WSJ Singles Out Appeal of McLean/22101

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really easy access to DC ?

It was until the GW Pkwy construction started, but the bridges mean VA will never be equally convenient with Bethesda or Chevy Chase or Takoma Park.

Proximity to DC isn’t the only consideration. Proximity to DC, Tysons, and the two main airports matters more. If proximity to DC were the only consideration Hillcrest Heights would be more in demand.

South of dc will always be ghetto.

Yes Prince George county will always suck. MOCO is also going to hell if they kill single family zoning.

[Anonymous]

If you live close to 66, you can live in Manassas, Gainesville, or Centreville and have just one light to DC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Young kids love McLean too. A McLean friend’s DS works at a FAANG company on the West Coast but is trying to transfer to the DMV area because he loves McLean. It’s close to the culture of DC, the modern conveniences of Tysons, and offers spacious homes with yards.

As someone with a rental in the Langley High school area, we've gotten a lot of interest from NY, international transplants, and people wanting to move out of dc

[Anonymous]

There are several new houses in my neighborhood priced around $3M, and I noticed that the buyers are all middle-aged with kids under 10. I’m curious how they manage to afford a $3M home, especially if they’re taking on something like a $2M mortgage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are several new houses in my neighborhood priced around $3M, and I noticed that the buyers are all middle-aged with kids under 10. I’m curious how they manage to afford a $3M home, especially if they’re taking on something like a $2M mortgage.

Family money and real estate ladder if they can sell an existing home at a nice profit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several new houses in my neighborhood priced around $3M, and I noticed that the buyers are all middle-aged with kids under 10. I’m curious how they manage to afford a $3M home, especially if they’re taking on something like a $2M mortgage.

Family money and real estate ladder if they can sell an existing home at a nice profit.

seven-figure big law partner comp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several new houses in my neighborhood priced around $3M, and I noticed that the buyers are all middle-aged with kids under 10. I’m curious how they manage to afford a $3M home, especially if they’re taking on something like a $2M mortgage.

Family money and real estate ladder if they can sell an existing home at a nice profit.

seven-figure big law partner comp.

Anecdotal info... In our 22101 neighborhood the last few $4M+ homes have been bought by mostly by doctors (in one case the husband and wife are both doctors), a FAANG exec, a CEO, and a couple where the husband is in law and the wife is a lobbyist. WE are in one of the more "modest" homes... that hasn't been knocked down and replaced with an 8-10K sq ft mansion that costs $4-6M. I will add that despite the very wide range of HHI in our neighborhood, the families have proven to be very friendly, and the newer buyers skew much younger (40-50 years old) than most of the existing homeowners who are predominantly older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live close to 66, you can live in Manassas, Gainesville, or Centreville and have just one light to DC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the appeal of McLean other than proximity to DC. Ugly sprawling town, the worst of 70s and 80s architecture. The most beautiful homes can't be seen from the road.

Agree that the town is ugly. Older resident wants to keep it that way, they don’t want Mclean to become destination and create the traffic issue. Make sense to me. If you drive deep down.. it is alot of beautiful houses, and is quiet… I think the more you have money the more you want to live secluded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Young kids love McLean too. A McLean friend’s DS works at a FAANG company on the West Coast but is trying to transfer to the DMV area because he loves McLean. It’s close to the culture of DC, the modern conveniences of Tysons, and offers spacious homes with yards.

As someone with a rental in the Langley High school area, we've gotten a lot of interest from NY, international transplants, and people wanting to move out of dc

I'm curious, how many bedrooms and bathrooms do you have and how much do you get in monthly rent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Young kids love McLean too. A McLean friend’s DS works at a FAANG company on the West Coast but is trying to transfer to the DMV area because he loves McLean. It’s close to the culture of DC, the modern conveniences of Tysons, and offers spacious homes with yards.

As someone with a rental in the Langley High school area, we've gotten a lot of interest from NY, international transplants, and people wanting to move out of dc

I'm curious, how many bedrooms and bathrooms do you have and how much do you get in monthly rent?

5 beds, 6.5 baths around 9-10k monthly rent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really easy access to DC ?
It seems not a big surprise for being expensive zip code.

Yes, it is easy access to D.C. There literally is only 1 red light on our commute into D.C. It’s a 16 minute commute from home to parking garage in D.C.

sure, as long as that is a commute on a federal holiday and outside the extended rush hour

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really easy access to DC ?
It seems not a big surprise for being expensive zip code.

Yes, it is easy access to D.C. There literally is only 1 red light on our commute into D.C. It’s a 16 minute commute from home to parking garage in D.C.

That’s in no way unique to McLean. Plenty of neighborhoods in Arlington and Alexandria only have 1 light between them and DC. Once you enter DC, it sucks from everywhere. You really lucked out on where your office is within DC, not with where you live.

But Arlington and Alexandria are on top of one another. Drive through N. Arlington and it is GIANT homes taking every inch of their lots on top of one another. Probably can hand a cup of sugar to your neighbor through one another's windows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it really easy access to DC ?
It seems not a big surprise for being expensive zip code.

Yes, it is easy access to D.C. There literally is only 1 red light on our commute into D.C. It’s a 16 minute commute from home to parking garage in D.C.

sure, as long as that is a commute on a federal holiday and outside the extended rush hour

If it's the peak of rush hour it can take 15 minutes or more just to get to the bridge from downtown DC. But if you're outside the peak of rush hour, a 16-minute commute from the White House to parts of McLean is quite feasible, and it need not be a federal holiday. Just don't count on it every day.

That commute isn't going to be much longer than the commute from downtown DC to Arlington, but you're probably getting a larger house on a bigger lot and higher-ranked schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the appeal of McLean other than proximity to DC. Ugly sprawling town, the worst of 70s and 80s architecture. The most beautiful homes can't be seen from the road.

Agree that the town is ugly. Older resident wants to keep it that way, they don’t want Mclean to become destination and create the traffic issue. Make sense to me. If you drive deep down.. it is alot of beautiful houses, and is quiet… I think the more you have money the more you want to live secluded.

McLean Properties owns the Giant shopping center. They are planning to redevelop it - and also the increasingly vacant older strip along Old Dominion which is adjacent.