Townhome in Fairlington Village

[Anonymous]

I saw a townhouse in Fairlington Villages today that I fell in love with. It is just DH and our two small dogs and I. We have been looking at much bigger sfh options throughout nova (pretty much almost everywhere, lol) with a budget that exceeds the cost of this townhome by quite a bit. But I love the community feel/dog culture/proximity to DC, and I do like the idea of downsizing. And after seeing the home we were able to head over to B&P to eat, which is one of my favorite places.

Can anyone who lives there or is super familiar with it chime in? Is the neighborhood as quiet as it seemed? I have issues with noise, and haven't thought much about townhomes for that reason, but this community felt so incredibly peaceful. Is it as dog-loving as it appeared to be?

I know no one can advise me on our personal financial situation, but at 675k, it is several 100k below budget for us, which I am very happy about given all that is going on in the world at the moment (DH is SES...), and why spend more than you need to when you love something that costs less?

Big downsides: It's small. Very small. We would need to get rid of a lot of stuff, and I'd probably hire a designer not only to help me make it all look nice but to help us use the small amount of space well. But at this price, there is room in the budget for that. Also, it backs up to 95, and DH hated the noise out back. In my search on here, people say parking is awful --but two spots come with it? Do the lots have enough spaces? We easily parked on the street near it this afternoon.

[Anonymous]

I have lived in a Fairlington townhouse for 6 years and love it! We are a family of 2 adults, 1 tween and 3 pets. It does feel small at times, but it's livable and cozy. People are very friendly and there are always people out walking dogs. Our location is very quiet, though we passed on a handful of places that were too close to the highway for our liking. We can hear our neighbors through the shared wall, but it's not loud. The multi-unit buildings may have more neighbor noise.

Depending on which condo association you are looking at (there are 7) there may be some drama on the Board. You can get involved or completely avoid. Parking is not a problem where we are. There are lots of community events, great swimming pools, Farmer's Market in the summer, close to Shirlington, beautiful garden like setting. It's really a great spot! I highly recommend it! And if you don't totally love the location by the highway, there are always new units being listed. We probably looked at 5-6 units from March to May and made an offer in May.

I might also recommend working with one of the local realtors familiar with Fairlington. Maybe start here https://www.facebook.com/groups/fairlingtonrealestate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in a Fairlington townhouse for 6 years and love it! We are a family of 2 adults, 1 tween and 3 pets. It does feel small at times, but it's livable and cozy. People are very friendly and there are always people out walking dogs. Our location is very quiet, though we passed on a handful of places that were too close to the highway for our liking. We can hear our neighbors through the shared wall, but it's not loud. The multi-unit buildings may have more neighbor noise.

Depending on which condo association you are looking at (there are 7) there may be some drama on the Board. You can get involved or completely avoid. Parking is not a problem where we are. There are lots of community events, great swimming pools, Farmer's Market in the summer, close to Shirlington, beautiful garden like setting. It's really a great spot! I highly recommend it! And if you don't totally love the location by the highway, there are always new units being listed. We probably looked at 5-6 units from March to May and made an offer in May.

I might also recommend working with one of the local realtors familiar with Fairlington. Maybe start here https://www.facebook.com/groups/fairlingtonrealestate

Thanks so much, this is super helpful.

[Anonymous]

OP, the HOA will feel like a lot of money. Don't ignore that.

[Anonymous]

Even if you can, can the dogs do stairs? Many times a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the HOA will feel like a lot of money. Don't ignore that.

Yes, it is a lot -- about $500. We've added that into the costs as we consider this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if you can, can the dogs do stairs? Many times a day.

They can, but you make a good point. One of my dogs is not a fan of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the HOA will feel like a lot of money. Don't ignore that.

Yes, it is a lot -- about $500. We've added that into the costs as we consider this.

$500 is not that much when you factor it covers public utilities, landscaping, building surface upkeep, snow removal, bulk furniture removal. That’s what my $500 monthly covers.

[Anonymous]

We lived in Fairlington Villages and loved it. We had two kids and two dogs so we outgrew it, but the community was absolutely amazing. Agree with PP that if you don’t like backing up to 395, units come on the market often.

The HOA fees are no joke and there can often be a lot of pettiness (rules for taking down Halloween decorations the day after Halloween, etc.) but you really can’t beat the location.

There are some bigger units on the south side (attic masters, egress windows in the basement, etc.) so do your due diligence. The flip side is that the South side is less walkable to Shirlington (in my opinion).

[Anonymous]

Okay, I found the listing on Zillow. That’s a Clarendon III model, which is the smallest of the Clarendon models. For $675k, I’d personally consider that overpriced. I’d keep looking. For that price, I’d expect an attic, larger backyard and larger bathroom (Clarendon I)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the HOA will feel like a lot of money. Don't ignore that.

Yes, it is a lot -- about $500. We've added that into the costs as we consider this.

$500 is not that much when you factor it covers public utilities, landscaping, building surface upkeep, snow removal, bulk furniture removal. That’s what my $500 monthly covers.

And the pool in the summer. That was a big plus for us. We missed it when we moved out.

[Anonymous]

We loved Fairlington when we lived there. It’s a great place for singles, couples with or without pets, and people with small children. It can be a bit harder space-wise for families with school-aged children, but there are plenty of families who make it work.

We lived in the Arbor and were happy there. I believe most of the associations on the south side have assigned parking which is not the case in the Villages (I could be wrong on that point!). I also think the Villages have multiple pools, where the south side associations have one each.

Fun fact, Al Roker lived there many years ago!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, I found the listing on Zillow. That’s a Clarendon III model, which is the smallest of the Clarendon models. For $675k, I’d personally consider that overpriced. I’d keep looking. For that price, I’d expect an attic, larger backyard and larger bathroom (Clarendon I)

I completely agree. I loved living in Fairlington but wait for a bigger Clarendon unit on the south side (not Villages).

[Anonymous]

Everyone one I know who lived there has loved it

[Anonymous]

Op, looks good. Get it.