Tempted to move to great falls from McLean as prices seem to be falling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anybody who is defending Great Falls as locality that has become less desirable is a FOOL. GF has been on a steady decline (in terms of re prices) the last few years. If you doubt it, please look at the numbers. They don't lie. IMO, the primary reason for this is the horrendous traffic and people are just fed up with the ever increasing commutes plus there there is only one small shopping center in GF. Most people I personally know in GF, while affluent are working professionals (attorneys, docs, corporate execs, lobbyst, etc) who must haul their asses to work EVERY DAY so the traffic is the culprit. GF has very few who are independently wealthy where they don't need to work....

o

Huge tech corridor in Western FFX and Loudoun counties. DC centric fools!!

Not too many people actually work in all those data centers near the airport. And gov't contractors in Reston have been bleeding work and people for years. And the millennials want nothing to do with living in the burbs. Have you been through IAD lately? Passenger volume there keeps dropping in favor of DCA. Flew out of there Monday - 4 boards for departing flights, but on 2 boards worth of flights to post. Sorry, western Fairfax and Loudoun are on the wrong side of a lot of trends. And as the OP wrote in the original post, the market is telling us that in housing prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The ones that are sitting are very dated styles where the elderly owners haven't updated since the early 80s. They're offended when realtors tell them it needs updating and think it should sell without any work done. People spending 1.5mill+ don't want fixer uppers with 30 year old kitchen and closed floor plans.

The crazy thing is that they still want to sell it for the 500k appreciation in value. But don't want the hassle of putting any renovations in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:G Falls is nice, but they not only keep building new homes, but, UGLY new homes. Meanwhile, there is a glut of existing ones on sale. If a house sells very quickly, it is because it is priced right to sell quickly. Also, w delayed start times, if you have a kid that goes to Langley, on a bus, they will spend 1 hour each way. Same goes if the parent drives them in or picks them up.

I agree. Some of the homes are atrocious. Gold topped columns, gaudy fountains, weird castle style roofs... Are they mostly foreigners building?

The ones that are sitting are very dated styles where the elderly owners haven't updated since the early 80s. They're offended when realtors tell them it needs updating and think it should sell without any work done. People spending 1.5mill+ don't want fixer uppers with 30 year old kitchen and closed floor plans.

This has been sitting for almost two years - new construction - well, two years old now.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Great-Falls/10315-Georgetown-Pike-22066/home/9153165

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The ones that are sitting are very dated styles where the elderly owners haven't updated since the early 80s. They're offended when realtors tell them it needs updating and think it should sell without any work done. People spending 1.5mill+ don't want fixer uppers with 30 year old kitchen and closed floor plans.

The crazy thing is that they still want to sell it for the 500k appreciation in value. But don't want the hassle of putting any renovations in.

That's already baked into the price

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:G Falls is nice, but they not only keep building new homes, but, UGLY new homes. Meanwhile, there is a glut of existing ones on sale. If a house sells very quickly, it is because it is priced right to sell quickly. Also, w delayed start times, if you have a kid that goes to Langley, on a bus, they will spend 1 hour each way. Same goes if the parent drives them in or picks them up.

I agree. Some of the homes are atrocious. Gold topped columns, gaudy fountains, weird castle style roofs... Are they mostly foreigners building?

The ones that are sitting are very dated styles where the elderly owners haven't updated since the early 80s. They're offended when realtors tell them it needs updating and think it should sell without any work done. People spending 1.5mill+ don't want fixer uppers with 30 year old kitchen and closed floor plans.

This has been sitting for almost two years - new construction - well, two years old now.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Great-Falls/10315-Georgetown-Pike-22066/home/9153165

Perfect example. The house is brand-new, sort of. But, that puppy has sat for 2 years - because it is TOO expensive. You can find easily 15 houses cheaper. Plus, who wants to live on G'town Pike? Impossible to make a left out of your driveway with the traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:G Falls is nice, but they not only keep building new homes, but, UGLY new homes. Meanwhile, there is a glut of existing ones on sale. If a house sells very quickly, it is because it is priced right to sell quickly. Also, w delayed start times, if you have a kid that goes to Langley, on a bus, they will spend 1 hour each way. Same goes if the parent drives them in or picks them up.

I agree. Some of the homes are atrocious. Gold topped columns, gaudy fountains, weird castle style roofs... Are they mostly foreigners building?

The ones that are sitting are very dated styles where the elderly owners haven't updated since the early 80s. They're offended when realtors tell them it needs updating and think it should sell without any work done. People spending 1.5mill+ don't want fixer uppers with 30 year old kitchen and closed floor plans.

This has been sitting for almost two years - new construction - well, two years old now.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Great-Falls/10315-Georgetown-Pike-22066/home/9153165

I pass by this daily. Interesting to see the inside! It's not gaudy or over the top to me. Price is high though.

[Anonymous]

In what part of McLean do you live? I think of the parts of McLean that feed into Langley as basically Great Falls anyway, but I get the desire to make the move if you live closer in near Falls Church or North Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anybody who is defending Great Falls as locality that has become less desirable is a FOOL. GF has been on a steady decline (in terms of re prices) the last few years. If you doubt it, please look at the numbers. They don't lie. IMO, the primary reason for this is the horrendous traffic and people are just fed up with the ever increasing commutes plus there there is only one small shopping center in GF. Most people I personally know in GF, while affluent are working professionals (attorneys, docs, corporate execs, lobbyst, etc) who must haul their asses to work EVERY DAY so the traffic is the culprit. GF has very few who are independently wealthy where they don't need to work....

o

Huge tech corridor in Western FFX and Loudoun counties. DC centric fools!!

No one is denying that, and some of the owners of those businesses live in GF. But, the rank and file employees of those firms don't make enough to live in GF at current prices, and meanwhile more people in higher-paying positions are looking to live closer in. That's why prices in GF are declining slowly - it's a sticky market with lots of inventory - and going up elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read an article in the Post reporting there is a huge inventory of unsold properties in Great Falls and that it would be even higher if many sellers hadn't taken their homes off the market around Christmas.

It's pretty out there but, from an investment perspective, I would feel much safer buying in Arlington, McLean or Falls Church than Great Falls. I don't see any trends that make Great Falls more attractive, except declining prices.

Land. We have land. It's fabulous. Lots of wildlife. Snakes handle the rodents so no rat issue. I can green, lie in my hammock, etc, and no one messes with me. Easy drive to Tysons for shopping; GF center had all you need for day to day. Reston easy shot for variety. Half hour to Leesburg; Lucketts not much farther. Heaven

Is it an easy drive to Bullis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great Falls is a very nice area, but I think it's time has come and gone. It and Potomac MD are one of the few places you can live on 2+ acres in the DC area, but the commute is insane into Tysons. You will pay dearly for the trees and quiet of the area with a lot of windshield time.

I bought in GF two years ago and commute to tysons daily. I would not characterize it as "insane". It's fine, like 25 mins. Bad accident in 7 or the like, like 40. I live west of the village

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:G Falls is nice, but they not only keep building new homes, but, UGLY new homes. Meanwhile, there is a glut of existing ones on sale. If a house sells very quickly, it is because it is priced right to sell quickly. Also, w delayed start times, if you have a kid that goes to Langley, on a bus, they will spend 1 hour each way. Same goes if the parent drives them in or picks them up.

I agree. Some of the homes are atrocious. Gold topped columns, gaudy fountains, weird castle style roofs... Are they mostly foreigners building?

The ones that are sitting are very dated styles where the elderly owners haven't updated since the early 80s. They're offended when realtors tell them it needs updating and think it should sell without any work done. People spending 1.5mill+ don't want fixer uppers with 30 year old kitchen and closed floor plans.

This has been sitting for almost two years - new construction - well, two years old now.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Great-Falls/10315-Georgetown-Pike-22066/home/9153165

This house is gorgeous. I think there are two reasons it hasn't sold. (I also drive by daily). It went up originally I think at like 2.6... Too high. And there is a lot right next door being developed and it's a narrow lot (very close to thus house). I would not want to buy in that situation. Also it's pretty close to GTP with no real screening. So basically I think the siting isn't so great.

[Anonymous]

I think people move to Great Falls for one or two reasons: one is the schools, and those people usually live in the houses costing less than 1 million, and second, the people who want to feel like they live 'in the country' with a big yard surrounded by trees, and those houses are are over a million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great Falls is a very nice area, but I think it's time has come and gone. It and Potomac MD are one of the few places you can live on 2+ acres in the DC area, but the commute is insane into Tysons. You will pay dearly for the trees and quiet of the area with a lot of windshield time.

I bought in GF two years ago and commute to tysons daily. I would not characterize it as "insane". It's fine, like 25 mins. Bad accident in 7 or the like, like 40. I live west of the village

+1

Don't even try to tell the whacko McLean cheerleader anything remotely resembling facts - he won't hear of it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people move to Great Falls for one or two reasons: one is the schools, and those people usually live in the houses costing less than 1 million, and second, the people who want to feel like they live 'in the country' with a big yard surrounded by trees, and those houses are are over a million.

+1

Peace and quiet - it is not too difficult too figure out. Who doesn't want peace and quiet? Especially with the McLean poster constantly droning on about how "perfect" McLean is. I mean really, who in their right mind would want to live near that kind of noise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great Falls is nicer in every way. If you know anything about GF, you can get so much more house for your money.

People I know in GF entertain ALL the time - they have elaborate homes and gardens, with pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, and tons of land.

"Traffic" and "convenience" are not a problem at all, to the people that live there.

"I hate this person and all I know about them is three sentences. That they've arranged into paragraphs, for some reason."

- my DH, from GF