If You Lived Here
Falls Church
Season 2 Episode 2 | 27m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
Christine and John meet residents and explore neighborhoods in Falls Church, Virginia.
Outdoor activities for families, great restaurants, charming homes: welcome to Falls Church, Virginia! Christine and John guess listing prices of a 1940’s condominium in Winter Hill, a picturesque brick rancher tucked away in a quiet tree-lined lot, and a modern sanctuary with beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces. Plus, residents share their favorites, and the Eden Center offers a history lesson.
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If You Lived Here is a local public television program presented by WETA
If You Lived Here
Falls Church
Season 2 Episode 2 | 27m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
Outdoor activities for families, great restaurants, charming homes: welcome to Falls Church, Virginia! Christine and John guess listing prices of a 1940’s condominium in Winter Hill, a picturesque brick rancher tucked away in a quiet tree-lined lot, and a modern sanctuary with beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces. Plus, residents share their favorites, and the Eden Center offers a history lesson.
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♪ ♪ CHRISTINE: Hi, I'm Christine.
JOHN: And I'm John.
CHRISTINE: We're producers at WETA and best friends.
JOHN: Very true.
We love living in the DC area but finding a place to live here can be tough.
CHRISTINE: Join us as we tour homes in the city of Falls Church.
JOHN: Or Falls Church City.
And find out what it would be like...
BOTH: If you lived here!
(doorbell) JOHN: Today we're in Falls Church.
CHRISTINE: Actually, John we're in the City of Falls Church.
Or, as the locals like to call it, Falls Church City.
JOHN: Well either way, it was named after this church right behind us, the Falls Church.
CHRISTINE: Today the City of Falls Church is regularly ranked and rated as one of the best places to live in America.
JOHN: With all its parks, top-notch schools, historical architecture, increasing diversity and every kind of restaurant and shop imaginable, it checks off nearly every big box.
CHRISTINE: Not to mention all the great houses.
JOHN: Oh right, and that's what we're here to see.
CHRISTINE: We're going to tour three properties at three different price points.
JOHN: And try to guess the listing price without going over.
CHRISTINE: Let's go meet our Falls Church realtor and longtime resident of the City of Falls Church, Bethany Ellis.
JOHN: Oh, I see what you did there.
Yes, let's go see Bethany of the “little city.” CHRISTINE: Oh, you catch on fast!
JOHN: Yes, I do.
(doorbell) Hey Bethany.
BETHANY: Hi John, hi Christine.
Welcome to Falls Church, more specifically Falls Church City.
CHRISTINE: Oh, okay.
So, what's the difference?
BETHANY: Falls Church City is a small city.
We also call it the Little City and it's 2.2 square miles and it's right in the center of Fairfax County.
JOHN: Do you need a secret handshake to get in?
BETHANY: You do, absolutely.
Yes, for sure.
JOHN: Is that the deal here?
How many people live here?
BETHANY: There's about 14,000 people that live here.
JOHN: And so, where are we exactly?
What neighborhood?
BETHANY: We are in Winter Hill, which is centrally located right in the heart of Falls Church City.
JOHN: So, what year was this built?
BETHANY: These were built in 1948.
CHRISTINE: Oh, you were off.
JOHN: I was way off.
I was like, oh this looks like the ‘70s because of the Mansard roof.
BETHANY: This particular section of Winter Hill with the condos, they're known for those roofs.
CHRISTINE: Okay, alright.
JOHN: Cool.
BETHANY: Well, you both go in and take a look, let me know what you think, and I'll meet you right out here.
CHRISTINE: Alright, sounds great.
JOHN: Perfect.
Let's do it.
CHRISTINE: All right.
JOHN: Okay.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
My first observation.
JOHN: Yep?
CHRISTINE: I now know that this home was built in the 1940s.
I can tell looking at these oak floors.
These are the floors from the ‘40s, you can tell.
JOHN: Beautiful grain in those.
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
JOHN: Um, I love the windows.
CHRISTINE: You can see looking that this home has been renovated over the years.
JOHN: Yeah, there are some details from many different decades.
Uh, like the ceiling is kind of seventies.
It could use a little refreshing there, but overall it's a really nice place.
CHRISTINE: It is.
JOHN: Check out the kitchen.
Half bathroom, it's nice to have that there.
CHRISTINE: That is very nice to have.
JOHN: Alright, updated kitchen.
CHRISTINE: Okay, you know it's not a big space, but they really designed it well.
JOHN: Well, it has a nice open feel because of the two windows.
CHRISTINE: Exactly, exactly.
JOHN: Nice touch.
CHRISTINE: And, looking out that window, I want to check out that patio.
JOHN: Absolutely.
This is definitely a highlight of this place.
CHRISTINE: Oh!
To have your own private patios space!
JOHN: Aw, this is something I've wanted and I don't have.
CHRISTINE: I know.
JOHN: But this is the perfect place for a barbecue.
CHRISTINE: Oh, I'd have my coffee out here every morning.
JOHN: You can garden.
What more do you need?
CHRISTINE: Exactly.
JOHN: Alright.
CHRISTINE: Oh, I like these stairs.
JOHN: Yeah, these are nice.
CHRISTINE: This looks like, the bigger of the two bedrooms.
JOHN: Yeah, this must be the main bedroom.
This is bigger than I thought.
CHRISTINE: And you know what?
There's two closets.
JOHN: Wow, they fit a lot in here.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
JOHN: I love these windows.
CHRISTINE: Oh.
JOHN: Bringing that outside in, that green space.
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm, alright, let's check out the second bedroom.
JOHN: Oh, washer and dryer here.
CHRISTINE: Always a check.
JOHN: Alright.
CHRISTINE: Okay, alright.
So, you know what I love about this room?
Actually, it's even a good size room.
JOHN: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: But the Crepe Myrtle out that window, you just feel like you are in a country cottage.
JOHN: I think it's one of the highlights of this home, these windows.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
So, we have a bathroom.
JOHN: Okay.
CHRISTINE: Alright you know and the size, it's a smaller condo.
So, this works.
JOHN: I mean, it's move in ready but could use a little update.
CHRISTINE: Maybe a little.
BETHANY: Hey.
JOHN: Okay Bethany.
BETHANY: So, what did you think?
CHRISTINE: Great starter home.
JOHN: The proportions of the rooms felt so good.
BETHANY: It's a really good layout.
CHRISTINE: And you know what I also liked is, you've got that little private patio in the front... BETHANY: Yeah.
JOHN: Mm-hmm.
CHRISTINE: But then you come out and you have this whole open space.
JOHN: You want to eat crabs, this is the place to be.
CHRISTINE: Invite the neighbors over.
BETHANY: This is the table to do it at, absolutely.
So, the best thing about, in my opinion, of Falls Church City and especially the location of Winter Hill, is you're in the middle of all these great locations for shopping, for restaurants.
There's a community library.
CHRISTINE: Oh, nice.
BETHANY: The Falls Church Farmer's Market's every Saturday.
CHRISTINE: Oh, we, yeah.
JOHN: A good farmer's market.
JOHN: Yeah.
BETHANY: It's delicious.
The Eden Center is super close, right down the street.
JOHN: We definitely have to check that out.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
Yup.
BETHANY: One highlight, too, is Brown's Hardware, so if you need anything to work on your condo.
JOHN: You've got the Beltway, you've got 66.
BETHANY: Yup, the toll road.
JOHN: You have 50 nearby.
BETHANY: 50.
29.
I mean, all...
It's commuter's dream.
CHRISTINE: Really?
Every... JOHN: As they say, all the roads converge here, in Falls Church City.
BETHANY: And that's why it's called Seven Corners.
CHRISTINE: Oh.
BETHANY: Right up the street.
JOHN: Oh, is that how?
See.
CHRISTINE: See.
See.
BETHANY: Absolutely.
JOHN: I've lived here my whole life and I, I'd never thought about it.
CHRISTINE: Something you didn't know.
BETHANY: Uh, yeah.
There's a lot of great space here in, in Winter Hill.
There's also a pool that you can enjoy in the summer months so, yeah good benefits.
JOHN: So, if there's a pool is there an HOA fee?
BETHANY: Yes, there is actually a condo fee.
JOHN: Okay.
BETHANY: It's $308 per month.
It includes one parking spot.
CHRISTINE: One parking spot, okay.
BETHANY: Well before you guess, so it's a two-level condo.
Two bedrooms, one full bath, one half bath and 784 square feet.
CHRISTINE: Okay, so I'm going to come in at a listing price of 435,000.
BETHANY: Okay, John what do you think?
JOHN: I think that's a very good guess.
I'm going to go slightly higher, I'm going to go with 450.
Four.
Five.
Zero.
BETHANY: Okay, and the winner is John, at 475 is the list price of this two-level condo in Falls Church City.
JOHN: This is a really neat pocket.
I've never been here.
Never knew it was here.
BETHANY: It's tucked back in here.
Yeah, you don't know it's here.
JOHN: We always say, it's the best kept secret, until now.
BETHANY: I'm really excited to show you the next house.
It's in Falls Church, Fairfax County, you're going to love it.
JOHN TAYLOR: Well, my name is John Taylor, and we are in the smack dab in the middle of Falls Church.
I own Brown's Hardware.
There were three generations of the Browns.
It was established in 1883 by Mr. Brown's grandfather, James Brown.
We called him, "The Godfather of Hardware."
Falls Church, it wasn't a city, it was just a kind of a little sleepy village, really.
It started as a general store, grocery and hardware.
At one time Brown's Hardware had the only phone line to the only doctor in town.
Most important thing about the hardware store, is taking care of the community.
CHRISTINE: Falls Church City is actually the smallest municipality in Virginia.
It used to be larger, but in 1887, town officials voted to give a portion of Falls Church that was mostly African American to Fairfax County.
When the state awarded control of Falls Church schools to Fairfax County in 1945, residents fought and won the right to become an independent city and form their own schools.
And so, in 1948, Falls Church City was born.
13 years later, in 1961, Falls Church City Public Schools was the first Virginia school division to voluntarily integrate its schools.
JOHN: But Falls Church City was also looking to grow, so in 1956 it became one of the first cities in Northern Virginia to adopt a townhouse-zoning ordinance, and it worked.
Once Route 50 was finished, and Seven Corners, the region's first shopping center was built, Falls Church City became a commuter haven.
And in many ways, the epitome of suburban life in Northern Virginia.
JOHN TAYLOR: If you lived here, you would know about the State Theater.
It's probably one of the older establishments, after Brown's, in the city.
And it started out as a movie theater.
And when I was a kid, we would walk or ride our bikes into State Theatre and that's where I saw my first Beatle movie.
And is now a really popular regional music venue.
Falls Church, it's very walkable.
It's great for restaurants.
You've got bars, libraries, everything's right here.
(doorbell) BETHANY: Welcome to Falls Church.
This is Falls Church, Fairfax County.
So, we're about a mile and a half from where we were.
Really wonderful location.
We're super close to Falls Church City.
We're also super close to the West Falls Church Metro.
We're about half a mile away.
JOHN: So, what year was this house built in?
BETHANY: This house was built in 1956, it's a rambler.
It's solidly built, and it's going to appeal to somebody who wants to do a little work.
JOHN: A little sweat equity there.
BETHANY: Exactly.
You have to have a little vision, to see what it could be, but it's a really fabulous house.
CHRISTINE: Great, ‘cause we haven't seen a lot of fixer-uppers.
So these are always fun.
JOHN: We're excited.
BETHANY: Great, great.
JOHN: Shall we take a look?
BETHANY: Let's go take a look.
CHRISTINE: We'll follow you.
BETHANY: All right.
Welcome to this vintage kitchen.
Isn't it fabulous?
JOHN: It's like reliving my childhood.
My aunts', uncles' homes, my friends' and neighbors' homes, this was it.
It's a mashup.
CHRISTINE: Oh, I just can't get over how great of shape it's in.
BETHANY: It's in excellent condition.
JOHN: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: As soon as you walk in you feel how solid this home is.
JOHN: Good bones, right?
CHRISTINE: Good bones, exactly.
BETHANY: Absolutely.
Right, so, a lot of it is original.
The whole point is that we want someone to see what the house could really truly be and start their own story here.
CHRISTINE: Oh, exactly.
BETHANY: Continue on and I'll meet you out back.
JOHN: Let's start down this way.
CHRISTINE: All right.
The first stop on our tour.
This is the dining room, but this is a really good size dining room.
JOHN: Sure is, with a good size window overlooking the backyard.
CHRISTINE: All right, let's check out this next room.
JOHN: Okay.
Classic den for this period.
CHRISTINE: Right, right.
You know, your instinct would be to paint this paneling.
JOHN: Oh, no!
CHRISTINE: But I actually like it.
JOHN: I would leave it just the way it is.
But, we're not buying this house, somebody else is.
CHRISTINE: Right.
We'll continue on through the living room.
Nice fireplace.
JOHN: Beautiful mantle, and they have gas.
CHRISTINE: So, the bedrooms and bathroom down here.
JOHN: That's right.
Full bathroom here.
CHRISTINE: All right.
JOHN: Oh my gosh, the sink is original.
That's incredible!
Time capsule.
CHRISTINE: I've never seen tile in this nice of shape.
And this floor, it's like brand new.
JOHN: It's pristine.
I love this tub, how it's set back.
Very cool.
CHRISTINE: Okay here is bedroom number one.
Oh wait!
JOHN: Adorable.
CHRISTINE: Oh, hello you'd like to make a pledge to WETA?
Thank you.
JOHN: You're always working.
We used to have that phone.
Same color.
CHRISTINE: I think we did too.
Bedroom number two.
Oh, I wasn't expecting this spacious of a bedroom back here.
JOHN: Sure is, double closets.
Nice windows.
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.
JOHN: And...
Okay another one of the bedrooms, like grandma and grandpa's bed.
CHRISTINE: Okay, this is definitely ‘50s.
JOHN: Yeah, cute.
And bathroom.
Tina, look at this tile.
CHRISTINE: Oh, that is amazing.
JOHN: I have never seen tile like that.
CHRISTINE: Well you know, it's so hard to believe that this was put in the ‘50s and it's so in today.
JOHN: I know, I love it.
CHRISTINE: I would leave this tile too.
JOHN: I would too.
I'd get rid of the wallpaper for sure.
CHRISTINE: Well you know what?
There's a lot of wallpaper.
JOHN: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: That's the one thing you have to take some time to kind of take care of that, but definitely I would leave the tile.
JOHN: Yeah, this house has potential.
Alright.
Down to the basement.
Alright.
Hey, this is the rec room.
I mean rumpus room.
Okay, so, this is my childhood right here, this room.
CHRISTINE: Well, it's good size and it's got a great fireplace.
JOHN: Yeah, and a bar.
CHRISTINE: Oh.
Hey!
Well, have a seat at the bar.
JOHN: I guess it's 5:00 somewhere.
CHRISTINE: Well, let me make you a little something.
JOHN: Oh look, well you're fast with the service.
CHRISTINE: I call it a grasshopper.
JOHN: A grasshopper, how period of you.
That's perfect for this house.
CHRISTINE: So, tell me your woes.
JOHN: Well the only whoa I have is, whoa did you see this wallpaper?
That is awesome.
CHRISTINE: It's timeless.
And I have to give a shout out to these knotty pine cabinets.
JOHN: Very period specific.
CHRISTINE: And you know what?
They didn't even paint them.
JOHN: Even better, right?
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.
JOHN: Okay, thanks for the drink.
No tip.
CHRISTINE: Oh, thank you.
JOHN: Okay, sorry, okay.
Well, welcome to the arboretum back here.
BETHANY: I know right?
CHRISTINE: You didn't tell us there was a soccer field back here.
BETHANY: It is.
It sits on 0.62 acres.
The original owners also planted 350 azalea bushes in this yard.
CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh.
JOHN: 300!
Are you sure, Bethany?
BETHANY: One, two... CHRISTINE: We're going to count them after we're done.
BETHANY: And the great thing about this neighborhood too are there are covenants that you can't subdivide the lots.
So, it's one house on a lot.
CHRISTINE: Right, because usually it is putting two places on the lot.
JOHN: Or three.
CHRISTINE: It's true.
I'm really curious.
How many owners have been in this home?
BETHANY: One.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
BETHANY: So, the original owner picked out the lot and built the house on it.
CHRISTINE: Brought back a lot of nostalgia too.
JOHN: It did for me.
BETHANY: The bones of this house are amazing.
And we really hope that someone can buy the house, not tear it down.
We want them to create their own story.
Alright, are you ready to guess?
CHRISTINE: Can you run down all the details on the home once more?
BETHANY: Absolutely.
Three bedrooms, two full baths and one half bath in the basement.
It's about 2,400 square feet.
You have a one car garage.
JOHN: I'm thinking about the value of the land and the house.
And I'm a novice, so.
BETHANY: We'll hold you to it.
JOHN: I'm going to make a guess today of, and I feel like changing at the last second but I'm not going to.
CHRISTINE: Go with your gut like you always say.
JOHN: $840,000.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
BETHANY: Okay.
Christine?
CHRISTINE: Okay, I think that's, I applaud you.
JOHN: Thank you.
CHRISTINE: But I don't think you're correct.
JOHN: Probably not, but yeah.
CHRISTINE: Okay, I'm actually going to go higher.
Alright, I'm going to go, I'm sorry what did you say again?
JOHN: $840,000.
CHRISTINE: Oh, I'm going to go higher.
I'm going to go $875,000.
BETHANY: And the winner is... Ding, ding, ding, ding.
$875,000.
CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh!
I am spot on.
JOHN: She got it on the nose?
BETHANY: On the nose.
JOHN: Unbelievable.
CHRISTINE: Wait, oh my gosh, this is the first time I've ever done that.
Where's my confetti?
BETHANY: No confetti, but I do have this.
CHRISTINE: Yes.
JOHN: What have you done Bethany?
Don't encourage her with this.
CHRISTINE: I'm just going to carry this around.
JOHN: She'll probably frame it, it's terrible.
CHRISTINE: I will.
BETHANY: And that leads us to finishing our story with house number three.
We are leaving here; we're going back into the City of Falls Church.
And I think you'll absolutely love this last house I have for you to see.
JOHN: How about we walk through the garden and we can count the 200, 350 azaleas... BETHANY: 350 azalea bushes.
Why not, let's go.
JOHN: Okay, alright.
CHRISTINE: I think we should start with number one.
JOHN: I'm up to seven, I think.
CHRISTINE: If that were an azalea, but it's a boxwood.
QUANG: If you lived here, you would know about Eden Center.
And if you know about Eden Center, you would know Vietnamese food.
And if you know Vietnamese food, you would know about fish sauce, or I would call it dipping sauce, which goes with everything.
Vietnamese love our food.
And so, we will go where there's a good congregation of businesses that does provide that.
We as a business has been around for 34 years.
But our first location was in Arlington at Columbia Pike.
But we have been here for 28 years.
At the time Eden Center was up and coming.
So, my mom, who has very good business sense, told my dad, said, "Hey, listen, we should really relocate to the Center because I think that's where people are going to be in the future."
And she made a really good guess.
People ask me, "What makes Eden Center unique?"
I would tell them besides the cultural aspect of it, is that location is great is because it's at kind of intersection of 66, Route 50 and 495.
So, it's very accessible.
When we first came, there were still some American businesses here.
We saw that transition to them moving out and kind of like been filled back in by Vietnamese business.
And for the longest time, it was 100% Vietnamese businesses.
And when I talk about Vietnamese businesses, there's no chain, it's just all family-run businesses.
Growing up, I helped out.
I describe it as like we were kids on a farm, we got up in the morning, helped, made some food, and then went to school, come back in the afternoon, evening come out, help, do our homework.
And so, it was like that for many years through high school.
And then a few years ago, my sister, who has been helping with Dad for over 20 years, fell ill. And I saw that we had so many employees, so many families that I just didn't want them to find themself in a place where they wouldn't have a job.
So, I walked away from my career as a electrical engineer to come work here.
So, we are well-known for good Vietnamese food that we make.
We make a lot of desserts, and our party platters.
Which, Vietnamese are a tightly knit family, and so, birthdays, celebrations, we get a lot of orders for that.
I just have to say Bahn Mi is like, after Pho, which what Vietnamese food's known for, Bahn Mi is up and coming.
A lot of young people love it and it's cheap.
Falls Church is like a little, it's like a little island, but it's kind of, I call it like the gateway to the rest of the suburbs.
(doorbell) JOHN: Bethany, this house is beautiful!
BETHANY: Isn't it pretty spectacular?
JOHN: And all the trees.
CHRISTINE: Well, you know what I think is so unique, the minute you walk up, you see more of the Cape Cod's in the neighborhood, and then you look at this house, it has such a modern feel to it.
BETHANY: This house was the original house of Virginia Forest.
CHRISTINE: This was originally like the homes that we see across the street?
BETHANY: Very similar, yeah.
JOHN: So, what year was it built in?
BETHANY: It was built in 1942.
Mr.
Mess was the original owner of the house.
And Mr.
Mess was also a founding father of the W&OD Trail.
JOHN: That's a big deal around here.
BETHANY: It is a big deal.
JOHN: So, what's so great about it?
BETHANY: Easy access for people to jog, they take their kids on it, walk their dogs, bike into the city with it.
So, you have a lot of access.
JOHN: All thanks to Mr.
Mess.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BETHANY: Yes.
And when you're going through it, I want you to keep in mind there are a lot of original details in the house that you'll see when you go in.
JOHN: Okay.
BETHANY: And when you go into the living room, look at the mantle.
And then the back screened in porch is also original.
CHRISTINE: Oh, screened in porch.
JOHN: Okay Bethany, we'll see you in two.
Thank you, ma'am.
There you go.
Wow this is neat.
CHRISTINE: Oh, look at this beautiful cherry bench.
JOHN: That's beautiful.
CHRISTINE: Live edge.
JOHN: Taking my shoes off for this house.
CHRISTINE: So, you can tell this is the new addition.
JOHN: Sunken family room there.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, great additional living space.
JOHN: Yeah, overlooking the side yard.
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.
JOHN: Into the kitchen.
A cook's kitchen, clearly.
CHRISTINE: Well, I'm not even a cook, but I call this a dream kitchen.
JOHN: Looks like it's got everything you need.
CHRISTINE: Well, I know what you're going to notice are the appliances.
JOHN: Double ovens and an induction range, which we haven't seen that.
You can boil water in like minutes.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
Because I'm not familiar with an induction range.
JOHN: They're really very nice.
That's a nice touch.
CHRISTINE: Okay, I have to see, is this one of those sinks that you do the... JOHN: Tina.
Tina.
Tina.
Up above.
It's like magic right?
CHRISTINE: I've always wanted to... JOHN: She's like, “I'm going to try to turn it on like this."
Wait, what, what, what?
Yep, down here.
CHRISTINE: See?
There you go.
JOHN: How about here?
No?
CHRISTINE: Okay.
Alright.
But you know what I'm going to point out?
These maple cabinets.
JOHN: Beautiful.
CHRISTINE: Alright.
And you know how I'm always looking down, you're always the one looking up?
JOHN: Yep.
CHRISTINE: Well, look down.
JOHN: Yeah, I love those lights underneath those kickboards.
CHRISTINE: See what you've missed without me?
JOHN: See that.
CHRISTINE: Alright.
So, the dining room with this funky cool light fixture.
JOHN: Yeah, that's a new trend.
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.
JOHN: Oh, look at this.
CHRISTINE: Oh, I bet Bethany left this out for us.
JOHN: Oh my gosh.
You and I love stuff like this.
CHRISTINE: 1942 so I bet this was an ad for the original development of Virginia Forest.
JOHN: Sure looks that way.
CHRISTINE: It had to be.
This is the original house.
You can, look at the old vehicle.
JOHN: That's really cool.
This is like history detectives.
CHRISTINE: Yeah but it's nice to see the house, what it has kind of evolved into.
JOHN: I'm sure it was quite different in here.
Like, the footprint.
CHRISTINE: I bet this is the original mantle that Bethany was telling us about.
JOHN: Yeah.
Look at this woodwork, huh?
CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh, it's beautiful pine.
JOHN: What is this?
It's pine?
CHRISTINE: It's pine, yep.
But they did update it with a gas insert fireplace.
JOHN: And it's good looking too.
Alright, well, glass everywhere.
Especially in the front.
CHRISTINE: But look at this picture window.
JOHN: Yes, letting all the light in and seeing all those beautiful trees outside.
CHRISTINE: I know, I mean, this is the perfect neighborhood to have this size of a window.
JOHN: How about upstairs?
CHRISTINE: Yep, let's go.
JOHN: Wow.
Look at this.
Look how this opens up.
Skylights galore.
CHRISTINE: Oh yeah, look at those oak shelves.
JOHN: Custom.
CHRISTINE: Let's check out the new part of the house.
JOHN: Woah, okay.
Look at this.
CHRISTINE: Here we have the laundry room.
JOHN: Really nice to have that on the top level, as we say.
And look at that stainless steel counter with the sink.
How about that?
CHRISTINE: That's a nice feature.
JOHN: Keep it clean, yeah.
CHRISTINE: So here we have a full bathroom.
JOHN: Full bathroom.
Oh, very nice, all updated.
Oh, I love that light.
CHRISTINE: I have to give a shout out to the shower curtain.
JOHN: The Metro maps shower curtain.
That wins for cool points there.
CHRISTINE: I wonder if the Falls Church Metro stop is on there?
JOHN: Well, you would have your option of East Falls Church and West Falls Church.
CHRISTINE: Hmm.
JOHN: Hmm.
There's so much to look at.
CHRISTINE: I know.
Well, look at this whole sitting area.
JOHN: Sitting area.
CHRISTINE: So, I think this is still part of the old house.
I think this is where we're starting anew.
JOHN: Definitely.
CHRISTINE: So, this is bedroom number one.
So, this is the first that we've seen.
JOHN: Number one, they're using as an office.
But nice bedroom.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
JOHN: Half pitch ceiling.
CHRISTINE: Oh, I do like that half pitch.
Alright, let's move on.
JOHN: I like this little hallway here.
CHRISTINE: Okay, second bedroom.
JOHN: Oh, this is very nice.
CHRISTINE: I like the little kind of nook back there.
JOHN: With all the trees outside?
CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.
JOHN: Mm-hmm, love it.
CHRISTINE: Alright, let's keep going.
JOHN: I love how interesting this top floor is and like this big open space up here.
CHRISTINE: The photographs we looked at downstairs?
This would have been the original second floor with the dormers.
JOHN: Yep, the old dormers.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, yeah, but look at how they've opened up the space.
JOHN: It's great looking.
CHRISTINE: So, let's check out the original part of the house.
JOHN: I see bedroom number three.
CHRISTINE: Alright.
Nice sized bedroom, lots of light and full bath.
JOHN: Ah, another full bath.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
I know we're bedroom three, but have you been keeping track of the bath?
JOHN: Not really, but I know there are four full.
CHRISTINE: Okay.
This is interesting.
JOHN: Well, it's like a gallery section plus office.
CHRISTINE: It is.
JOHN: Into... Oh la-la.
CHRISTINE: Oh, let's start with the bathroom.
JOHN: Very nice, modern.
CHRISTINE: Double vanities.
A nice sit-down shower.
Oh, look at the tile work.
JOHN: Oh, that's beautiful.
CHRISTINE: That pattern is so cool.
JOHN: Oh, I love the lights too.
Those were the same lights in the other bathroom.
CHRISTINE: Well, you're talking about the lights on top.
I'm talking about the lights on the bottom.
JOHN: Nice touch.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, I mean how nice is that if you're coming in at night and lights your pathway.
JOHN: Super deluxe.
You know what else is nice?
This barn door with glass, frosted glass.
Also lets the light through there.
CHRISTINE: I know, flows right through.
JOHN: How about that?
Owner's suite.
CHRISTINE: This is really spacious.
JOHN: It is, and so serene.
CHRISTINE: I've been noticing the oak floors and they've done the light oak flooring throughout the entire home, too.
JOHN: And it's been light and bright.
And is oak making a comeback?
CHRISTINE: Maybe.
JOHN: Maybe.
CHRISTINE: Because this was part of the original house.
JOHN: It was.
CHRISTINE: But you can see how it has been renovated so nicely.
JOHN: So nicely.
The entire house, every single door, every single piece of hardware, this couple did it right.
Well, I would have never known that this was a Cape Cod from the outside.
CHRISTINE: No, no and you know we've seen the entire house, but we haven't seen the outside and that porch that Bethany told us about.
JOHN: Into this, an original feature of this house for sure.
The screened-in porch.
CHRISTINE: Well, you know, I love the way you can open up these doors and leave them open right to the house.
JOHN: So, I do love the original details of the porch, like the stonework down below.
CHRISTINE: And you know what is really interesting is that they brought in the modern features, recess lighting.
I believe this is cypress paneling on top.
JOHN: And that's new.
CHRISTINE: Yes, that is new, that is new.
JOHN: And it is gorgeous.
Bethany, what a way to end the day.
CHRISTINE: Talk about saving the best for last, coming out to that sunroom.
BETHANY: It's beautiful.
CHRISTINE: I would almost say that that is one of my favorite features in this home.
BETHANY: The screened-in porch is an original, 1942 built.
And, then you have the blend of that beautiful kitchen.
JOHN: So many special features.
From outside to in, to the gardens, to the porch.
This patio.
There's a lot to love in this home.
BETHANY: There is.
CHRISTINE: I am going to admit I am a geek when it comes to woodwork.
JOHN: I think everybody knows that by now.
CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh.
So not only do you have a forest around you, it feels like you have a forest inside because you had cherry, you had maple, you had pine.
I could go on and on and on.
JOHN: Please don't, I think we all get the point.
BETHANY: And now you get to guess.
It is a four bedroom house, three full baths and one half bath.
Two car garage.
And it's about 3,200 square feet.
JOHN: So, okay, great house.
Do love that porch.
I love the upstairs.
I love the lot.
Did we mention how great the... CHRISTINE: Yeah, don't forget this patio area.
JOHN: The patio area, the front.
Um, and it was the original house in this neighborhood, which is really cool.
So, it gets some street credit for that, right?
CHRISTINE: Oh, that's true, yeah.
JOHN: Okay, so that said, Bethany, I am going to go for 1.350.
CHRISTINE: Oh, that was exactly what I was going to go with.
JOHN: What a ca-winkie dink.
Who would have thought?
CHRISTINE: Okay, I'm going to go with $1,355,000.
BETHANY: So, I know the rules are you can't go over the price.
JOHN: True.
BETHANY: But $5,000 difference here?
I mean, come on.
JOHN: Call the police because I think I just got robbed.
Please tell me it's 152.
BETHANY: The real price of this house is $1,400,000.
CHRISTINE: Ha-ha!
I win.
BETHANY: Christine wins again.
JOHN: She won again.
CHRISTINE: If only I had my number one sign.
Oh wait, I do.
JOHN: I told you she would have this with her all the time now.
Thank you, Bethany.
BETHANY: You're welcome.
You're very welcome.
And thank you for coming to Falls Church.
You can come back anytime.
JOHN: Oh, thanks for the invite.
BETHANY: We'd love to have you in Falls Church.
JOHN: Oh, we'll be back.
So, Bethany, this place is amazing.
BETHANY: Isn't it?
Doesn't it smell so good!
CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh.
So, what a treat to live so close to the Eden Center.
BETHANY: One of the things I love most about the area is just you can experience any kind of culture.
It's an atmosphere, it's a warmth that we love about the people here.
JOHN: Oh, it has everything from Bubble Tea to Bahn Mi, right?
BETHANY: Absolutely.
CHRISTINE: Wouldn't that be just the perfect day?
To walk along and sample everything?
JOHN: Can we do that?
BETHANY: We'll try it all.
Why not?
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Brown’s Hardware Has Been Building Falls Church Since 1883
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S2 Ep2 | 2m 26s | John Taylor, owner of Brown’s Hardware, describes the neighborhood's growth and change. (2m 26s)
A Country Cottage-Feel in the Heart of Northern Virginia
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S2 Ep2 | 5m 5s | This 2-bedroom condo has a can’t-beat location in the center of Falls Church City. (5m 5s)
Flash Back to the ‘50s with this Falls Church Rambler
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S2 Ep2 | 6m 13s | Christine and John step into a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath time capsule in West Falls Church. (6m 13s)
Preview: S2 Ep2 | 30s | Christine and John meet residents and explore neighborhoods in Falls Church, Virginia. (30s)
You’ll Pine for These Maple Cabinets
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S2 Ep2 | 8m 57s | Christine can’t get enough of the woodworking in this 4-bed, 3.5-bath Falls Church home. (8m 57s)
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