Which neighborhoods to avoid in NoVa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but your jumble of purported statistics is less than compelling. On the other hand, it's easy enough to look at the Census explorer tool and the NY mapping and see that other neighborhoods in 22043 (both the Haycock and Idylwood areas), 22041 and 22044 are all higher-income areas with higher median housing prices than Pimmit Hills or the small area in 22046 that feeds into Timber Lane.

http://www.census.gov/censusexplorer/censusexplorer.html

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer

Even if values per SF are higher in Pimmit Hills than some of the other areas, so what? People in the other neighborhoods live in larger homes in more attractive neighborhoods. I'd pick them in a heartbeat over Pimmit Hills.

NP I know both areas very well. Pimmit Hills has been considered a little rough in the past but the majority of 22041 and 22044 are worse than Pimmit Hills . The schools are also a major issue in 22041 and 22044.

I am surprised that the poster didn't proclaim 22041 and 22044 is better than McLean or Georgetown.

There are indeed neighborhoods in 22041 and 22044 that have higher median incomes and housing values than parts of McLean, although not Georgetown.

They must be smoking some good stuff in 22041 and 22044

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pimmit Hills is trashy and always will be. People there should STFU about other areas of Falls Church. They are all nicer than Pimmit Hiils, except for Culmore and the Westlawn area. Apart from them Pimmit Hills is the worst in Falls Church hands down, try telling people in FCC or other parts of 22043 that Pimmit Hills is nice and they won't stop laughing for days.

FCC is nicer than PH, other parts of 22043 (for instance, Haycock/WFC/Idylwood) are also nicer than PH based on the totality of factors that make a neighborhood nice. 22041/22042 aren't if you look at totality of evidence, not just the looks.

So you say. No one I know in Lake Barcroft or Holmes Run would ever consider living in Pimmit Hills. Their communities are so much more attractive, they are within 10 miles or so of DC, and their kids get into schools that are every bit as good as those attended by Marshall grads. Your "totality of evidence" line is ridiculous.

That may very well be but generally families with school-aged children look for schools that support their educational goals, not impede them. I'm not saying families like this don't exist, I'm saying it's not a popular mindset. For every family that decides to ignore bad schools because they believe family factors trump school quality, there are ten other families who do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pimmit Hills is trashy and always will be. People there should STFU about other areas of Falls Church. They are all nicer than Pimmit Hiils, except for Culmore and the Westlawn area. Apart from them Pimmit Hills is the worst in Falls Church hands down, try telling people in FCC or other parts of 22043 that Pimmit Hills is nice and they won't stop laughing for days.

FCC is nicer than PH, other parts of 22043 (for instance, Haycock/WFC/Idylwood) are also nicer than PH based on the totality of factors that make a neighborhood nice. 22041/22042 aren't if you look at totality of evidence, not just the looks.

So you say. No one I know in Lake Barcroft or Holmes Run would ever consider living in Pimmit Hills. Their communities are so much more attractive, they are within 10 miles or so of DC, and their kids get into schools that are every bit as good as those attended by Marshall grads. Your "totality of evidence" line is ridiculous.

That may very well be but generally families with school-aged children look for schools that support their educational goals, not impede them. I'm not saying families like this don't exist, I'm saying it's not a popular mindset. For every family that decides to ignore bad schools because they believe family factors trump school quality, there are ten other families who do not.

In reality it comes down to affordability. No one would pick the lesser school unless they either have a budget constraint or plan to do private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but your jumble of purported statistics is less than compelling. On the other hand, it's easy enough to look at the Census explorer tool and the NY mapping and see that other neighborhoods in 22043 (both the Haycock and Idylwood areas), 22041 and 22044 are all higher-income areas with higher median housing prices than Pimmit Hills or the small area in 22046 that feeds into Timber Lane.

http://www.census.gov/censusexplorer/censusexplorer.html

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer

Even if values per SF are higher in Pimmit Hills than some of the other areas, so what? People in the other neighborhoods live in larger homes in more attractive neighborhoods. I'd pick them in a heartbeat over Pimmit Hills.

No one lives in PH for the beauty or for architecture, it wins on other criteria. Location, schools, parks, price, commute, amenities, did I say location? But if you want a uniformly beautiful, manicured neighborhood, then it is not PH. I live in PH and admit this freely. We didn't pick it for the looks. But we are very happy here.

Then why can't you just say it works for you? Instead, you and other PH boosters keep blabbing about how it "wins" and "beats" other parts of Falls Church that are far prettier and have equally good locations, at least if you work in DC. And the schools are not that much better than the schools in other parts of the county, unless you have an unhealthy obsession with GreatSchools.

I thought I did; do you realize than more than one person likes PH and we aren't at all responsible for what anyone else says? I think that PH is a better bet than 22041/22042 but not a better bet than FCC and other parts of 22043 if you have the budget. Generally people who can afford a comparable house in FCC or non-PH parts of 22043 do not look at PH as an option, but I exclude 22041/22042 from this calculation because these areas, in my opinion, lose to PH on criteria other than looks.

I think Pimmit Hills loses because, in my opinion, it's one of the ugliest neighborhoods in the region, the congestion around Tysons is horrible, and the schools aren't among the county's best. I'd live in numerous neighborhoods in 22041 or 22042 before I'd ever consider Pimmit Hills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pimmit Hills is trashy and always will be. People there should STFU about other areas of Falls Church. They are all nicer than Pimmit Hiils, except for Culmore and the Westlawn area. Apart from them Pimmit Hills is the worst in Falls Church hands down, try telling people in FCC or other parts of 22043 that Pimmit Hills is nice and they won't stop laughing for days.

FCC is nicer than PH, other parts of 22043 (for instance, Haycock/WFC/Idylwood) are also nicer than PH based on the totality of factors that make a neighborhood nice. 22041/22042 aren't if you look at totality of evidence, not just the looks.

So you say. No one I know in Lake Barcroft or Holmes Run would ever consider living in Pimmit Hills. Their communities are so much more attractive, they are within 10 miles or so of DC, and their kids get into schools that are every bit as good as those attended by Marshall grads. Your "totality of evidence" line is ridiculous.

That may very well be but generally families with school-aged children look for schools that support their educational goals, not impede them. I'm not saying families like this don't exist, I'm saying it's not a popular mindset. For every family that decides to ignore bad schools because they believe family factors trump school quality, there are ten other families who do not.

In reality it comes down to affordability. No one would pick the lesser school unless they either have a budget constraint or plan to do private school.

That's ridiculous, although I can see why someone advocating for some place as fugly as Pimmit Hills would say that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but your jumble of purported statistics is less than compelling. On the other hand, it's easy enough to look at the Census explorer tool and the NY mapping and see that other neighborhoods in 22043 (both the Haycock and Idylwood areas), 22041 and 22044 are all higher-income areas with higher median housing prices than Pimmit Hills or the small area in 22046 that feeds into Timber Lane.

http://www.census.gov/censusexplorer/censusexplorer.html

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer

Even if values per SF are higher in Pimmit Hills than some of the other areas, so what? People in the other neighborhoods live in larger homes in more attractive neighborhoods. I'd pick them in a heartbeat over Pimmit Hills.

No one lives in PH for the beauty or for architecture, it wins on other criteria. Location, schools, parks, price, commute, amenities, did I say location? But if you want a uniformly beautiful, manicured neighborhood, then it is not PH. I live in PH and admit this freely. We didn't pick it for the looks. But we are very happy here.

Then why can't you just say it works for you? Instead, you and other PH boosters keep blabbing about how it "wins" and "beats" other parts of Falls Church that are far prettier and have equally good locations, at least if you work in DC. And the schools are not that much better than the schools in other parts of the county, unless you have an unhealthy obsession with GreatSchools.

I thought I did; do you realize than more than one person likes PH and we aren't at all responsible for what anyone else says? I think that PH is a better bet than 22041/22042 but not a better bet than FCC and other parts of 22043 if you have the budget. Generally people who can afford a comparable house in FCC or non-PH parts of 22043 do not look at PH as an option, but I exclude 22041/22042 from this calculation because these areas, in my opinion, lose to PH on criteria other than looks.

I think Pimmit Hills loses because, in my opinion, it's one of the ugliest neighborhoods in the region, the congestion around Tysons is horrible, and the schools aren't among the county's best. I'd live in numerous neighborhoods in 22041 or 22042 before I'd ever consider Pimmit Hills.

You seem pretty focused on pimmit hills.

Pimmit hills, is near Tysons but is closer and right next to McLean so you can take great falls road if you wish to avoid route 7.

I like how you said the schools aren't the best and then say "I pick 22041 and 22042" without mentioning the school quality of those said areas.

Does 22041 and 22042 have 2 metro stops on near each side of the neighborhood?

Is there a multi billion dollar redevelopment plan that will stretch into an area across the street turning it into walkable area with retail?

Again I don't even live in Pimmit Hills and am very objective. Your arguments are very strange and go like "I think that this is the best because I say so and the pimmit hills is bad because it's not the best" (never mind the very thing you are arguing doesn't sport being better).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pimmit Hills is trashy and always will be. People there should STFU about other areas of Falls Church. They are all nicer than Pimmit Hiils, except for Culmore and the Westlawn area. Apart from them Pimmit Hills is the worst in Falls Church hands down, try telling people in FCC or other parts of 22043 that Pimmit Hills is nice and they won't stop laughing for days.

FCC is nicer than PH, other parts of 22043 (for instance, Haycock/WFC/Idylwood) are also nicer than PH based on the totality of factors that make a neighborhood nice. 22041/22042 aren't if you look at totality of evidence, not just the looks.

So you say. No one I know in Lake Barcroft or Holmes Run would ever consider living in Pimmit Hills. Their communities are so much more attractive, they are within 10 miles or so of DC, and their kids get into schools that are every bit as good as those attended by Marshall grads. Your "totality of evidence" line is ridiculous.

That may very well be but generally families with school-aged children look for schools that support their educational goals, not impede them. I'm not saying families like this don't exist, I'm saying it's not a popular mindset. For every family that decides to ignore bad schools because they believe family factors trump school quality, there are ten other families who do not.

In reality it comes down to affordability. No one would pick the lesser school unless they either have a budget constraint or plan to do private school.

That's ridiculous, although I can see why someone advocating for some place as fugly as Pimmit Hills would say that.

Have you driven down route 50 and 7? Many of those neighborhoods make pimmit hills look like a lake barcroft lake front home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think Pimmit Hills loses because, in my opinion, it's one of the ugliest neighborhoods in the region, the congestion around Tysons is horrible, and the schools aren't among the county's best. I'd live in numerous neighborhoods in 22041 or 22042 before I'd ever consider Pimmit Hills.

So you are someone who values neighborhood aesthetics above other factors. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging this; you like what you like. Generally, people appreciate good-looking neighborhoods but not to the exclusion of everything else, certainly not the inferior schools. The congestion around Tyson's doesn't affect PH unless you work in Tyson's, and if you do, then your commute to Tyson's from PH, as congested as it is, is way shorter than from anywhere else. There are better schools in Ffx county than PH but they are found in generally more expensive areas, and people who can afford McLean or FCC don't usually choose PH.

[Anonymous]

Here is a listing for a home in holmes run.

It reminds me of the homes that used to be built in pimmit hills or are teardowns

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/3316-Pathway-Ct-22042/home/9627313

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think Pimmit Hills loses because, in my opinion, it's one of the ugliest neighborhoods in the region, the congestion around Tysons is horrible, and the schools aren't among the county's best. I'd live in numerous neighborhoods in 22041 or 22042 before I'd ever consider Pimmit Hills.

So you are someone who values neighborhood aesthetics above other factors. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging this; you like what you like. Generally, people appreciate good-looking neighborhoods but not to the exclusion of everything else, certainly not the inferior schools. The congestion around Tyson's doesn't affect PH unless you work in Tyson's, and if you do, then your commute to Tyson's from PH, as congested as it is, is way shorter than from anywhere else. There are better schools in Ffx county than PH but they are found in generally more expensive areas, and people who can afford McLean or FCC don't usually choose PH.

I don't think I'm such an outlier. I see that when homes over $750,000 go on the market in PH, they don't sell very quickly. I can find many more sales in Lake Barcroft or Falls Hill in that price range. They are far nicer neighborhoods, and everyone knows that except for a handful of PH people who live in some parallel universe where PH is considered desirable.

[Anonymous]

Another reason someone would never move from holmes mill to pimmit hills is because you couldn't buy a mid-sized colonial for 500k

Pimmit Hills has either small ramblers with or without additions or new large homes, not that much in between.

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7803-Fieldcrest-Ct-22042/home/9627196

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is a listing for a home in holmes run.

It reminds me of the homes that used to be built in pimmit hills or are teardowns

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/3316-Pathway-Ct-22042/home/9627313

LOL. That would still be one of the nicest properties in Pimmit Hills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think Pimmit Hills loses because, in my opinion, it's one of the ugliest neighborhoods in the region, the congestion around Tysons is horrible, and the schools aren't among the county's best. I'd live in numerous neighborhoods in 22041 or 22042 before I'd ever consider Pimmit Hills.

So you are someone who values neighborhood aesthetics above other factors. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging this; you like what you like. Generally, people appreciate good-looking neighborhoods but not to the exclusion of everything else, certainly not the inferior schools. The congestion around Tyson's doesn't affect PH unless you work in Tyson's, and if you do, then your commute to Tyson's from PH, as congested as it is, is way shorter than from anywhere else. There are better schools in Ffx county than PH but they are found in generally more expensive areas, and people who can afford McLean or FCC don't usually choose PH.

I don't think I'm such an outlier. I see that when homes over $750,000 go on the market in PH, they don't sell very quickly. I can find many more sales in Lake Barcroft or Falls Hill in that price range. They are far nicer neighborhoods, and everyone knows that except for a handful of PH people who live in some parallel universe where PH is considered desirable.

Ok here are some recent above 750k homes that went under contract very quickly and most were bidded past asking

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7303-Pimmit-Ct-22043/home/9472566#property-history
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/2108-Pimmit-Dr-22043/home/9472002#property-history
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/2046-Arch-Dr-22043/home/9471752#property-history
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/1848-Peabody-Dr-22043/home/9471486

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think Pimmit Hills loses because, in my opinion, it's one of the ugliest neighborhoods in the region, the congestion around Tysons is horrible, and the schools aren't among the county's best. I'd live in numerous neighborhoods in 22041 or 22042 before I'd ever consider Pimmit Hills.

So you are someone who values neighborhood aesthetics above other factors. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging this; you like what you like. Generally, people appreciate good-looking neighborhoods but not to the exclusion of everything else, certainly not the inferior schools. The congestion around Tyson's doesn't affect PH unless you work in Tyson's, and if you do, then your commute to Tyson's from PH, as congested as it is, is way shorter than from anywhere else. There are better schools in Ffx county than PH but they are found in generally more expensive areas, and people who can afford McLean or FCC don't usually choose PH.

I don't think I'm such an outlier. I see that when homes over $750,000 go on the market in PH, they don't sell very quickly. I can find many more sales in Lake Barcroft or Falls Hill in that price range. They are far nicer neighborhoods, and everyone knows that except for a handful of PH people who live in some parallel universe where PH is considered desirable.

Again, there is no universal definition of "nice." Many factors determine how attractive a neighborhood is, aesthetics is only one of them. Certainly, people with 800K+ to spend don't need to look in PH. I would say, with all my kindness, that if you dismiss the whole market of people with less than 750-800K to spend, then I'm not the one who lives in parallel universe. There are families out there with only 500K to spend on housing, and sometimes less.

I do think there was a number of 750K+ sales in PH. Let me look at what I know:

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/1818-Pimmit-Dr-22043/home/9396667
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/1947-Fay-Pl-22043/home/9471185
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/2046-Arch-Dr-22043/home/9471752
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7303-Pimmit-Ct-22043/home/9472566
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/2108-Pimmit-Dr-22043/home/9472002








, but that doesn't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a listing for a home in holmes run.

It reminds me of the homes that used to be built in pimmit hills or are teardowns

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/3316-Pathway-Ct-22042/home/9627313

LOL. That would still be one of the nicest properties in Pimmit Hills.

Doubtful, there are many new homes that are pretty nice in pimmit hills, there is even a nice 1.3 million dollar listing.