Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:49 here - hit enter too early. Parts of Arlington are near Crystal City/Pentagon City metro and feed into Wakefield, which was recently rebuilt and is gorgeous.

I used to live near Vienna metro and the commute from there wasn't too bad either. The zip code (22031) was split into 4 school boundaries, some of them better than others. You could try for something near there that feeds into Fairfax HS, Woodson or Oakton if you're not comfortable with FCHS.

Parts of Falls Church City are close to Metro. You can find a home feeding into Marshall that might be close to West Falls Church metro. And as they continue to expand the metro system, you can go further West.

Is Wakefield really any better looking or more fully featured than WL or Yorktown. I’ve been inside Wakefield, but not the other HS. I drove past Yorktown this morning and it looked as nice to me. Honest question.

Spend a bit more time at the schools. Wakefield is a beautiful new school, inside and out. Yorktown feels like a major renovation and expansion. It’s not attractive, much of the interior space is dark, and the building has no flow. W-L also feels like a brand new building, but has a cramped, overcrowded feel. In terms of facilities Wakefield is far and away the nicest.

Anonymous wrote:13:49 here - hit enter too early. Parts of Arlington are near Crystal City/Pentagon City metro and feed into Wakefield, which was recently rebuilt and is gorgeous.

I used to live near Vienna metro and the commute from there wasn't too bad either. The zip code (22031) was split into 4 school boundaries, some of them better than others. You could try for something near there that feeds into Fairfax HS, Woodson or Oakton if you're not comfortable with FCHS.

Parts of Falls Church City are close to Metro. You can find a home feeding into Marshall that might be close to West Falls Church metro. And as they continue to expand the metro system, you can go further West.

Is Wakefield really any better looking or more fully featured than WL or Yorktown. I’ve been inside Wakefield, but not the other HS. I drove past Yorktown this morning and it looked as nice to me. Honest question.

13:49 here - hit enter too early. Parts of Arlington are near Crystal City/Pentagon City metro and feed into Wakefield, which was recently rebuilt and is gorgeous.

I used to live near Vienna metro and the commute from there wasn't too bad either. The zip code (22031) was split into 4 school boundaries, some of them better than others. You could try for something near there that feeds into Fairfax HS, Woodson or Oakton if you're not comfortable with FCHS.

Parts of Falls Church City are close to Metro. You can find a home feeding into Marshall that might be close to West Falls Church metro. And as they continue to expand the metro system, you can go further West.

I commute in from Arlington, usually via metro rail but occasionally via bus. It's not bad. We're zoned for Yorktown. I'd love to live even closer to metro rail and be zoned for W-L, but a SFH was above my budget in that zone.

I would not buy into APS right now. It's overcrowded and just going to get worse. No long term plans to deal with it. Leadership in disarray right now. And School Board tells parents to expect boundary changes every few years and be ok with that.

If you buy into APS, expect frequent boundary wars and trailers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Arlington, most of the houses that are close to metro are zoned to W-L. There is a fast bus that goes down Lee Highway to McPherson Square in DC. Or the Rosslyn metro. A million is doable, but you’d have to act very fast.

Here’s one that actually feeds into Yorktown. Close to Lee Highway for the bus.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/2226-N-Columbus-St-22207/home/11236039?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy_link&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link

And the fast bus on Lee Highway is only fast if you get on it early. I don't know how early because DC's school schedule has never allowed me to get on before 8:30 am. But I imagine if you can swing the first bus of the day and are traveling to Farragut West or McPherson, it is a dreamy commute.

I am a commuter on this bus, within walking distance of 3 Orange line metro stops, with kids at W-L. I take this first bus in the morning (around 6:40) into DC, largely bc it is the most reliable one to get a seat on and is so quick into DC due to minimal traffic. I find any buses after that a little less reliable. There are also reliability issues at certain times returning to Arlington BUT this bus route (3Y) is so much nicer, more comfortable AND more reliable than metro. And it costs less.

And, BTW, W-L is a fabulous HS.

OP, if your child is a toddler, I think the short commute becomes more important -- your spouse is never going to be able to make it from Metro Center out to Loudoun or the far reaches of Fairfax for school plays, parent-teacher conferences, etc.

If you're interested in buying a house that builders would consider a teardown, have a letter to the seller at the ready, explaining that you would actually want to raise your family in the house rather than replace it with something huge.

Anonymous wrote:In Arlington, most of the houses that are close to metro are zoned to W-L. There is a fast bus that goes down Lee Highway to McPherson Square in DC. Or the Rosslyn metro. A million is doable, but you’d have to act very fast.

Here’s one that actually feeds into Yorktown. Close to Lee Highway for the bus.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/2226-N-Columbus-St-22207/home/11236039?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy_link&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link

And the fast bus on Lee Highway is only fast if you get on it early. I don't know how early because DC's school schedule has never allowed me to get on before 8:30 am. But I imagine if you can swing the first bus of the day and are traveling to Farragut West or McPherson, it is a dreamy commute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy this one - cute, good schools, and close to Metro.
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6406-Washington-Blvd-22205/home/11239433

^ and 25 min to Metro Center according to Redfin.

That once has been off and on the market since January. Most buyers don't want to be right on a busy road.

Agree but the circular drive and fenced backyard would mitigate some of those concerns. It's just so darn cute and reasonably priced.

Whatever you say, Realtor Randy.

It has some nice features and a beautiful yard, but dang, those electric blue walls and checked kitchen floor just pains the eyes.

It’s difficult to sell now. Been on the market forever. But impossible to get out of your driveway during the AM or PM rush. It IS a cute house though.

Once again I'd really like to thank all of you for your replies. I have read all of them and appreciate the information you have provided. Thanks for all the links also. Oh and I had no idea you could add a transit layer in Google maps!

Just to clarify a detail ... we don't really care how close the high school is to a metro station, rather we were contemplating the idea that it would be "nice" if the house we eventually purchased could be within 1/2 mile of a metro. Of course the other options of commuter buses and driving to a metro station are all worth considering also.

That particular house on a busy street (as well as some of the other houses) is indeed cute ... but I do think the street looks a bit too busy. If the housing market every slumped 20 years from now, it might be harder to sell it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy this one - cute, good schools, and close to Metro.
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6406-Washington-Blvd-22205/home/11239433

^ and 25 min to Metro Center according to Redfin.

That once has been off and on the market since January. Most buyers don't want to be right on a busy road.

Agree but the circular drive and fenced backyard would mitigate some of those concerns. It's just so darn cute and reasonably priced.

You sound like the owner or agent. And I never say that.

Definitely not!

I'm usually the one arguing that no one wants to live on a busy road. But I do love this particular house. I used to drive by it all of the time (obviously a red flag if it's part of anyone's commute. ).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy this one - cute, good schools, and close to Metro.
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6406-Washington-Blvd-22205/home/11239433

^ and 25 min to Metro Center according to Redfin.

That once has been off and on the market since January. Most buyers don't want to be right on a busy road.

Agree but the circular drive and fenced backyard would mitigate some of those concerns. It's just so darn cute and reasonably priced.

You sound like the owner or agent. And I never say that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy this one - cute, good schools, and close to Metro.
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6406-Washington-Blvd-22205/home/11239433

^ and 25 min to Metro Center according to Redfin.

Not sure i'd want to be right on Washington Blvd but YMMV

Washington and Sycamore is a busy intersection near an entrance to Route 66. Lots of idling cars pumping exhaust into the air in that immediate area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy this one - cute, good schools, and close to Metro.
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/6406-Washington-Blvd-22205/home/11239433

^ and 25 min to Metro Center according to Redfin.

That once has been off and on the market since January. Most buyers don't want to be right on a busy road.

Agree but the circular drive and fenced backyard would mitigate some of those concerns. It's just so darn cute and reasonably priced.

Whatever you say, Realtor Randy.