridge) has been pretty diverse for awhile now. The crime stats have been pretty low because of the influx of higher priced homes in PWC in the past 10 years. I do agree that Stonewall isn't a "bad" school by any means. It is older, but it has great programs and great teachers.

We're saying the same thing - I would be perfectly comfortable sending my kids to Stonewall.

[El General]

I went to a top University in Virginia for 4 year (and two summers). I never met a single person from Oz, OP, or SJHS. I knew many, many from Vienna, Mclean, Springfield, and Annandale/Fairfax. I believe that is one of those statistics that they don't want you to know. How many of their students get a four year degree within 6 years of graduation?