Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 09:51     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, have you considered the Fox Mill neighborhood in Herndon? Not far from the train for your weekly commute, prices aren't as crazy as some other areas around here, and the neighborhood is great.


+1. I live here. It’s lovely. 4 bedrooms and work from home office. Prices are going up though.
Some people are afraid of SLHS but it’s actually a great school.


I was going to suggest the 20171 or 22033 areas. Fox Mill, Franklin Farm, Franklin Glen, Folkstone, Chantilly Highlands and all good family neighborhoods right around OP’s budget. The larger and more updates homes will be more. But a 4 bedroom that needs some updates should be within reach. Fox Mill tends to be a little cheaper because it’s zoned for South Lakes, but everyone who lives there seems happy. Very down to earth people in this little corner of the county, IMO. I don’t like the feel of Loudoun. Too many people who value a large new home (and being able show it off) over more important things. Lots of heavy drinking and bro culture types. Could just be the people I know who moved out there.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 09:34     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


No way this is zoned for McLean high school??


Its Timberlane/ Longfellow/ Mclean HS- that is a strong FCPS pyramid.
https://boundary.fcps.edu/boundary/


Oh that is one weird boundary island, do you think that will persist with Mclean's overcrowding? It is right next to Falls Church High boundary, and FCH is physically closer.


I doubt it. McLean is being relieved by moving kids to Langley- which is on the other side. That neighborhood has been zoned to McLean forever. It is solidly in the Timberlane elementary district. FCPS likes to keep pyramids intact and minimize split feeders. I don't find it to be a weird boundary island, but that could be b/c it is so longstanding, so it is very familiar to me.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 09:13     Subject: Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
OP you might want to take a look at this one: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Centreville/14232-Rock-Canyon-Dr-20121/home/9677004
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 21:28     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


Its really not that bad- its on a pretty big lot and the house is set fairly far back with plenty of trees. Its 5 bdrm and in a good school pyramid.


Are you insane? I don’t care what school zone it is in that space is ungodly ugly. Would much rather live in a TH, further out a bit or a GS 7/8 school instead of McLean to avoid having to live in that house. (Not OP)
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 21:01     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:OP, have you considered the Fox Mill neighborhood in Herndon? Not far from the train for your weekly commute, prices aren't as crazy as some other areas around here, and the neighborhood is great.


+1. I live here. It’s lovely. 4 bedrooms and work from home office. Prices are going up though.
Some people are afraid of SLHS but it’s actually a great school.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 16:12     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


No way this is zoned for McLean high school??


Its Timberlane/ Longfellow/ Mclean HS- that is a strong FCPS pyramid.
https://boundary.fcps.edu/boundary/


Oh that is one weird boundary island, do you think that will persist with Mclean's overcrowding? It is right next to Falls Church High boundary, and FCH is physically closer.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 15:42     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


Its really not that bad- its on a pretty big lot and the house is set fairly far back with plenty of trees. Its 5 bdrm and in a good school pyramid.


Talk about a s*** shack! If OP didn’t like the 80s colonial in Burke, they’re not going to like this POS. Also, there is no reason OP needs to be inside the beltway if they only go in the office once a week. OP needs to reconcile their desires with their budget and go from there.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 14:40     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


Its really not that bad- its on a pretty big lot and the house is set fairly far back with plenty of trees. Its 5 bdrm and in a good school pyramid.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 14:37     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


No way this is zoned for McLean high school??


Its Timberlane/ Longfellow/ Mclean HS- that is a strong FCPS pyramid.
https://boundary.fcps.edu/boundary/
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 14:14     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!


No way this is zoned for McLean high school??
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 14:13     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy


Facing Lee Hwy, talk about bad locations!
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 14:13     Subject: Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, your best bet is to look for the houses that don’t sell the first weekend. Example - this is technically out of your budget, but if there was going to be a bidding war, it would have happened already. You’ll have a little more leverage than you would with the shiny new first weekend houses.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Burke/6593-Meadowrill-Ln-22015/home/9766307


OP here: Good advice, we thought the same and checked this house out yesterday. It is a redfin flip: it's in horrendous condition, very awkward floor plan upstairs and downstairs, completely neglected structure and yard for decades. They half-painted the walls in bright white, and attempted to paint original kitchen cabinets but failed so half of them show wood under and still filthy inside... with some weird vinyl-ish stick and peel backsplash in the kitchen and bathrooms.... We considered for a split second, then realized it's a complete reno, which could be OK, but then with the level of neglect I am scared to see what's behind the walls..... That asking price is beyond ridiculous, and as desperate as we are, we have limits


I wouldn’t buy that house either.



OP you need to move to exurbs. This ain’t no flip, the current owner bought it new in 1984. Yes it not updated but that’s the best way to have quality on an old house, get it without DIY updates and have quality renovation done on the original.

Bad layout? Removing walls is generally quite cheap if not load bearing and even then usually it’s a $10k beam to fix and done.

You want turnkey HGTV on a SpikeTV budget, get out to exurbs already for your oversized house. How many kids do you even have?
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 13:56     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
I just saw a price reduction on this one, and thought of you. Inside the beltway, 5 bdrms, easily in your price range
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7306-Lee-Hwy-22046/home/9551014?utm_medium=share&utm_source=web_share&utm_campaign=copy
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 10:27     Subject: Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Anonymous wrote:I would choose b). House price will go down if interest rate goes up. The affordability won’t change much. You don’t want to be stuck with a house that you don’t like and that is hard to sell in the future.


Haha, no. We are essentially recreating prop 13 by having crazy low interest rates. People will be reluctant to EVER sell again because they don't want to lose their low low interest rate. Inventory will plummet further, which will drive prices up with higher interest rates.

Now, at the point in 30 years, when everyone has paid off these low rates, the market may soften.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2022 10:25     Subject: Re:Getting desperate: What would you suggest to a first time home buyer?
Move far away from the DMV