Buying a home in Montclair? (Burke, Springfield: to rent, HOA, crime)

[cvkevents]

My husband and I currently own a town home off Telegraph Rd near Ft. Belvoir. We both have 5 minute commutes to work. We have lived in our home for three years and are looking at buying a single family home within the next year.

Our plan to is to rent out our current property due to its location and the amount of money we have spent to renovate the property.

We are targeting the area of Montclair and perhaps the neighborhood of Ashland. Our budget is between $350-$415k for a 4 bedroom single family home.

Any opinions about either neighborhood or if there are any other neighborhoods we should add? Great schools is a MUST. I am a teacher, so my future children will probably attend the elementary school that I will work at (currently in FCPS). I attended a year of High School at Forest Park HS and was happy, so I am targeting that particular high school.

We assume the commute will be around 30-45 minutes and more on Friday headed south.

Any thoughts would be welcome on current residents or past residents. Any issues with the HOA or neighborhood crime? Thanks!!

[tgbwc]

We lived in Ashland for about 8 years. We both teach for FCPS and my child attended Ashland ES until we moved to Fairfax County a few years ago. Just remember, if you continue to teach for FCPS and you live in PWC, you can't bring your child to school unless you pay tuition.

I liked the area, it was safe, but I have to say I like my current W. Springfield community (and current commute) better. On Fridays I would leave the Burke area by 3:30 and it would take me just about 40 min or so to get home to the Ashland development. I don't know where you would be leaving from to go home.

[Bigfoot424]

I can't address the HOA as I've never lived here. But as a retired PWC officer I can attest that both communities were safe areas as far as crime goes. Neither are perfect and there were the occasional quality of life crimes but these happen everywhere to include gated communities.

[cation50]

When I bought a house in Montclair the HOA was known to be a bunch of Nazis. I had a neighbor who, as soon as he bought his house there the HOA sent him a letter to make some changes to the property or they would sue him. I sold my house and they made me repaint it before I sold it even though it had been painted 3 years before. They made me change my mailbox which was the original one that came with the house and also made me change some of the landscaping, all of which had been previously approved. There were numerous problems like that. I would NEVER buy there again unless the HOA has changed. They were very heavy handed and very rude when anyone walked in the HOA office.

[cully]

You should also leave from work and take a drive down there as if you lived there. On say a Tuesday or Wednesday and then on a Friday. See how the reality feels. One way to rule it out.

[Bigfoot424]

You realize you are responding to a June 2012 topic?

[cully]

Oh, wow. I followed cation. Guess he wanted to get in his opinion. Wonder how it turned out for them.