Vienna vs. Chantilly - is it worth the extra money?

[Anonymous]

I've been looking in Vienna for a while and can afford a house I would be happy with. Lately, though, I'm wondering if my money is better spent elsewhere. I could get a slightly newer, slightly larger home for $100,000 - $150,000 less in Chantilly.

All I can really think of that Vienna has to offer (over Chantilly) is the ability to walk to the downtown area with a farmers market, movies in the summer, Santa during the holidays. Sure these things would be great for my kids, but how often will we really take advantage of these things? With all the things kids have going on, would we even get downtown once a week?

School wise, sure Vienna (mostly) has better schools. But the schools in Chantilly (that we would pick) are not bad by any means.

Commuting to work would mostly likely be easier if we lived in Chantilly.

I think of all the money we could save, which means nicer vacations, a nicer house, more fun money, more savings etc.

I've heard from many people who live in Vienna how great it is. But, maybe they don't know anywhere else. I've heard good things about Chantilly, but don't really know anyone living there.

Is Vienna worth it?

[Anonymous]

I think this is really only something you can decide. Commuting is a quality of life issue, but so is walkability/accessibility.

We live basically in Chantilly (we have a Fairfax address for some reason, but I digress) after having lived in Reston for many years. I am happy with our house and neighborhood (surprisingly walkable for the area - all 3 public schools, the library and a large shopping center with all the conveniences we need), but there are things that were better in Reston, like being able to walk to a farmer's market, lakes, RTC.

In the end, a lot of people don't actually avail themselves of the perks of the area they live in, so if you don't see yourself walking downtown in Vienna a lot or hopping on the metro or being able to enjoy the other closeby amenities, then I think you have your answer.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

[Anonymous]

OP here here. If you don't mind, where do you live?

[Anonymous]

OP, I looked in BOTH places. And picked somewhere else. Both have good schools. But Chantilly is OUT THERE. It depends on where you work, first off, imo. If you are driving to DC, try Rt 66 at 6AM. It ain't pretty, coming and going. Also, if the schools are pretty equal, and I think they are, why do you think Chantilly is 100-150 less? I kinda think any place closer to DC will hold its value better.

[Anonymous]

Neither of us will be commuting to DC. Chances are pretty good that Chantilly will be closer to work or at least equal distance.

I'm looking at places right now, and $100-$150,000 less is accurate.

Where did you settle on? Why did you not pick Vienna or Chantilly? Was it commuting?

For where we will likely work, Chantilly is not out there.

[Anonymous]

we live in Greenbriar. Our price range (mid-400s) would never have allowed for Vienna, so I'm sort of assuming that my neighborhood wouldn't be on your list. The homes are 40-ish years old and pretty basic. The largest model (without any additions) is @2200 sf - this is the model we bought. We needed to do renovations as the house was not updated much over the years. It's a work in progress, but we are pretty happy with the neighborhood and schools. After having lived in Reston, where we could walk to so much, we were pretty adamant about finding a neighborhood where at least a few of the major amenities were walkable (elementary school was the most critical with grocery store right behind). We feel like we lucked out in being able to walk to as much as we can.

[Anonymous]

We ended up in McLean. If we had chosen, we would have gone w Vienna, simply out of belief that being closer to DC helps and is worth the extra cost. Every situation is different too. The commutes here are both killer and seem pretty commonplace. We chose to not do the killer commute. While Chantilly may not be far out for you, given you current or future work, think about the next buyer of your home? The jobs here are in DC, Arlington, Tysons...think Cap One, the agencies, the govt, USA Today, hilton, Gen Dynamics, Northrup, etc.

[Anonymous]

Plenty of people also work in Reston/Herndon, Chantilly, Dulles/Sterling and Ashburn.

[Anonymous]

I think Chantilly can offer a pretty nice commute to some jobs in the Route 28/Dulles area, but overall Vienna has more to offer if you can afford it. It has an older town at its core; it's near the Metro and the W&OD trail; it has more independent shops and restaurants than Chantilly; and the schools are smaller than those in Chantilly. Unless you're talking about buying an older house in lousy condition in the Town of Vienna, I'd spend the extra money to live there, unless doing so would leave you financially vulnerable.

[Anonymous]

OP here,

I think in 20 years, there will be many more employment opportunities further out - it is already happening now with some government agencies, which means contractors will follow. So resale in 20 years won't be too much of an issue (imo).

Again, we aren't commuting to DC. The closest in we will commute will be Tysons area, but there are plenty of opportunities for us to be "further out" as many put it.

[Anonymous]

OP here,

House in Vienna would be built in the 1960s or 70s, maybe have a garage (I really want a two car, but even a one car is hard to find in Vienna). I know what Vienna has to offer and I just don't know if I would take advantage of it. While Vienna is nice, it is small. Close to the metro is a non-issue to me. Where I would like to live in Vienna I would still drive to the metro. So if I have to drive, I can certainly drive a bit further.

House in Chantilly would be built in the 1980s, have a two car garage, be in a neighborhood with a pool and tennis courts.

[Anonymous]

hi op, what neighborhoods in chantilly are you considering? we looked for over a year before moving earlier this spring.

[Anonymous]

Op -where is your job?

[Anonymous]

OP..We live in Oakton and feel like it is the best of both worlds. We got a lot more house and land than we would have in Vienna proper but still are close enough to Vienna to take advantage of it's perks. I had no idea how close it was too so much...Reston, Fairfax, Fair Oaks are minutes away. Our preschool is in the Franklin Farms neighborhood and while our part of Oakton doesn't have the perks of the HOA in that community having space for our kids to run has been really great! GL!!!

[Anonymous]

I would look in Chantilly, but I would also look in Oakton, as the PP suggested. (similar prices to Vienna, but different housing stock.) I would also look in the parts of Annandale feeding into Woodson unless that's a bad commute to your jobs. If I didn't need access to DC and metro and Tysons, I probably wouldn't pay the premium you pay for an older house in Vienna.

You could probably consider Clifton, too, if you're looking at Chantilly, but it might be pricey.