I have done some homework and need some local opinions-local culture (west of Dulles). (Reston: rent, condo)

[rpe290]

I have been looking at offers in the area around Dulles Airport, and recently went out there to explore a bit. I had a couple of impressions of the area and would like some feedback.

First off, I narrowed down what was acceptable living areas for my family (taken $ and general sense of the community ONLY from driving around into account) and basically there were 3 main places I could find that might work:
Plan on SFH, 450k or so budget, garage, etc.-subdivision living (Stay at home Mom and 3 kids). Need good schools as well of course. Don’t bother with "try a townhome, condo etc. closer to work," I was open to that, looked at them and it’s not happening unless I was desperate for the job and that was the only way to live there. Just not my cup of tea.


Purcellville/Round Hill –I will put these 2 together since they are close, but more likely Round Hill because I am at the limit of the $$ curve either way and I think its prices are a little cheaper. My impression was a nice, sleepy little town, but not really convenient to a larger town (shopping/activities for kids/etc)-which I assume would be Leesburg (about 20 min away). So my main worry was, not knowing people around, that finding things to do for my kids/wife would not be that easy (unless Charles Town is a great draw @ 20 mins away? I didn’t get to go there)-Leesburg is ok, but you’re not going to DC or the heart of NOVA to do fun or extracurriculars on a daily basis, has to be a planned out long day trip. I will most likely leave plenty early for morning traffic (I got 30-35 mins from the locals) but I assume afternoons are hit and miss and longer for sure.

Bristow/Gainesville area: Now this area has all the shopping and extracurriculars nearby, so its good in that way, I just didn’t like “most” of the subdivision layouts there, like an experiment in how close you can put 2500 sq ft houses! (not my cup of tea) Personally I would take a smaller house and a little more yard, but that’s what I am used to in the Midwest (kids play outside all the time by the house, in the yard, etc. and I don’t see that happening there). I did finally find a subdivision or 2 that wasn’t too bad, so its there, but limited. The other issue is the horror stories about I-66--again I think morning is likely not a big deal, 25-30 min going in early, but even 3 PM is not early enough to miss the afternoon parking lot from what I can tell.

Warrenton area: Would have to be closer to the eastern, Gainesville side, and many similar traffic complaints. Plus further from there and the bigger town amenities, but seemed to be a nice town. Had more houses with yards and such, not sure on all the schools.

So as you can see, I only had a couple days to get as much exploring in as I could, and I had to make A LOT of assumptions quickly, so that is why I wanted to put them out there and see what y’all thought was right and wrong about them… Any general info about the demeanor of people/culture in different areas listed would be great as well. Plus anything like “If you have kids, what do you do in a normal week?” kind of stuff (that is relevant to these areas).

This website and its posters have been a great resource so far, thanks in advance!

[JfromReston]

If you are looking for jobs in the Dulles airport area, I recommend staying in the Loudoun County areas. I-66 is a nightmare and they don't need another commuter. For the Loudoun County properties, be sure that if you are planning on using the Dulles Greenway that you add the tolls to your budget.

[Middlin]

I live in Bristow and work 18 miles away just off 66. Unless you leave Warrenton extremely early (like before 530am) you are looking at a miserable commute. Use google maps to get time estimates

[Middlin]

I actually don't find the evening commute to be as bad as the morning on 66. I do commute during the height of rush hour. One thing to note is that 28 in the am isn't bad going north, but in the afternoon coming south can be a complete parking lot.

[blindside]

Why buy immediately? I suggest you rent for a year or so and figure it out.

I knew of a very social couple (2 kids at the time) who tried living in Purcellville (just beyond Hamilton) and immediately moved to Leesburg because they found it socially isolating.

If you and your wife are introverts, then I can see Purcellville / Round Hill working.

[rpe290]

Originally Posted by blindside

Why buy immediately? I suggest you rent for a year or so and figure it out.

I knew of a very social couple (2 kids at the time) who tried living in Purcellville (just beyond Hamilton) and immediately moved to Leesburg because they found it socially isolating.

If you and your wife are introverts, then I can see Purcellville / Round Hill working.

Honestly, with 3 kids, I don't want to move 2X (school changes and just moving in general) and rent will kill in monthly $$ comparison.

Appreciate the thought-that is the kind of good info I was looking for. Not introverts, part of the reason we would want subdivision type living is that more people would be out and about (hopefully?) to see and meet in general in the neighborhood?

I really liked Leesburg, I just don't see much come up in the $ range I feel comfortable with, so I can't rely on that in my opinion...

Thanks to all so far as well.

[Flamingo13]

Unfortunately, seems like you have a lower budget than you can find anything available in the areas.... maybe reconsider? It's NOT cheap to live in Northern Virginia.

[rpe290]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

Unfortunately, seems like you have a lower budget than you can find anything available in the areas.... maybe reconsider? It's NOT cheap to live in Northern Virginia.

Of course, that is also on the table...just wanting to see if my assumptions were way off or close before making any decisions one way or the other.

Thanks!

[JfromReston]

Mr. Reston and I upped our target price for a house three times before we bought in 2002.
J went looking alone at first price range -- wasn't willing to live in anything she saw.
Upped the price range $100K
J & Mr. Reston went looking together -- Mr. Reston wasn't willing to live in anything he saw.
Upped the price range $50K
Looked for a LONG time - months - and everything we both liked had multi-party bidding wars.
Ended up upping the price range another $30K for the house we won in a bidding war.

[WittyUserName]

$450k for a SFH is a tough order in Leesburg, even harder anywhere else in the Dulles area. Maybe some of the older Leesburg neighborhoods would work, but unfortunately some of them are kind of run down in my opinion. I'm with you though, living in a townhouse stinks and I'd rather have the commute than continue to hear someone banging around next door doing who knows what or whenever someone spends time in their backyard. I like some peace and quiet when I get home since I spend all day interacting with people.

$450k is doable in Gainesville/Bristow (I've been looking there recently), and some of the older subdivisions are in that price range and come with a decent sized lot (1/4-1/3 acre, sometimes more). The newer subdivisions are packed in (looking squarely at "Glenkirk Estates"...8,000 sq. ft. is an estate?), but also tend to be closer to $500k+. I've been focusing on the larger lots.

I would say that some of the older subdivisions look a little tired to me, even though they are only ~20 years old, which is disappointing when you head to Reston and see how well kept many of the 60's and 70's era homes are. Is the difference retired owners? I don't know. Can't speak to the commute, but I do know someone who occasionally has had to do Warrenton to Ashburn (back to working from home 90% of the time now) and don't think it was horrible as trying to go further east from there on I-66.

Keep in mind the houses east of Linton Hall Road get lumped into a different, and generally poorly rated high school in Manassas. There are nice houses over there (Sheffield Manor, Victory Lakes), and tend to be a bit cheaper, so maybe you'd be willing to roll the dice that the boundaries will change in the next few years (they might). Some parents online say Stonewall Jackson HS doesn't deserve the bad rap, so maybe it doesn't. Kept me from pulling the trigger on a great house though, as I worried more about resale than my currently nonexistent child. Obviously if you could make closer to Warrenton work, your dollar will go even further and lot will get bigger. Schools are fine to my knowledge.

I like west of Leesburg as well, but for me, the commute would not work. FYI - traffic around Leesburg heading north and west is awful in the afternoon until about 6:30 or so, even if you take the $6 toll road.