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Does it matter if the duplex is considered 2 floor condos not townhouses?
I am considering boulevard vi because I haven't seen it and on paper it looks appealing - location, new,customization etc. I suspect the sqft probably be sub 2k for 2 bed 2 bath with den.... is a good sqft nowadays 2000?
The model home in Ashburn i am gonna check it out. It is with no up or down neighbor which is nice. Furnished is nice but I know it is still overpriced in that respect. Being in Ashburn is still a strike since its bit far from my fav amenities... but if the price can be negotiated down a lot maybe worth the hassle?
BTW, how much price can be negotiated down with last sales? And what can be negotiated on in the middle of a phase of sales? I know boulevard vi realtor made clear no price negotiation initially.
Not quite sure as to what you mean. Are you saying does it matter if you buy into a townhouse/piggyback community that's a condo versus a townhouse in a HOA community? If so, I'd say expect condo fees to be higher since in condo communities, the grass and the shrubbery in front of your home is taken care of by the condo association. If you are in a piggyback unit on the top 2 floors, you won't have any yard so no worries about that. Also, condo communities have someone shovel the sidewalks and the parking areas in the winter. With townhouse condos (like all condos) expect, as the place ages, you will face having to pay special assessments for things like painting the outside or putting in new roofs. If you do buy into a condo community, be sure you put aside money for any surprise special assessments.
In a townhouse community that's not condos, you will have a front and a backyard to maintain on your own. In the case of an end unit, you will have a side yard, too. Many townhouse communities are built so there is a shed in the backyard for storage which will come in handy for storing items for maintaining the outside of your home. Also, in a non-condo community, you will be responsible for maintaining the exterior of your home. If the door and the trim need painting, it's up to you to see it gets done. As the house ages, it's up to you to replace the roof.
As for negotiating on the price of a new home --- if you want to try that, you should get a realtor who will work for you as a buyer's agent. Yet, given that the market is hot now, the builders may not want to negotiate. That's why I think a realtor is a big help. We used a realtor when we bought our second house and she managed to get the builder to put in a few options without us having to pay for them.
As for buying a model home fully furnished --- Personally, I wouldn't ask. Sometimes the furnishings like the beds, for example, aren't real beds. If a staging company did the model home, they may not want to sell the furniture as they tend to use it in other homes. All that said, if there are upgraded floors and appliances and wallpaper, etc. those will stay. In our last community, a family bought the model home. The garage in the home was converted to a sales office. The builder's agent told the buyers that they would convert it back to a garage. The family wanted to stay the way it was as they had a child who used a wheelchair and that would be a perfect bedroom for her as she could get in and out of the house easily.
As for the location of a home, you have to weigh the pros and cons. For example, is it really important that you have a short commute? Is it really important that you are in a walkable community? Would it bother you to have to drive a bit when it comes to shopping?
Not quite sure as to what you mean. Are you saying does it matter if you buy into a townhouse/piggyback community that's a condo versus a townhouse in a HOA community? If so, I'd say expect condo fees to be higher since in condo communities, the grass and the shrubbery in front of your home is taken care of by the condo association. If you are in a piggyback unit on the top 2 floors, you won't have any yard so no worries about that. Also, condo communities have someone shovel the sidewalks and the parking areas in the winter. With townhouse condos (like all condos) expect, as the place ages, you will face having to pay special assessments for things like painting the outside or putting in new roofs. If you do buy into a condo community, be sure you put aside money for any surprise special assessments.
In a townhouse community that's not condos, you will have a front and a backyard to maintain on your own. In the case of an end unit, you will have a side yard, too. Many townhouse communities are built so there is a shed in the backyard for storage which will come in handy for storing items for maintaining the outside of your home. Also, in a non-condo community, you will be responsible for maintaining the exterior of your home. If the door and the trim need painting, it's up to you to see it gets done. As the house ages, it's up to you to replace the roof.
As for negotiating on the price of a new home --- if you want to try that, you should get a realtor who will work for you as a buyer's agent. Yet, given that the market is hot now, the builders may not want to negotiate. That's why I think a realtor is a big help. We used a realtor when we bought our second house and she managed to get the builder to put in a few options without us having to pay for them.
As for buying a model home fully furnished --- Personally, I wouldn't ask. Sometimes the furnishings like the beds, for example, aren't real beds. If a staging company did the model home, they may not want to sell the furniture as they tend to use it in other homes. All that said, if there are upgraded floors and appliances and wallpaper, etc. those will stay. In our last community, a family bought the model home. The garage in the home was converted to a sales office. The builder's agent told the buyers that they would convert it back to a garage. The family wanted to stay the way it was as they had a child who used a wheelchair and that would be a perfect bedroom for her as she could get in and out of the house easily.
As for the location of a home, you have to weigh the pros and cons. For example, is it really important that you have a short commute? Is it really important that you are in a walkable community? Would it bother you to have to drive a bit when it comes to shopping?
Yeah i guess i meant since the duplex looked the same as townhome, does it matter - and you answered the question. As for furnished, i am not sure what you mean about furniture like beds. I guess maybe some companies do staging and those things arent "real" but if they are (and the sales person said they spent 80k on it...) then I don't see a reason for me to toss them out, at least not the majority. I dont expect the furniture brands to be that great either but it does fill the room.
I think as for pros/cons, i can think of the following:
1. Customizing the place to my liking - smart home, appliances, wirings, kitchen, bath etc.
2. Distance to tysons/work/dc. I like in fairfax now and it takes me ~30 to get to work in chantilly, and the ashburn place does take similar commute. But it is further to tysons and DC. Before covid i go to tysons a lot (mostly AMC) so I can see myself go to AMC near ashburn. I don't go to DC that often but it is still convenient. One thing is that many stores i go to are within local driving distance from fairfax but ashburn location i didn't see anything close proximity (but i wasn't specifically looking either).
3. stairs - i am less against taking 2 floors to reach the unit and having a 2 floor unit now... but I am still against having 3-4 stairs for a unit to myself. It is just too much hassle everyday.
I think 1 would be priority number one and others are negotiable. For example, if the 511k model home in ashburn sells for 470k and its a total steal, i would strongly consider it and just suffer the inconvenience of shopping.
Also, isn't bringing a realtor to negotiate price a signal that i am ready to buy? I hate wasting people's time if i end up finding out they won't budge and the realtor is mad at me lol....
The realtor won't be mad at you because s/he will get a commission that is paid by the seller, who in this case, would be the builder..
As for "wirings" do you mean internet provider? Sometimes the builder will wire a home with a certain provider in mind (Fios, Cox, Comcast). Be sure and ask about that. When we bought our house, the wiring in place at the time was for Comcast's predecessor. When FIOS came along, we had Verizon come and wire the place for it.
If you like to go to Tysons, keep in mind that if you live near a Metro station (silver line) it stops at Tysons.
Whatever you decide, keep in mind that the housing market is hot right now. You may find that you will have to make a quick decision in some cases.
The realtor won't be mad at you because s/he will get a commission that is paid by the seller, who in this case, would be the builder..
As for "wirings" do you mean internet provider? Sometimes the builder will wire a home with a certain provider in mind (Fios, Cox, Comcast). Be sure and ask about that. When we bought our house, the wiring in place at the time was for Comcast's predecessor. When FIOS came along, we had Verizon come and wire the place for it.
If you like to go to Tysons, keep in mind that if you live near a Metro station (silver line) it stops at Tysons.
Whatever you decide, keep in mind that the housing market is hot right now. You may find that you will have to make a quick decision in some cases.
yeah, i agree. Is the reason for housing market being hot due to the rates or just development in the Fairfax/loudon county areas? For wirings i mean being "smart home enabled" and some times cables etc. being available in the unit. I looked at one option where they said you can customize what outlets are available etc.
FWIW, the modeled home just got 10k price reduction to 499k now...
Yes, bringing/calling a realtor indicates an interest in buying. If you are still wishy/washy about buying, don't call a realtor. Sounds like you really need to decide if space/price vs location is a tradeoff you're willing to make. Take the opportunity to check out the surrounding area of places you are considering. It's a big world out there, and yes, there is much to do west of Tysons.
Model homes are sold last as they need the model home in order to sell. Frankly you would be paying a huge premium to have some very low quality furniture. I remember a TH community near me sold their model home fully furnished and where the model home had some nice upgrades, they were selling it almost 100k more than the other homes in the neighborhood. You don't want to be the most expensive home in the neighborhood because of some crown molding, interesting wallpaper and middling furniture as you won't recoup that expense.
Yes, bringing/calling a realtor indicates an interest in buying. If you are still wishy/washy about buying, don't call a realtor. Sounds like you really need to decide if space/price vs location is a tradeoff you're willing to make. Take the opportunity to check out the surrounding area of places you are considering. It's a big world out there, and yes, there is much to do west of Tysons.
Model homes are sold last as they need the model home in order to sell. Frankly you would be paying a huge premium to have some very low quality furniture. I remember a TH community near me sold their model home fully furnished and where the model home had some nice upgrades, they were selling it almost 100k more than the other homes in the neighborhood. You don't want to be the most expensive home in the neighborhood because of some crown molding, interesting wallpaper and middling furniture as you won't recoup that expense.
Yeah i forgot another requirement is having ventilation.... bathroom and kitchen. The model home kitchen didnt have it... she said it is a difficult requirement....
Yeah i forgot another requirement is having ventilation.... bathroom and kitchen. The model home kitchen didnt have it... she said it is a difficult requirement....
These are legit concerns. Let them be someone else's problem. not your problem.
I have a realtor question... how often do realtors contact you if you are looking? i have one who emails me like once a week, initially i thought he doesnt want anything to do with me after initial call.
I just saw Penderoaks by khovanian, it seems to be in good locations at 50 but its gonna be busy street. The salesperson mentioned Oakton high school and how people want to go there and how they are selling the initial batch quite low compared to competitors at Westfield.
They don't have the model home yet but trying to sell the first batch because their model home needs to be built so the initial price is lower. I did see one print with kitchen and bath upgrades for 640 or so at the end side for 2600 sqft. It is speced out so no additional things i can do. I also need to buy my own washer dryer so thats few K as well. The hoa is 220ish so not sure if high or low for duplex. For reference it's 420 is for their condo building hoa. The con is there's nothing to see but I guess after seeing so many places already maybe it doesn't matter? Should I jump on it?
Saw it today. Its 530 or so for 3rd floor 1100ish sqft. 420ish hoa fee as well. I think if I pick 1st floor maybe price go down to 500. My realtor say it will only go up and land costs will keep rising.
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