Fredericksburg, VA Info Needed

[onevthoki]

Okay, let me try and get some of these answered...

As to the VRE to McLean... not an expert there, but from what other posters are saying, it's not going to happen. You might try and get in with a van pool or bus - many leave from the area commuter lots (Rt. 3/Gordon Road, Rt. 3/Behind Ukrops, Courthouse Road), and if your husband is a government employee, you might be able to get a stipend to assist with the cost.

You should be able to find a home that meets your criteria in a good neighborhood. Prices have really come down, but they may finally be leveling off (we can all hope!). The "tree" factor may not come into play, but would just have to see as you begin narrowing down. You might want to look into Fox Point, Crystal Lakes, Lees Hill, Lees Parke, Salem Fields, Breckenridge, Ashleigh Park, and Red Rose Village. Now, the prices may vary just depending on whether or not the basement has been finished, size of the lot, etc., but those are all good to start with. You might want to use fredericksburg.com as a good place to search. That allows you to search by subdivision, and pulls from the MLS.

I was very pleased with the education my children received in Spotsylvania County. You should not have any trouble getting a position. There is going to be a new elementary school opening this fall, and quite a few teachers are transferring there, so I am sure that has opened up positions at other schools as well. As to private, you asked about Catholic School, and I am pretty sure St. Patricks operates a school, but not sure how high up the grades go. And there is one in Stafford, but I don't know the name. There is also Fredericksburg Academy and Fredericksburg Christian.

Last I looked on the property tax rate, Spotsylvania was $0.62 per $100 of assessed value. You mentioned not sure how it worked... the county evaluates your home and assigns a dollar value to it, and they tax you on that amount. Assessments are normally done every two years. You are supposed to get a building permit anytime you do anything big to your home... shed, basement, deck, etc., and this is so (1) the county can inspect the home and make sure the work was done correctly and (2) the county then can raise the value of your home and collect more in taxes. So often people will finish basements without pulling permits. When you go to buy, if the basement is finished, you may want to see if permits were pulled.

Shopping and things to do abound. Will many people complain about the congestion on Rt. 3, it is nice that everything is close together. Down here in Richmond you have to go all over to visit the same stores that are so close in Fredericksburg - I really miss that about Fredericksburg. And I really miss Belks at Spotsylvania Towne Center. If you are a history buff, there are tons to do. Definitely pickup a copy of Fredericksburg Parents (I think that is the name of the magazine) from a grocery store. That always lists items of interest in the area. And being between DC and Richmond is an added bonus, there is so much to do within an hour of Fredericksburg.

Farmers Markets are on the rise. The biggest one is probably the one at the Rt. 3/Gordon Road commuter lot on Saturday morning. I think there is one at the Spotsylvania Courthouse on Saturday morning also, and then Tuesday afternoon in Fredericksburg.

Snow?? Hallelujah not a lot. But what you will find is if the area receives 3-4 inches, school could be out 3-5 days. Spotsylvania is a large county and ALL of the roads have to be safe and ready for buses before they can send them out. So the roads in your subdivision might be clear and dry, but the roads that are shaded in the rural section are still icy, hence no school.

I hope this helps a bit, and let us know if you have any more questions.