Leesburg/Foxridge- Need Advice (Springfield, West Springfield: renting, new house, find a job)

[Peachy7]

Hi, I am looking for any information on the neighborhood of Foxridge in Leesburg. It is in our price range, but the fact that it is on the lower end of the housing prices in Leesburg has me concerned. Is this a safe neighborhood? Are there young families? We have 2 small children. Any information would be helpful.

It is a very tough decision between buying a brand new house which would be a longer commute or a 30 year old house with less of a commute. I imagine this is a decision most of us have to make. It would make a difference to know if Foxridge is a safe and friendly community. I have read earlier threads that have been helpful but thought I would start my own thread for up to date and various opinions.

Thank you in advance.

[cdmurphy]

The mayor of Leesburg lives there. I'm guessing it's safe.

[Vectorhead]

Originally Posted by Peachy7

It is a very tough decision between buying a brand new house which would be a longer commute or a 30 year old house with less of a commute. I imagine this is a decision most of us have to make.

Sorry, I don't have any knowledge of Leesburg. But I wanted to comment on your statement. This is exactly the kind of decision that virtually anyone moving into the area has to make. We had to do it 10 years ago when my husband retired from the Air Force and we moved here. We originally assumed we would get a newer house in Stafford and that he would just have to deal with the horrible commute to the Pentagon. But instead we bought a 50-year-old house in West Springfield. It's the smallest house we've had since we first got married, and it was a tight squeeze for the six of us. But you know what? It was the absolute, hands-down best decision we could have made, for so many reasons. I'm not trying to say it's the best decision for everyone. But here is a quick rundown on the some of the top reasons we are happy with our decision. Some of them might be things you hadn't thought of.

1. The neighborhood we moved into was an established neighborhood with lots of trees and parks. After living in several very young neighborhoods over the past 15 years, we found that this was a really refreshing change.
2. The schools are outstanding. Can't say much more than that.
3. The commute... gosh, over the last ten years I'd estimate that my husband saved himself about 4000 - 5000 hours of commuting. He caught a bus a block from our house and was inside the Pentagon in 35 minutes. That meant he could be home in time to coach soccer and attend parent teacher conferences and all the other myriads of things that parents do.
4. I went back to work six years ago. Because we chose an area that's relatively close to DC, I didn't have to limit my job search. I worked in Tysons for four years and now am out by Dulles. If we had settled in Stafford, it would have been harder for me to find a job in my career field.

This is such an important decision. It helps to get viewpoints from lots of different perspectives. Good luck to you!

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by Peachy7

It is a very tough decision between buying a brand new house which would be a longer commute or a 30 year old house with less of a commute. I imagine this is a decision most of us have to make. It would make a difference to know if Foxridge is a safe and friendly community. I have read earlier threads that have been helpful but thought I would start my own thread for up to date and various opinions.

I also don't know a thing about Leesburg, but this area is different than much of the country in that wealthy people live in smaller, older homes. Just because a neighborhood is older does not mean it is on the decline. Our neighborhood was established in the 1970s and people have kept up their houses and have a lot of pride in ownership. It just isn't the same in a just-built community.

[Middlin]

Be sure and factor in the tolls when comparing home costs

[Peachy7]

Thanks for the advice. So much to consider. I appreciate your opinions.

[blindside]

Originally Posted by Ffxdata

I also don't know a thing about Leesburg, but this area is different than much of the country in that wealthy people live in smaller, older homes. Just because a neighborhood is older does not mean it is on the decline. Our neighborhood was established in the 1970s and people have kept up their houses and have a lot of pride in ownership. It just isn't the same in a just-built community.

The thing I like about older homes the house footprint : lot size ratio. These days, it seems that developers choose to build houses right up to the legally allowed setback from the neighboring property. 4000 sq foot on less than 1/10th an acre is just ludicrous. To accommodate that much square footage you have to build up and wrap vinyl siding on the sides of your house, so you don't see your neighbors because you're so close to them.

It seems like a lot of the homes in Foxridge have this problem.

Show me the homes that are single level, 1000-1500 sq feet on a quarter acre or larger.

[Candicem]

I was renting there for a year and a half and LOVED it but we decided to move to WV. Just on my "street" alone counting my 2 kids there was about 15 kids ages 2-17. I was able to let my kids go and play outside and during the summer, I only saw them when they were hungry or it was dark outside. It is really a great neighborhood. I really miss all the trees (so many colorful leaves in the fall!) and friends that we made. The pool was great to have in the summer and I really liked that we could walk to the park or to old town Leesburg. We would also go on bike rides or go for a run on the trail. It's just a really great neighborhood

[Peachy7]

Hi just an update, we drove through Foxridge this weekend. Although the homes were very pretty and well kept looking, I wasn't expecting them to be so close together. I had read that they are close with small yards but really wasn't expecting it them to be that close. I know some people may not mind this but it wasn't for us and I would want more of a back yard as well.

We really liked Round Hill and Purcellville and are not yet done exploring. Also planning to look at Gainesville and Bristow.