Anonymous wrote:Does the neighborhood need to be "up and coming?" With that price point you could buy a charming fixer upper in Takoma Park, MD which is a very established neighborhood (with room for improvement). Takoma Park has good schools, nice family community, walkable downtown with awesome farmers market, and is close to DC. Try to stay in parts closer to the metro because the outskirts are a little sketchy. The fully renovated houses in the historic part of the neighborhood usually start at $550,000 to $600,000.

Agree with this and would second TP, with one tweak -- renovated houses in the historic part of the neighborhood usually start significantly north of $600K and average in the $700s to $800s; going up to $1M. Even fixer uppers in historic TP near the metro are in the $700s, unless you're talking about a 2 BR 1000 SF bungalow. We just bought there, though, and would definitly recommend the area.

OP here. thanks for the great leads! Keep 'em coming!

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on what you're interested in and what kind of neighborhood you fit with. Do you prefer the suburbs? Or somewhere more urban? How important is a short commute?

Of the places listed so far, the only one I'd consider is Takoma Park because the others are just so BORING! That said, I think it might be tough for you to get a fixer upper and fix it up on that budget. If you can try charter schools, or make do with DCPS, how about Brookland? You'll get so much more for your money.

There are some cute houses in that price range in Takoma Park; overall, it's cheaper than NoVa. But you do have to be more careful with the schools and neighborhoods than in Falls Church.

Personally, I'd feel stranded in Brookland, but YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP, but any DC recommendations?

The problem with DC proper is the school situation. It is extremely hard to find a house at that price point in a neighborhood with good schools. However, like a poster mentioned above, Brookland has all of the other elements the OP mentioned. Some might argue with the safety factor but it really depends on your comfort level. Many families find Brookland to be safe enough and are happy with charter school options.

Except that you really can't count on charter schools as an option, especially if they're moving mid-school year. A few years ago, you might have been able to count on charters, but all the "good enough" ones now have waitlists hundreds of kids long, at least for the younger grades. For $450k, I really can't think of any DC neighborhood where you can buy in-bounds for a "good enough" elementary school unless you get a fantastic deal. I'd look at Takoma Park --it may not be DC proper, but it still is walkable and has a defined center, plus the red line metro. Some parts of Silver Spring, too; East Silver Spring Elementary goes to TP MS and Blair HS

Fairfax City has cute Cape Cods that are being renovated and fixed up by young families. Lots of them are walk able to shops and restaurants. Feeds Fairfax High.

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP, but any DC recommendations?

The problem with DC proper is the school situation. It is extremely hard to find a house at that price point in a neighborhood with good schools. However, like a poster mentioned above, Brookland has all of the other elements the OP mentioned. Some might argue with the safety factor but it really depends on your comfort level. Many families find Brookland to be safe enough and are happy with charter school options.

Not the OP, but any DC recommendations?

+1 on TKPK, which contains a wide variety of price points. A good combination of schools + commute distance + affordability.

It really depends on what you're interested in and what kind of neighborhood you fit with. Do you prefer the suburbs? Or somewhere more urban? How important is a short commute?

Of the places listed so far, the only one I'd consider is Takoma Park because the others are just so BORING! That said, I think it might be tough for you to get a fixer upper and fix it up on that budget. If you can try charter schools, or make do with DCPS, how about Brookland? You'll get so much more for your money.

Remember, too, even a "not as good" high school in Fairfax or Arlington or Montgomery Counties will likely be better than most of the schools in VA or the US. Those are really good school systems.

Honestly, I would probably go for a lesser school in a good school system with a good commute, vs. going really far out. By which I mean homes feeding into Falls Church HS and Stuart HS in Falls Church, Fairfax County, among others. That first house posted was actually pretty nice, and the location is not bad. (we lived a couple miles west of there - the commute to DC wasn't awful.)

Pine Spring isn't the worst feeder to Falls Church by a long shot. GS rating of 7.

These are in Shrevewood/Kilmer/Marshall, but I don't know how much work they need.

http://franklymls.com/FX7764223
http://franklymls.com/FX7778667

Anything in the SFH areas of West Alexandria, Falls Church, or Annandale will be safe and will have families. Most of the problems there revolve around the ageing garden apartments/condos and the lower-end townhouses.

Problem is, lots of folks in those areas will be going private and I don't know if that's an option for you.

What's your hubby's tolerance for commuting? There'd be plenty in Fairfax City in your range that wouldn't need renovating, ditto for Rockville.

you may also look in 22043, again Falls Church.

the particular home listed above by PP is not in the best school district. Look into 22043, a little bit better schools.

Maybe in 22042 in Falls Church. Real estate values there have started to move up over past few years, as the short sales and foreclosures worked their way through the system. Here's an example of a house that's not too far from DC or EFC Metro:

http://franklymls.com/FX7832748

Schools aren't considered great for Fairfax, but are certainly on par with, if not better than, those in Silver Spring and South Arlington.

Does the neighborhood need to be "up and coming?" With that price point you could buy a charming fixer upper in Takoma Park, MD which is a very established neighborhood (with room for improvement). Takoma Park has good schools, nice family community, walkable downtown with awesome farmers market, and is close to DC. Try to stay in parts closer to the metro because the outskirts are a little sketchy. The fully renovated houses in the historic part of the neighborhood usually start at $550,000 to $600,000.

We may be moving to the area in the next several months. Anyone know of a good up and coming neighborhood where we can buy a fixer upper fairly cheap? Our budget (for house and renovations) would be $450K. we would need a safe, family-friendly neighborhood with good schools. Anything like this exist? DH will commute downtown and I'm a SAHM. We are both DIYers.