What town in NOVA should we buy? Centreville, Aldie, Haymarkert and beyond (Arlington: real estate, 2015)

[Tinkerbell271433]

The joy of house hunting is being stolen by not knowing WHERE to focus our search...

Situation:
Budget is up to $850K
Have young elementary age children
Must have 4 beds, guest room, office for telework
Move in ready (can take on minor projects)
Need a private YARD
Dislike stack-ables, like REALLY dislike them. A house two feet to my right and left is not our style.
Currently we both tele-work. Husbands situation won't change, mine could. Base office is in Falls Church, VA (if ever forced back to an office) - even if forced back into office would likely be 2/3 out of 5 days.

Prefer to remain in Chantilly/Centreville BUT less on market and a lot of it much older, still needs work for higher price tag

Aldie, still more $$$ and stuck on Rt 50; husband hates the idea of new construction

Love Haymarket, have found an amazing home, fearful of future commute.

Any sane advice to offer?

We both come from little. To have the money to even consider a $850K home is kind of wild. But I always dreamed if this was achievable we could have it all and I am seeing in this area we can't...

Need some words of wisdom and advice....

[Bigfoot424]

How about the Vienna/Oakton area? Private yard is certainly possible and close to everything. Of course traffic is a joy here.

[EmiSky]

I agree Vienna/Oakton would be nice but with that price range it would be difficult to find a great house. The fact that you may have to commute to Falls Church I would immediately rule out Aldie and Haymarket. The commute would be terrible and it's not going to get better, that's for sure.

I used to live in Centreville and liked it but I moved soon after I got a job in Arlington because the traffic was so bad, even just getting to Vienna metro. And that was almost 10 yrs. ago. Nevertheless, I think Centreville/Chantilly is a good option. Here's one listing (it's pending) that's within your price range.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Chantilly/...1/home/9490094

Have you considered Herndon, in the 20171 zip code? Below is a current listing, although it's above your price range this just gives you an idea of what you could get in that area; and I'm sure more homes will be coming on the market soon. You just have to do you homework for schools in the 20171 area as the school lines can vary from one street to another.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Herndon/28...1/home/9316982

[Ffxdata]

Fairfax City would have that. You may even come in under budget. Commute to Falls Church is a breeze for this area.

[Middlin]

My two cents:


Concentrate on homes that give you the space/yard you desire. I would focus on neighborhoods off Stringfellow (can always be dropped off at the park/ride lot to get to Vienna metro) and neighborhoods off the Fairfax County Parkway between the hospital and the Toll Rd.


Be patient


Be open to compromise as you aren't going to get everything on your list


Buy below your budget and be open to renovating. I don't understand if you found a home with the space/location/yard with a crappy kitchen you wouldn't be open to renovating.


A friend of mine bought in Franklin Farms because of location/schools and the house had a crappy kitchen and bathrooms were a lot to be desired. Did renovation in stages and couldn't be happier with her decision

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by Tinkerbell271433

The joy of house hunting is being stolen by not knowing WHERE to focus our search...

Situation:
Budget is up to $850K
Have young elementary age children
Must have 4 beds, guest room, office for telework
Move in ready (can take on minor projects)
Need a private YARD
Dislike stack-ables, like REALLY dislike them. A house two feet to my right and left is not our style.
Currently we both tele-work. Husbands situation won't change, mine could. Base office is in Falls Church, VA (if ever forced back to an office) - even if forced back into office would likely be 2/3 out of 5 days.

Prefer to remain in Chantilly/Centreville BUT less on market and a lot of it much older, still needs work for higher price tag

Aldie, still more $$$ and stuck on Rt 50; husband hates the idea of new construction

Love Haymarket, have found an amazing home, fearful of future commute.

Any sane advice to offer?

We both come from little. To have the money to even consider a $850K home is kind of wild. But I always dreamed if this was achievable we could have it all and I am seeing in this area we can't...

Need some words of wisdom and advice....

I agree with the others- in that price range and a job in Falls Church, I'd be looking more towards the Vienna/ Oakton area. Fairfax City is very nice too.

[ozzyngcsu]

I assume if you fell in love with a property in Haymarket that you prefer much newer builds than you will be able to find int he areas mentioned above. Unless you are willing to increase your price range by $300-400k. Based on your current work arrangement Haymarket is a no brainer. Even with having to commute to Falls Church your commute would not be bad if you are able to arrive at work by 630am.

[NC211]

Originally Posted by Middlin

My two cents:


Concentrate on homes that give you the space/yard you desire. I would focus on neighborhoods off Stringfellow (can always be dropped off at the park/ride lot to get to Vienna metro) and neighborhoods off the Fairfax County Parkway between the hospital and the Toll Rd.


Be patient


Be open to compromise as you aren't going to get everything on your list


Buy below your budget and be open to renovating. I don't understand if you found a home with the space/location/yard with a crappy kitchen you wouldn't be open to renovating.


A friend of mine bought in Franklin Farms because of location/schools and the house had a crappy kitchen and bathrooms were a lot to be desired. Did renovation in stages and couldn't be happier with her decision

100% agree here. Also, didn't you already ask this question on a different thread you started?


Real estate is in a unique situation right now - we have rising interest rates still coming, and land values are through the roof, meaning new construction is in bubble territory on prices. As interest rates continue to inch up this year, prices should start to flatten if not slide a bit to counter the reduced demand due to being priced out of the debt market for the home.


That being said - nobody wants a fixer upper it seems. So, if you buy one, odds are you can get it for a very good deal, meaning you have a lot of cushion and runway to work with to make it your own home. Sure, it might take a little elbow grease and getting on the contractor learning curve, but there is NO shortage of information and avenues you can take to achieve that for a very reasonable price. Basically, be in a situation where for about every $1 you put into it, it'll give you $1.50 back on average (if you're smart on how you go about it).


In my book, I would not buy turn-key ready right now unless it was a unique situation where the location itself was a key driver for the value of the home and it can't be replicated with marginal ease. And I certainly would not buy brand new construction either from one of the spec homebuilders.


I remember your other post. Honestly, I still say Leesburg area for you. With that budget, you can pretty much buy just about whatever you want (just about).

[Tinkerbell271433]

Originally Posted by NC211

100% agree here. Also, didn't you already ask this question on a different thread you started?


Real estate is in a unique situation right now - we have rising interest rates still coming, and land values are through the roof, meaning new construction is in bubble territory on prices. As interest rates continue to inch up this year, prices should start to flatten if not slide a bit to counter the reduced demand due to being priced out of the debt market for the home.


That being said - nobody wants a fixer upper it seems. So, if you buy one, odds are you can get it for a very good deal, meaning you have a lot of cushion and runway to work with to make it your own home. Sure, it might take a little elbow grease and getting on the contractor learning curve, but there is NO shortage of information and avenues you can take to achieve that for a very reasonable price. Basically, be in a situation where for about every $1 you put into it, it'll give you $1.50 back on average (if you're smart on how you go about it).


In my book, I would not buy turn-key ready right now unless it was a unique situation where the location itself was a key driver for the value of the home and it can't be replicated with marginal ease. And I certainly would not buy brand new construction either from one of the spec homebuilders.


I remember your other post. Honestly, I still say Leesburg area for you. With that budget, you can pretty much buy just about whatever you want (just about).

I probably did another post - I can't keep up with seeking strangers to help me make my critical life decisions LOL

We own two homes currently both were fixer uppers. Been there and done that and YES will significantly reap the benefits when we sell, but I want to move to the next phase of life where so much work isn't needed walking in the door. If the home needed just bathrooms OR just a kitchen etc we can manage but I do not want to go in and have to do all big ticket items.

[WittyUserName]

$850k can buy a decent place with a good lot far closer to Falls Church than Haymarket. In fact, I've seen far more large (1/2 acre+) lots to give you room to breathe in the older areas than you'll find in Ashburn or Gainesville/Haymarket.

Unfortunately a lot of them are still in original 1970 (80's, or even the 90's stuff looks terrible now) decor, with no apparent discount for the fact you will want to gut the place. That is my issue - I wouldn't mind gutting the kitchen and replacing all the floors, but the houses are not priced like a place in dire need of renovation.