Anonymous
Post 05/24/2014 08:13     Subject: Merrifield?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I like the Angelika theater there and Merrifield garden center. It's still a little too industrial for my taste to move there now but it certainly is changing fast. But do check what PPs said about the public schools. Even if you go private, the resale value of your townhouse will reflect the stature of your local pyramid of FCPS schools.[/quote

interpretation of that comment = not great schools


The Marshall HS pyramid is very good actually. Other side of Lee Highway is Falls Church High, which gets less praise for reasons listed up thread.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 23:20     Subject: Merrifield?
I live in Falls Church about 20 minutes walking distance (if I wasn't so lazy) to Mosiac. We have been here for about 10 years and love it. Have kids at Shrevewood, which is a great local school and eventually they will go on to Kilmer and Marshall.

I don't know much about Vienna, although I know plenty of nice people who live there. Fall Church 22043 off of Shreve Rd is beautiful and convenient to shopping WO&D trail, metro W. FC or DL, 66 and 495, it's easy to get anywhere, well except for the traffic of course.
http://homes.longandfoster.com/Real-Estate/PropertyDetails.aspx?2591-HOLLY-MANOR-DR-FALLS-CHURCH-VA-22043&mlsCompanyID=2&mlsNumber=FX8335379

Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 23:08     Subject: Merrifield?
Anonymous wrote:I like the Angelika theater there and Merrifield garden center. It's still a little too industrial for my taste to move there now but it certainly is changing fast. But do check what PPs said about the public schools. Even if you go private, the resale value of your townhouse will reflect the stature of your local pyramid of FCPS schools.[/quote

interpretation of that comment = not great schools
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 22:36     Subject: Merrifield?
I like the Angelika theater there and Merrifield garden center. It's still a little too industrial for my taste to move there now but it certainly is changing fast. But do check what PPs said about the public schools. Even if you go private, the resale value of your townhouse will reflect the stature of your local pyramid of FCPS schools.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 22:20     Subject: Re:Merrifield?
We love the area, we are in Fairfax but within 2 mi to Mosaic, Vienna and Vienna metro, our neighborhood has bike trails, parks, and near the 495 hot lanes and 66... We will be selling our updated townhouse this summer a bit less than your budget zoned for Mantua/Frost/Woodson so it is possible! We are just moving from our starter home to a single family in the same area since we enjoy it so much.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 22:12     Subject: Re:Merrifield?
Anonymous wrote:I live in Dunn Loring Woods. I can walk to Mosaic in about 12 mins and the restaurants on Gallows (Lost Dog, Blackfinn, passion Fish, Ovvio, Jimmy Johns, Dickeys, etc) in about 7. Wonderful family neighborhood. We've been here close to 10 years and it's really getting younger ... we were about 10 years younger than most neighbors when we moved in . Now I see people our age (mid 30s) with small kids walking the streets every day. You can get a fine house for $575k ... won't be amazing but not many are, and $575k gets one that's updated and well maintained. I suspect that tear down activity like Vienna Woods (where every other house is being rebuilt) is within a few years. So, you might get some appreciation over your time horizon if you're not planning to stay forever.

It's not Arlington, but it's getting a lot closer every day. Just know it's a more suburban feel - not the 'hip to be cool' feel of Arlington. But we love it and for the space we get and the proximity to good commerce, it's a steal.


NP here. It's also a relatively easy commute via metro.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 22:01     Subject: Re:Merrifield?
I live in Dunn Loring Woods. I can walk to Mosaic in about 12 mins and the restaurants on Gallows (Lost Dog, Blackfinn, passion Fish, Ovvio, Jimmy Johns, Dickeys, etc) in about 7. Wonderful family neighborhood. We've been here close to 10 years and it's really getting younger ... we were about 10 years younger than most neighbors when we moved in . Now I see people our age (mid 30s) with small kids walking the streets every day. You can get a fine house for $575k ... won't be amazing but not many are, and $575k gets one that's updated and well maintained. I suspect that tear down activity like Vienna Woods (where every other house is being rebuilt) is within a few years. So, you might get some appreciation over your time horizon if you're not planning to stay forever.

It's not Arlington, but it's getting a lot closer every day. Just know it's a more suburban feel - not the 'hip to be cool' feel of Arlington. But we love it and for the space we get and the proximity to good commerce, it's a steal.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 17:05     Subject: Re:Merrifield?
Anonymous wrote:I have so much trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that any area at all with home values of half a million dollars plus have bad school systems attached to them. Its so different from my city school district system that I grew up in. So Falls Church HS is bad? We have a baby right now and hopefully another 1-2, but I don't think this would be a forever home, just an upgrade home.


Not at all. There are plenty of threads here about "good" and "bad" schools and how this binary good/bad distinction is silly.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 14:06     Subject: Re:Merrifield?
Anonymous wrote:I have so much trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that any area at all with home values of half a million dollars plus have bad school systems attached to them. Its so different from my city school district system that I grew up in. So Falls Church HS is bad? We have a baby right now and hopefully another 1-2, but I don't think this would be a forever home, just an upgrade home.


No, it's not bad. There really are no "bad" high schools in Fairfax County. It draws from some lower SES areas to the south and, therefore, has more ESOL students and lower test scores than many of the DCUM-preferred schools further north. That means its Great Schools ratings are lower. In spite of all that, it recently ranked among US News & World Report's top 25 high schools in Virginia, so they must be doing something right.

If your kids are young, I'd focus more on the elementary schools anyway since you're not likely to be in that same house 10-15 years from now.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 14:04     Subject: Merrifield?
So Falls Church HS is bad?

I've never heard anyone who has direct experience with FCHS say that it is bad. However, it does have a higher level of poverty and higher numbers of English-language learners than Marshall, which means lower scores on standardized tests.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 13:48     Subject: Re:Merrifield?
I have so much trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that any area at all with home values of half a million dollars plus have bad school systems attached to them. Its so different from my city school district system that I grew up in. So Falls Church HS is bad? We have a baby right now and hopefully another 1-2, but I don't think this would be a forever home, just an upgrade home.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 12:39     Subject: Merrifield?
Anonymous wrote:We've lived in the area for over a decade and like it a lot. That part of Lee Hwy has gotten much nicer/less industrial-looking over the past few years. With all the recent development around the Mosaic District, I suspect things will only get better.

One of the area's biggest selling points is the convenience to Metro, 495, 66, the W & OD trail, shopping, etc. and it seems as though there are more new dining options opening every day. You should find some good options in your price range. Most of that area is in the Marshall HS pyramid, which is pretty good. My commute to Penn Quarter runs 45-50 minutes if I Metro in from Dunn Loring.


That area straddles the Marshall and Falls Church HS boundaries (Mosaic itself is FCHS, not Marshall). At the OP's price range, there will be more homes/townhouses in the Falls Church HS district than in the Marshall district, although Dunn Loring Woods in Vienna (close to Merrifield) might fit the bill.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 12:38     Subject: Merrifield?
Make sure you look at the schools, some of merrifield / mosaic is in Falls Church High Zone while as the other part is in Marshall.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 11:57     Subject: Merrifield?
We've lived in the area for over a decade and like it a lot. That part of Lee Hwy has gotten much nicer/less industrial-looking over the past few years. With all the recent development around the Mosaic District, I suspect things will only get better.

One of the area's biggest selling points is the convenience to Metro, 495, 66, the W & OD trail, shopping, etc. and it seems as though there are more new dining options opening every day. You should find some good options in your price range. Most of that area is in the Marshall HS pyramid, which is pretty good. My commute to Penn Quarter runs 45-50 minutes if I Metro in from Dunn Loring.
Anonymous
Post 05/23/2014 11:19     Subject: Merrifield?
Anyone live in this area and have feedback they want to share? I have friends who live near the Mosaic complexes and it seems really nice to be able to walk there with the kids and seems pretty family friendly. We are in N. Arlington right now and I love being here but we are priced out of anything other than our condo and will want some more space if we have more kids. Open to large townhomes though- which led me to see a few in the Merrifiled area, especially walking distance to all those new shops there is appealing to me.

Husband has a long-ish reverse commute so this would actually help his commute. It makes mine longer, but right now my commute is very quick (can even run home and back in a 30 minute lunch)

Those who have really high housing budgets might not be helpful though- we are in the 550- 575 range, so options are not unlimited.