SFH in Arlington with good schools for 600K - does it exist?

[Anonymous]

I am looking for a 3 bedroom SFH in Arlington with good public schools for no more than 600k. Will I be able to find this? Any suggestions on what neighborhood(s) to focus on? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

look in that neighborhood behind glebe elementary school--it is a little run-down but cheaper than any of the surrounding neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

This absolutely exists, even in north Arlington. But it will most likely be on a busier street, have 1 or 1.5 baths, a tiny galley kitchen, and no central air or other updates. It may be clean and well-kept, though, so if you're willing to make the other compromises it's not like you have to live in a dump. These are the types of houses that were considered perfectly adequate to raise a family 50 years ago. Nowadays we think every kid joule have his own room, the parents should get their own bath, and that we need tons of counter space and the latest appliances, but my grandparents raised 3 kids in a house like this and had decades of Christmases, Thanksgivings, and they never thought it was a problem. Personally I get stressed being on top of other people, even my kids, so I would probably choose a bit more house in a less desirable but still good neighborhood, but that's different for everyone. South Arlington might be a good compromise for you, OP.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PPs! We are fine with a small and basic house - convenience and schools are more important to us. With our work locations we could easily live in Fairfax if a bigger house was our main goal.

We don't really want to live right on a busy street, but one block over is fine. One bathroom is fine. No central air is a problem. I'd have to factor in cost for getting it installed.

I'll check out the neighborhood behind Glebe school - any other suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Not impossible, just difficult. You'd probably be in the Wakefield HS district, which is not considered very good. Most people with only $600,000 will look in areas of Fairfax County where the schools are better.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if it exists. Maybe in S. Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not impossible, just difficult. You'd probably be in the Wakefield HS district, which is not considered very good. Most people with only $600,000 will look in areas of Fairfax County where the schools are better.

LOL!

[Anonymous]

Westover, Spy Hill/Boulevard Manor, Arlington Forest, Fostoria, Over Lee Knolls, Berkshire/Oakwood, Minor Hill, Dominion Hills. None of the houses will be perfect but will be older, well-built and you can do work to them as you have some money. Likely only one bathroom or second bathroom in the basement.

[Anonymous]

OP, it does exist! I bought a 3 bedroom in Arlington Forest for just over 500k. 1.5 baths and near (but not on) a busy street, with great updates - including central air. Probably not a forever house, but DH and I aren't wealthy and don't come from money, so we wanted to buy in a good enough school district that we could stay as long as we need to. The neighborhood is fantastic and I am very happy. It took a year of looking and bidding, though.

[Anonymous]

it exists! This past summer, I found a great Cape Cod in Country Club (schools: Nottingham/Williamsburg/ Yorktown) for $560K. The bathrooms are NOT updated. But everything else is pretty nice. It has 4 BR and 2 BA and a 1/8th acre level lot. Nice neighbors and a park/ playground within walking distance, and we're not on a busy street. We had to look at 63 houses to find it, but totally worth the search. We also saw lots of small colonials (generally 3 BR, 1-2 BA) for that price range, in North Arlington, though the 3rd BR was generally teeny-tiny and the 2nd bath was generally in the finished basement.

[Anonymous]

p.s. from 23:50 PP - there's not much out there right now. People don't generally list during the holidays unless they're desperate to sell. Of what's available, the house on Yucatan street actually looks decent. Not impressive on the outside, but the inside is mostly redone and that's a good neighborhood with good schools. There's also one on Ohio St. that might be worth a look - Fostoria is near the Westover shops.

[Anonymous]

yes, prices have come down alot from the housing bubble. They are also down due to all the extreme development happening in nearby tyson's making tyson's as or more desirable because of the similar city feel and proximity to more potential jobs.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks! It sounds like we have a good shot of finding something that will work for us provided we keep our expectations realistic and are prepared to spend some time looking. I really appreciate when neighborhoods are mentioned and the list of decent neighborhoods by 19:08! Does anyone have a list of good neighborhood for S. Arlington as well? I know the upper schools aren't as good, but from what I understand there are some good elementary schools and the upper schools are probably improving ( my kids aren't even in elementary school yet, so I may be willing to take a gamble on the upper schools improving or send to private if we find a house we love that feeds into a good elementary school.)

We aren't planning to actively start looking at houses until the spring, but we want to start driving around neighborhoods now to find the areas we like. I really appreciate everyone's insights and tips.

[Anonymous]

23:50 - I just took a look at the Yucatan listing - that is exactly the kind of place we are looking for. I can't seem to find the S. Ohio house, I'll try another website.

[Anonymous]

Yucatan is close to EFC metro but also the 66, so may be highway noise.