would you buy a nice house on a busy street?

[Anonymous]

Only if there were sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

I was going to respond immediately with a "Hell No" about Telegraph Road. Then I looked at the listing. That house has a nice, set back lot with a lot of great potential in the back yard. I can't tell but does that front fence run the length of the property?

This is an interesting house at a good price, with a lot you won't find many other places. As much as I hate Telegraph, this would be worth a look.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't buy that house. Telegraph road is no-joke busy; cars going 45mph+. The house is also very close to the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you planning on private school? I know school feels ages away, but 5 years will go by quickly. The house in Old Town is zoned to a failing elementary school.
As for Telegraph, as one of the few roads in and out of Alexandria from the south, it gets very backed up during rush hour. I personally wouldn't want to live on that street.

I live off of Telegraph and rush hour is no problem between that house and the beltway (except for those rare days where everything is just fubar-ed no matter where you live).

[Montana6]

I was surprised how nice the Telegraph Road house is. But I like the Old Town location way better. No idea how the public schools are in either place. I think w a new born, Old Town would be great for strollers, walking, etc. The house on Telegraph has a bigger yard, but, why bother dealing with it?

[Anonymous]

No, don't do it. Not a good investment and you will regret it. When you have to sell, which you will, you will most definitely regret it. Location is extremely important when purchasing a house.

[Anonymous]

No, I would not. The double yellow line is a deal breaker for me.

[Anonymous]

Living on main arteries such as Telegraph road (especially leading to Beltway) would also mean fire truck and ambulance sirens at any time of day.

In my book - never buy home near fire station, hospital, across from schools, churches, and stop signs (car stop and go, braking and engine revving, etc.)

[Anonymous]

These houses are really different in terms of lifestyle. On the busy street issue, I agree with others - I would drive by/ask an agent to take you into the house at different times of day so that you can get a sense of traffic/parking and road noise at different times. More than the busy street issue though, you need to think about what kind of lifestyle you are looking for.

The Telegraph house is much more suburban. That means a life focused on being in your house/yard and driving to places. Without sidewalks, you are not going to want to just go for a walk with baby in the stroller around your neighborhood. You will have to drive to a park or somewhere else or just be content with being in the yard (I agree with others that the yard looks really nice) for your outside time. Lots of people really love the suburban life - lots of room in the house, (and storage space!) nice yard, no worries that you will outgrow the house if you add another kid, room for visitors to stay etc. Plus, Fairfax county schools have a good reputation. But the drawbacks are the lack of walkability/proximity to places where the community gathers which can lead to isolation - it's harder to get to know your neighbors.

The Alexandria city house is the opposite - less space inside for living & storage, not much yard but lots of great public spaces within easy walking distance - parks, recreation center with pool, shops, restaurants, metro etc -- lots of places where the community gathers. Easy to take lots of walks with baby in the stroller, decent commuting distance to DC if that matters. Lots of people love this style of life -- easy to meet people and make friends with neighbors and other young parents, rarely ever in the car. But the drawbacks are the smallness of the space and the potential that you will outgrow it or that you won't have a real oasis of retreat as you would with a larger more suburban house (there are benefits and drawbacks to such close proximity to neighbors!). Alexandria City schools have their detractors but they also have made real progress. The new J-H school building is really nice and with redistricting and other changes might be a really good school by the time schools are a concern for you.

As you visit these and other houses, think about how you prefer to live -- are you a I'd-rather-curl-up-on-the-couch person or are you an I-really-need-to-socialize person? Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Living on main arteries such as Telegraph road (especially leading to Beltway) would also mean fire truck and ambulance sirens at any time of day.

In my book - never buy home near fire station, hospital, across from schools, churches, and stop signs (car stop and go, braking and engine revving, etc.)

Um, do you live in the midwest?

I live in DC. There's a fire station 2 blocks from me, 1 church 1 block away from me and probably 4 churches within 2 blocks, 2 schools within 2 blocks from me, and 2 stop signs.

And I love my neighborhood. I'm sure most other DC residents have similar amenities.

If you don't like urban neighborhoods, why the heck are you on DC Urban Moms and Dads?

[Anonymous]

We just bought a house on Massachusetts Avenue on the Maryland side. We sat in the house for 2 hours when we were looking, and since the house is set way back, we couldn't hear a thing. We got a ton more house and a ton more yard than we would've in the same neighborhood, and we love it. I wouldn't buy close to a highway or where it was noisy, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I would not. The double yellow line is a deal breaker for me.

Weird. I've never heard of anyone thinking that way before.

Who cares about a "'double yellow line." They're very common, and don't even necessarily signify "busy"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Living on main arteries such as Telegraph road (especially leading to Beltway) would also mean fire truck and ambulance sirens at any time of day.

In my book - never buy home near fire station, hospital, across from schools, churches, and stop signs (car stop and go, braking and engine revving, etc.)

Um, do you live in the midwest?

I live in DC. There's a fire station 2 blocks from me, 1 church 1 block away from me and probably 4 churches within 2 blocks, 2 schools within 2 blocks from me, and 2 stop signs.

And I love my neighborhood. I'm sure most other DC residents have similar amenities.

If you don't like urban neighborhoods, why the heck are you on DC Urban Moms and Dads?

NP here. My then-boyfriend (now husband) had a rental apartment in SW right behind a bus stop. Buses ran until early in the morning and started back up again for early commutes, and the windows on the building were awful. WMATA buses aren't known for their quiet brakes, and it was LOUD. I vowed to never buy a house with a bus stop right in front, but you're right--fire trucks, schools etc are an inevitable part of life in a city.

[Anonymous]

Nope. I lived in a townhouse on Wilson blvd with a bedroom that faced away from the street and it was awful. The street noise, the traffic, the fire engines. I didn't even have kids at the time and it was still a deal breaker. Every visitor told us how awful it was sleeping on the other side of the house.

As for kids, The busy road will scare the shot outbid you when you wNt to play in the yard but have a kid who is still learning not to run away from you. You're also less likely up get a "neighborhood" feel when you live on a busy street. I don't know if you care about that but now that I have kids, it's the best part of where we live and something I didn't even think about until they were here. Families are out walking every evening and impromptu play dates happen daily where we live. Halloween was a huge party for all the kids and adults. I had no idea how awesome that stuff would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. I lived in a townhouse on Wilson blvd with a bedroom that faced away from the street and it was awful. The street noise, the traffic, the fire engines. I didn't even have kids at the time and it was still a deal breaker. Every visitor told us how awful it was sleeping on the other side of the house.

As for kids, The busy road will scare the shot outbid you when you wNt to play in the yard but have a kid who is still learning not to run away from you. You're also less likely up get a "neighborhood" feel when you live on a busy street. I don't know if you care about that but now that I have kids, it's the best part of where we live and something I didn't even think about until they were here. Families are out walking every evening and impromptu play dates happen daily where we live. Halloween was a huge party for all the kids and adults. I had no idea how awesome that stuff would be.

Let's try that again... "the busy road will scare the shit out of you when you want to play...