House Crush of the Day

[karinothing]

So that other house I loved? The one that looked like a little fairytale cottage? It sold in 4 days Oh well...now I am crushing on this one! www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1508-S-Randolph-St-22204/home/11264339

It seems very charming! This one is out of my price range though. Stupid HCOL.

[aspentosh]

Cute! But I love Arlington bungalows

[vccake]

Cute, but it reminds me why we left NOVA.

[karinothing]

May 17, 2012 7:02:45 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

man, as expensive as NJ is, I am always shocked by the COL in the DC area.

It is cute (though the kitchen hardware is not) and well reno-d. No garage though, and the lot looks awkward.

Eh, nothing has a garage around here so that isn't an issue for me. And I am just glad it HAS a backyard ha ha.

I do hate the half moon shaped drawer handles though. But I like the copper color.

[countthestars]

Cute! I would hate to have that tiny washer and dryer, but I don't live in a city and know it's more common there. Is the whole upstairs the master? Is there a door separating it anywhere?

[karinothing]

May 17, 2012 8:49:27 GMT -5 countthestars said:

Cute! I would hate to have that tiny washer and dryer, but I don't live in a city and know it's more common there. Is the whole upstairs the master? Is there a door separating it anywhere?

Yeah, I am used to having a small washer/dryer. I shove everything in there anyway. Clothes get clean ha ha.

The whole upstairs is the master. I am not sure about the door. The ones I have seen where the entire upstairs was a master did not have a door. I am not sure I care or not. We always leave our door open now, even when we have guests because the catpan is in our bathroom (although with a house I could put it somewhere else!).

[karinothing]

May 17, 2012 8:55:30 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Do you think ot will go for asking price?

Canni just say that looking at the price per sq ft makes me sweat? If we ever move to HCOL, i think we would either live in a shack or have to move in with family.

My house was under $80/sq ft. Which is about the norm in most Charlotte neighborhoods, given the glut of homes on the market.

Umm. It has been on the market for 57 days, which I am kind of surprised by. The original owners bought it for 580K in 2008. I would imagine it would go pretty close to the asking price since it seems like a good deal, but to be honest I am surprised it hasn't sold already. So maybe it will go for a little less?

Yeah, the price for square footage is frustrating. ALL I want is a mortgage that is 500K or under and I am starting to feel like that is a lot to ask.

[picaflora]

I think its cute, and I LOVE the kitchen - once you replace the cabinet handles.

I'd love to have a cute little old house like that one day... unfortunately they only exsist downtown, and the good ones have been snapped up and renovated already.

[karinothing]

ha ha Slameron Pation.

I THINK we will remain in VA. I work in VA (near Falls Church and not on the metro). My commute right now is 10 minutes so moving to MD would be a much longer commute. DH works in DC but right now has a pretty short commute (sometimes only 30 minutes). So, I know we could get much more bang for our buck in MD, I am just not sure we want to deal with commute times (plus I like my red state taxes ha ha).

I am mixed on moving to Alexandria. The schools are better in Arlington (once you get past the elementary level), but who knows what the case will be when DS is ready to start. The community services area also better in Arlington (more parks, public pools, community centers, etc). So, in short I don't know.

There are some townhomes that are kind of awesome and in a great neighborhood (but not on the metro). They are affordable for us and I love them and would totally live in a TH forever, expecially because they are walking distance to a ton of stuff. HOWEVER, there is NO personal outdoor space. I feel like if I am buying a place I need to have some kind of backyard or deck or something to at least grill on.

[karinothing]

May 17, 2012 9:14:42 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Pickett St. Needs some upgrades, but the price isnt bad and has a great yard. Ask them to leave the swing

www.zillow.com/homedetails/504-N-Pickett-St-Alexandria-VA-22304/12035974_zpid/

Yeah, see Alexandria is so much more affordable. I don't know. I think I really need to start researching schools. I think people are kind of snobby about schools here so it is hard to get a realistic opinion.

[aspentosh]

May 17, 2012 9:09:57 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Kari, do you plan to live in Va? Is Md an option, maybe Ft. Washington?

Or how do you feel about places that are mixed use? My brother lives in Alexandria, in a neighborhood that rhymes with
Slameron Pation ( I dont want to put it all the way out there, lol). Anyway, they have a shuttle that takes people to Van Dorn Station, the library and Harris Teeter are walking distance, and the park is across the street. Id live in a TH forever if i could live somewhere that has everything within walking distance.

Haha. That made me laugh ;D

[Deleted]

I saw that one. Cute but pricey! Alexandria isn't that much better depending on where you live.

[karinothing]

I THINK the catholic schools are 7K or so for a year in elementary. I want to say it doubles at HS (but I am not positive). So, cheaper than daycare ha ha. So, they are a lot cheaper since normal private schools are 20K+. However, I the diocese here is very very conservative and that flows over into the schools (my neice was practically terrified of sinning last year). I wouldn't feel comfortable sending my kids there. Plus, I think in the end, I want them to have a secular education.

I shall just rent for-ev-er.

[gt7301b]

May 17, 2012 9:18:20 GMT -5 karinothing said:

May 17, 2012 9:14:42 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Pickett St. Needs some upgrades, but the price isnt bad and has a great yard. Ask them to leave the swing

www.zillow.com/homedetails/504-N-Pickett-St-Alexandria-VA-22304/12035974_zpid/

Yeah, see Alexandria is so much more affordable. I don't know. I think I really need to start researching schools. I think people are kind of snobby about schools here so it is hard to get a realistic opinion.

Kari - DH used to teach in Alexandria and he hated the administration. They would change direction every three months and weren't supportive of the students. If the schools were better we would have stayed in Alexandria, but he hated it there. I don't really have a problem with the diversity, but I think the schools are poorly run. There are a couple of good elementary schools, but with the way they change things you could be in a good school one year and a bad one the next.

[mrshandy]

We live in Arlington now and love it, but once we buy next year, I think we're going for Alexandria or Annandale. We'll see. I still need to do the research.

[BirdGirl02]

There's something wrong with the house or the neighborhood since it's been on the market for 57 days. That house in my "cheaper" Alexandria neighborhood would have sold in a week for 100K more. The lack of inside access to the basement is a bit weird.

There are good elementary schools in Alexandria City. PM me if you want names/neighborhoods. It gets a bit more iffy after that, but I'm OK with private for middle/high school. And your spot on for school costs. The non-catholic private school around the corner from me is 25k. The catholic school is 8K.

[Deleted]

May 17, 2012 9:39:53 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

May 17, 2012 9:18:20 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Yeah, see Alexandria is so much more affordable. I don't know. I think I really need to start researching schools. I think people are kind of snobby about schools here so it is hard to get a realistic opinion.

Kari - DH used to teach in Alexandria and he hated the administration. They would change direction every three months and weren't supportive of the students. If the schools were better we would have stayed in Alexandria, but he hated it there. I don't really have a problem with the diversity, but I think the schools are poorly run. There are a couple of good elementary schools, but with the way they change things you could be in a good school one year and a bad one the next.

How long ago? Things have gotten better recently from what I've heard.

[karinothing]

May 17, 2012 9:46:09 GMT -5 @BirdGirl02 said:

There's something wrong with the house or the neighborhood since it's been on the market for 57 days. That house in my "cheaper" Alexandria neighborhood would have sold in a week for 100K more. The lack of inside access to the basement is a bit weird.

There are good elementary schools in Alexandria City. PM me if you want names/neighborhoods. It gets a bit more iffy after that, but I'm OK with private for middle/high school. And your spot on for school costs. The non-catholic private school around the corner from me is 25k. The catholic school is 8K.

I agree that there must be something wrong with the house. The agent statements look fine though (and they are usually honest on redfin since they don't make commission). But maybe it is the neighborhood. Perhaps, I will drive by.

I can't PM when you are a guest Yeah, i don't think we can do private. DH's job involves advocating for public education and he could be in the public eye...so public school it is. I don't think I can pull an Obama

[Deleted]

May 17, 2012 9:14:42 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Pickett St. Needs some upgrades, but the price isnt bad and has a great yard. Ask them to leave the swing

www.zillow.com/homedetails/504-N-Pickett-St-Alexandria-VA-22304/12035974_zpid/

That's not a neighborhood I'd want to live in. Alexandria is pretty spotty.

[heyrebekah]

Love it! I pulled out the picture of the 2nd floor landing with the window seat because that is totally how I want mine done.

[dcrunnergirl]

We looked at houses in Arlington like this a few years ago, and couldn't get past the master bedroom being on a different floor than the other bedrooms. It just didn't feel safe with having (at the time hypothetical) kids downstairs and us upstairs (particularly in Arlington vs. if you were in some rural area where no one was walking/driving by your house). However, this house is super cute.

We ended up in the Alexandria part of Fairfax County, and we love it. It's outside the Beltway, which does kind of suck at times, but we have a great neighborhood and a decent sized house and yard nearby to several parks and the local elementary school

[gt7301b]

May 17, 2012 9:49:38 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

May 17, 2012 9:39:53 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Kari - DH used to teach in Alexandria and he hated the administration. They would change direction every three months and weren't supportive of the students. If the schools were better we would have stayed in Alexandria, but he hated it there. I don't really have a problem with the diversity, but I think the schools are poorly run. There are a couple of good elementary schools, but with the way they change things you could be in a good school one year and a bad one the next.

How long ago? Things have gotten better recently from what I've heard.

Three years ago, if they have that is great. His school was split into three schools basically so they could avoid some of the no child left behind laws and his friends who are still there aren't pleased with the split.

[chia]

It's cute...

My favorite S. Arlington neighborhood is Aurora Highlands... If I moved back to VA, I'd love to live there. But, of course, those houses are like $900K-1M

Of course, near me in MD, you can get a brand new, 5 br, 3.5 bath house for $580... but, I'm in a "crappy" MD 'hood.

[karinothing]

Barefoot - umm, that is up in the air. So, our rent keeps being raised a lot and we are at the point where we could technically find a house with similar rent. BUT our lease is not up till March 30th. So, we were thinking early 2013. BUT I feel like our lease is really tying us down. We need to give 60 days notice if we don't want to renew, and it is really pricy to break it.

[UMaineTeach]

I would tour it and a house like that would be in our price range if located where I live - it'd be listed between 130-140k

[karinothing]

May 17, 2012 10:52:43 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I would tour it and a house like that would be in our price range if located where I live - it'd be listed between 130-140k

Sure sure rub it in!