Neighborhood recommendation (Burke, Petersburg, Springfield: HOA, countertops, houses)

[airjay75]

Originally Posted by bavariantransplant

Ah, you will have to forgive me I am not used to these listings, I didnt see that there were 3 bedrooms on the main floor and 2 bedrooms in a basement, with both floors giving 2900 sqft.

For a lot of the older homes in this area, the listed square footage in real estate listings can be a bit confusing. I don't know all of the rules, but below grade areas, such as a finished basement, are not always included in the listed square footage even if there are windows and a separate entrance. Many homes will have a particular listed square footage, but the actual liveable, useable space is quite a bit higher. For example, I saw this home in West Springfield this past weekend (which, as I understand, has pretty good schools for Fairfax county):

Home on 8325 Carrleigh Parkway in Springfield.

The home has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, with a listed square footage of 1,420 sq. ft., but that square footage does not include any of the second, lower level, which probably puts the home at around 2,000 sq. ft. By the way, the above home was a great home - only thing that I couldn't get over was the size of the master bedroom - it was kind've small. Otherwise, I would seriously have considered making an offer on it. Listed for 550k, but I think it was a little overpriced. The home would probably hit everything on your wishlist except for the square footage and new construction (not sure about community pool, but that does generally exist in that area).

[kww]

just over $500,000 can get you 4 bedrooms and +3,000 in PWC. You'll have to give some on the DC commute though.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by bavariantransplant

How far is Ashburn commute? I had 29 homes return for new home 500k-600k 3000sqft 4 bedroom.

List of homes in the Ashburn area.

Also, most major builders, Toll Brothers, K Hovnanian, Ryland, Pulte, all the ones I got from JD powers, they all have homes that match the above in the Loudoun County and Prince William County areas.

Something is odd here because information is conflicting.

Thre is no conflicting information. All of the places you listed (Loudoun County, Price William County) will make the commute to the Fairfax hospital around one hour and the commute downtown would be 1.5 to 2 hours. If you are fine with these commutes, then these are great places to live.

Also, if it ends up being the Leesburg hospital, and not Fairfax, these Loudoun county areas will afford a 30 minute commute to the hospital (possibly less), but no closer to downtown.

[kww]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Thre is no conflicting information. All of the places you listed (Loudoun County, Price William County) will make the commute to the Fairfax hospital around one hour and the commute downtown would be 1.5 to 2 hours. If you are fine with these commutes, then these are great places to live.

Also, if it ends up being the Leesburg hospital, and not Fairfax, these Loudoun county areas will afford a 30 minute commute to the hospital (possibly less), but no closer to downtown.

pretty much..

in addition, any new construction listing you see online may be misleading, as that price is going to be for a single property, without options a lot of times.. or a listing from months ago, with current pricing adjusted up possibly

[bavariantransplant]

This is very disheartening, I cant understand how one can accept being in a car 3-4 hours a day on top of an entire day at work. I am going to have to think long and hard about this or my other choice of St Petersburg, FL.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by bavariantransplant

This is very disheartening, I cant understand how one can accept being in a car 3-4 hours a day on top of an entire day at work. I am going to have to think long and hard about this or my other choice of St Petersburg, FL.

Some people accept the long commute, but many more accept an older, smaller home.

[kww]

Originally Posted by bavariantransplant

This is very disheartening, I cant understand how one can accept being in a car 3-4 hours a day on top of an entire day at work. I am going to have to think long and hard about this or my other choice of St Petersburg, FL.

there are always options, it just typically requires a little give or take with something.

[bavariantransplant]

It just seems like I am getting so little house for so much money, its hard to accept this. I also know my family life would tank if I am working 8-9 hours then a 3-4 hour commute.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by bavariantransplant

It just seems like I am getting so little house for so much money, its hard to accept this. I also know my family life would tank if I am working 8-9 hours then a 3-4 hour commute.

It is a conundrum that many households face when moving here. To paraphrase another member, when it comes to housing cost, housing size/quality and work commute, one often must pick two. A compromise of some sort will be necessary. The supply of housing is lower than the demand from the relatively steady and well-compensated job market.

A $500K housing budget will certainly go much further in the Tampa Bay area; one important question may be how will your career be able to advance after accepting a position there. Job security and advancement is an important reason why many people come to the DC metro.

[FindingZen]

As a reminder, only generic MLS sites such as Realtor.com can be referenced publicly. Otherwise, it is considered "free" real estate advertising which is against the Terms of Service. Although not an issue in this thread at all, also note that unsolicited Direct Messages from realtors can be referred to a moderator.