alexandria tours

Friday nights have become our home tour night for the houses that go on multiple listing service (MLS) during the week. With inventory so low across the nation (and in the DMV), we have learned the hard way that we have to get into houses early. That means going before the open house, if there even is one. Last night we saw two homes, both in Hybla Valley in Alexandria.

The Hybla Valley neighborhoods feel mid century iconic with a variety of homes tucked into the rolling hills, originally designed and landscaped for privacy and to preserve the lush woods. While the Hollin Hills neighborhood is strictly Charles Goodman and residents cannot change the exterior style of their home (thank god!), the surrounding neighborhoods are comprised of homes built in the 1950s and 1960s in various mid century, split level designs as well.

The first home we toured was not a Goodman, though it was about a block away from the houses I spend the majority of my time looking at on the internet. We loved that the house was "move-in" ready and had an open feel. We also liked the delineation of the different floors and step-downs into the living room and family room. However, we decided we just can't settle on buying a house that isn't truly mid century modern and we have accepted that this search may take longer than we originally hoped because of our specifications. We are also considering buying a true fixer-upper Goodman and working with an architect to do a renovation in our preferred style.

Step-down family room.

A bar station I could definitely use...

Then we drove about two blocks into Hollin Hills proper, which of course reinforced our belief that we want a mid century home in the "Goodman" style.

Unfortunately the house was just a bit too compact for us. When we broke down price per square foot, it was clear that this was not the right house.

But the outside was beautiful... a hot tub too, not pictured

I personally did not grow up in the suburbs but I was lucky enough to grow up in a traditional, arbored neighborhood with sidewalks and big yards in the city limits (Shout out to Eastmoreland!). There is something that is really calling to me when we drive through these suburban enclaves. As a city dweller for 10+ years, it might just be the trees and access to the outdoors. But I also think these areas feel like an escape from the current realities of our world and remind me of the Pacific Northwest, a little slice of home on the east coast.