And now I need advice! (considering move to Leesburg) (Arlington: real estate, crime)

[stpickrell]

Hi there -- many of you might know me from previous posts over the past several months.

We live in Vienna and our only concern, really, is the price. We're concerned about whether we'd have to take a huge hit to savings with a second kid. Of course, moving would have its own set of headaches, but with a lower mortgage/larger house, my wife would have the freedom to go part-time, stay at home, etc., etc., and we could have a third kid without having to cough up $50k+ for renovations.

So we've mulled to some extent about a move to Leesburg, as we prefer living in town as opposed to living in subdivision.

What are the (comparatively) less safe areas of Leesburg? All in all, we'd rather live in an area where a GPS is less likely to get torn out of our cars. I've heard some distaste for the area around Plaza Street NE just north of Market.

We've seen a couple houses that we like with regards to price and lot/house size/apparent condition/what we know about the schools, both in the Exeter Hills area (just NE of the historic zone, maybe 2/3 mile to the corner of King and Market).

Our price/location points: under $400k, lot of at least 0.20 acres, within 3/4 mile of Rt 7/15 junction. We're ok with doing $20-$30k worth of renovations (things like new roof, redoing floors, adding outlets, new appliances, etc.)

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

I've heard some distaste for the area around Plaza Street NE just north of Market.

FWIW, that's the only area I've heard anything that bad about. Some people don't like living near King Street but I think that it's because they don't like the traffic more than anything else. You might love it.

[michgc]

Have you considered Herndon? It has similar amenities to Town of Vienna, but not quite as far out as Leesburg. We have friends who live in Town of Herndon and they walk to a lot of restaurants, festivals, and things. They like it very much.

I have another friend in Leesburg, and it is very family-oriented. They are outside the historic district but not too far. It seems like a nice place, but it depends on how far you have to commute from there. Good luck with your search!

[Bigfoot424]

Another consideration might be Dominion Valley or Piedmont Valley. Both carry Haymarket addresses but are actually just outside the town limits. Newer homes so no need to renovate. They are gated commnuities which means less crime. Doesn't mean NO crime but certainly less. Both are family oriented with each access to I 66.

[Margery]

From your previous posts I assume you know the area well and know whether your commute from Leesburg is doable. Exeter is a great area, I like the homes there and from some parts a walk to downtown is not far at all. Have you also looked at Potomac Crossing? Also, there is an older area between Market and King Street near the Union Cemetary with some really charming older homes. There are also some nice homes in the Country Club area in the south part of Leesburg, off route 15, but a little farther from downtown.

I assume you know that Leesburg also has a town tax, so your total real estate tax will be $1.50/$100 of assessed value. I believe you live in Vienna now so that wouldn't be such a rude shock.

Anyway, good luck. I like Leesburg and I like the people who live there.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Margery

From your previous posts I assume you know the area well and know whether your commute from Leesburg is doable. Exeter is a great area, I like the homes there and from some parts a walk to downtown is not far at all. Have you also looked at Potomac Crossing? Also, there is an older area between Market and King Street near the Union Cemetary with some really charming older homes. There are also some nice homes in the Country Club area in the south part of Leesburg, off route 15, but a little farther from downtown.

I assume you know that Leesburg also has a town tax, so your total real estate tax will be $1.50/$100 of assessed value. I believe you live in Vienna now so that wouldn't be such a rude shock.

Anyway, good luck. I like Leesburg and I like the people who live there.

Yeah, I've seen some listings in NW Leesburg around the hospital, that area seems nice as well. Closeness to downtown is a major factor for me, I'm maybe 3/4 mile from anything at all in Vienna so the idea of having all of downtown be about a mile's walk away is a big plus for me.

HOWEVER, my wife is blind and can't see the nice (to me at least) SFH's in close-in NW/NE Leesburg. We lived in a pretty bad area of Arlington and she has no interest in repeating that.

Crime does seem to be higher than Vienna but not outrageously so (and still much lower than Front Royal and Winchester).

We haven't had the luck to go around on a nice sunny day -- she liked historic Leesburg when we visited there Sunday.

I'm interested in stuff closer to downtown, the Exeter subdivision is a little far for my tastes although I do like the look of the homes. Exeter Hills may have been a subdivision 50 years ago but it seems to be a catchall name for the area between Rotary Park and Leesburg Elementary.

I work in Leesburg and my wife works in Chantilly, so my commute is very doable, but future commutes might be problematic.