Anonymous wrote:Windy Hill DEFINITELY gets Beltway noise.

I could cope. Gorgeous house and it does NOT back up to the Beltway.

We did pass on a Tradition Homes house in Arlington because it was so close to Route 66, but this house has considerably more of a buffer.

Windy Hill DEFINITELY gets Beltway noise.

Anonymous wrote:I like this house. The builder paid decent attention to architectural style and great attention to room scale - they're not all oversized. This is a lot better than much new construction in the area.

I agree and think it's a lovely home.

Anonymous wrote:PP, there are many tear downs that should have been torn down long ago in McLean. Some are rentals - akin to slumlords. There are some people who can barely afford McLean, which is fine, but if I were them I would not be spending my money making an old house look worse with half a** additions just so I can have a lower tax bill (i.e.:not new construction, since they can't afford it). If you can't afford it, just move elsewhere - where you would have a nicer house and wouldn't crap up a perfectly nice neighborhood. There are not many neighborhoods in McLean with consistent construction built current day. Maybe this will change over time, as the old people see no reason to stay.

My friend lives near a couple people who have family in the neighborhood (old homes). That would creep me out, but I think they believe McLean beats how they grew up. If you are from the area, McLean is what some people actually aspire to. Scary, but true.

To answer your question OP, I am curious, have you decided on McLean? Why?

Hard to follow your post. The housing mix in McLean is no different than in other close-in suburbs like Arlington and Bethesda. It's a mix of subdivisions, older homes, renovations and teardowns.

Most people in McLean move there for the location and the schools. Where do you aspire to live?

PP, there are many tear downs that should have been torn down long ago in McLean. Some are rentals - akin to slumlords. There are some people who can barely afford McLean, which is fine, but if I were them I would not be spending my money making an old house look worse with half a** additions just so I can have a lower tax bill (i.e.:not new construction, since they can't afford it). If you can't afford it, just move elsewhere - where you would have a nicer house and wouldn't crap up a perfectly nice neighborhood. There are not many neighborhoods in McLean with consistent construction built current day. Maybe this will change over time, as the old people see no reason to stay.

My friend lives near a couple people who have family in the neighborhood (old homes). That would creep me out, but I think they believe McLean beats how they grew up. If you are from the area, McLean is what some people actually aspire to. Scary, but true.

To answer your question OP, I am curious, have you decided on McLean? Why?

It's far enough from Chain Bridge that the street noise should not be an issue. OTOH, Chelsea and some of the other streets in that immediate area north of Route 123 have a choppy feel. Brand-new homes sit next to little houses with vinyl siding on smaller lots than is typical for McLean. There was another, larger house on a bigger lot on nearby Summit that first listed at $2.3 M and eventually sold for $1.6 M in 2010. This house just got listed, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it come down eventually.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overpriced. Near Chain Bridge Rd. No thanks.

You obviously don't know what you are talking about. It is near Dolley Madison, and in any case, in McLean "near Chain Bridge Road" doesn't mean anything. The Kennedy estate, as well as lots of other really highly desireable properties, are "near Chain Bridge Road" and near 123. This isn't Rockville Pike or Connecticut Avenue we are talking about.

Also, I live near here, and the house is on the opposite side of the street of 123, and the street gets no 123 noise. On the contrary, it is quite serene.

ROFL. I grew up in Franklin Forest in McLean. I know exactly where Chelsea Road is.

I actually got some house envy over this one. The finishes are nice and the rooms are big. I also like the exterior - it's not cookie-cutter. And they did a good job of hiding a really large garage.

I liked the second and third house too. I'm too poor to buy any of these, though!

Of course McLean has plenty of "new money." So does DC.

You could fit the "old guard" of the DC region into one or two of DCPS's many empty classrooms and still have room to spare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there one decent restaurant in McLean? Wok and roll? It's such an overrated town that shuts down at 5pm and ugly new money homes.

Kazan's, and fuck you.

yikes, not PP, but i do have to take issue with there not being decent restos in McLean. we don't have the giant mall-sized and chain restos that appear all over MoCo and the rest of NoVa -- we have lots of small locally owned restaurants that are frequented by locals. So, while we may not have Mon Ami Gabi, Maggianos, or Harry's Tap room, we tend to frequent Endo Sushi and Assaggi.

also, you are correct that the town shuts down on the early side, but that is because it is not a place for transient/single people sharing a house and hitting some cheesy bar at night. it's mostly families.

and don't even go to the ugly new money home argument. unless you are comparing everything to spring valley and georgetown, pretty much everywhere else in the DC area is ugly new money homes. at least McLean isn't new money.

Anonymous wrote:Is there one decent restaurant in McLean? Wok and roll? It's such an overrated town that shuts down at 5pm and ugly new money homes.

Kazan's, and fuck you.

The lot for the first house is very small for the property. People might put up with that in Arlington, but they get a shorter commute in return. Would expect this house to take a while to sell unless the price goes down. Same thing happened with a similar property on a nearby street a year or so ago.

The second house has a decent lot, but the house itself isn't as nice as the first and third houses.

The third house is the nicest of the three and is also in the Langley district if that matters.

In my opinion, the home has some nice features, but for that amount of money, I would want more charm. It feels a little cold to me.

Then again, I really prefer older homes and don't necessarily want a lot of square footage, so I'm not sure my opinion is worth much!

That said, what a beautiful kitchen! With my penchant for old houses and charm, I am doomed to a teeny kitchen, I am afraid. =)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:its ok, the outside looks very dated and not over priced but the interior is nice

THIS is much better and less

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Mc-Lean/6619-Chesterfield-Ave-22101/home/9402119

and so is this one
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Mc-Lean/1347-Windy-Hill-Rd-22102/home/9387410

Really??? The first one is such cookie cutter new construction and has totally predictable finishes. Yuck.

ITA and I like OP's house better than the second one too.

Is there one decent restaurant in McLean? Wok and roll? It's such an overrated town that shuts down at 5pm and ugly new money homes.