Question About Great Falls, VA

[Anonymous]

A Virginia real estate question from a Marylander. So today my husband and I are driving around Great Falls, VA, which was really pretty and ritzy looking. So tonight, out of curiosity, I looked up real estate postings on Craigslist and get several like this:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/rfs/726672004.html

So of course I can't believe you can get anything so nice in such a nice town for $550K. When I looked it up on the MLS, nothing even close to that nice came up. So what's the deal? Why so cheap? Is there a bad school there or something?

[Anonymous]

Foreclosure?

[Anonymous]

I think for a couple of reasons -- it's almost in Sterling (Loudon County) and not the Fairfax County portion of Great Falls which means different schools. Schools are not nearly as good in Sterling as the Fairfax section of Great Falls and there are parts of Sterling that are just not good. If you look more closely, it's only assessed at $487400 which is on par with the sale price. Bottom line - location, location, location.

[Anonymous]

This sounds similar to the old Centreville/Clifton trick. Remember how there was the controversy over zip codes & whether certain areas would be Clifton or Centreville, VA addresses? Call it what you want, you're not in Clifton, baby!

[Anonymous]

Another Great Falls-er here. Agree with previous posters--the listing is not in the "Great Falls" that you were driving through; it is borderline Loudon County and would funnel into Loudon County schools. That house "in" Great Falls (meaning Fairfax County and Great Falls schools) would be about 900K-1M.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Great Falls-er here. Agree with previous posters--the listing is not in the "Great Falls" that you were driving through; it is borderline Loudon County and would funnel into Loudon County schools. That house "in" Great Falls (meaning Fairfax County and Great Falls schools) would be about 900K-1M.

A house that looks like what the PP posted would NOT sell for that price in Great Falls proper, maybe it would have before the market went in the tank. Here are some examples of what sells in that price range in Great Falls, all on 1-2 acres.

http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=93570&mnp=33&mxp=38&typ=1&sid=2d3c193c82ab4b4aa2b0816750f3faf5&lsn=53

http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=93570&mnp=33&mxp=38&typ=1&sid=2d3c193c82ab4b4aa2b0816750f3faf5&lsn=49

http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=93570&mnp=33&mxp=38&typ=1&sid=2d3c193c82ab4b4aa2b0816750f3faf5&lsn=47

[Anonymous]

It's doubtful that you could find a house on a lot that small in Great Falls proper...how about a link for those?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's doubtful that you could find a house on a lot that small in Great Falls proper...how about a link for those?

There aren't any. Zoning does not allow for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's doubtful that you could find a house on a lot that small in Great Falls proper...how about a link for those?

There aren't any. Zoning does not allow for it.

there ya go.

[Anonymous]

That's so annoying. That house is not in "Great Falls", it is in the "Great Falls Forest" subdivision of STERLING, VA, in Loudon County! This is so cagey. Potomac Falls is also code for what used to be Sterling. None of that stuff was there before 1990.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's so annoying. That house is not in "Great Falls", it is in the "Great Falls Forest" subdivision of STERLING, VA, in Loudon County! This is so cagey. Potomac Falls is also code for what used to be Sterling. None of that stuff was there before 1990.

does it bother you too when people claim they live in 'North Potomac' or 'North Bethesda'? Just call them what they are - Rockville and Gaithersburg, please.

But in any case, that STERLING house looks great. I'd bid $400K for it (because that's all I could afford, haha).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds similar to the old Centreville/Clifton trick. Remember how there was the controversy over zip codes & whether certain areas would be Clifton or Centreville, VA addresses? Call it what you want, you're not in Clifton, baby!

Clifton means nothing to me. What's so great about Clifton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds similar to the old Centreville/Clifton trick. Remember how there was the controversy over zip codes & whether certain areas would be Clifton or Centreville, VA addresses? Call it what you want, you're not in Clifton, baby!

Clifton means nothing to me. What's so great about Clifton?

Clifton is to Centreville as Great Falls is to Sterling...if Great Falls means nothing to you, I can't help you.