Looking at THs in these NoVa areas — please advise

[Anonymous]

We are looking at townhouses in Reston, Burke, and Springfield, mostly. Also some in Vienna, Oakton, and Annandale. Can you please give me advice on how to compare these neighborhoods? One elementary aged child. I’m getting school advice from other people, so I’m primarily interested in neighborhood and just “living there” advice.

[Anonymous]

Try Kings Park West THs in 22032, close to GMU

[Anonymous]

I lived in an Annandale townhouse - it was off of ravensworth road. It was very cheaply built and a huge money suck. Best day of my life was the day I sold it. Don’t buy townhomes made in the 1970s in annandale. Honestly, don’t buy in Annandale period.

[Anonymous]

Lived in a TH and SFH in Burke. Great community, even though we were not in Burke Centre.

[Anonymous]

anandale has very specific Re appreciation. It is never going to be higher end area, lots of small mom and pop shops and strip malls.

[Anonymous]

Annandale off Wakefield chapel is excellent. Great schools. Lots of local pools to join. Close to cross county trail and rec center. Nice people.

[Anonymous]

Are you asking about things to look for? Things I care about are: Can the kids walk to school or playground? Are there trails or places they can safely bike? Common areas where they can play with friends? How is the guest parking?

Visit the neighborhood at different times of day (weekday evening, weekend morning and evening) and see who is out, whether there are kid toys in the yards, where there is maintenance stuff like trash everywhere after trash day.
If you have the chance, visiting on July 4 or Halloween gets a you pretty good idea of the neighborhood too.

It's possible to look in the property tax database and see if the neighboring homes are owned by somebody living at another address, i.e., a landlord. Nothing wrong with renters, but we got tired of making friends that moved away after 1-2 years.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, all. I’m more looking for what the vibe of each place is. Things I can’t tell from driving around. Like, “families only stay in x for 2-3 years at a time bc all military” or “very family friendly” or “more petty crime than you’d think for a suburban community.” That stuff.

[Anonymous]

What’s your budget? All this talk is nonsense before you addressing this question.

They’re all different levels of varying soullessness

Reston is nice but may be too far for your commute. Vienna and oakton are nice too. Avoid the rest unless you have a strong reason

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Maybe it’s not easy to answer what I’m asking. I live in North Arlington now, and if someone said they were comparing THs in North Arlington, South Arlington, City of Falls Church, and McLean, I would have thoughts for them on the differences in those areas.

[Anonymous]

Annandale has too much crime and it will never be a a super desirable area to live (So property won't appreciate much). Reston is also a bad long-term option and Springfield is likely to go downhill.

Vienna within city limits has local zoning authority separate from Fairfax. It might be a good option. It is walkable and relatively safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Maybe it’s not easy to answer what I’m asking. I live in North Arlington now, and if someone said they were comparing THs in North Arlington, South Arlington, City of Falls Church, and McLean, I would have thoughts for them on the differences in those areas.

The areas you are listing are huge, and communities within them vary. You need to get this down to the actual development names / 10 block radius before we can help you.

[Anonymous]

I would only avoid anything in those areas in Annandale inside the beltway, and central Springfield.

West Springfield area has held up really well in the 20+ years I've been around here. Burke is very stable and a classic suburban community that you don't find much anymore. Oakton and Vienna are fine. Reston has ups and downs.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you're taking commute into account, if applicable. A Springfield or burke commute to Tyson's, for example, could be a pain.

West Springfield, Vienna or oakton would be my picks of what you listed.

[Anonymous]

With the coming FCPS school zone changes Reston or Burke is a safer bet than Springfield (you want West Springfield not Springfield by the way) since the latter is at more risk of having a chunk of it zoned to a dicey school.

Were in Burke Centre. Friendly, very sports oriented “normal” feeling suburb. It’s not “keeping up with the Jones’s” vibe. A fair chunk of families do move every few years as military is heavy here but it’s not the majority. Your kids will have friends that get transferred out though to their next posting.