Why so many houses for sale in Manassas Park/Blooms Crossing? (Arlington: days on market, crime rates)

[pnova]

I am looking to buy a house in the Northern Virginia area and am thinking of buying in the Manassas Park/Blooms Crossing area because it is affordable and you get a lot of house for the price, but I can't help but wonder why there are so many houses up for sale? At times, there are three houses up for sale on the same street. That's usually a red flag. Is there something that I should know about? Are they building something around there that is driving everyone out of there? Thanks.

[boyd888]

You don't mention a budget, but I assume you are referring to the McMansion type homes. Part of why you see so many for sale right now could be because school is out and these homes were bought by people with school age children that tend to move during the summer.

However, these homes suffer from one major issue, and that is location. Anyone willing to live in PWC can buy something brand new not that much further away for near the same price. These 10-15 year old homes will be coming up on some big repair bills as they age. Personally, I think many of them are overpriced and people are trying to "get out" first before the market drops again in that area. Many of these homes in PWC were built or sold during the bubble and have barely appreciated.

Certainly many owners of these homes work nearby, but the primary driving factor in the build up of the area was housing for people that were priced out of the closer to DC counties. Traffic is much worse on 66 now then it was when these places were first built.

[Bigfoot424]

Another reason is that this is a very transient area. So many military and other jobs that move people around more than the average person. The commute into the DC area does suck from this location as well. VRE is located right here so it helps but not everyone can use that option.

[pnova]

My price range is around $400K. I am not looking for a McMansion, but rather around 3000 sqft which at my budget, could not carry me anywhere in Fairfax or Arlington Counties. What I like about Manassas Park/Blooms Crossing is that it is right at the border of PWC and Centreville, so it's almost like living in Fairfax County location wise. I know PWC is really big and I would never think of living anywhere near I-95. I just wanted to make sure there isn't something drastic or pivotal that is driving everybody out of the area (e.g., caving topology, horrendous crime rate, etc.)

[Ashley Tauzier]

Honestly Manassas gets a bad rep. I have clients who want to look in Gainesville, Haymarket, or Bristow, but not Manassas. There are some really nice areas of Manassas though. I have a friend that lives in the Blooms Crossing area and really likes it, but she is older and kids are grown. One tip though is check the school rating of whatever house you plan to buy, even if you do not have children. That really drives the prices of houses and the desirability of the neighborhood. The days on Market for that neighborhood are all over the place as well from 2 days to a 150+. Has your Realtor brought you to areas in Bristow, Haymarket, Gainesville as well just so you have a comparison?

[boyd888]

3000 sqft in PWC is lower McMansion territory, but you're going to be looking in the same developments regardless. While 400k is low for new construction with 3000 sq ft, there is still new stuff being built in the 500K range which leaves all those 10-15 year old homes trying to sell for 5-600K sitting on the market a while.

The main thing driving people out (or preventing those coming in) is the horrendous traffic on 66. If you don't plan on commuting inside the beltway every day it is not a bad place to live by any means. The above mentioned areas that are further out are nice as well.

[Old Guard]

There were 3 houses for sale on my street this spring. 2 sold within 2 weeks and one is still for sale. The house that is still for sale has been on the market off and on and even though it is on a great, large, lot is a fairly small.

I do not think my street is bad. As a matter of fact I think it is getting better as we have just had 2 homes have major renovations and 3 of the people within 2 houses of me/across the street have had major landscaping completed.

[TextileWolf]

I think part of it maybe that there is some pent up demand on selling in the area as the values are getting back to what they were before the crash. My wife and I lived in Blooms Crossing for 5 years and loved it. We only moved because my job allows me to work at home full time and trips to see family with 2 young kids became a burden. I wouldn't hesitate living there.

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by boyd888

The main thing driving people out (or preventing those coming in) is the horrendous traffic on 66.

I was just going to mention this. You say you don't want to be near I-95, but 66 can be worse at times. When we were house hunting a few years ago, I noticed quite a few nice homes within our budget in the Gainesville area. I eventually crossed the entire area off my list because I couldn't stomach the thought of being on 66 regularly.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by pnova

My price range is around $400K. I am not looking for a McMansion, but rather around 3000 sqft which at my budget, could not carry me anywhere in Fairfax or Arlington Counties. What I like about Manassas Park/Blooms Crossing is that it is right at the border of PWC and Centreville, so it's almost like living in Fairfax County location wise. I know PWC is really big and I would never think of living anywhere near I-95. I just wanted to make sure there isn't something drastic or pivotal that is driving everybody out of the area (e.g., caving topology, horrendous crime rate, etc.)

Back in the 70's and 80's Manassas Park is the last place you'd want to live. But most of MP was on the west side of 28 (Centerville Rd) with a small section on the east side. All the homes built in the last 10-15 years or so are all on the west side as that's the only area left. They built some nice areas and many people, to include many of my LE friends/colleagues, started moving here. They had some very nice homes and the crime rates were low then and still are. You'll have the occasional quality of life crime here and there but that happens in even the nicest gated communities.