Wisdom of buying a house in Alexandria next to GW Pkwy (Fort Hunt: sale, neighborhoods)

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by boyd888

Not exactly the home I was expecting. You linked a giant mansion with like a forest out back that happens to have a highway behind another house behind it...This a home next to a highway. https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Chur...3/home/9468372


I'd be more worried about reselling a house with that dated kitchen than the highway tbh. Screams 1995 to me to me and very poor layout with that tiny island. People with $1.5 mil budgets aren't looking for kitchens that look like they belong homes a third of the price they want double ovens, giant island with pendant lighting seating etc. Realistically needs a $50K+ renovation to compete with new houses in the same price range. I'd expect more like this: https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/...1114184215.jpg

Different tastes. I think it looks good OP.

[Montacute]

I went again at noon and it is still loud. There is a part of the property where you can actually see the cars go by on the parkway. For that price, I want to love sitting out in my yard. The noise aggravated me. I will keep looking.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Different tastes. I think it looks good OP.

Same. IMO, it fits the colonial style of the house which is appropriate for its location (4 miles from Mount Vernon). The only things I would change are the color of the appliances (from black to stainless steel), and I'd get rid of the floral wallpaper in the bathrooms.

A home adjacent to the GW Parkway is not comparable to one that is adjacent to I-66. This is a lovely, large home facing the Potomac River. I don't see it being an issue for resale. Your pool of buyers will naturally be more shallow because of the price point so it may take some time to find that buyer.

Now, I was at a backyard BBQ recently at a home in the Fort Hunt area. The noise that was most noticeable to me - planes flying overhead.

With that being said, if you live in this home for just 3-5 years, when do go to sell it, you're likely to lose money because of the selling costs alone. Not to mention, you're already planning to do some extensive renovations and who knows if you'll get a return on those investments.

If I was uncertain that I would be living in this house for less than 10-years, there's no way I'd drop this amount of money on a home and then also pay for renovations. I'd look in the neighborhoods on the other side of the Parkway, where you can find a nice home for half that cost.

[Montacute]

I have looked on the other side of Route 1 also and cannot find a house I like. There are so many awful brick ranches on that side. To me, that is so ugly.

[Ffxdata]

Different strokes...
sounds like the sound is a dealbreaker for you. Best of luck looking for something!

[Old Guard]

Originally Posted by Montacute

This is the house--
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Alexandria...8/home/9820796
It is at the very top of our budget and I love the large backyard, except for the noise. I am worried about resale because I never know when my job could move me. Maybe 3 years, 5 years, 10 years or never. But it is a worry and I want to be smart about buying something I can sell quickly if I need to, and not at a loss.

I just want to point out that this does not have a gas range. You may not care but I prefer a gas range. The flip side to that is that I know a few people that now prefer the electric ranges.

[lovnova]

We once owned a house that backed up to a connecting highway. The highway was built years after we purchased the property. Very nice area and neighborhood.

I would definitely suggest that you NOT buy any home that is close to a major roadway or highway for any reason.

[ACWhite]

Would it be feasible to find a tear down on a quiet lot, then build the house you want? With your budget, the availability of small ranches, and your willingness to make changes to the rejected house, I wonder if building your own is the way to go for you.

[Old Dominionite]

Originally Posted by Montacute

I went again at noon and it is still loud. There is a part of the property where you can actually see the cars go by on the parkway. For that price, I want to love sitting out in my yard. The noise aggravated me. I will keep looking.

I would do the same if I were you.

Even though it's currently managed by the National Park Service, there's also no guarantee that the Parkway won't be widened or "improved" at some point in the future to accommodate traffic demands. For this reason, I would never buy a home next to or very near (1/10 mile) a divided highway or expressway.

[Montacute]

Originally Posted by Old Dominionite

I would do the same if I were you.

Even though it's currently managed by the National Park Service, there's also no guarantee that the Parkway won't be widened or "improved" at some point in the future to accommodate traffic demands. For this reason, I would never buy a home next to or very near (1/10 mile) a divided highway or expressway.

Sage advice. I kept thinking of my Nana in NC and how the state took (at market value) her house that had been in the family for generations to put a new road in because the road it had been on had gotten so busy.