Pregnant and Purchasing a house in Woodbridge(demographics, crime, commute, resale) (Dale City: to rent, HOA fees)

[novagirl29]

Hi everyone!

I am from the Lake Ridge area of Woodbridge and grew up here my whole life! My parents still live in Lake Ridge, and while my husband LOVES Lake Ridge, I prefer the newer homes in the Queensdale part of Dale City (5429 Quinn Ln Woodbridge 22193 for example). I am fine not having an HOA/pool because we can always use my parents and friends pools which would only be a 10 minute drive. Plus, if you're not spending money on HOA it's really no problem to go to a rec center like the Chinn Center. Also, we will probably be living in this house for the next 20-30 years. If we were going to rent it out in the near future, I might be more concerned about schools and HOA because it would be more likely to rent. But that probably isn't the case. My husband works close to Lake Ridge and close to this particular area of Dale City, so commuting won't be a problem.

We're not too worried about the schools because we'll be sending our kids to private Catholic schools. Dale City is further away from Holy Family Catholic School and Our Lady of Angels but not by much. I think it's worth the sacrifice. Is anyone familiar with these schools by the way?

My husband is leaning more toward Lake Ridge, I absolutely love Queensdale and the newer homes. Would anyone be worried about living in Queensdale? If you'd rather live in Lake ridge, why? Also does anyone know if Sonnie Penn Elementary, Beville Middle, and Osbourne Park high school are good schools?

I'd truly appreciate any help. We're expecting a baby next year and hope to have a big family. Just want to make the right decision!

[Bigfoot424]

When I retired in 09 from PWCPD the Queensdale area was quiet and a nice area compared to the opposite end of Dale City. I still live fairly close to the area and don't hear anything negative in the media or from my friends still working for the PD about the area. Like any area, including Lake Ridge, there will be the lousy neighbors and the quality of life crime issues once in a while but I doubt this section of Dale City will slide downhill to a crime ridden area.

[johnsonkk]

The lake ridge HOA fees for SFHs are about $50/month and that includes garbage and recycle pickup twice a week. You already know about the pools, etc but garbage pickup alone is at least half that cost. If all things are equal, guessing you won't be going to Lake Ridge.

[ChristineVA]

It's an okay area (Queensdale). I considered buying there back in 1994 when it was brand new but ended up not doing so because that part of Dale City is just too far from I95 access. The only negative side I can think of is that it's just a tad close to some of the more negative areas there. Not that there's a lot of crime, etc., but some of those neighborhoods have really become eyesores and this is where an HOA only helps you. Dale City is an example of what happens when there is no control. I fear for you that way on down the road when your pristine Queensdale neighborhood is totally aged out, you will have resale problems due to things not be standardized and kept up. Drive through the older neighborhoods and you will see what I mean. It will happen there also.

Both of my kids attended the Catholic schools in Woodbridge. One started out at Holy Family but we moved her to Aquinas later. They are fine schools. I can't say that academically they are superior to some of the good public schools in PWC, because in many aspects they are not, but you will get ZERO trouble in those schools.