Hey! Wanna Buy a House?
Posted on December 15, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 44 Comments
Since we’ve lived here in Ohio for coming on eleven years now, we decided it was finally time to let go of our house in Sterling, Virginia, where we lived when Athena was born. So, if you or someone you know is in the market for a home in the Washington, DC area, here’s a fabulous five bedroom house in a nice neighborhood in a great town, just waiting for you. Seriously, we loved living in this house, and we think it’ll be a great house for others.
Here’s the official listing; once you’re there, click on the “ML#” link and it’ll expand out the listing to give you all the details as well as a couple dozen pictures of the place. The realtor’s information is there at the link, so if you really are interested, contact her and let her know (you don’t need to contact me; we have a real estate agent for a reason).
Damn, now I’m a little choked up. I liked this house. Hopefully it’ll make its new owners equally happy.
It doesn’t look haunted enough. Can you haunt it a little?
We just had it exorcised!
It does look like a nice place. I have such house envy and not the moolah for it so every house irght now looks sweet but THIS house looks especially nice.
If you get an offer from a burly german-american who wants to pay in cash it’s probably my friend Joe. He’s cool. Just don’t make him angry. Oh, wait. You have Krissy. Go ahead, make him angry. I want to see what sort of damage she can wield across state lines.
We lived in Herndon from 1998 – 2004. It looks to me like we lived about 2 miles away from each other.
Coolness by proximity transfer, FTW!
Does it come with 5 acres of land? ;-)
Actually the back yard is nicely large. But not 5 acres, no.
So did you rent it out for 11 years? How hard was it to be a remote landlord, if you did?
My oldest brother lived on Cardinal Glen Cir (had to find that on Google maps) about 25 years ago. So not at all the same time you lived in Sterling, but it was the closest I’ve lived to my brother (we were in Vienna) except for the first 6 months of my life.
ehm, the first 6 mon. of my life and the couple months he and his family had to live with us while the house was finished. Oops.
Idiosynchronic:
Not difficult. We had good, long-term renters.
I wish I was in a place in my life I could buy a house, let alone one in the greater DC area…I’m actually moving out of my 1 br apt to a house shared with 5 other people and a toddler, because money is too tight. If you don’t sell in a week or two you should totally take it off the market and wait a few months so I can parley my shiny new masters degree into full time work and can maybe swing a home loan! ;)
Could you leave bite marks somewhere? So I could prove this was John Scalzi The Writer’s house when I show them to my dentist friends. How else would I know it wasn’t Jon Scalzzi the accountant’s house instead?
Gah! Too Soon John Scalzi! That house is right in the area we wish to move into and is in our price range, I just won’t be ready to buy for another 4-5 months.
I could have sworn the headline asked if I wanted to buy a horse. Not that I’m in the market for one of those either…
Richard Slater: If you have the earnest money now, you could at least put that down and see if they’re willing to wait another 4-5 months for the actual move-in date. Goodness knows, if they were willing to rent for 11 years, a few months shouldn’t be that big a deal to actually sell the place.
:-)
Looks like Sterling is too far west to be on the Fallout 3 map. Too bad. :P
I used to live in Sterling, though after you’d moved away; I was up off Cascades, renting from a friend who was in all those McMansions that were going up right around the time you departed. That’s a nice little neighborhood. It’s a trek to get into the city, but that’s more of an issue if you’re a young man frustrated by suburban life than if you’re um, more mature like us. But being right by Rt 7, 28, and the toll road makes it a pretty quick spin. To the point that most Californians would probably wonder what the hell I’m whining about :)
I live in Arlington, and I’m pretty happy with my current house. But I passed on the link to some of my friends in the area who may be looking to buy. I think it would be awesome if one of them bought the place, if only so I could go over and bask in its delicious Scalzi stank… Mmm…
(P.S. – Not a stalker.)
Maybe if you sign it and put it up for sale through Subterranean?
Geeze, that’s cheap for a house in this area. My husband and I bought an adorable house last year in the MD suburbs for $15k less, but ours seems like it’s about half as small (with a third of the living space, seeing that you have a finished basement). We’re on the Metro, which I was willing to pay a pretty penny for, but for someone who is willing to drive, this is an incredible deal. I’d say good luck selling, but I don’t think you’ll have a problem at all!
That is a lovely-looking house! I wish houses that nice cost under $600k in Massachusetts, where I live.
Wow, I need to move to the left hand side of the Atlantic. No chance of getting a house that size in a nice area where I live in the UK. Maybe if you at least double the price.
Damn, I would love to live in DC again. Sigh, but you go where the work is.
Just last night, we were sitting around our dining table reading aloud “An Interview with the Nativity Innkeeper” with an old friend and laughing hysterically over it. Imagine my surprise this morning to find this post and learn just how close our houses are. Walking distance, I say! If you ever went to the street a few blocks over with the insane Christmas lights, then you’ve passed my place.
To Richard Slater, it is OK. Even if you can’t buy John’s house, I can assure you that you’ll be able to find another in the neighborhood and close surrounds. When you move to the area, you know who to call for additional hands and a home cooked meal for your move in day.
You’re choked up? Imagine how those of us in urban California feel looking at that house in that neighborhood for that price. Best of luck in selling it. We’ll be over here, sobbing quietly.
Given how long eleven years is in cat years, I presume that Radaint She never dwelt there. Pity, otherwise I might want to invest in what will become a major shrine after she takes her rightful place in the world.
@Mythago:
Move out here to southwestern Missouri. You could buy that house if it was on land here in a nicer town for $200k, /maybe/ $250k in a really nice neighborhood.
We actually get retired Californians who sell their smallish houses and come here and buy something nice.
Well, damn, just bought a house in Sterling. Oh well.
It appears that the microwave came loose and fell onto the cooktop. True? That kitchen is seriously in need of an upgrade. Worse than our 20-year-old kitchen out here in Haymarket, and we DO have five acres.
Whoa nelly!
Can’t believe the price! The Australian housing market sucks!
If your house was in my neighbourhood it would be going for about $650K.- even though it take me an hour to get into the city for work!
Judging from how well your charity auctions go, you might get a better price auctioning it off here :)
I may actually check it out if it’s still on the market next month. I grew up in Herndon and am currently on the market for a new place :)
Bob Munck:
Actually the Microwave is brand new and awaiting installation. It’s resting on the oven.
This almost makes me sob. I bought a small crappy 1970s townhome in northern Virginia about 15 miles from his house in 2005, for $9000 less than your asking price. Timing is everything. :(
“his” s/b “this”
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo aren’t we the rich successful author.
Two house, one he doesn’t even use.
Why was that my first thought?? LOL
Hopefully soon I will have just one, like any common troll!
What’s up with the bowl of fruit? Is it there to placate the Deep Ones?
For some reason your post reminded me of this:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/12/13/john_updike_home_for_sale_on_ebay_do_people_pay_more_for_writers_houses_.html
In a nice neighboryhood with a big yard, that’s probably a 1.5 million dollar house where i live in the SF Bay Area.
A nice area! But thankfully I have escaped the traffic there for Richmond to the south.
Schools in the area of this house seem to be rather sub-par.
If you can’t sell it, you can use it as a castle for your cats along with butlers who will feed them and mice that will run away from them. I’m not really sure any benefits in following this strategy other than being able to say, “I’m so rich I just have a house for my cats.”
How can you just leave a pool table behind?