Any scoop on Great Falls, Va?

[Anonymous]

We just bought a house in Great Falls (22066 area). We work in Tyson's, so the commute is totally manageable. We looked at McLean, Falls Church, Arlington and Vienna, and found GF to be the most appealing - there are no tear-downs in our neighborhood (and even if there were were, the houses are far apart enough that it wouldn't be so obvious); we live in a cul-de-sac (traffic is low and the kids can run a around), we have privacy (we can sit out on our deck without the neighbors being in our business), and I feel like we got a nicer house for the money. Our area has public sewer and water.

McLean was a no-go for us because of all the teardowns. Arlington homes in our price range didn't match our criteria (we wanted a garage). Falls Church was inconsistent (a street might have great homes, but the next street over would be not so great). While Vienna is close to the Metro, Main Street in Vienna is a nightmare (personally, I would much rather deal with Rt 7 traffic then Vienna traffic).

People value different things, so focus less on what neighborhoods are hot and more on what is important to you. We came down to two houses - one in Vienna within walking distance to Main Street, but had a small backyard and not as cozy a neighborhood; and one in Great Falls where we could sit out on our deck in relative privacy, but we couldn't walk to any commercial areas. We chose Great Falls. While walkability is nice, we work so much that we would not see the benefit of it; we would definitely sit out on our deck a lot more than we would walk to a cafe.

[Anonymous]

Further to the above, we "tested" the commute before we bought our house so we didn't go in completely blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are strongly considering Great Falls. Could anyone comment on how long the drive on Georgetown Pike is from Walker Rd to the Beltway around 6:30 in the morning? Thanks!

From there, at 6:30 - 15 mins, 20 mins max.

I agree with this.

We live in GF, are in our 30's and have young children (kindergarten and preschool). We love it! We have a great neighborhood - kids playing in the cul de sac every night and parents watching while drinking a glass of wine. We have septic and other than having it pumped every 5 years, I've never given it a second thought. Commute is long but so worth it to be away from the hustle of the city each night and on weekends (I grew up in DC proper). DH works in Reston so his commute is fine!

PP, would you mind naming your neighborhood? We're looking in GF and have two very young kids. We're looking for a fun neighborhood, not multi-acre estates (even if we could afford one, we would like a more neighborhood-y feel anyway). Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are strongly considering Great Falls. Could anyone comment on how long the drive on Georgetown Pike is from Walker Rd to the Beltway around 6:30 in the morning? Thanks!

Depending on traffic (which can vary wildly) about 1/2 hour. An alternative route is Walker to Georgetown Pike to Old Dominion Drive, then pick up Swinks Mill back to Georgetown Pike. The stop sign at Swinks Mill and Georgetown pike is what backs up traffic on Georgetown Pike. My DD does this frequently and says when traffic is slow, it makes things much faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are strongly considering Great Falls. Could anyone comment on how long the drive on Georgetown Pike is from Walker Rd to the Beltway around 6:30 in the morning? Thanks!

From there, at 6:30 - 15 mins, 20 mins max.

I agree with this.

We live in GF, are in our 30's and have young children (kindergarten and preschool). We love it! We have a great neighborhood - kids playing in the cul de sac every night and parents watching while drinking a glass of wine. We have septic and other than having it pumped every 5 years, I've never given it a second thought. Commute is long but so worth it to be away from the hustle of the city each night and on weekends (I grew up in DC proper). DH works in Reston so his commute is fine!

PP, would you mind naming your neighborhood? We're looking in GF and have two very young kids. We're looking for a fun neighborhood, not multi-acre estates (even if we could afford one, we would like a more neighborhood-y feel anyway). Thanks!

Quoted PP here. We live between the Village and Colvin Run Rd, off of Walker. Harriman and Walker Mill lead into the neighborhoods back here and it's wonderful. Reasoanbly sized homes (most built in the 70's/80's) but definitely much smaller than many GF houses. It's perfect for us and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just bought a house in Great Falls (22066 area). We work in Tyson's, so the commute is totally manageable. We looked at McLean, Falls Church, Arlington and Vienna, and found GF to be the most appealing - there are no tear-downs in our neighborhood (and even if there were were, the houses are far apart enough that it wouldn't be so obvious); we live in a cul-de-sac (traffic is low and the kids can run a around), we have privacy (we can sit out on our deck without the neighbors being in our business), and I feel like we got a nicer house for the money. Our area has public sewer and water.

McLean was a no-go for us because of all the teardowns. Arlington homes in our price range didn't match our criteria (we wanted a garage). Falls Church was inconsistent (a street might have great homes, but the next street over would be not so great). While Vienna is close to the Metro, Main Street in Vienna is a nightmare (personally, I would much rather deal with Rt 7 traffic then Vienna traffic).

People value different things, so focus less on what neighborhoods are hot and more on what is important to you. We came down to two houses - one in Vienna within walking distance to Main Street, but had a small backyard and not as cozy a neighborhood; and one in Great Falls where we could sit out on our deck in relative privacy, but we couldn't walk to any commercial areas. We chose Great Falls. While walkability is nice, we work so much that we would not see the benefit of it; we would definitely sit out on our deck a lot more than we would walk to a cafe.

So it's cheaper? It's crazy that great falls values have dropped so much or not risen that people seek it out as an affordable alternative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just bought a house in Great Falls (22066 area). We work in Tyson's, so the commute is totally manageable. We looked at McLean, Falls Church, Arlington and Vienna, and found GF to be the most appealing - there are no tear-downs in our neighborhood (and even if there were were, the houses are far apart enough that it wouldn't be so obvious); we live in a cul-de-sac (traffic is low and the kids can run a around), we have privacy (we can sit out on our deck without the neighbors being in our business), and I feel like we got a nicer house for the money. Our area has public sewer and water.

McLean was a no-go for us because of all the teardowns. Arlington homes in our price range didn't match our criteria (we wanted a garage). Falls Church was inconsistent (a street might have great homes, but the next street over would be not so great). While Vienna is close to the Metro, Main Street in Vienna is a nightmare (personally, I would much rather deal with Rt 7 traffic then Vienna traffic).

People value different things, so focus less on what neighborhoods are hot and more on what is important to you. We came down to two houses - one in Vienna within walking distance to Main Street, but had a small backyard and not as cozy a neighborhood; and one in Great Falls where we could sit out on our deck in relative privacy, but we couldn't walk to any commercial areas. We chose Great Falls. While walkability is nice, we work so much that we would not see the benefit of it; we would definitely sit out on our deck a lot more than we would walk to a cafe.

So it's cheaper? It's crazy that great falls values have dropped so much or not risen that people seek it out as an affordable alternative.

Why is it crazy? It's the market at work, and it has more to do with where prices have increased recently than with where they have dropped.

I don't think PP took issue with the argument that it's become harder to commute to DC from Great Falls, or that this may have affected prices. All she reported is why it works for her family. Congratulations to her. We don't have to make the same choices when our circumstances are similar, so we certainly shouldn't have to do so when they are different.

[Anonymous]

Don't weep for the prices in Great Falls.


Depends on what you want, but if you are buying something that isn't getting torn down, the number starts at around a million bucks - the high end is the high end - multiple millions of dollars.

As for the number of sales, etc - GF is relatively small so it is never going to produce the numbers that McLean or Vienna do. It also doesn't have lower priced units so the overall sales number and volume will always be a little slower.


It isn't for everyone, but there will ALWAYS be people who appreciate the small town feel, privacy, large lots and quiet environment that GF provides. If we weren't here, we would probably be in Oakton, not Vienna or McLean because it offers a similar setup

[Anonymous]

We looked at GF for a very long time (loved the privacy and tranquility). But the commute to DC (for one of us) seemed terrible, even from the western part of GF.

At the end, we ended up buying in Franklin Park (in McLean).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't weep for the prices in Great Falls.


Depends on what you want, but if you are buying something that isn't getting torn down, the number starts at around a million bucks - the high end is the high end - multiple millions of dollars.

As for the number of sales, etc - GF is relatively small so it is never going to produce the numbers that McLean or Vienna do. It also doesn't have lower priced units so the overall sales number and volume will always be a little slower.


It isn't for everyone, but there will ALWAYS be people who appreciate the small town feel, privacy, large lots and quiet environment that GF provides. If we weren't here, we would probably be in Oakton, not Vienna or McLean because it offers a similar setup

While the inventory in GF is certainly lower, there are plenty of homes in GF in the $700,000-900,000 price range that are not destined to be torn down, and that are comparable to homes in (at least) Vienna. We looked at a $750,000 home in Vienna and a $750,000 home in GF. They were about the same size, and both homes had been updated; but, the GF home had a larger lot. We love GF, though we would have considered Oakton if we could have avoided driving through Vienna! As for McLean, the only neighborhood I liked was the Hamlet, because they don't allow teardowns.

[Anonymous]

I live in Great Falls and homes up to a million are selling and doing so fast. These are older homes, less square footage, smaller lots and in areas like Holly Knoll, etc - far west - but part of the Langley School District.

Homes that are between $1.0 and 1.5 offer way, way more - newer, more square footage, larger lots, comparatively closer in, better construction, nicely wooded, etc and they are not selling anywhere near as well. Given that they offer so much more than those that are selling, I think it is a case where there are people who want a GF address but cannot afford anything more than a million.

[Anonymous]

Great Falls is gorgeous and I'd live there in a heartbeat if I could. I'm much rather an attractive rural area than a dense urban area. I live in a popular "walkable" neighborhood and I'd rather a tranquil environment. My kids are in H.S. and I wouldn't think of moving them at this point, so we will stay put.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't weep for the prices in Great Falls.


Depends on what you want, but if you are buying something that isn't getting torn down, the number starts at around a million bucks - the high end is the high end - multiple millions of dollars.

As for the number of sales, etc - GF is relatively small so it is never going to produce the numbers that McLean or Vienna do. It also doesn't have lower priced units so the overall sales number and volume will always be a little slower.


It isn't for everyone, but there will ALWAYS be people who appreciate the small town feel, privacy, large lots and quiet environment that GF provides. If we weren't here, we would probably be in Oakton, not Vienna or McLean because it offers a similar setup

While the inventory in GF is certainly lower, there are plenty of homes in GF in the $700,000-900,000 price range that are not destined to be torn down, and that are comparable to homes in (at least) Vienna. We looked at a $750,000 home in Vienna and a $750,000 home in GF. They were about the same size, and both homes had been updated; but, the GF home had a larger lot. We love GF, though we would have considered Oakton if we could have avoided driving through Vienna! As for McLean, the only neighborhood I liked was the Hamlet, because they don't allow teardowns.

There are teardowns in Great Falls. They may make less of an impression on you because the lots are larger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Great Falls and homes up to a million are selling and doing so fast. These are older homes, less square footage, smaller lots and in areas like Holly Knoll, etc - far west - but part of the Langley School District.

Homes that are between $1.0 and 1.5 offer way, way more - newer, more square footage, larger lots, comparatively closer in, better construction, nicely wooded, etc and they are not selling anywhere near as well. Given that they offer so much more than those that are selling, I think it is a case where there are people who want a GF address but cannot afford anything more than a million.

I think you are right. The homes that are "affordable" are almost too far west (though, our $750,000 home is closer in -- near Towlston; I think we got lucky!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't weep for the prices in Great Falls.


Depends on what you want, but if you are buying something that isn't getting torn down, the number starts at around a million bucks - the high end is the high end - multiple millions of dollars.

As for the number of sales, etc - GF is relatively small so it is never going to produce the numbers that McLean or Vienna do. It also doesn't have lower priced units so the overall sales number and volume will always be a little slower.


It isn't for everyone, but there will ALWAYS be people who appreciate the small town feel, privacy, large lots and quiet environment that GF provides. If we weren't here, we would probably be in Oakton, not Vienna or McLean because it offers a similar setup

While the inventory in GF is certainly lower, there are plenty of homes in GF in the $700,000-900,000 price range that are not destined to be torn down, and that are comparable to homes in (at least) Vienna. We looked at a $750,000 home in Vienna and a $750,000 home in GF. They were about the same size, and both homes had been updated; but, the GF home had a larger lot. We love GF, though we would have considered Oakton if we could have avoided driving through Vienna! As for McLean, the only neighborhood I liked was the Hamlet, because they don't allow teardowns.

Are you stupid? Teardowns are a good thing both for look and feel of the neighborhood and desirability.