Reply to If you could spend no more than $450,000 on a SFH/townhome/condo, where in the DMV would you buy?

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Reply to "If you could spend no more than $450,000 on a SFH/townhome/condo, where in the DMV would you buy?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]could someone say more (or send link to info) about why Pimmit Hills is a good location? What is the community like?[/quote]

I am the 10:31 poster and I posted my response on the Pimmit Hills thread when it was active. I've pasted it below.  The other poster is correct about the fabulous location and no-basement houses - the latter is because many parts of PH are zoned as floodplain, so people prefer to not have basements.  The somewhat-working class feel is correct for some parts; however, in my estimation, every 3rd or 4th original PH house has been torn down and rebuilt or significantly expanded. This is also a rare part of our metropolitan area where you can tear down the original house, build a new one and not stare into your neighbor's windows because lots are pretty big - quarter acre is standard and a third of an acre is not uncommon.  Regarding location, we left the house at 8.25 am today via I-66 and I was at my desk near Foggy Bottom metro at 9.05 am after parking in a garage and walking for a few minutes.  Can't beat that.

My old post:

We moved to Pimmit Hills in January 2011. We’ve been looking for a place in close VA suburbs with a budget of approximately 500K, and couldn’t afford North Arlington, didn’t like South Arlington, and refused to move further than West Falls Church because we both work in DC and don’t want to spend three hours in a car every day. We have a one-year old.

Once we discovered Pimmit Hills, we didn’t want to look anywhere else, and it took us six months to buy there. We bid on several renovated houses and were outbid every time, with all of them selling above list. We finally bought a 3 br, 2 bath, 2200 sf house on a 0.3 acres that needed some work for 450K. Note that I was a devoted city girl before moving. Here is my take on PH:

Pros:
Location, location, location. We can get downtown in 20 minutes by Rt 66. The Beltway and GW Parkway are right there. Once Tysons Metro is online, it will only get better. Some parts of PH can walk to West Falls Church.
Price. Housing stock in PH is modest – the original PH saltbox house is 880 sq ft. It is frankly one of the few remaining neighborhoods inside the Beltway where SFH can be had for under 400K (admittedly unrenovated).
Lots. Most PH houses are on substantial lots of 0.3 – 0.25 acres, which offers opportunities for expansion. Lots of young families have been buying into the neighborhood, tearing down or adding to their houses and still have enough land to enjoy some outside time.
Amenities. PH has lots of parks (Olney Park is fab), great trees, is wonderful for walking with strollers, close to Trader Joe, Whole Foods on Rt 7, Safeway on Anderson Rd and McLean business district in 5 minute drive or less. There are several restaurants in WFC and McLean centers, and Falls Church City is 15 minutes away if you want more.
Diversity. The neighborhood has lots of everyone. Our neighbor to the left is an Indian programmer. Our neighbor to the right is a JAG attorney. We are a Russian/Arab mix family.
Schools. Westgate ES is a block away from us, and Kilmer/Marshall have a good reputation.

Cons:
Well, diversity. PH does not have a look of uniform affluence you see in some Vienna or Dunn Loring neighborhoods we looked at. You have to have some tolerance for blue-collar element, chain link fences, and the fact that all houses look different. The upside of that is people are very down-to-earth.
Eccentric. PH does not have rules for what you can and cannot build, so some expanded/added houses look great, and some do not.
Traffic. We don’t commute that way, but if you have to go on Rt 7, it can get unpleasant. There are alternatives, though.

Overall, it has been a great move for us. PH is a family-based neighborhood, lots of young families with small children in similar stages of life. I love the trees, the greenery and space in a location so close to DC. I choose to believe that things will get only better as people run out of affordable neighborhoods close to DC and continue to move in and expand/rebuild their houses. Once Tysons East metro opens, we will be able to walk to metro. My DH and DS will be able to walk to a park to shoot hoops or play soccer as much as they want. They can also walk one block to school. [/quote]

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