Chantilly Subdivisions? (Herndon, Fairfax, Franklin: short sale, 2015, foreclosure) - Northern Virginia - Virginia (VA) - City-Data Forum

ozswopes · 08-18-2011, 07:47 PM

We are moving to NOVA in January and are pretty interested in possibly living in Chantilly. We are completely unfamiliar with this area, so if anyone could please shed some light on the following I would greatly appreciate it: 1) what subdivisions in Chantilly are the nicest/family friendly/safe? 2) What schools are the best (E/M/HS)? 3)Are the schools on the Loudoun county side as good as the ones on the Fairfax side? Thanks so very much!

gammann · 08-19-2011, 09:44 PM

One of the biggest subdivisions in Chantilly is South Riding in Loudoun Co. Chantilly in FFX Co is a bit more congested.

Some other subdivisions in Chantilly:
Armfield Farms, Chantilly Estates, Chantilly Green, Estates at Leeton Manor, Pleasant Valley, Poplar Tree Estates, Sutton Oaks.

I can't really comment on the schools, as my son isn't in school yet.

hilsmom · 08-20-2011, 05:59 AM

We're moving to Greenbriar, which is a Fairfax address but RIGHT on the line. One of the biggest factors for us was the schools (we are going to be able to walk to all 3 levels, and all 3 are rated quite highly) and walkability to other amenities like the library, parks and the grocery store. The high school in the neighborhood is actually Chantilly HS. The library less than a mile away is Chantilly Library.

We looked at a couple neighborhoods in the 20151 zip code that zoned to Lees Corner ES. A friend of ours bought a foreclosed home we considered there.

You might also want to consider neighborhoods that zone to Oak Hill ES, which has a Herndon address (20171), but is adjacent to Lees Corner district and the roads that go right into Chantilly. That area is known as Franklin Farm and Chantilly Highlands.

We were trying to stay as close to 7100 as possible for our commutes, and also wanted FCPS (who just got full-day K in all schools which was important to us with our child starting K in 2 weeks), so we didn't look at South Riding. I know people who live there, though, and are quite happy.

What is your budget? That could make a difference.

ozswopes · 08-21-2011, 09:13 PM

Thanks so much for the info!!!
We have heard the schools in the 20151 area are great. Is that the same way for the schools in the 20152 area?
We won't be moving to NoVa until Jan, so we are trying to get a feel for the area via the internet....which is quite hard. We are really looking for a home with a basement, but have noticed that a lot of homes in the Greenbriar area don't seem to have any. Is the Lees corner area of Chantilly nice? We have a young family and so a nice/safe neighbourhood is a top priority. We really like the newer/bigger homes in South Riding but aren't sure if it is too far away from everything. Also, a full day kindy is important to us. So confused!! Thanks again for the info

hilsmom · 08-22-2011, 10:19 AM

If Full Day K is important, you cannot look in Loudoun (so cross South Riding off your list). Their schools are all half-day K. It is only this year that all Fairfax schools will be full-day (a decision which made our househunt so much more pleasant). If you want Chantilly and full-day K, I would look at Lees Corner ES area. My daughter's friend will be in that school - it is well rated and the pyramid is good. We saw a couple nice homes over there, and if we'd had a LITTLE more to spend, the homes were even better.

Can I ask WHY a basement is critical? Greenbriar is slab built, but you can make up for the storage issue with the attic over the garage. We will have a good deal of storage above the 2-car garage in the house we are buying. My husband was actually happy to NOT have a basement, after seeing the horrid mold in a foreclosure home in Lees Corner (that wound up being bought by the family I mentionned above).

It really depends on your budget what areas you want to look in. Our price range was @$450K, so that was a bit limiting in Fairfax, but we mostly focused in the 20151, 20171 and 22033 zip codes. We liked houses in Oak Hill, Lees Corner and Greenbriar ES districts. We actually bid on a house in the Floris ES district, too, but were outbid. It was a short sale in a neighborhood of homes that would list for $150-200K more than they were selling this one for.

and I just realized I repeated a lot from my previous post - sorry! Hope the additional info is helpful.

liloulou · 08-22-2011, 12:26 PM

I live just east of South Riding, still Chantilly, but in Loudoun County. The homes are great, the community is wonderful with many things to do for families. The area is constantly growing and even so much that they are building more schools. Kindergarten is half day and will stay that way for at least a while. You have a hard choice since all areas that you are considering are great. I think you will need to look at your budget and where you will be commuting to. That will help you a lot.

ozswopes · 08-22-2011, 06:24 PM

Thanks again for all of your helpful information!! My husband will be working in Chantilly, and our budget is some where between $450K-$500K. Neither of us have ever been to the area, so it makes knowing which areas to look for fairly difficult.
A basement isn't extremely important, but we thought having that extra space for the kids/visitors to enjoy would be great.
We are hoping that there are a few houses on the market when we arrive in Jan....I don't want to rush into anything, but I also don't want to be living in temporary accomodations forever an extended period of time. Thanks again everyone for the info....it's been very helpful!!!

doublelatte · 08-22-2011, 08:33 PM

From what I know (I have friends who live in both zip codes), the schools in either 20151 or 20152 are pretty good. Are you looking for a SFH? To get the most bang for your buck, I would cast a wide net and look at both sides of Chantilly. Loudoun county does not have full day kindergarten, and I know that it is a drawback to a lot of people. At the same time, though, I don't know that I would make a decision on a place I was going to live for several years based on one nine month period of half day kindergarten. Even if it isn't your first choice, I would look at South Riding, if only for contrast. Everyone I know there likes it and it does have a lot of nice amenities.

ozswopes · 08-23-2011, 05:55 AM

Oak Hill...is that a part of Herndon? I have read both good and bad things about Herndon. Is it a safe area (our top priority)? Much gang activity? Would love to extend my housing search....thanks again guys!!

hilsmom · 08-23-2011, 06:03 AM

Oak Hill ES district is Herndon in name only. It is nowhere near the "bad part of town" The neighborhoods that go to that school are either Franklin Farm or Chantilly Highlands, which are very nice planned communities with pools, clubhouses, etc. It is right next door to the Lees Corner ES district, as I said before. We came down to the house in Greenbriar West ES and one in Oak Hill ES districts.

I know people talk smack about Herndon, but there is really only ONE sketchy part of town, and that is NOT in the 20171 zip code. I would not worry at all about Oak Hill ES area. It is totally family friendly and safe.