OP here. Yeah I agree there are no easy answers in this area regarding our preferences. My wife and I will have to discuss where to make sacrifices on our priorities or begin examining the idea of leaving the area completely.

I live in springfield and there are several neighborhoods where you could buy a small but nicely maintained house for 430-480 and walk to a great elementary school. Look at the neighborhoods around Sangster Elementary and Hunt Valley Elementary. Everything else would be car centric though, it's true.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. As I mentioned we could go up to $480k for the right situation. We are interested in townhouses or SFHs with 3 beds preferably.

OP, you do not get a 3BR with good schools, walkability, and proximity to your job downtown in this price range. I say this without snark, but it is just not going to happen. You either get crappy schools for this price, or you get a terrible commute and car-dependent lifestyle. I am speaking from experience, and I bought a few years ago when the prices were down. We still had to go quite a bit above what we had considered our budget (600K max) to get what you list as your preferences as well (we had to spend almost 700K). You will either need to live in a smaller house/condo, or way further out.

PP here again. And I should add, that almost 700K only got us a 1,400 sq. foot fixer upper. It's walkable to the metro and a ton of other stuff though, which was a major requirement for us.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. As I mentioned we could go up to $480k for the right situation. We are interested in townhouses or SFHs with 3 beds preferably.

OP, you do not get a 3BR with good schools, walkability, and proximity to your job downtown in this price range. I say this without snark, but it is just not going to happen. You either get crappy schools for this price, or you get a terrible commute and car-dependent lifestyle. I am speaking from experience, and I bought a few years ago when the prices were down. We still had to go quite a bit above what we had considered our budget (600K max) to get what you list as your preferences as well (we had to spend almost 700K). You will either need to live in a smaller house/condo, or way further out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've considered moving to Fairfax and like it well enough but are hesitant because we recognize this would likely entail adopting a car-centric lifestyle. I know thats not popular with many but walkability is up there for us.

OP First, Huntington is in Fairfax County. Are you looking at the older duplexes in the area or some of the few single family houses along King's Highway? Are you considering the condos? What is your price range? Have you driven through the neighborhoods? There are some newer townhouses along Huntington Avenue that are nice. The shopping in the area is very weak -- a 7-11 and a few low-end restaurants and services. If you tell me your budget and what you want besides some walkability, I might be able to point you to some other neighborhoods. For example, there are nice duplexes along East and West Taylor Run in Alexandria City. They are walkable to a big shopping center as well as the King Street Metro and border a park. The elementary school -- Douglas MacArthur -- is also fair to good.

Actually, MacArthur is the most desirable ES in ACPS, with the possible exception of Lyles Crouch.

Yes, my children attend MacArthur and I tutor there. It is still ranked fair to good compared to other schools in Northern Virginia. Unfortunately, being the best in the City of Alexandria is not necessarily laudable.

Now back to OP, the duplexes I mentioned on East and West Taylor Run Parkway are in the $480,000 range. There are also some very small houses off Taylor Run Parkway which may be in that price range if they have not been renovated or have an unfinished basement. Seminary Valley, between Duke St. and Seminary Rd is another place to consider as you could walk to the newly-refurbished shopping center with a Harris-Teeter. The school is Polk, again okay. There are many townhouses along the Duke St. corridor from Quaker Lane to Landmark which would be in your price range and the schools would be split between Tucker and Polk.

Unfortunately, if you want walkability, the sacrifice is space and condition.

I wish you well with your search.

Actually, biking to Old Town would be fairly easy with the ramp that leads to the Wilson Bridge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've considered moving to Fairfax and like it well enough but are hesitant because we recognize this would likely entail adopting a car-centric lifestyle. I know thats not popular with many but walkability is up there for us.

OP First, Huntington is in Fairfax County. Are you looking at the older duplexes in the area or some of the few single family houses along King's Highway? Are you considering the condos? What is your price range? Have you driven through the neighborhoods? There are some newer townhouses along Huntington Avenue that are nice. The shopping in the area is very weak -- a 7-11 and a few low-end restaurants and services. If you tell me your budget and what you want besides some walkability, I might be able to point you to some other neighborhoods. For example, there are nice duplexes along East and West Taylor Run in Alexandria City. They are walkable to a big shopping center as well as the King Street Metro and border a park. The elementary school -- Douglas MacArthur -- is also fair to good.

Actually, MacArthur is the most desirable ES in ACPS, with the possible exception of Lyles Crouch.

"Most desirable school in ACPS" doesn't say a lot. In the kingdom of the blind...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've considered moving to Fairfax and like it well enough but are hesitant because we recognize this would likely entail adopting a car-centric lifestyle. I know thats not popular with many but walkability is up there for us.

OP First, Huntington is in Fairfax County. Are you looking at the older duplexes in the area or some of the few single family houses along King's Highway? Are you considering the condos? What is your price range? Have you driven through the neighborhoods? There are some newer townhouses along Huntington Avenue that are nice. The shopping in the area is very weak -- a 7-11 and a few low-end restaurants and services. If you tell me your budget and what you want besides some walkability, I might be able to point you to some other neighborhoods. For example, there are nice duplexes along East and West Taylor Run in Alexandria City. They are walkable to a big shopping center as well as the King Street Metro and border a park. The elementary school -- Douglas MacArthur -- is also fair to good.

Actually, MacArthur is the most desirable ES in ACPS, with the possible exception of Lyles Crouch.

There test scores have slipped over the past few years even for white students. The school is overcrowded and has a higher FARMS rate than it once did. Same for Lyles Crouch. Most desirable now is George Mason Elementary.

Fair enough. I haven't been at MacArthur for about three years. We fled the entire sucky ACPS system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've considered moving to Fairfax and like it well enough but are hesitant because we recognize this would likely entail adopting a car-centric lifestyle. I know thats not popular with many but walkability is up there for us.

OP First, Huntington is in Fairfax County. Are you looking at the older duplexes in the area or some of the few single family houses along King's Highway? Are you considering the condos? What is your price range? Have you driven through the neighborhoods? There are some newer townhouses along Huntington Avenue that are nice. The shopping in the area is very weak -- a 7-11 and a few low-end restaurants and services. If you tell me your budget and what you want besides some walkability, I might be able to point you to some other neighborhoods. For example, there are nice duplexes along East and West Taylor Run in Alexandria City. They are walkable to a big shopping center as well as the King Street Metro and border a park. The elementary school -- Douglas MacArthur -- is also fair to good.

Actually, MacArthur is the most desirable ES in ACPS, with the possible exception of Lyles Crouch.

There test scores have slipped over the past few years even for white students. The school is overcrowded and has a higher FARMS rate than it once did. Same for Lyles Crouch. Most desirable now is George Mason Elementary.

A little south of Huntington is a neighborhood called Hollin Hall. There are smaller three bed/1 bath SFH on relatively large lots for under $500. It is walkable to a nice little shopping center. Very family-friendly neighborhood. Waynewood or Hollin Meadows ES. I think there is a full-day preschool too.

There is an express bus downtown that runs up the GW Pkwy, a bus to the Huntington Metro, or you drive about 45 mins/hour in normal rush hour traffic. Commute to Fairfax would be about 45 minutes by car.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've considered moving to Fairfax and like it well enough but are hesitant because we recognize this would likely entail adopting a car-centric lifestyle. I know thats not popular with many but walkability is up there for us.

OP First, Huntington is in Fairfax County. Are you looking at the older duplexes in the area or some of the few single family houses along King's Highway? Are you considering the condos? What is your price range? Have you driven through the neighborhoods? There are some newer townhouses along Huntington Avenue that are nice. The shopping in the area is very weak -- a 7-11 and a few low-end restaurants and services. If you tell me your budget and what you want besides some walkability, I might be able to point you to some other neighborhoods. For example, there are nice duplexes along East and West Taylor Run in Alexandria City. They are walkable to a big shopping center as well as the King Street Metro and border a park. The elementary school -- Douglas MacArthur -- is also fair to good.

Actually, MacArthur is the most desirable ES in ACPS, with the possible exception of Lyles Crouch.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've considered moving to Fairfax and like it well enough but are hesitant because we recognize this would likely entail adopting a car-centric lifestyle. I know thats not popular with many but walkability is up there for us.

Huntington doesn't fit anyone's reasonable definition of "walkable." Not even close.

Also, as someone else said, the schools are subpar. Not sure what gave you the idea they were OK.

I love and live in del ray but it is out of your price range. Small (1100 sq foot) 3 br bungalows on my street sold for high 600s last year and prices are higher this year. Agree with the suggestion of Taylor run or Burke though I don't know if Burke is walkable.

Seriously how important is walk ability to you?? With you budget you need to live in Burke or even Haymarket to get decent schools. VRE is you friend. You are working parents how much time so you have to stroll around shops? And will you carry your weekly groceries home for a family of four in your granny cart?

If you really are joneseying for walking you might find a 2 bedroom older condo in no Arlington or falls church city for near your price range. I know south falls church city near the old post office has some lovely little townhouse in the 500k.

Good luck.

OP here. As I mentioned we could go up to $480k for the right situation. We are interested in townhouses or SFHs with 3 beds preferably.