You'd be surprised what a little money and taste can do. Ripping out wallpaper and outdated carpet can make a huge difference. I grew up in the Midwest, the land of split levels and shag carpeting. I grew up hating split-level houses because the ones I saw were all tacky. Living here, a friend bought a split-level and made it really nice - great hardwoods, good moldings, all sorts of nice details. It's amazing what a person with good taste can do for a badly decorated house. And frankly, it's easier and cheaper to make those cosmetic changes than to add on to a tiny arlington colonial. (this is coming from someone with an expanded arlington cape.)

That house is not just outdated it is FUGLY!!!! Oh my god, it makes me depressed to even think of living in such a place. There is NO WAY to update that hideousness. It is nothing but a tear down.

Used to live across 50 from Mantua - great neighborhood, great schools, very close to Dunn Loring metro, 495 and 66. $600K is actually a pretty good price in the Woodson boundary for a big house on a big lot. Interior is horribly outdated, obviously, but you could sink less than $100K into updates and end up with something really nice. (you'd have to have imagination for that, though - not everyone can look at an outdated house and see the possibilities.)