Thoughts on these 2 Arlington new builds?

[Anonymous]

Some background: left MOCO, but may move back. Not tied to any county, but leaning towards VA, since we would be empty nesters. Would consider FCC too.
Criteria would be walking distance to some amenities, easy resale, and new. Would like to stay under 2.5

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3800-13th-St-N-Arlington-VA-22201/12079178_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare


https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/802-N-Edgewood-St-Arlington-VA-22201/12085773_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

[Anonymous]

The 13th Street house is zoned to a better elementary school and middle school, which affects resale value to some extent.

[Anonymous]

Well the street view on the first one makes me sad that they are tearing down such a charming, well-proportioned classic home to build that. While it is better than the second one, I don't think it will age well. It's a bit as if they have shoved a bunch of trends into one property with no cohesive style.
The second property is terrible - the proportions of the front are all over the place.

[Anonymous]

I lived a block down from the first listing many years ago. It’s super walkable and convenient to the Central Library. A grocery store, Clarendon restaurants, Virginia Square Metro, the Y and lots of parks. The neighborhood is turning - not as nice as neighboring Lyon Village but that’s reflected in the price. The downside is it’s pretty close to a busy high school and people will park on your street.

The second listing is too close to Washington Boulevard for my liking.

[Anonymous]

I don’t like either house. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the input, this is helpful. Where would you buy for resale? Not sure we will stay in VA a long time. Is Lyon Village the place to buy?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I wouldn’t do a new build if I weren’t staying long term. The new builds won’t increase as much in value in the short term because they sell for a premium because they’re new. Once you live in it, it’s not new anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I wouldn’t do a new build if I weren’t staying long term. The new builds won’t increase as much in value in the short term because they sell for a premium because they’re new. Once you live in it, it’s not new anymore.

I don't think the data for the last 5 years in Bethesda and Arlington bear this out. With that said, the old adage about only buying if you plan to stay for 10 years is probably more true than ever, as I think there is a significant likelihood of price declines across the board in the short term, so buying with the intent of moving on in a few years and banking a profit (or even breaking even) is really questionable.

[Anonymous]

So what Arlington neighborhood do you recommend??

[Anonymous]

The 2nd one hasn't been built yet - I'd do more research on who the builder is and people's experience working with them. \

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The 2nd one hasn't been built yet - I'd do more research on who the builder is and people's experience working with them. \

This

[Anonymous]

The street view of the second home is really fugly.. Did you see, OP, what's going to be in front of your house? Ugh, this is the ugliest construction I have seen, what the hell is that? A chopped multifamily? There is also a chain link fence and a busy street right next to yours, so it will be noisy.

I would prefer the first house, the street looks more residential with SFHs of equal size and not weird fugly monstrocities, although this may change with the zoning changes. I don't personally prefer the look of that area of Arlington, it would be mainly for the access to the amenities. There are far prettier neighborhoods across the hwy towards N.Arlington with hilly tree lined streets. Lyon village is the most premium SFH area of Arlington, where price per sq.ft is higher and your budget won't buy you a brand new home. Maybe a luxury new townhome?

You mention you aren't going to stay long, I wasn't sure what your goal buying a property is exactly. To give you the best access to amenities and in a nice setting or for better resale value (banking on your area appreciating more)? In the latter case these days you need to add value to the property by improving it, so your goals might be a fixer upper in a premium neighborhood like Lyon Village or banking on an area with a lot of new construction to appreciate more. The second home is in the area with more new construction, but unfortunately, it's incredibly ugly and utilitarian.

[Anonymous]

For the first one, I would do a search on this forum about Evergreene. Lots of reviews here about that builder.

Agree with the PP that the second one is in a bad location and is really ugly. I also think it's a red flag when the listing for a new build doesn't say who the builder is, and that may explain why it's so ugly.

[Anonymous]

If you’re going to be empty nesters, why do you want a house that big? Personally, I like the 13th st location better. It’s a minor cut-through, but that part of Edgewood street is much worse. At your stage in life I’d get a condo or townhouse. There’s one coming up on Fairfax Drive near Rocky Run park for about 1.5m

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke? Hideous.