Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We considered Shouse Village when we were looking, but it's a school attendance island -- look at the boundary maps. The bus ride to Longfellow was long, and other less desirable schools were nearer geographically. We were worried about possible redistricting away from Longfellow/McLean so shied away from it.

Not sure what schools you're talking about. The other middle/high school combinations serving nearby areas are Cooper/Langley, Kilmer/Marshall and Hughes/South Lakes. FCPS has suggested in its latest Capital Improvement Plan it might consider moving the part of Colvin Run that feeds into Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley, but that was based on projections (as to future declines in the Cooper/Langley enrollments and increases in the Longfellow/McLean enrollments) that people who live in the Cooper/Langley district recently asserted were flawed.

Without clear indications of significant overcrowding at Longfellow/McLean due to Tysons growth, I doubt FCPS would change the Shouse Village boundaries. The SV area is part of an attendance island (created when FCPS administratively assigned a new apartment complex in Tysons to Kilmer/Marshall years ago), but kids from that area are actively involved in Longfellow/McLean activities, and I think Longfellow/McLean parents would object if the School Board grabbed additional SFH neighborhoods for Langley without a compelling reason to do so. As for Kilmer/Marshall and Hughes/South Lakes, those schools have growing enrollments, so it's hard to see why FCPS would move SV students to those schools.

It's very clear that this island will become part of Marshall, South Lakes, or Langley in the near future. Not saying that this change is a bad thing, but ll one needs to do is simply look at a map. It logistically makes sense for FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We considered Shouse Village when we were looking, but it's a school attendance island -- look at the boundary maps. The bus ride to Longfellow was long, and other less desirable schools were nearer geographically. We were worried about possible redistricting away from Longfellow/McLean so shied away from it.

Not sure what schools you're talking about. The other middle/high school combinations serving nearby areas are Cooper/Langley, Kilmer/Marshall and Hughes/South Lakes. FCPS has suggested in its latest Capital Improvement Plan it might consider moving the part of Colvin Run that feeds into Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley, but that was based on projections (as to future declines in the Cooper/Langley enrollments and increases in the Longfellow/McLean enrollments) that people who live in the Cooper/Langley district recently asserted were flawed.

Without clear indications of significant overcrowding at Longfellow/McLean due to Tysons growth, I doubt FCPS would change the Shouse Village boundaries. The SV area is part of an attendance island (created when FCPS administratively assigned a new apartment complex in Tysons to Kilmer/Marshall years ago), but kids from that area are actively involved in Longfellow/McLean activities, and I think Longfellow/McLean parents would object if the School Board grabbed additional SFH neighborhoods for Langley without a compelling reason to do so. As for Kilmer/Marshall and Hughes/South Lakes, those schools have growing enrollments, so it's hard to see why FCPS would move SV students to those schools.

Anonymous wrote:
We considered Shouse Village when we were looking, but it's a school attendance island -- look at the boundary maps. The bus ride to Longfellow was long, and other less desirable schools were nearer geographically. We were worried about possible redistricting away from Longfellow/McLean so shied away from it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouse Village...good luck getting a house there though...they rarely go up for sale

Avoid Shouse Village. Our agent said the word-on-the-street is that many homes in Shouse Village have structural issues.

Your agent was probably hoping to upsell you on a McMansion. My sister lives there and the homes there are no different than the older homes in McLean. They were built in the early 70s and their condition varies based on how well they've been taken care of over the years. But that is the sort of thing you would work through with a home inspector. The neighborhood has a pool, sidewalks (a rarity), no thru traffic, beautiful landscaping, and a killer pyramid (Colvin Run/Longfellow/McLean) so at that price point you would be hard pressed to do much better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouse Village...good luck getting a house there though...they rarely go up for sale

Avoid Shouse Village. Our agent said the word-on-the-street is that many homes in Shouse Village have structural issues.

Anonymous wrote:

For $800K, expect the homes in northern part of Falls Church (22043, 22046) to be 50-60 years old... split level, split foyer, rambler, etc. The streets dark with overgrown trees and no sidewalks or drainage. There are some clean looking areas, but it's mostly townhouses that were built after 1980's.

For that price, look in McLean east of 123. The homes are slightly younger (1960s - 1970s) and most have sidewalks. Vienna is little further out, but they have newer homes than the first two communities.

To the person who wrote that this area is "dark" with overgrown trees and no sidewalks and drainage, I live in this area and that's not the first way I'd describe it.

I live in a 1960s rambler that in any other part of the country would be $200k, but here it was just appraised at $700k. That said it is 2400 sq ft, in an awesome location, with great schools and great neighbors. Yes, this is not what I initially dreamed my home would look like, but I really have grown to love the rambler layout. Also, older homes definitely have some positives, and 1970s' - 80's homes aren't that much more beautiful, plus you are further out of the city/Mclean.

Also I commute to Maryland and it is very easy from where I live. (via 495 or chain bridge).
Anyway, good luck on the house hunt, OP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouse Village...good luck getting a house there though...they rarely go up for sale

Avoid Shouse Village. Our agent said the word-on-the-street is that many homes in Shouse Village have structural issues.

For $800K, expect the homes in northern part of Falls Church (22043, 22046) to be 50-60 years old... split level, split foyer, rambler, etc. The streets dark with overgrown trees and no sidewalks or drainage. There are some clean looking areas, but it's mostly townhouses that were built after 1980's.

For that price, look in McLean east of 123. The homes are slightly younger (1960s - 1970s) and most have sidewalks. Vienna is little further out, but they have newer homes than the first two communities.

Anonymous wrote:I would look at 22101 (the older part of mclean and eastern side of 123), falls church 22046, 22043, and vienna 22180 and 22182.

We live in the northern part of falls church (not city, but near mclean and N arlington 22207) and we love it. There are a bunch of $800k homes that would fit the bill in these zip codes.

Anonymous wrote:Shouse Village...good luck getting a house there though...they rarely go up for sale