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We're relocating to NoVA and will be looking to buy a SFH in the next few months or so. We'd like to live in Fairfax County for a number of reasons including work location, etc but aren't sure exactly which cities to look in. Recommendations would be much appreciated...especially zipcodes if that's relevant at all.
We don't have kids yet, but plan to in the near future so school system is important but not a deal breaker. The main priority is buying a place that has the best chance of retaining its value in case we want to move in 5+ years. A big lot would be nice - absolute min of 0.25 acres but ideally at least 0.5 acres. We're flexible on the actual house.. could even be a small 2 bed fixer-upper (although we'd prefer a minimum of 3 bedrooms). Easy access to major highways is a must - will be commuting to Dulles airport and McLean most of the time. Budget is up to $500k for a fixer-upper or $650k for a ready-to-move in house.
The question is. Where do you work? Fairfax County is such a big place with job centers spread throughout the county. Keep in mind that homes here are very expensive even further out. If you want to be in a logistical, somewhat centrally located but will still have to drive either directions, the Merrified/Falls Church/Vienna is a good place with easy access to I-66, 495, metro, are located between both airports and near tysons corner. However you may have to up your price point due to the limited selection. Most SF homes in these areas are 800k and up but that's not to say you wont find anything less; you probably will except you'll have to substract some requirements from the wish list.
We'll be commuting to Dulles and McLean. Thanks for the suggestions. Any reason why Falls Church homes seem to be priced a lot lower than Vienna even though FC is inside the beltway? Trying to figure out if it would be a better investment to buy a fixer upper in Vienna or a decent place in Falls Church...
We'll be commuting to Dulles and McLean. Thanks for the suggestions. Any reason why Falls Church homes seem to be priced a lot lower than Vienna even though FC is inside the beltway? Trying to figure out if it would be a better investment to buy a fixer upper in Vienna or a decent place in Falls Church...
You should buy in Falls Church only if its in a good school district. I think West Falls Church and Falls Church City offer this. Falls Church would in fact offer you the easier commute to McLean and Dulles.
Falls Church borders McLean, so the homes closer to this border are much more expensive, but Falls Church covers a wide area so that's why the averages are lower. There are many infills, and available land to build is almost nonexistent.
Vienna is also a great area, but your commute will be longer to McLean and possibly Dulles depending on where in Vienna you are located. Vienna has lower prices on the east side of Maple.
Falls Church is served by 2 subway stations, while Vienna is served by one.
You'll have to check the schools whether you decide to go with Vienna or Falls Church. Here are some good ones:
Falls Church: Haycock & Kent Gardens ES; Longfellow MS, McLean and Mason HS
Vienna: Archer, Westbriar, Wolftrap, & Vienna ES; Thoreau & Kilmer MS; and Madison & Oakton HS
If I were you, I'd buy the "decent place in Falls Church." Home improvement expenses are generally outside the mortgage, and will require both personal time and personal investment.
I'd certainly agree re the time & energy costs of doing fix-ups. A little refurbishing is one thing, but you can spend days just picking out drawer-pulls for a redone kitchen.
Keep in mind that both Vienna and Falls Church are incorporated areas. They have established legal boundaries. Living inside either one of them would put you in an excellent public school system. All of actual Falls Church is in the 22046 zip code. All of actual Vienna is in 22180. Surrounding each, there are unincorporated areas that can call themselves whatever they please. Some of these are known as Vienna and even more perhaps are known as Falls Church. Quality can vary widely in these faux areas, particularly those around Falls Church. Areas west of Falls Church City toward McLean and Vienna are in general going to be fine. Some out the other way toward Fairfax or Bailey's Crossroads may not be as good. Areas north and west of Vienna toward Reston and Oakton will also be fine. Toward the east and south, things will vary some, but most of those neighborhoods are at least pretty good as well.
Commuting wise, actual Falls Church to McLean is a piece of cake. From some of faux Falls Church, it will be a little harder. Falls Church to the Route-28/Dulles area is certainly doable, but a good deal more than just a hop, skip, and jump. From Vienna, you'd cut about ten to fifteen minutes off the Dulles run and add about the same to the trip to McLean. Vienna would be a step toward balancing the two. From there, Dulles would still be the longer run, but not by such a lot.
As for housing stock, Falls Church was basically built out beginning in the 1950's. It has lots of small, but sturdy homes on smallish lots. There are exceptions, of course, but that would be the general rule. Smaller windows, not much closet space, and originally no A/C, though almost all will have added it since. Vienna was built out starting about a decade later. Both the NE and NW quadrants are generally upscale, ranging from larger versions of the Falls Church motif up to quite a number of rather substantial homes on rather substantial lots. SE Vienna was essentially upscale construction from the start, and much of what was not in the beginning now is, thanks to infill development and a considerable wave of tear-down/rebuild activity. There has been some of that in Falls Church also, but not as much. SW Vienna was almost all developed in a single pass, and the resulting Vienna Woods neighborhood is predominantly smallish 1960's construction built for a newly arriving middle class. The majority of these homes is still in very good shape, many having seen add-on's and other upgrades over the years. Some rebuild is ongoing there now, and that's likely to continue.
Both these areas have in general weathered the credit crunch and its impacts on housing markets relatively well, particularly at the higher end. There are some bargains further down the scale, and $500-650K should put a decent number of those within range, either in the town/city proper or in the nicer nearby neighborhoods not actually within the incorporated limits. Both communities have easy access to 66/495/267 and also of course to Metro. Vienna is actually served by two stations -- Vienna/Fairfax to the southwest and Dunn Loring/Merrifield to the southeast. Neither station is actually in Vienna. In Falls Church, West FC is to the northwest, and East FC is to the northeast, and neither of those is actually in Falls Church either.
All in all, there are in general going to be numbers of places in both locations that will fit your needs as described. The bigger challenge will come I think in nailing down the particulars. With some research though, there should be a place here or there that will end up fitting what you want very well...
Last edited by saganista; 09-11-2008 at 08:19 AM..
I'd certainly agree re the time & energy costs of doing fix-ups. A little refurbishing is one thing, but you can spend days just picking out drawer-pulls for a redone kitchen.
Keep in mind that both Vienna and Falls Church are incorporated areas. They have established legal boundaries. Living inside either one of them would put you in an excellent public school system. All of actual Falls Church is in the 22046 zip code. All of actual Vienna is in 22180. Surrounding each, there are unincorporated areas that can call themselves whatever they please. Some of these are known as Vienna and even more perhaps are known as Falls Church. Quality can vary widely in these faux areas, particularly those around Falls Church. Areas west of Falls Church City toward McLean and Vienna are in general going to be fine. Some out the other way toward Fairfax or Bailey's Crossroads may not be as good. Areas north and west of Vienna toward Reston and Oakton will also be fine. Toward the east and south, things will vary some, but most of those neighborhoods are at least pretty good as well.
Commuting wise, actual Falls Church to McLean is a piece of cake. From some of faux Falls Church, it will be a little harder. Falls Church to the Route-28/Dulles area is certainly doable, but a good deal more than just a hop, skip, and jump. From Vienna, you'd cut about ten to fifteen minutes off the Dulles run and add about the same to the trip to McLean. Vienna would be a step toward balancing the two. From there, Dulles would still be the longer run, but not by such a lot.
As for housing stock, Falls Church was basically built out beginning in the 1950's. It has lots of small, but sturdy homes on smallish lots. There are exceptions, of course, but that would be the general rule. Smaller windows, not much closet space, and originally no A/C, though almost all will have added it since. Vienna was built out starting about a decade later. Both the NE and NW quadrants are generally upscale, ranging from larger versions of the Falls Church motif up to quite a number of rather substantial homes on rather substantial lots. SE Vienna was essentially upscale construction from the start, and much of what was not in the beginning now is, thanks to infill development and a considerable wave of tear-down/rebuild activity. There has been some of that in Falls Church also, but not as much. SW Vienna was almost all developed in a single pass, and the resulting Vienna Woods neighborhood is predominantly smallish 1960's construction built for a newly arriving middle class. The majority of these homes is still in very good shape, many having seen add-on's and other upgrades over the years. Some rebuild is ongoing there now, and that's likely to continue.
Both these areas have in general weathered the credit crunch and its impacts on housing markets relatively well, particularly at the higher end. There are some bargains further down the scale, and $500-650K should put a decent number of those within range, either in the town/city proper or in the nicer nearby neighborhoods not actually within the incorporated limits. Both communities have easy access to 66/495/267 and also of course to Metro. Vienna is actually served by two stations -- Vienna/Fairfax to the southwest and Dunn Loring/Merrifield to the southeast. Neither station is actually in Vienna. In Falls Church, West FC is to the northwest, and East FC is to the northeast, and neither of those is actually in Falls Church either.
All in all, there are in general going to be numbers of places in both locations that will fit your needs as described. The bigger challenge will come I think in nailing down the particulars. With some research though, there should be a place here or there that will end up fitting what you want very well...
Ahhh, the only "concern" north or west of Vienna and including south east of Vienna is South Lakes HS and Marshall HS.
If you're in Vienna, you want to be in the Madison or Oakton boundaries.
Ahhh, the only "concern" north or west of Vienna and including south east of Vienna is South Lakes HS and Marshall HS. If you're in Vienna, you want to be in the Madison or Oakton boundaries.
It seems more and more that you simply like to be misleading, and that you don't have much inclination toward sticking to the OP's inquiries.
Everyone who lives in actual Falls Church attends Falls Church City Public Schools, ending up at George Mason High School. No one who lives in incorporated or unincorporated areas that are adjacent to actual Falls Church attends George Mason HS, except under special circumstances and by paying tuition.
Everyone who lives in actual Vienna attends Fairfax County Public Schools, ending up at James Madison High School. Particularly to the north and northwest, many people who live in unincorporated areas that are adjacent to actual Vienna do attend James Madison High School. If you live east or northeast of town, or more than a few blocks southeast of town, you will attend Marshall. If you live southwest of town, or more than a few blocks west of town, you will attend Oakton HS. If you live at least several miles north or northwest of town, you would attend South Lakes HS. No one who lives south of Stuart Mill Road or east of Hunter Mill Road attends South Lakes.
Last edited by saganista; 09-12-2008 at 06:30 AM..
It seems more and more that you simply like to be misleading, and that you don't have much inclination toward sticking to the OP's inquiries.
Everyone who lives in actual Falls Church attends Falls Church City Public Schools, ending up at George Mason High School. No one who lives in incorporated or unincorporated areas that are adjacent to actual Falls Church attends George Mason HS, except under special circumstances and by paying tuition.
Everyone who lives in actual Vienna attends Fairfax County Public Schools, ending up at James Madison High School. Particularly to the north and northwest, many people who live in unincorporated areas that are adjacent to actual Vienna do attend James Madison High School. If you live east or northeast of town, or more than a few blocks southeast of town, you will attend Marshall. If you live southwest of town, or more than a few blocks west of town, you will attend Oakton HS. If you live at least several miles north or northwest of town, you would attend South Lakes HS. No one who lives south of Stuart Mill Road or east of Hunter Mill Road attends South Lakes.
Stop with the personal attacks!
I stated that some Vienna kids (not necessarily the city of Vienna) are sent to Marshall and South Lakes, and that is true.
Did you miss the uproar a few months ago when parents who bought into the Oakton and Madison districts are now sending their kids to South Lakes?
Not a personal attack. Rather a question concerning what has become a pattern of flawed, inaccurate, and misleading information. None of which has been conceded in the light of correction. No children from Vienna Woods attend Freedom Hill ES. No children from Pimmit Hills attend McLean HS. That's but the beginning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by handy man88
I stated that some Vienna kids (not necessarily the city of Vienna) are sent to Marshall and South Lakes, and that is true.
No kids who live in the town of Vienna attend either of these schools. The kids you wish to refer to all live somewhere other than in Vienna. How do they become Vienna kids? What explains that? Some sense of affiliation, orientation, or focus?
Quote:
Originally Posted by handy man88
Did you miss the uproar a few months ago when parents who bought into the Oakton and Madison districts are now sending their kids to South Lakes?
Certainly caught enough of that to realize that these parents bought in Reston. The 2008-09 Madison boundary still lies three-fourths of the way from Madison to South Lakes, and you still have kids travelling four times as far to reach Oakton as they would if they attended South Lakes.
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