Buying and razing a home in Pimmit Hills

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny, everyone wants to be some sort of cheerleader for the place they like and can afford.

+1 Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny, everyone wants to be some sort of cheerleader for the place they like and can afford.

I don't think that's all of it, of course everyone cheers for the place where they live, but no need to dump on anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You don't live there - what do you know about what vast majority in PH looks like? If you do, and hate it as much as you do, there's drugs for that.

Older homes are (still) a (shrinking) majority, but hardly a vast one, as one teardown follows another.

I've driven around the area plenty of times. The vast majority of PH consists of tired old houses and poorly kept yards, with random McMansions here and there. No one should buy into the fantasy that it's going to be the next North Arlington or that all the old houses will have been torn down five years from now.

Sorry if it bothers you when the truth is pointed out.

Maybe you should drive around there again, although I do wonder what keeps you coming down not just once but plenty of times - appetite for ugly? Majority of PH is still old homes, but not a vast one; in two years I've been here I can count dozens of new construction sites. Slowly, their numbers are growing. How long it will take, no one can say.

And let's just point out one thing again: North Arlington isn't popular on account of its looks. It's a great area, but that thing called beauty ranks very, very low on the list of its advantages.

It is popular on acount of its looks. Have you been to Country Club Hills, Chain Bridge Forest, Lyon Village or Cherrydale, just to pick a few places? They are full of beautiful homes. Pimmit Hills, on the other hand, is only "popular" because housing is in short supply right now, and the only transition there has been from a run-down dump to a run-down dump mixed with some of the region's tackiest McMansions. There are virtually no distinctive or eye-pleasing houses there. So calling it the next North Arlington is a very big stretch.

Pimmit hills is only popular now? Bull shit, homes have been going under contract very quickly for the last 3-5 years. People want the McLean /West Falls Church location but don't have or want to pay McLean prices.

Take a stroll down memory lane of what n Arlington used to look like before the metro.

One could argue that N Arlington have even more ridiculous new homes because lots are almost sometimes half the size and width of the Pimmit Hills lots. Notice how a lot of the homes have the most ridiculous 2 story stairs with garage in the basement?

As I browse these Arlington homes what is interesting is there is SOOO much inventory. In pimmit hills a new home comes about every few months and goes under contract pretty quickly.

Could there be an over supply of new very expensive Unaffordable homes in north Arlington? The answer is YES.

Why is this surprising? Any area with inexpensive housing inside beltway and good schools will have very quick sales. The appeal of PH is its prices, it will have a very hard time competing with FC/N.Arlington/Mclean if the prices were close to what homes go for in these areas. Once the prices rise, things will equalize and inventory will sit longer, no magic here. I don't know why people are getting so irrationally overjoyed about quick sales of homes below certain price range or brand new construction homes for 1 mil and under, which cannot be had in any other area nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny, everyone wants to be some sort of cheerleader for the place they like and can afford.

+1 Absolutely.

No, many of us live in places we like and can afford, we just don't have to prove anything to anyone and there is no need for cheerleading. PH boosters are clearly the insecure bunch, crazy insecure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's bad in Arlington is the exception there but the norm in Pimmit Hills. You seem to have missed that.

Oh please, "exception." Run a search in North Arlington capped at $550K and see what comes out. Life doesn't disappear beneath your income bracket, you know.

SFHs in North Arlington below $550K are few and far between. It's why people scoop up cheap houses in Pimmit Hills, but it doesn't mean it's the next North Arlington or anything close. The housing is far inferior and it's not as walkable.

All these threads on Pimmit Hills are so tiring. I guess you have to expect the navel-gazing on DCUM, but it would be nice if Pimmit Hills had a nicer belly button. It's kind of like an outie that never quite gets fixed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's bad in Arlington is the exception there but the norm in Pimmit Hills. You seem to have missed that.

Oh please, "exception." Run a search in North Arlington capped at $550K and see what comes out. Life doesn't disappear beneath your income bracket, you know.

SFHs in North Arlington below $550K are few and far between. It's why people scoop up cheap houses in Pimmit Hills, but it doesn't mean it's the next North Arlington or anything close. The housing is far inferior and it's not as walkable.

All these threads on Pimmit Hills are so tiring. I guess you have to expect the navel-gazing on DCUM, but it would be nice if Pimmit Hills had a nicer belly button. It's kind of like an outie that never quite gets fixed.

OK, bring it up to 650. Mind you, I agree that PH and N.Arl comparison is silly. But if you say that N. Arlington lacks ugly houses or chain links, the answer would be no. Similarly, it doesn't lack McMansions, cheap or otherwise.

Finally, PH threads would not be as long without people professing its ugliness. It's like a ridiculous back and forth game.

[Anonymous]

People choose PH for many reasons they do not choose say, Arlington or McLean. Neighbors that keep to themselves, for one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
People choose PH for many reasons they do not choose say, Arlington or McLean. Neighbors that keep to themselves, for one.

Nah, it's just cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it worth it? I know Pimmit Hills has a bad rep. How much would you pay for a new home in Pimmit Hills assuming its 2000-3000 sq ft and .25 acres?

Personally, I would buy a property, fix it up a little and rent it out and wait, if you are not comfortable with the area, which sounds like you are not. Buying a new home or building one will be a big investment and you should do this only if you are absolutely sure this is the place you want to live in for many years to come as you may not be able to recoup you costs if needing to sell quickly. If you are worried that prices will rise, then buy something now to hold on to as an investment-rental and then you can rebuild when you are ready.

[Anonymous]

Cheaper AND neighbors keep to themselves??!! Sign me up!!!!