where to buy 22032 or 22152,22153?

[Anonymous]

This may be Va school topic but here it goes. I've narrowed down my househunt to these two areas, Woodson and West Springfield High areas. My question is that in 22032 I can afford a SF home with no garage, realtors claim there are basements but most in my price range are split level and not true basements, or I can afford similar size in West Springfield but with a garage, and a tiny bit more updated single family. Am I better off for future rentals/sales with no garage in 22032 or garage in West Springfield? DH will be working in Arlington and both locations seem OK given the budget we have. We move a lot so being able to rent it fast once we move again is a huge factor in our decision. Thanks for any input.

[Anonymous]

22152 is more desirable than 22153.

[Anonymous]

21:27 here again . . . but if renting is important, you could do 22153 because if you get one of the neighborhoods down near Ft. Belvoir, you'll almost certainly be able to rent to a military family.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would go for Woodson - it's a much better high school and the other schools in the pyramid are generally good too. I think if your renters are families with kids, that might be a desirable thing. I imagine you can get more house in Springfield, though.

A lot of the people I know - even in large expensive homes - don't have garages. I have friends who just bought a house for $950K in Arlington and they use their garage for storage, not for cars. It's not common in close-in areas to have a usable garage, I've noticed. So it might not be a real issue for renters not to have one, especially if there's a driveway or a carport. I just spent $560K on a house (arlington) and didn't even think twice about finding a garage.

(ps - the person talking about Ft Belvoir military rentals is right. military rentals are a good bet.)

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for your advice. My DH mentioned to a collegue that we are looking at West Springfield and she kind of made a face, so now I am worried that other people might have the same reaction and not want to rent there. What is wrong with West Springfield? I know there are some issues with Springfield Mall area and metro stop(from other people's posts) but thought West was fine.

[Anonymous]

Well, where does your husband's colleague live? If she lives in DC or Arlington, she'd probably make that face about anything 2 miles away on 395. People can be really snobby about a whole lotta nothing around here. (Woah, you are going to get a CAMRY??? OMG, how could you!)

West Springfield is a great area. The area around Springfield mall and going east, towards Alexandria, is definitely sketchy. I'm in West Springfield just a few blocks away from Burke, and the area is teaming with young families. The Daventry neighborhood is amazing. Orange Hunt is good . . . the homes of Shiplett . . . really you can't go wrong.

But honestly, ask yourself who you are likely to be renting to in a few years. Probably not people like your husband's colleague . . . you'll likely find a nice military family that wants easy access to 395 and 495 and Ft. Belvoir. West Springfield fits the bill perfectly.

[Anonymous]

PP is right about a lot of people being snooty when it comes to Springfield. The areas you are looking at are great. Don't base your housing choice off a look on a random persons face. You will have PLENTY of people looking to rent if that is the route you go in the future.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much, that is reassuring to hear. I think our potential future renters will be military, most likely and I really need a nice environment for my kids where they won't feel like poorest kids at school if they don't have a great this and that. My DD has two more years of elementary and schools in West Springfield seem to be smaller size and I think that might mean better education for her. Even Irving Middle and West Springield high seem smaller compared to other schools and I know they are outdated but really don't care about the shiny building.
Thanks so much for input, I feel better about my choices. I guess it will come down to which place I like the best in the next few weeks.

[Anonymous]

West Springfield is high on the list for makeovers, so by the time your kids get there it will probably be one of the newest in the county.

[Anonymous]

I didn't know West Springfield is likely to be remodeled, that is great to hear, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Some neighborhoods in 22003 (annandale) also feed into Woodson, in case you weren't aware.

I believe there is going to be a decision soon about redistricting that impacts neighborhoods feeding into Annandale, Woodson, Lake Braddock, and Edison HIgh Schools. Might want to stay tuned for that? I think the school board will be decided this month? Though plans might be implemented after you move from the area. I think there are some lively threads in the VA public school forum on the topic.

Good luck. I am in 22032 and really like it. Our neighborhood feeds to Robinson (too large of a school than what you're looking for it sounds like.)

[Anonymous]

I have heard about redistricting and are considering a couple of houses in 22003, it seems you can get a bit of a better deal in that zip. I am looking at a house in Canterbury Woods school area, do you know if that school will be impacted by new boundaries? I might need to wait until we know for sure which school we'll end up with, don't want to buy something and then lose value immediatelly due to school change.
17:52 Do you like Robinson? Thanks so much.