Anonymous
Post 06/15/2026 11:21     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Wow those are ugly.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2026 10:20     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Anonymous wrote:Traditional interior design has been coming back for the last 18 months or so. These sold properties are on the lagging end of the modern trend. If you want the most buyers, go for transitional finishes. I’d never buy either of those houses.


What are transitional finishes? Do you mean Traditional?
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 22:13     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
You’ll have more buyers if you have an area with a separate entrance that could double as a nanny apartment, mother-in-law suite, or guest suite. It would open up multi generational living.

If don’t want to do that, you should keep it closer to 5,000 square feet. The one house isn’t selling because it’s just too big. Your worst case scenario is that you overbuild and can’t sell the property.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 21:57     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Look up the Before You Build podcast.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 21:49     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Traditional interior design has been coming back for the last 18 months or so. These sold properties are on the lagging end of the modern trend. If you want the most buyers, go for transitional finishes. I’d never buy either of those houses.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 21:46     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
OP, when we bought, we wanted a well-laid out kitchen. The floor plan had made me so, so happy over the years. There’s an old book called The Patterns of Home. The pictures are dated, but the advice is timeless. I particularly like having a transition zone between the kitchen and the driveway . My old home didn’t do that well and it was a huge hassle every time we walked in the door. You need somewhere to drop shoes, mail, etc.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 21:39     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This guessing game is a bit silly. It's a sample size of one buyer (or one couple). Buyers have different idiosyncrasies and preferences. It's not as though a poll was taken of 500 prospective buyers, and then someone had to buy the house that the poll dictated. It's just one person and their preferences.

If you're genuinely curious about the preferences of this one particular buyer, send them a letter and ask, or call their agent (whose name is provided in the listing) and maybe the agent will remember.


OP here, I am building a new house on my own lot for resale, and want to understand what today's buyers are looking for


Why not just sell the lot and avoid the hassle of building something that buyers potentially will not want?

$$$$, you silly.


This. We’re looking into building on our existing lot (w a small original home on it now). Land costs aside, you’d be shocked at how much lower the price per square foot is for “build on your lot” vs buying the same exact house as new construction on a lot you don’t own on the open market.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 14:23     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This guessing game is a bit silly. It's a sample size of one buyer (or one couple). Buyers have different idiosyncrasies and preferences. It's not as though a poll was taken of 500 prospective buyers, and then someone had to buy the house that the poll dictated. It's just one person and their preferences.

If you're genuinely curious about the preferences of this one particular buyer, send them a letter and ask, or call their agent (whose name is provided in the listing) and maybe the agent will remember.


OP here, I am building a new house on my own lot for resale, and want to understand what today's buyers are looking for


Why not just sell the lot and avoid the hassle of building something that buyers potentially will not want?

$$$$, you silly.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2026 09:39     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This guessing game is a bit silly. It's a sample size of one buyer (or one couple). Buyers have different idiosyncrasies and preferences. It's not as though a poll was taken of 500 prospective buyers, and then someone had to buy the house that the poll dictated. It's just one person and their preferences.

If you're genuinely curious about the preferences of this one particular buyer, send them a letter and ask, or call their agent (whose name is provided in the listing) and maybe the agent will remember.


OP here, I am building a new house on my own lot for resale, and want to understand what today's buyers are looking for


Why not just sell the lot and avoid the hassle of building something that buyers potentially will not want?
Anonymous
Post 06/13/2026 17:45     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
So these are all new houses dropped into McLean Hamlet, which is mostly 1960s houses? I thought they had some restrictions that prevented the neighborhood turning into such a mish mash. Guess not.

Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 21:07     Subject: Help me understand these two new houses in the same McLean neighborhood
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This guessing game is a bit silly. It's a sample size of one buyer (or one couple). Buyers have different idiosyncrasies and preferences. It's not as though a poll was taken of 500 prospective buyers, and then someone had to buy the house that the poll dictated. It's just one person and their preferences.

If you're genuinely curious about the preferences of this one particular buyer, send them a letter and ask, or call their agent (whose name is provided in the listing) and maybe the agent will remember.


OP here, I am building a new house on my own lot for resale, and want to understand what today's buyers are looking for


For SOME buyers, how is your lot, is it flat and will there still be usable yard space? Is it on a quiet street, busy street, back to woods or other houses? How does it compare to other homes on the street?

Different buyers care about different things.