which is better place South Riding/Chantilly or Ashburn? (Richmond: for sale, 2015)

[SSAAMM]

I am thinking to move either South Riding or Ashburn from North Carolina. Can some one please tell me which is better place and why? Let me know about traffic, schooling and social activities.

I am commuting Washington DC area for job.

Thank you so much for your help in advance.

[DavidS827]

Personally I think it's six one way, half a dozen the other. Schools, traffic and activites are about the same in either place. You will find more homes for sale in Ashburn though, so you can probably get a better deal there.

[new_to_va]

Both Ashburn and South Riding are very good places but I would prefer South Riding as home affordability is better in that area and you would find better deals if you plan to buy new home. Ashburn is too expensive to live in or to afford new home. You will find lot of new development and best deals in and around south riding area.

[calredd]

I would prefer places around s.riding as its more affordable their and area is better than ashburn. ashburn is too expensive to buy anything around there.

[Golfinnova]

Originally Posted by SSAAMM

I am thinking to move either South Riding or Ashburn from North Carolina. Can some one please tell me which is better place and why? Let me know about traffic, schooling and social activities.

I am commuting Washington DC area for job.

Thank you so much for your help in advance.

I have lived in South Riding, and now live in Ashburn. Either one is fine for housing, but for traffic Ashburn is way better than South Riding. Route 50 is backed up for miles every morning headed towards 28 so you either ride it out and add 30-45 minutes or have to back track heading to Ashburn to take the Dulles Greenway. Ashburn's traffic is heaviest near AOL, but moves very quickly.

Schools are excellent in either location. Plenty of social activities in both as well, South Riding has more "in-house" activities since they are incorporated. Really can't go wrong with either, if commuting is the overall factor, then got to recommend Ashburn. There are plenty of condos/townhouses for sale right off the Greenway.

[jmarkd]

Ashburn has better access to the toll road, which would be important to you if you're commuting to DC.

I am not so sure Ashburn more expensive than South Riding- there are currently 8 Ashburn 3BR+ townhomes for sale under $350K, compared to just one in South Riding. For single family homes 3BR+ under $500K, Ashburn shows 18 and South Riding 5.

Granted, Ashburn is larger than SR, but the point is you can find more homes in Ashburn in the lower price ranges.

As far as quality of life in the neighborhood, SR is more concentrated and better planned. There are 3 elem. schools right there in SR, Ashburn seems more like someone threw a "sprawl grenade" and hoped for the best.

You can get better advice if you let us know your budget, what size house you're looking for, where exactly you commute to, etc.

There are alternative options as well, like living in Manassas and taking the VRE, renting (50-60% of the monthly cost of owning in this area).

And there's always the option of not moving here. If you're coming from NC you'll need about a 35% raise to cover your increased cost of living here. I kid you not. Think about it!

[Mike from back east]

....for South Riding (SR), highway access will be an issue, unless they've widened Rte 50 since I left there in June 2005.

Just west of Rte 28, Rte 50 goes from 3 westbound lanes into 2, and traffic backs up there in an awful manner. Drivers run up the lane that ends and cut in line, ticking off drivers who are already lined up in the middle lane, etc. This is a problem most of the day, and is horrendous at evening rush hour. Once beyond that you have a rotten trip on an overloaded highway.

Ashburn meanwhile has two major E-W highway, the Toll Road (4-6 Lanes) and Rte 7 (6 lanes). Plus you get Waxpool Rd (4 Lanes) coming off of Rte 28 midway between the Toll Road and Rte 7. That's a total of up to 16 lanes, versus a total of 4 lanes for Rte 50 out at SR (and Stone Crossing, or whatever it's called even further west). The math strongly favors Ashburn.

If you ride a bicycle, there is the W&OD rail-trail through Ashburn, takes you from the foothills out near Purcellville all the way to National Airport, thence down the Pot-'O-Mac to Mount Vernon. Someday they'll get smart and reclaim that right of way for a metro line....but I won't hold my breath.... dynamic national and state leadership with progressive policies for we the people are in woefully short supply here in my America.

s/Mike

[SSAAMM]

Thanks you so much for this useful information. I am looking single-family house in new construction in Ashburn and can spent around 5,00,000. I looked only one community "Richmond American", and house cost goes beyond 6,25,000.

Is someone let me know any good community where I can get house around 5,00,000?

Thanks

[Golfinnova]

Originally Posted by SSAAMM

Thanks you so much for this useful information. I am looking single-family house in new construction in Ashburn and can spent around 5,00,000. I looked only one community "Richmond American", and house cost goes beyond 6,25,000.

Is someone let me know any good community where I can get house around 5,00,000?

Thanks

You won't be able to find a single-family in Ashburn for that price. Especially in new construction, if $500,000 is your limit then you'll have to shoot for townhouses or condos.

If you absolutely need a single-family home then your best bet is to get a realtor, and look at either Sterling or Leesburg. You will be able to find resale homes there that will fit your price range. I saw a 5 BR/3.5 BA home right off Rte. 15 with a view of Westpark Golf Club's 15th hole for $565,000. In today's market, you could bargain that down to your range.

[Mike from back east]

SSAAMM: If you can get by with a SFH that is NOT new construction, then search in realtor.com on zip 20151, Chantilly, VA, where we lived for 28 years before leaving in 2005 for Colorado.

Quite a few SFH's in 20151 for mid-high $400k's. If it says Brookfield or Armfield, then it is EAST of Rte 28 and NOT subject to the lane squeeze I warned about for SR. Brookfield is a solid neighboorhood with a short walk to all schools, including a Catholic school, and you have east-west access to both Rte 50, and also to Rte 29/211 by going south over Stringfellow Rd. Rte 29/211 is another 4 lane east-west hwy, and you're near the county parkway too. Driving options aren't that bad from Brookfield. During evening rush hour, two-person carpools can exit I-66 wb at a special HOV off-ramp at Stringfellow Rd, which got me home to Brookfield a lot quicker...

Tons of shopping nearby...use the Search this Forum tool with keywords like Giant, Starbucks, etc to find my recent post that talked a lot about what's in the area in the way of shopping.

Homes in Brookfield were built by Carey and are known for being very solid, with copper plumbing and copper wiring. We NEVER had a problem with our home and it had the benefit of mature shade trees that saved us on utility bills in winter and summer. By comparison, the homes in Greenbriar were built with aluminum wiring, which expands when heated by a current passing through it, conversely it shrinks back when current is stopped, thus it has a tendency to work itself loose from connections in outlets and is a real pain.

A good realtor will help you find a great home in the area (I'm not one). A thing to consider......it's a buyer's market.....if a home is listed at $525k, the seller will probably take $500k for it.

s/Mike