Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:townhouses are terrible investments vs a sfh

The data don't support this claim. This may be true in far out burbs where land is plentiful and properties are built over multiple acres.
But in cities and close-in areas, THs have appreciation rates comparable to SFHs.
THs in 22101 have appreciated at the same rate as SFHs.

Anonymous wrote:townhouses are terrible investments vs a sfh

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why four bedrooms if you are just starting a new family? And why TH if you want to have kids. TH is okay if you can not afford anything else but if you can then do not go backwards but forward. Once you have a kid you will love a green grassy area called backyard because you can go play ball, run and have a play set within few steps. Yes, you still can go to the park for socializing and all but you don't have to do it every time you want to take kiddo out of the house. Once you move into TH, you will immediately be sorry that you don't have a decent backyard, because the bathroom sized brick-paved thing does not qualify as one. Kids run, kids bump into things, kids fall, you need grass. You want grass.
TH is the only option for people with very tight budget who want to have a family and look for good schools areas, if you are in this position then do it, otherwise go to the next step, as the SHF is the next step.

Well in the case of the FCC townhouse the park is literally right across the street, as well as a farmers market, library, etc.

Also, FCC doesn’t have only one elementary school as another PP said. I wish people who don’t know what they are talking about would stop making incorrect statements.

Do you live in FCC area? We have been living in Vienna for a long time and we so much want to move to an area at least in the LOOP and less traffic. I personally grew up with my grandparents in a town similar to FCC and I always went out to play with kids. Also one of us works in DC K street area and the other of us works in Arlington. This area was unknown to us when we started searching narrowly in 22101 zip. Now we see this one and we are attracted to this city area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why four bedrooms if you are just starting a new family? And why TH if you want to have kids. TH is okay if you can not afford anything else but if you can then do not go backwards but forward. Once you have a kid you will love a green grassy area called backyard because you can go play ball, run and have a play set within few steps. Yes, you still can go to the park for socializing and all but you don't have to do it every time you want to take kiddo out of the house. Once you move into TH, you will immediately be sorry that you don't have a decent backyard, because the bathroom sized brick-paved thing does not qualify as one. Kids run, kids bump into things, kids fall, you need grass. You want grass.
TH is the only option for people with very tight budget who want to have a family and look for good schools areas, if you are in this position then do it, otherwise go to the next step, as the SHF is the next step.

Well in the case of the FCC townhouse the park is literally right across the street, as well as a farmers market, library, etc.

Also, FCC doesn’t have only one elementary school as another PP said. I wish people who don’t know what they are talking about would stop making incorrect statements.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why four bedrooms if you are just starting a new family? And why TH if you want to have kids. TH is okay if you can not afford anything else but if you can then do not go backwards but forward. Once you have a kid you will love a green grassy area called backyard because you can go play ball, run and have a play set within few steps. Yes, you still can go to the park for socializing and all but you don't have to do it every time you want to take kiddo out of the house. Once you move into TH, you will immediately be sorry that you don't have a decent backyard, because the bathroom sized brick-paved thing does not qualify as one. Kids run, kids bump into things, kids fall, you need grass. You want grass.
TH is the only option for people with very tight budget who want to have a family and look for good schools areas, if you are in this position then do it, otherwise go to the next step, as the SHF is the next step.

Well in the case of the FCC townhouse the park is literally right across the street, as well as a farmers market, library, etc.

Also, FCC doesn’t have only one elementary school as another PP said. I wish people who don’t know what they are talking about would stop making incorrect statements.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why four bedrooms if you are just starting a new family? And why TH if you want to have kids. TH is okay if you can not afford anything else but if you can then do not go backwards but forward. Once you have a kid you will love a green grassy area called backyard because you can go play ball, run and have a play set within few steps. Yes, you still can go to the park for socializing and all but you don't have to do it every time you want to take kiddo out of the house. Once you move into TH, you will immediately be sorry that you don't have a decent backyard, because the bathroom sized brick-paved thing does not qualify as one. Kids run, kids bump into things, kids fall, you need grass. You want grass.
TH is the only option for people with very tight budget who want to have a family and look for good schools areas, if you are in this position then do it, otherwise go to the next step, as the SHF is the next step.

Well in the case of the FCC townhouse the park is literally right across the street, as well as a farmers market, library, etc.

Also, FCC doesn’t have only one elementary school as another PP said. I wish people who don’t know what they are talking about would stop making incorrect statements.

Anonymous wrote:Why four bedrooms if you are just starting a new family? And why TH if you want to have kids. TH is okay if you can not afford anything else but if you can then do not go backwards but forward. Once you have a kid you will love a green grassy area called backyard because you can go play ball, run and have a play set within few steps. Yes, you still can go to the park for socializing and all but you don't have to do it every time you want to take kiddo out of the house. Once you move into TH, you will immediately be sorry that you don't have a decent backyard, because the bathroom sized brick-paved thing does not qualify as one. Kids run, kids bump into things, kids fall, you need grass. You want grass.
TH is the only option for people with very tight budget who want to have a family and look for good schools areas, if you are in this position then do it, otherwise go to the next step, as the SHF is the next step.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in 22207. There seems to be some decent inventory on the market now in 22207 and 22205. (and 22201, 22203 and 22209, where you might also look.) I like it here, and we're happy with our schools. (ATS/Williamsburg/Yorktown.) I didn't look in McLean because for the budget, I wanted to be as close in as possible and didn't need/want a bigger lot.

I would personally do a SFH instead of a TH at that price point if you can, unless you really hate outdoor maintenance. (and if you do, you might find something with a lot of hardscaping/deck to minimize it.) Most of the people I know in that range are looking for SFH.

I agree. Though, houses generally go within a few days. There have been a few nice options around the $1m mark recently.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2411-N-Roosevelt-St_Arlington_VA_22207_M50908-58194?view=qv

I just saw this one. Seems very nice to me. And thank you so much for your inputs.

That is very nice. Might be priced a bit high, IMO, but maybe this market is crazy.

$1.2 without a garage is a deal breaker for me. The yard looks teeny tiny too. I think the location is good though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in 22207. There seems to be some decent inventory on the market now in 22207 and 22205. (and 22201, 22203 and 22209, where you might also look.) I like it here, and we're happy with our schools. (ATS/Williamsburg/Yorktown.) I didn't look in McLean because for the budget, I wanted to be as close in as possible and didn't need/want a bigger lot.

I would personally do a SFH instead of a TH at that price point if you can, unless you really hate outdoor maintenance. (and if you do, you might find something with a lot of hardscaping/deck to minimize it.) Most of the people I know in that range are looking for SFH.

I agree. Though, houses generally go within a few days. There have been a few nice options around the $1m mark recently.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2411-N-Roosevelt-St_Arlington_VA_22207_M50908-58194?view=qv

I just saw this one. Seems very nice to me. And thank you so much for your inputs.

That is very nice. Might be priced a bit high, IMO, but maybe this market is crazy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in 22207. There seems to be some decent inventory on the market now in 22207 and 22205. (and 22201, 22203 and 22209, where you might also look.) I like it here, and we're happy with our schools. (ATS/Williamsburg/Yorktown.) I didn't look in McLean because for the budget, I wanted to be as close in as possible and didn't need/want a bigger lot.

I would personally do a SFH instead of a TH at that price point if you can, unless you really hate outdoor maintenance. (and if you do, you might find something with a lot of hardscaping/deck to minimize it.) Most of the people I know in that range are looking for SFH.

I agree. Though, houses generally go within a few days. There have been a few nice options around the $1m mark recently.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2411-N-Roosevelt-St_Arlington_VA_22207_M50908-58194?view=qv

I just saw this one. Seems very nice to me. And thank you so much for your inputs.

That is very nice. Might be priced a bit high, IMO, but maybe this market is crazy.

Anonymous wrote:I live in 22207 (Cherrydale), and I love our neighborhood. I don't have any opinion on where you should buy. I would just caution you from overspending on a house. We have similar income and bought our house for a little over a $1M in 2007. While the mortgage is do-able we now have 2 kids and the last 6 years of nanny, part time preschool, full time preschool and a brief stint in day care has added up quite a bit. Also, it costs quite a bit to furnish a new home with that many bedrooms.

So, while I would definitely get as many bedrooms as you can afford, I would not necessarily stretch to spend as much as you can b/c child care costs really do cost a lot in this area.

Best of luck in your search.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in 22207. There seems to be some decent inventory on the market now in 22207 and 22205. (and 22201, 22203 and 22209, where you might also look.) I like it here, and we're happy with our schools. (ATS/Williamsburg/Yorktown.) I didn't look in McLean because for the budget, I wanted to be as close in as possible and didn't need/want a bigger lot.

I would personally do a SFH instead of a TH at that price point if you can, unless you really hate outdoor maintenance. (and if you do, you might find something with a lot of hardscaping/deck to minimize it.) Most of the people I know in that range are looking for SFH.

I agree. Though, houses generally go within a few days. There have been a few nice options around the $1m mark recently.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2411-N-Roosevelt-St_Arlington_VA_22207_M50908-58194?view=qv

I just saw this one. Seems very nice to me. And thank you so much for your inputs.