Friend moving to NoVA -- help me help her with schools!!!

[Anonymous]

Ok, you are really closed minded -any knowledgable parent would agree these are one of the better schools in fcps. Pls take a minute to reflect on ur state of mind

Anonymous wrote:Many of those schools have Level IV AAP centers attached to them. Hard to believe that having the AAP Center at your school can increase your test scores and skew your numbers to make you look like a more attractive school (*scoff*). There are plenty of great schools throughout Fairfax County. There are also many, many bright children who don't qualify for AAP under the current AAP system and who are doing well at their base school (some of them don't even go to Haycock! Say what?!).

OP, your friend needs to find a house / neighborhood that she's interested in (or a couple). Then she can talk to people and do her research about the schools assigned to those neighborhoods. Picking a home based on a school in a list is just as silly as picking a home based on those dumb GreatSchool.net reviews.

[Anonymous]

Closed minded? I'm saying just the opposite! I'm telling OP's friend to broaden her horizons outside of those schools who are assigned Level IV AAP centers and have few, if any, FARMS kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Arlington, she's interested in Arlington, walkable areas, near subway.

[Anonymous]

Company Halt! Claws In! Dress Right Dress! DIS-MISSED!

OK, APS folks -- I turn the battle over to you.

[Anonymous]

BWHAA HA HA HA!!!! That was toooo funny.
Thank you for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Arlington, she's interested in Arlington, walkable areas, near subway.

This has been discussed many, many times on this site, but basically the most walkable area in Arlington near the metro is Clarendon/Courthouse. It also tends to be the most expensive because it is near the metro. As you go further out the Orange Line, you hit Ballston and East Falls Church - also somewhat walkable (Ballston more than East Falls Church), but not as "hip". There are also walkable areas along Lee Highway (Cherrydale, Lee Heights, Waverly Hills, Country CLub) and Washington Blvd (Westover), but these are not walkable to metro (you could take the bus very easily). Schools this area feed into both Yorktown and Washington-Lee High Schools. IN general, the schools are very good in all of these areas. The main issue in N. Arlingon right now is serious overcrowding in schools so she needs to look into that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Arlington, she's interested in Arlington, walkable areas, near subway.

Price range, please.

[Anonymous]

There are walkable parts of fairfax, and city of falls church.

For example, Vienna is walkable (though a little far to walk to down town and Metro).

Just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Arlington, she's interested in Arlington, walkable areas, near subway.

Price range, please.

Yes. She may be interested in Arlington, but she may quickly lose interest if she doesn't have at least a $1.2M budget...

Honestly, I even had that budget (up to $1.2M) and just couldn't find anything that I liked that I felt was an upgrade to where we were (we ended up moving to another part of Alexandria instead having also looked at McLean). Admittedly, we weren't interested in anything not updated and needed a larger place (as a family of 5), but still...

[Anonymous]

When I bought my house in Vienna (1999), a house comparable to mine in the Ballston area of Arlington sold for about 600K. My house was about 250K. Assuming the relative prices are similar, a basic non-updated 1950's - 1960's house in North Arlington will cost north of 1 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I bought my house in Vienna (1999), a house comparable to mine in the Ballston area of Arlington sold for about 600K. My house was about 250K. Assuming the relative prices are similar, a basic non-updated 1950's - 1960's house in North Arlington will cost north of 1 million.

No, basic non-updated older houses in N. Arlington will run in the mid-500,000s to $650,000.

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/4723-24th-Rd-N-22207/home/11227786

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6119-Williamsburg-Blvd-22207/home/11226506

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1024-N-Larrimore-St-22205/home/11241114

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Arlington, she's interested in Arlington, walkable areas, near subway.

This has been discussed many, many times on this site, but basically the most walkable area in Arlington near the metro is Clarendon/Courthouse. It also tends to be the most expensive because it is near the metro. As you go further out the Orange Line, you hit Ballston and East Falls Church - also somewhat walkable (Ballston more than East Falls Church), but not as "hip". There are also walkable areas along Lee Highway (Cherrydale, Lee Heights, Waverly Hills, Country CLub) and Washington Blvd (Westover), but these are not walkable to metro (you could take the bus very easily). Schools this area feed into both Yorktown and Washington-Lee High Schools. IN general, the schools are very good in all of these areas. The main issue in N. Arlingon right now is serious overcrowding in schools so she needs to look into that.

APS still has fewer kids per teacher than FFX county schools. When Arlington talks about over-crowding---it is when the ratios begin to approach Ffx co. levels. They are not near there yet. The county is a small, rich county with lots of activism. The fight that is going on to perserve class size and the care and thought that is going into this is really impressive. My DH that usually is working 14 hour days is even taking off to speak at one of the forums. People in this county are very serious about education. They will find a solution and I do not think it will be that the class sizes balloon. Your friend will find many great schools in the urban environment she desires.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I bought my house in Vienna (1999), a house comparable to mine in the Ballston area of Arlington sold for about 600K. My house was about 250K. Assuming the relative prices are similar, a basic non-updated 1950's - 1960's house in North Arlington will cost north of 1 million.

No, basic non-updated older houses in N. Arlington will run in the mid-500,000s to $650,000.

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/4723-24th-Rd-N-22207/home/11227786

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6119-Williamsburg-Blvd-22207/home/11226506

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1024-N-Larrimore-St-22205/home/11241114

Yes--near the Courthouse/Clarendon metros--SFH are around 1 million--esp if you factor in choice elem and middle schools.

The homes listed above are not in walkable area-- metro, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I bought my house in Vienna (1999), a house comparable to mine in the Ballston area of Arlington sold for about 600K. My house was about 250K. Assuming the relative prices are similar, a basic non-updated 1950's - 1960's house in North Arlington will cost north of 1 million.

No, basic non-updated older houses in N. Arlington will run in the mid-500,000s to $650,000.

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/4723-24th-Rd-N-22207/home/11227786

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6119-Williamsburg-Blvd-22207/home/11226506

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1024-N-Larrimore-St-22205/home/11241114

Yes--near the Courthouse/Clarendon metros--SFH are around 1 million--esp if you factor in choice elem and middle schools.

The homes listed above are not in walkable area-- metro, etc.

The PP (not the OP) did not say walkable area, she said N. Arlington (Ballston area). Basic, unrenovated homes in N. Arlington/Ballston do not sell for $1 million+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I bought my house in Vienna (1999), a house comparable to mine in the Ballston area of Arlington sold for about 600K. My house was about 250K. Assuming the relative prices are similar, a basic non-updated 1950's - 1960's house in North Arlington will cost north of 1 million.

No, basic non-updated older houses in N. Arlington will run in the mid-500,000s to $650,000.

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/4723-24th-Rd-N-22207/home/11227786

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6119-Williamsburg-Blvd-22207/home/11226506

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1024-N-Larrimore-St-22205/home/11241114

Yes--near the Courthouse/Clarendon metros--SFH are around 1 million--esp if you factor in choice elem and middle schools.

The homes listed above are not in walkable area-- metro, etc.

The PP (not the OP) did not say walkable area, she said N. Arlington (Ballston area). Basic, unrenovated homes in N. Arlington/Ballston do not sell for $1 million+.

The OP is looking for:
Anonymous wrote:
OP here: Arlington, she's interested in Arlington, walkable areas, near subway.
Price range, please.

I was responding to that and indicating the homes listed do not meet OP's criteria. Maybe I confused postings. Sorry!