One Section Over

If you have ever been to a sporting event and had the misfortune to buy tickets along a pricing line but in the higher price then you know what I am talking about. When you first get to your seats you are kind of excited because they are good seats close to the field and on an aisle, but on the other side of the aisle is someone with a view that is three feet different and who paid $10 less. As the game goes on you start to wonder why no one told you not to buy these tickets or how you ended up one section over from less expensive seats.

One section over from Fairfax County is Prince William county, and along the dividing line it is no different. The average price difference for comparable single family homes can be anywhere from $100,000-$200,000. Now this difference makes perfect sense if you live in the parts of Fairfax county that are much closer to the district or in desirable areas like Reston, but imagine living right along the county line in a place like Lorton.


Lorton used to not be such a desirable area of Fairfax County with the prison and all that, but now that that is gone it has started to make a climb up the later. South County High School is still relatively new and the prison is now part art studio and part golf course. Lorton is close to 95 and developers have noticed it and are putting in shopping.

Think about it this way though. That entrance for 95 that Lorton is close to is actually closer to Lake Ridge in Prince William county. The median sold price for a single family home in Lorton, Va is $519,000.00 but just across the county line in Lake Ridge it is $289,000.00. That is a significant difference when we are talking about locations that border each other.

It is 6.7 miles by car from the city center of Lorton to the city center of Lake Ridge. That isn't far. That difference in price should come as a shock to people when we are talking about locations that are next to each other. It has to be admitted by people that their is a kind of prestige factor attached to living in Fairfax County, but if someone ends up looking along the county lines then it might be worth it to cross the county line just to see how those homes that are $200,000 less compare.

I learn something new in real estate everyday
so you don't have to
David Huzzard
www.SuperNoVaRealty.com