Any scoop on Great Falls, Va?

[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.

Just stop. Stay in McLean if you want to feel justified in your choice. But there is nothing wrong with GF. GF is beautiful, and the people are not obnoxious. You are proving OP right.

[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

Especially the privacy and large lots. There are abutting towns that just don't have this, and such abutting towns are rather small. You can keep you small town with small lots. My neighbors don't need to know what I am having for dinner, thank you very much - so it's GF for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

But some people resent tear downs, and you do NOT want to live next to people who resent new houses, because resentful people (many, not all) have problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most homes in Great Falls are not on Georgetown Pike and Riverbend gets little traffic. There are access roads to groups of homes off those streets. Great falls and western mclean have areas that blend into each other.

The air feels cleaner - nature's filtration system. The water tastes great. The ambiance is relaxing for those with high pressure jobs.

ITA. I think some people who don't live in GF try to justify their decision. The kind of people who are obsessed with being right, even if they are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most homes in Great Falls are not on Georgetown Pike and Riverbend gets little traffic. There are access roads to groups of homes off those streets. Great falls and western mclean have areas that blend into each other.

The air feels cleaner - nature's filtration system. The water tastes great. The ambiance is relaxing for those with high pressure jobs.

ITA. I think some people who don't live in GF try to justify their decision. The kind of people who are obsessed with being right, even if they are not.

It's not exactly a stretch to say that the idea of commuting to DC from Great Falls is a deal-killer for a lot of people. That's just being honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

But some people resent tear downs, and you do NOT want to live next to people who resent new houses, because resentful people (many, not all) have problems.

It has nothing to do with feeling resentful. I simply don't like the mis-matched look of tiny outdated houses next to tiny outdated houses with a out-of-place addition next to large new houses of an entirely different style. That is not desirable to me. Sorry. I grew up in an historic neighborhood. We renovated (tastefully), not rebuilt. While all the houses looked different, the neighborhood had a common theme (prairie style or arts and crafts). It was cohesive. McLean is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

But some people resent tear downs, and you do NOT want to live next to people who resent new houses, because resentful people (many, not all) have problems.

It has nothing to do with feeling resentful. I simply don't like the mis-matched look of tiny outdated houses next to tiny outdated houses with a out-of-place addition next to large new houses of an entirely different style. That is not desirable to me. Sorry. I grew up in an historic neighborhood. We renovated (tastefully), not rebuilt. While all the houses looked different, the neighborhood had a common theme (prairie style or arts and crafts). It was cohesive. McLean is not.

Go buy in a historic place but don't complain when it costs 50k to replace two windows for your cramped outdated home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

But some people resent tear downs, and you do NOT want to live next to people who resent new houses, because resentful people (many, not all) have problems.

It has nothing to do with feeling resentful. I simply don't like the mis-matched look of tiny outdated houses next to tiny outdated houses with a out-of-place addition next to large new houses of an entirely different style. That is not desirable to me. Sorry. I grew up in an historic neighborhood. We renovated (tastefully), not rebuilt. While all the houses looked different, the neighborhood had a common theme (prairie style or arts and crafts). It was cohesive. McLean is not.

Go buy in a historic place but don't complain when it costs 50k to replace two windows for your cramped outdated home

I DID buy a home - in Great Falls, in a neighborhood that isn't mismatched. PP suggested I was resentful; I said I was not. YOU sound resentful, though, because you seem to want to argue this (I'm not even sure what) to death. I don't like McLean. I like Great Falls. You like McLean. You don't like Great Falls. It doesn't upset me in the least. I'm happy where I am living.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

But some people resent tear downs, and you do NOT want to live next to people who resent new houses, because resentful people (many, not all) have problems.

It has nothing to do with feeling resentful. I simply don't like the mis-matched look of tiny outdated houses next to tiny outdated houses with a out-of-place addition next to large new houses of an entirely different style. That is not desirable to me. Sorry. I grew up in an historic neighborhood. We renovated (tastefully), not rebuilt. While all the houses looked different, the neighborhood had a common theme (prairie style or arts and crafts). It was cohesive. McLean is not.

Go buy in a historic place but don't complain when it costs 50k to replace two windows for your cramped outdated home

I DID buy a home - in Great Falls, in a neighborhood that isn't mismatched. PP suggested I was resentful; I said I was not. YOU sound resentful, though, because you seem to want to argue this (I'm not even sure what) to death. I don't like McLean. I like Great Falls. You like McLean. You don't like Great Falls. It doesn't upset me in the least. I'm happy where I am living.

What it is with all these snide comments about "mismatched" neighborhoods? Great Falls is full of one-off homes and there's a ton of land available out there to build pretty much whatever you want out there now. The difference is that the market values convenience, so for the price of 1/5 acre in Arlington or 1/3 acre in McLean, you can buy 2-5 acres in Great Falls.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier about air quality...

No one wants to live next to a teardown or huge reno project on a tight lot or attached housing. That to be blunt would suck.

When househunting years ago there were places where I was clueless on my location. I assume many people posting have no idea exactly what is Mclean and what is great falls when on certain roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

But some people resent tear downs, and you do NOT want to live next to people who resent new houses, because resentful people (many, not all) have problems.

It has nothing to do with feeling resentful. I simply don't like the mis-matched look of tiny outdated houses next to tiny outdated houses with a out-of-place addition next to large new houses of an entirely different style. That is not desirable to me. Sorry. I grew up in an historic neighborhood. We renovated (tastefully), not rebuilt. While all the houses looked different, the neighborhood had a common theme (prairie style or arts and crafts). It was cohesive. McLean is not.

Go buy in a historic place but don't complain when it costs 50k to replace two windows for your cramped outdated home

LOL. Yes, let's tear all of the old stuff down. Everything before 2000 is crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier about air quality...

No one wants to live next to a teardown or huge reno project on a tight lot or attached housing. That to be blunt would suck.

When househunting years ago there were places where I was clueless on my location. I assume many people posting have no idea exactly what is Mclean and what is great falls when on certain roads.

Of course they would like living next to a teardown, if the project were confirmation of how valuable their own property had become, the new house was an improvement over the house it replaced, and/or they liked the new house. Of course, construction is noisy, whether it's a teardown or new construction. But it usually takes a finite period of time.

[Anonymous]

To what extent is the housing in Great Falls a job in and of itself? When I see homes there in architectural or decorating mags, I see homes near the river with ongoing erosion problems, specialty fixtures that require specialized repair people, and gardens that require a FTE staff member. How widespread are those issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier about air quality...

No one wants to live next to a teardown or huge reno project on a tight lot or attached housing. That to be blunt would suck.

When househunting years ago there were places where I was clueless on my location. I assume many people posting have no idea exactly what is Mclean and what is great falls when on certain roads.

Of course they would like living next to a teardown, if the project were confirmation of how valuable their own property had become, the new house was an improvement over the house it replaced, and/or they liked the new house. Of course, construction is noisy, whether it's a teardown or new construction. But it usually takes a finite period of time.

Disagree. No one wants to be the nice house next to the crap house. But, in GF, it doesn't matter as much as say McLean, because in GF the lots are so much bigger. You don't live in GF to mind your neighbor's business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier about air quality...

No one wants to live next to a teardown or huge reno project on a tight lot or attached housing. That to be blunt would suck.

When househunting years ago there were places where I was clueless on my location. I assume many people posting have no idea exactly what is Mclean and what is great falls when on certain roads.

Of course they would like living next to a teardown, if the project were confirmation of how valuable their own property had become, the new house was an improvement over the house it replaced, and/or they liked the new house. Of course, construction is noisy, whether it's a teardown or new construction. But it usually takes a finite period of time.

Disagree. No one wants to be the nice house next to the crap house. But, in GF, it doesn't matter as much as say McLean, because in GF the lots are so much bigger. You don't live in GF to mind your neighbor's business.

I was reading "teardown" to refer to an older home that was already in the process of being torn down or was being marketed as such. And it's just fine to be in a nice house near an older, less expensive home if your neighbors are nice people who maintain their property. If the location is right, a newer house will go up eventually in due course.

Of course, people who can't deal with neighbors would be better off living on multi-acre lots where they never see them.