Concerned about building in n arlington and the "bubble".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "bubble" risk is endemic to NoVa, but if you put this aside it's as good an area as any (and very hot this year). Homes in Arlington closer to the Orange Line may be trendier for those who want to walk everywhere, but good luck finding a .3 acre lot there. Homes in McLean may be zoned for higher-ranked schools, but FCPS has more fiscal issues than APS. I don't think you can really go wrong unless you build something awful that no one else would ever want to buy.

FCPS have less issues because the good schools don't have to support the lower SES that require a lot of public assistance.

FCPS also has a lot of programs that exceed APS's offerings. FCPS has AAP, GT, IB, AP and STEM Academies where as APS only has AP and IB.

Any objective comparison of FCPS and APS would acknowledge that FCPS has more funding challenges than APS right now. APS may have a higher percentage of FARMS students than FCPS, but it spends more per student than FCPS and has lower class sizes. That's the type of stuff you can do when you have lots of tax-paying residents without children. In addition, the demographics in APS are becoming more affluent, whereas the FARMS population in FCPS is growing. Not to mention that AAP is the successor to GT, so you're double-dipping to suggest they are separate programs in FCPS. APS also has HB Woodlawn, which has no equivalent in FCPS.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into another general debate about the relative merits of APS and FCPS, but simply to identify one reason why this part of North Arlington is likely to remain prime real estate, even if it's not as walkable as Clarendon[b] or the schools aren't quite as highly rated as some in FCPS. Don't worry, others will still want to live in the Marshall district.

Walkability isn't really a universally desired feature of real estate. It has niche appeal, certainly, but you make it sound like families would prefer Clarendon. They don't.

Walkability doesn't trump every other consideration for most families, but recent surveys suggest it's viewed favorably. The recent growth in the W-L pyramid compared to the growth in the Yorktown pyramid is fairly telling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "bubble" risk is endemic to NoVa, but if you put this aside it's as good an area as any (and very hot this year). Homes in Arlington closer to the Orange Line may be trendier for those who want to walk everywhere, but good luck finding a .3 acre lot there. Homes in McLean may be zoned for higher-ranked schools, but FCPS has more fiscal issues than APS. I don't think you can really go wrong unless you build something awful that no one else would ever want to buy.

FCPS have less issues because the good schools don't have to support the lower SES that require a lot of public assistance.

FCPS also has a lot of programs that exceed APS's offerings. FCPS has AAP, GT, IB, AP and STEM Academies where as APS only has AP and IB.

Any objective comparison of FCPS and APS would acknowledge that FCPS has more funding challenges than APS right now. APS may have a higher percentage of FARMS students than FCPS, but it spends more per student than FCPS and has lower class sizes. That's the type of stuff you can do when you have lots of tax-paying residents without children. In addition, the demographics in APS are becoming more affluent, whereas the FARMS population in FCPS is growing. Not to mention that AAP is the successor to GT, so you're double-dipping to suggest they are separate programs in FCPS. APS also has HB Woodlawn, which has no equivalent in FCPS.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into another general debate about the relative merits of APS and FCPS, but simply to identify one reason why this part of North Arlington is likely to remain prime real estate, even if it's not as walkable as Clarendon[b] or the schools aren't quite as highly rated as some in FCPS. Don't worry, others will still want to live in the Marshall district.

Walkability isn't really a universally desired feature of real estate. It has niche appeal, certainly, but you make it sound like families would prefer Clarendon. They don't.

Walkability doesn't trump every other consideration for most families, but recent surveys suggest it's viewed favorably. The recent growth in the W-L pyramid compared to the growth in the Yorktown pyramid is fairly telling.

Most buyers settled with W-L pyramid due to the price and other factors. The latest ranking show how terrible W-L is compared to Yorktown.
W-L has a college readiness of 45%, very poor rating. So you may get into a good school but you are not prepared for it.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/arlington-county-public-schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "bubble" risk is endemic to NoVa, but if you put this aside it's as good an area as any (and very hot this year). Homes in Arlington closer to the Orange Line may be trendier for those who want to walk everywhere, but good luck finding a .3 acre lot there. Homes in McLean may be zoned for higher-ranked schools, but FCPS has more fiscal issues than APS. I don't think you can really go wrong unless you build something awful that no one else would ever want to buy.

FCPS have less issues because the good schools don't have to support the lower SES that require a lot of public assistance.

FCPS also has a lot of programs that exceed APS's offerings. FCPS has AAP, GT, IB, AP and STEM Academies where as APS only has AP and IB.

Any objective comparison of FCPS and APS would acknowledge that FCPS has more funding challenges than APS right now. APS may have a higher percentage of FARMS students than FCPS, but it spends more per student than FCPS and has lower class sizes. That's the type of stuff you can do when you have lots of tax-paying residents without children. In addition, the demographics in APS are becoming more affluent, whereas the FARMS population in FCPS is growing. Not to mention that AAP is the successor to GT, so you're double-dipping to suggest they are separate programs in FCPS. APS also has HB Woodlawn, which has no equivalent in FCPS.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into another general debate about the relative merits of APS and FCPS, but simply to identify one reason why this part of North Arlington is likely to remain prime real estate, even if it's not as walkable as Clarendon or the schools aren't quite as highly rated as some in FCPS. Don't worry, others will still want to live in the Marshall district.

FCPS are higher ranked and superior in every measure and standing. Get over it.

Dude(tte), I'm in FCPS, not APS. Why do you have such a hard time dealing with facts and obvious trends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can the people who live in North Arlington afford their homes if they had to buy it again? Do the incomes support the home prices? Are there other areas being developed elsewhere that are like pre-arlington before the metro? Are people still investing in developing metro centric Arlington area? These are all important questions to ask.

Live in North Arlington because you like it but as an investment it would not be as good of a choice as other places.

Yes. Most of our neighbors have bought in the last 5 years when prices have been very high.

The people buying have super HHI-- partners, business owners, drs, etc.

Our income has tripled over the last decade.

The stereotypes are gone. This is a very wealthy area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:North Arlington isn't McLean , Great Falls, Bethesda or Potomac it's screwed

Ha, you're funny. Nobody wants long commutes anymore so close in areas will continue to do well. I don't know anyone who is in their 20s or 30s and plans to live in Great Falls or Potomac.

Yeah cause 20 and 30 year olds buy 2 million

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "bubble" risk is endemic to NoVa, but if you put this aside it's as good an area as any (and very hot this year). Homes in Arlington closer to the Orange Line may be trendier for those who want to walk everywhere, but good luck finding a .3 acre lot there. Homes in McLean may be zoned for higher-ranked schools, but FCPS has more fiscal issues than APS. I don't think you can really go wrong unless you build something awful that no one else would ever want to buy.

FCPS have less issues because the good schools don't have to support the lower SES that require a lot of public assistance.

FCPS also has a lot of programs that exceed APS's offerings. FCPS has AAP, GT, IB, AP and STEM Academies where as APS only has AP and IB.

Any objective comparison of FCPS and APS would acknowledge that FCPS has more funding challenges than APS right now. APS may have a higher percentage of FARMS students than FCPS, but it spends more per student than FCPS and has lower class sizes. That's the type of stuff you can do when you have lots of tax-paying residents without children. In addition, the demographics in APS are becoming more affluent, whereas the FARMS population in FCPS is growing. Not to mention that AAP is the successor to GT, so you're double-dipping to suggest they are separate programs in FCPS. APS also has HB Woodlawn, which has no equivalent in FCPS.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into another general debate about the relative merits of APS and FCPS, but simply to identify one reason why this part of North Arlington is likely to remain prime real estate, even if it's not as walkable as Clarendon[b] or the schools aren't quite as highly rated as some in FCPS. Don't worry, others will still want to live in the Marshall district.

Walkability isn't really a universally desired feature of real estate. It has niche appeal, certainly, but you make it sound like families would prefer Clarendon. They don't.

Walkability doesn't trump every other consideration for most families, but recent surveys suggest it's viewed favorably. The recent growth in the W-L pyramid compared to the growth in the Yorktown pyramid is fairly telling.

Most buyers settled with W-L pyramid due to the price and other factors. The latest ranking show how terrible W-L is compared to Yorktown.
W-L has a college readiness of 45%, very poor rating. So you may get into a good school but you are not prepared for it.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/arlington-county-public-schools

The Swanson-WL pyramid is higher than 99% of Yorktown pyramids which have many sub-million neighborhoods. SFHs in Courthouse/Clarendon are much higher.

Are they settling for 1.5- 2 million homes?

Don't be an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the people who live in North Arlington afford their homes if they had to buy it again? Do the incomes support the home prices? Are there other areas being developed elsewhere that are like pre-arlington before the metro? Are people still investing in developing metro centric Arlington area? These are all important questions to ask.

Live in North Arlington because you like it but as an investment it would not be as good of a choice as other places.

Yes. Most of our neighbors have bought in the last 5 years when prices have been very high.

The people buying have super HHI-- partners, business owners, drs, etc.

Our income has tripled over the last decade.

The stereotypes are gone. This is a very wealthy area.

The median hhi doesn't support your notion. Maybe in your one neighbourhood block.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "bubble" risk is endemic to NoVa, but if you put this aside it's as good an area as any (and very hot this year). Homes in Arlington closer to the Orange Line may be trendier for those who want to walk everywhere, but good luck finding a .3 acre lot there. Homes in McLean may be zoned for higher-ranked schools, but FCPS has more fiscal issues than APS. I don't think you can really go wrong unless you build something awful that no one else would ever want to buy.

FCPS have less issues because the good schools don't have to support the lower SES that require a lot of public assistance.

FCPS also has a lot of programs that exceed APS's offerings. FCPS has AAP, GT, IB, AP and STEM Academies where as APS only has AP and IB.

Any objective comparison of FCPS and APS would acknowledge that FCPS has more funding challenges than APS right now. APS may have a higher percentage of FARMS students than FCPS, but it spends more per student than FCPS and has lower class sizes. That's the type of stuff you can do when you have lots of tax-paying residents without children. In addition, the demographics in APS are becoming more affluent, whereas the FARMS population in FCPS is growing. Not to mention that AAP is the successor to GT, so you're double-dipping to suggest they are separate programs in FCPS. APS also has HB Woodlawn, which has no equivalent in FCPS.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into another general debate about the relative merits of APS and FCPS, but simply to identify one reason why this part of North Arlington is likely to remain prime real estate, even if it's not as walkable as Clarendon[b] or the schools aren't quite as highly rated as some in FCPS. Don't worry, others will still want to live in the Marshall district.

Walkability isn't really a universally desired feature of real estate. It has niche appeal, certainly, but you make it sound like families would prefer Clarendon. They don't.

Walkability doesn't trump every other consideration for most families, but recent surveys suggest it's viewed favorably. The recent growth in the W-L pyramid compared to the growth in the Yorktown pyramid is fairly telling.

Most buyers settled with W-L pyramid due to the price and other factors. The latest ranking show how terrible W-L is compared to Yorktown.
W-L has a college readiness of 45%, very poor rating. So you may get into a good school but you are not prepared for it.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/arlington-county-public-schools

People in the W-L district can address whether they thought they were "settling" for W-L when they bought homes in expensive areas like Cherrydale and Lyon Village. But the US News computation for W-L is strange. W-L is primarily an IB school that also offers AP courses, but the College Readiness index score for W-L apparently was based on the AP participation rate and test results, not the IB data. Had the CR index for W-L been based on IB participation and results, perhaps it would have been higher.

As you probably know, the US News rankings can be funky (Marshall HS has bounced around from #3 in the state to #16 and now back to #10, with the #3 rating a result of the obviously incorrect assumption a few years back that 99% of Marshall students were enrolled in IB courses). Like other ratings, the US News rankings are entertaining, but need to be taken with a big grain of salt if you're trying to determine whether a particular school is a good place for a particular student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the people who live in North Arlington afford their homes if they had to buy it again? Do the incomes support the home prices? Are there other areas being developed elsewhere that are like pre-arlington before the metro? Are people still investing in developing metro centric Arlington area? These are all important questions to ask.

Live in North Arlington because you like it but as an investment it would not be as good of a choice as other places.

Yes. Most of our neighbors have bought in the last 5 years when prices have been very high.

The people buying have super HHI-- partners, business owners, drs, etc.

Our income has tripled over the last decade.

The stereotypes are gone. This is a very wealthy area.

The median hhi doesn't support your notion. Maybe in your one neighbourhood block.

.

Because it is by zipcode, dumb shit. 20007 is uniform. 22201 has a gazillion condos and apartments with 20-30 yeAr old singles...and affordable housing units. We make $550k and are less than a lot of households on our 'hood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "bubble" risk is endemic to NoVa, but if you put this aside it's as good an area as any (and very hot this year). Homes in Arlington closer to the Orange Line may be trendier for those who want to walk everywhere, but good luck finding a .3 acre lot there. Homes in McLean may be zoned for higher-ranked schools, but FCPS has more fiscal issues than APS. I don't think you can really go wrong unless you build something awful that no one else would ever want to buy.

FCPS have less issues because the good schools don't have to support the lower SES that require a lot of public assistance.

FCPS also has a lot of programs that exceed APS's offerings. FCPS has AAP, GT, IB, AP and STEM Academies where as APS only has AP and IB.

Any objective comparison of FCPS and APS would acknowledge that FCPS has more funding challenges than APS right now. APS may have a higher percentage of FARMS students than FCPS, but it spends more per student than FCPS and has lower class sizes. That's the type of stuff you can do when you have lots of tax-paying residents without children. In addition, the demographics in APS are becoming more affluent, whereas the FARMS population in FCPS is growing. Not to mention that AAP is the successor to GT, so you're double-dipping to suggest they are separate programs in FCPS. APS also has HB Woodlawn, which has no equivalent in FCPS.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into another general debate about the relative merits of APS and FCPS, but simply to identify one reason why this part of North Arlington is likely to remain prime real estate, even if it's not as walkable as Clarendon[b] or the schools aren't quite as highly rated as some in FCPS. Don't worry, others will still want to live in the Marshall district.

Walkability isn't really a universally desired feature of real estate. It has niche appeal, certainly, but you make it sound like families would prefer Clarendon. They don't.

Walkability doesn't trump every other consideration for most families, but recent surveys suggest it's viewed favorably. The recent growth in the W-L pyramid compared to the growth in the Yorktown pyramid is fairly telling.

Most buyers settled with W-L pyramid due to the price and other factors. The latest ranking show how terrible W-L is compared to Yorktown.
W-L has a college readiness of 45%, very poor rating. So you may get into a good school but you are not prepared for it.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/arlington-county-public-schools

People in the W-L district can address whether they thought they were "settling" for W-L when they bought homes in expensive areas like Cherrydale and Lyon Village. But the US News computation for W-L is strange. W-L is primarily an IB school that also offers AP courses, but the College Readiness index score for W-L apparently was based on the AP participation rate and test results, not the IB data. Had the CR index for W-L been based on IB participation and results, perhaps it would have been higher.

As you probably know, the US News rankings can be funky (Marshall HS has bounced around from #3 in the state to #16 and now back to #10, with the #3 rating a result of the obviously incorrect assumption a few years back that 99% of Marshall students were enrolled in IB courses). Like other ratings, the US News rankings are entertaining, but need to be taken with a big grain of salt if you're trying to determine whether a particular school is a good place for a particular student.

W-L has always been bottom tier in the US New and Great Schools Rankings. That is consistent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the people who live in North Arlington afford their homes if they had to buy it again? Do the incomes support the home prices? Are there other areas being developed elsewhere that are like pre-arlington before the metro? Are people still investing in developing metro centric Arlington area? These are all important questions to ask.

Live in North Arlington because you like it but as an investment it would not be as good of a choice as other places.

Yes. Most of our neighbors have bought in the last 5 years when prices have been very high.

The people buying have super HHI-- partners, business owners, drs, etc.

Our income has tripled over the last decade.

The stereotypes are gone. This is a very wealthy area.

The median hhi doesn't support your notion. Maybe in your one neighbourhood block.

.

Because it is by zipcode, dumb shit. 20007 is uniform. 22201 has a gazillion condos and apartments with 20-30 yeAr old singles...and affordable housing units. We make $550k and are less than a lot of households on our 'hood.

Wow you sound educated. 550K didn't buy you a brain. Maybe you are SAH.

[Anonymous]

I went to a 'mid-pack/bottom tier' Fairfax Co HS and got the same education as my travel teammates at Langley, McLean, etc. In fact, many were classmates in college.

W-L consistently turns out stellar students. A comparison along demographics shows scores to be near identical to all top-rated schools in the area.

The recent neighborhood grads and Seniors at W-L have gone on top universities around the country. It is idiotic to even try and say it is a 'poor' school.

We sought out W-L for some variety for our kids. We like the different SES and demographics. My kids have had very diverse classmates at all levels of schooling in our neighborhood and their test scores are through the roof.

All of this is irrelevant to OP, btw, that is looking to buy in a different pyramid so I don't know how this became yet another 'trash WL' thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the people who live in North Arlington afford their homes if they had to buy it again? Do the incomes support the home prices? Are there other areas being developed elsewhere that are like pre-arlington before the metro? Are people still investing in developing metro centric Arlington area? These are all important questions to ask.

Live in North Arlington because you like it but as an investment it would not be as good of a choice as other places.

Yes. Most of our neighbors have bought in the last 5 years when prices have been very high.

The people buying have super HHI-- partners, business owners, drs, etc.

Our income has tripled over the last decade.

The stereotypes are gone. This is a very wealthy area.

The median hhi doesn't support your notion. Maybe in your one neighbourhood block.

.

Because it is by zipcode, dumb shit. 20007 is uniform. 22201 has a gazillion condos and apartments with 20-30 yeAr old singles...and affordable housing units. We make $550k and are less than a lot of households on our 'hood.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a 'mid-pack/bottom tier' Fairfax Co HS and got the same education as my travel teammates at Langley, McLean, etc. In fact, many were classmates in college.

W-L consistently turns out stellar students. A comparison along demographics shows scores to be near identical to all top-rated schools in the area.

The recent neighborhood grads and Seniors at W-L have gone on top universities around the country. It is idiotic to even try and say it is a 'poor' school.

We sought out W-L for some variety for our kids. We like the different SES and demographics. My kids have had very diverse classmates at all levels of schooling in our neighborhood and their test scores are through the roof.

All of this is irrelevant to OP, btw, that is looking to buy in a different pyramid so I don't know how this became yet another 'trash WL' thread.

It's my fault that it became another trash W-L thread. In a prior post, I was explaining why I think this part of North Arlington hits enough "sweet spots" to be a great choice, even if it may not necessarily be the best with respect to individual factors such as walkability and schools. In other words, why not look at the total package?

Another poster jumped on this to claim that families don't care walkability and APS can't hold a candle to FCPS. I'm pretty sure it's one of the Marshall posters, since he/she made a big point of emphasizing that FCPS, and not APS, has IB and STEM Academies (i.e., what Marshall offers).

My bad. Clearly the only correct response was to tell the OP she's making a huge mistake by considering North Arlington/Yorktown HS and that the Marshall HS district is always the best choice. Boosters gonna boost, you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a 'mid-pack/bottom tier' Fairfax Co HS and got the same education as my travel teammates at Langley, McLean, etc. In fact, many were classmates in college.

W-L consistently turns out stellar students. A comparison along demographics shows scores to be near identical to all top-rated schools in the area.

The recent neighborhood grads and Seniors at W-L have gone on top universities around the country. It is idiotic to even try and say it is a 'poor' school.

We sought out W-L for some variety for our kids. We like the different SES and demographics. My kids have had very diverse classmates at all levels of schooling in our neighborhood and their test scores are through the roof.

All of this is irrelevant to OP, btw, that is looking to buy in a different pyramid so I don't know how this became yet another 'trash WL' thread.

It's my fault that it became another trash W-L thread. In a prior post, I was explaining why I think this part of North Arlington hits enough "sweet spots" to be a great choice, even if it may not necessarily be the best with respect to individual factors such as walkability and schools. In other words, why not look at the total package?

Another poster jumped on this to claim that families don't care walkability and APS can't hold a candle to FCPS. I'm pretty sure it's one of the Marshall posters, since he/she made a big point of emphasizing that FCPS, and not APS, has IB and STEM Academies (i.e., what Marshall offers).

My bad. Clearly the only correct response was to tell the OP she's making a huge mistake by considering North Arlington/Yorktown HS and that the Marshall HS district is always the best choice. Boosters gonna boost, you know.

So if anyone points out the short comings of W-L it is immediately crazy? I don't understand you people this the perception of most people and it is backed by statistics and rankings. BTW I am in McLean not Marshall.