First time homebuyer in NOVA--Centreville? Manassas? Elsewhere? (Herndon, Fairfax: short sale, real estate)

[novahousehunter]

Hi All,

Looking to buy my starter house, a townhouse, <200K, in NOVA, been looking at foreclosures with a great agent.

I have variable commute and schedule (I am a telecommuter in general, have weekly drives to Tysons, Herndon, possibly Gainesville in the future, very occasionally DC via public transport). I drive to Nokesville daily for my hobby, generally not during rush hour.

For price and location I am considering Manassas (have seen some biggish TH in the Paradise complex in decent shape) and Centreville (much smaller but in probably more desirable areas like Green Trails, could get a little bigger in older neighborhoods like Newgate).

Don't have kids.

Anyway, anyone have thoughts on either the current safety of any of these locations or the likely stability of them as investments? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!

[blossom4792]

Can you give me the cross streets or part of town for the Paradise complex in Manassas? I am just not sure where that is ...

[novahousehunter]

Paradise is on both sides of Sudley Manor, west of Ashton. (The ones north of S.M. are coming off Rodes or Seymour, the ones to the south are just next to Rosemont Lewis Park.

Thanks!

[LVMYDACH]

I have lived in Centreville's Green Trails community for over 12 years. It is a very nice community, safe and a great location (easy access to Rt 66). Our family has no complaints. I personally think buying in Green Trails would be a sound investment. However, I'm not sure what townhouse would be available as a foreclosure for less than $200,000. If you are lucky enough to find one for that price I certainly would take advantage of it if it is in rather good shape! Centreville is located in the middle of the areas that you commute to for your work locations (present and future) and your daily hobby.

[blossom4792]

OK, I like that area of Manassas very much. I know many people around there who have no complaints. I would have to argue that Centreville would make a slightly sounder investment for the obvious reasons (closer in; located in Fairfax County). But I think you can make the decision based on the obvious tradeoffs - size, community, amenities, etc.

[novahousehunter]

Thanks for the feedback and answers. Yes, that's exactly the tradeoff--better location vs. bigger/cheaper. Appreciate your responses. Good to know neither is a terrible choice, at least.

[newgatedenizen]

I've lived in Newgate for about 15 years now and our family loves it here. Since you don't have any kids you don't have to worry about the inevitable negative (bogus imo) comments about the elementary school. It's a mature community but very stable and well taken care of neighborhood with a very reasonable HOA. It's a safe area - nowhere is perfect but there are no crime issues. Actually pretty much anywhere in Centreville is relatively safe.

There is an incredible range of prices of townhouses here but there's a reason for that - some of the foreclosure/short sale townhouses have been rather roughly taken care of the last few years...

In the closest 3 townhouses next to ours we have had a total of 2 families living there in each one in these last 15 years. So while there is a fair amount of turnover the majority of people live here for at least 5+ years at a time.

On the other hand Nokesville can be a long drive if you are doing it the wrong time of day... I gave up my dentist in Nokesville a few years ago because it seemed to get farther and farther away every year thanks to the traffic that came with the development in Gainesville/Bristow.

[knopfler]

I live nearby the Paradise development. Good area. Low crime. Schools are decent. If I had liquid cash, I'd buy some of those properties as I think they're undervalued.

[DC Oldtimer]

We also have no children and have made the mistake of thinking schools dont matter. But they do ... if you are at all concerned about your house holding and increasing in value.

For that reason (and others) I'd go with Centreville. People will want to know about the schools when you go to sell, and the schools there are good IIRC. (All Fairfax schools are good, some are just better than others.)

Here's a blog I'd suggest you check out before buying in Manassas. It's maintained by a NOVA real estate agent who has been tracking what she calls the NOVA Real Estate bubble. What you will see is that the market has imploded in Manassas while other areas have kept their value better.

Northern Virginia Housing Bubble Fallout

You have to decide ... do you want to buy somewhere because you can get a rockbottom price that may not appreciate much, or would you rather stick with an area that has remained attractive despite the storm around us?

My personal opinion FWIW. It's always better to stick with solid neighborhoods if you can.