WOMAN: Support for If You Lived Here comes from... NARRATOR: The Yuen Foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences within the greater Washington, D.C. community.

JOHN: Hi, I'm John.

CHRISTINE: I'm Christine.

We're producers at WETA and pretty much inseparable.

JOHN: We love living in the DMV and finding a place to live here can be eye opening.

CHRISTINE: We're going to tour three properties at three different price points.

JOHN: And try to guess the listing price without going over.

And find out what it would be like...

BOTH: If You Lived Here.

CHRISTINE: Good morning.

JOHN: Good morning.

BOOFIE: We're so glad you're here.

JOHN: So you're Boofie, and you're Margaret?

MARGARET: Yes.

JOHN: Got it right.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Is Boofie a nickname?

BOOFIE: My given name's Mary Booth.

I couldn't say it when I was little.

I said Boof.

(laughing) And Boofie stuck.

CHRISTINE: I had no idea there were so much beautiful green space and that there were so many ponds and lakes.

Is this indicative of this area?

BOOFIE: People hear that Reston's a planned community and they think it's sterile, but it's, the planning allows it to be beautiful.

The idea of Mr. Simon, when he bought all this land, was to combine the best of the city and the best of the suburbs.

We've always focused on Reston 'cause we know Reston... JOHN: Yeah.

BOOFIE: From the inside out.

JOHN: Yeah.

BOOFIE: Margaret swam on the swim team.

She was manager of the pool and met her husband.

JOHN: Aww.

BOOFIE: So... MARGARET: Yes, we have deep roots in Reston.

(laughing) CHRISTINE: Mom, stop!

Mom, stop!

MARGARET: And now I'm raising my family here in Reston.

We hope to share a little bit of the feeling comes across with you all today.

And I'll meet you at house number two.

BOOFIE: Let's go.

MARGARET: Let's go.

(doorbell).

JOHN: We have arrived.

BOOFIE: Here we are, house number one.

This is the extension of the South Lakes village.

It has restaurants and dry cleaners and across the street we have pool, tennis... CHRISTINE: Oh, nice.

BOOFIE: 'Cause one of the things we're great at here in Reston is recreation.

JOHN: So you really don't have to leave this neighborhood for anything really?

BOOFIE: Not much.

JOHN: Not much.

BOOFIE: This is three levels and there's a bit of a surprise out back and I'll meet you in the back.

JOHN: All right.

CHRISTINE: Sounds good.

JOHN: Wonderful.

BOOFIE: Have fun.

CHRISTINE: Well, you know, I love surprises.

JOHN: Just not the ones that pop out at ya, you know.

CHRISTINE: That's true.

But hello, cozy living area.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: This is really just a comfortable kind of feel to it.

JOHN: So this is a starter home.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And you can tell that it's been refreshed, but, all the original details seem to be here.

CHRISTINE: And it is perfectly, you know, move in ready the way it looks now.

I see a lot of open space, but yet defined spaces.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: Can it be open yet defined?

JOHN: Yeah, sure.

Dining room, love having a round table in a small space.

CHRISTINE: You love those round tables.

JOHN: Really works.

Into the kitchen.

Ooh, this is big.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

The size of this fridge.

It's probably a little too big for this space, but it's a perfect refrigerator for me.

Because, I've got more on the outside of my fridge than the inside.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: I look at this and it's like a blank canvas.

JOHN: Yeah.

Oh, you could do a lot with that.

But, you know what this is?

This is an old fashioned telephone station.

So you'd have your landline... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: You know.

And, you, you'd pick it up, you'd be like, hi grandma.

Oh, hold on, let me sit down.

And, oh brother.

CHRISTINE: That is, okay, that is a step back in time.

JOHN: Yeah.

But, I love this kitchen as is.

CHRISTINE: I do too.

Okay, surprise.

JOHN: You found... CHRISTINE: Look at this window.

There's a pond out there.

JOHN: Oh.

CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh.

JOHN: Wow.

Wow, it's a big pond.

CHRISTINE: It is, and they're fishing.

JOHN: And the kids are fishing.

CHRISTINE: I wish I would have brought my spin rod.

I wanna go join them.

JOHN: Hysterical.

You know, I think this breakfast room is actually even bigger than the dining room and maybe it's the great window.

CHRISTINE: Here's one thing that you never really hear me say and that's, I don't wanna leave a kitchen.

This kitchen.

JOHN: Wow.

Yeah, I never thought I'd hear that.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Let's go over here first.

CHRISTINE: Okay, all right.

JOHN: Owner suite.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

This is a beautiful room.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

I love the three windows.

JOHN: They're inset.

CHRISTINE: They are.

JOHN: It's dramatic, it's... CHRISTINE: It does add the drama.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: I thought the owner suite was gonna be back there with the pond view.

JOHN: Hmm.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

I mean, don't get me wrong.

This is a really nice room.

JOHN: Yeah, okay.

CHRISTINE: And here we have the en suite.

Do you call it a full, it's a full en suite.

JOHN: It's a full, yes.

CHRISTINE: But in the future, do you think somebody would move in and maybe remodel?

JOHN: Uh, yeah.

'Cause this was a period thing.

My parents had something just like this.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And I would make this into... CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: One big bathroom.

CHRISTINE: And, here we have a full bathroom.

So that makes two and a half.

JOHN: Two and a half.

Yep.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

And now, okay.

Here's where I envisioned that you would have your owner suite because of the view of the pond.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: If this was your room growing up, what a great room.

JOHN: Yeah.

Kid room, cute.

CHRISTINE: And again, another nice room.

JOHN: Nice for kids.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, yeah.

JOHN: It's pretty quiet in here.

CHRISTINE: It is.

JOHN: All right.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: Nice upper floor.

Downstairs?

CHRISTINE: Downstairs.

JOHN: Here we go.

CHRISTINE: Great.

So, lower level and half bath.

JOHN: Half bath.

So, two full, two half.

CHRISTINE: Nice lower level.

JOHN: What a surprise.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

JOHN: This is a great living space down here.

CHRISTINE: It is.

And this is what I wanted to see.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: I wanted to see what the view was going to look like down here.

JOHN: Yeah, really stunning.

CHRISTINE: Hello.

BOOFIE: Hi, so what did you all think?

CHRISTINE: Well, I didn't wanna leave this townhouse.

JOHN: Well, we both were saying over and over.

This is a great starter home.

BOOFIE: Actually, Margaret and I started three houses over.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

JOHN: No!

Really?

BOOFIE: This was our first location in Reston.

JOHN: Aw, that's nice.

CHRISTINE: I walked in that kitchen.

I looked out the window, not only did I see this beautiful pond, but there were two little boys fishing.

BOOFIE: Oh good.

CHRISTINE: And I have to, did you set that up?

BOOFIE: Oh absolutely.

CHRISTINE: Somebody could just move in.

Um, but there are some features that they would probably like to update.

JOHN: Sure.

Kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: Bathroom upstairs... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: In the main bedroom.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

JOHN: I have a whole plan for that.

BOOFIE: Good.

CHRISTINE: He does.

He has the whole outline.

BOOFIE: You know, you're welcome to move in.

JOHN: Okay.

BOOFIE: So we three bedrooms.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

BOOFIE: Two full baths.

Two half baths.

2,300 square feet, was built in 1977.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

I'm gonna give you a price of $600,000.

BOOFIE: Okay.

CHRISTINE: I'm going to come in at a listing price of $575,000.

BOOFIE: So you're making the owner very happy, but I think you're going to be sad.

JOHN: Oh.

CHRISTINE: Oh, I know what that means.

BOOFIE: The list price of the property is $539,000.

CHRISTINE: Oh!

Well unfortunately... BOOFIE: You're closer.

CHRISTINE: We both went over.

JOHN: But really with all the amenities here... BOOFIE: Yes.

JOHN: It's worth 600.

This path you said goes the way through Reston?

BOOFIE: It does.

And it actually goes behind house number two.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

JOHN: Our next destination.

BOOFIE: Our next destination.

CHRISTINE: Good, can we walk there?

BOOFIE: Sure.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

BOOFIE: It's five miles.

JOHN: Okay.

No.

CHRISTINE: Okay, not so much.

BOOFIE: Margaret's gonna meet you there.

CHRISTINE: See you later.

Hey, can we get some fishing in before?

JOHN: Oh yeah.

MICHAEL: In the early ‘70s, it was the era of the new town.

Uh, and there were many new towns that tried to be developed in the United States.

Most failed because of the investment required, uh, to develop new towns with frankly, the exception of Reston and Columbia.

And they today are the true premier planned communities of the new town era developed in the ‘70s.

Bob Simon in 1964 began the new town movement in Virginia.

His family owned Carnegie Hall and Bob sold Carnegie Hall and used those funds to purchase the land that's today, Reston.

And as part of that was his vision that it be for all people.

And when I say all people, uh, I mean people of all races and all income levels.

JIM: I've been working in Reston almost as long as Reston has been a community.

Reston was the first open community in Virginia.

Virginia was a segregated state in 1960s.

And that's, that's one of the things I loved about Reston, it was different.

And Bob believed in community and that, uh, amenities and all the things that make a community need to be there from the beginning.

He had graduated from Harvard, studied urban planning, had been in Europe, he saw some of the urban planning that had gone on.

And he'd seen little towns and how they kinda grew with a mix of, uh, you know, people living over their stores and things like that.

And he said, American suburbs are land.

We need to do what they're doing in Europe.

That's the idea of village centers.

It's a place where people could live, work and play, have a variety of housing that they could live their whole lives here from childhood to old age and never have to leave.

MICHAEL: We are in the Lake Anne district.

This is the original district of Reston.

Uh, it was the first cluster built.

The first, uh, senior housing built and the lake was the first, uh, lake built in Reston.

Bob did, hired the very best, uh, for his design work, both in the, the planning and layout of Reston, but also the, in the architecture of the individual housing developments.

Uh, Charles Goodman was extremely important because he had, he designed one of the first cluster in Reston, which was a townhouse development in the modernist style.

The, uh, town center began its development in the ‘90s.

The town center was developed on purpose in the later stages, because you need the people there to support the commercial base.

Town center was always Bob's vision of the high density center of Reston.

Um, he may not have liked all of the architecture that came, came to pass.

But the development of it, and the success of it is something he was very pleased about.

(doorbell).

JOHN: Hey, hey.

CHRISTINE: Hey Margaret.

MARGARET: Hi, welcome to house number two.

JOHN: This is exciting, the little switcheroo, first your mom, and now you.

MARGARET: Yep.

You get both of us.

JOHN: Oh, right.

MARGARET: So we are in South Reston.

This is the older side of Reston.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

MARGARET: We have a lot of variation.

So we have this, which is a split level.

JOHN: Yeah.

MARGARET: Um, we have center hall colonials.

We have lots of contemporaries and it's a really great opportunity to find a house that has great bones has a really good foundation.

And then you can build onto it yourself.

You can update what's there.

CHRISTINE: Oh, nice.

JOHN: So something for everybody.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

MARGARET: Exactly.

So go ahead and have a look and I'll meet you out back when you're done.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Great.

CHRISTINE: Sounds good.

Oh!

JOHN: Ooh la-la.

CHRISTINE: So definitely a split level that's been renovated.

JOHN: Yes ma'am, starting with this, uh... CHRISTINE: Oh yeah.

Starting right with the bathroom.

JOHN: Half bath.

CHRISTINE: And may I say a really nice renovated half bath.

JOHN: That's a good looking vanity.

Oh, this kitchen Tina.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Wow, you can really tell, this has been like re-imagined.

You know what I smell?

Everything new.

This is a new kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: That Wolf range.

CHRISTINE: And how about this beautiful quartz island?

JOHN: Is that quartz?

CHRISTINE: Of quartz it is.

(laughing) JOHN: Well, you know, I don't think we should be touching anything in his kitchen, because it's all so brand new, you know.

CHRISTINE: Hmm.

JOHN: It's such a pretty kitchen.

CHRISTINE: It is pretty.

And, you know that splash of red on your stove.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: You know, I appreciate that more than probably the cooking on it actually.

JOHN: A lot of people get stoves like that and they don't cook on them.

But it's so interesting what they did with little details like this little ledge up here.

Before we go on, we have to say, look at the dining room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: What a great space and a great flow.

Oh, look at this sunroom.

CHRISTINE: Oh, and speaking of the outdoors.

JOHN: Yep, addition.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: To the back, yet another level.

CHRISTINE: Right.

You know what I love, is that they put their coffee bar out here.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Which means I'm having my coffee out here every morning.

JOHN: Coffee bar in the morning.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Wine bar with this wine fridge at night.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Oh, the old split level.

CHRISTINE: This is the room I would spend most of my time in.

You look at that screen porch... JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: And the trees, it's just very calming.

It's just pretty.

JOHN: And that's what Reston is all about.

CHRISTINE: And I even see the trail.

JOHN: Right.

There's a little gate.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And then you go directly to the trail.

Wonderful room.

And this fireplace, original... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And so groovy.

CHRISTINE: The design.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: I think that is so unique.

JOHN: Dynamite looking.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: A game room.

CHRISTINE: Oh, now this is fun.

JOHN: Okay.

It's nice to have a game room, but this room could be anything, could be another living area or office.

CHRISTINE: Oh no, this is perfect as a game room.

I would keep it with the pool table.

JOHN: Yeah.

It's pretty nice.

I say we head downstairs, I think there's another level.

All right.

And, we have entered the basement, officially.

CHRISTINE: Okay, not a finished basement.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: But it looks like they're using it probably regularly as their workout room.

JOHN: Yep, all right.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Time to check out the upper level.

Know what I'm noticing right away?

JOHN: Yeah.

I know what you're noticing.

CHRISTINE: Right.

These are the original floors.

JOHN: It is the original flooring.

And I like it.

CHRISTINE: I know, it's about an inch and a half wide.

I dunno if I've seen... JOHN: I have never, they're cute.

I want those floors.

Okay.

Well bedroom number one.

CHRISTINE: All right.

This is bedroom number two.

They're probably identical, two good kids rooms.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Which, that's what they're being used for.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Into... CHRISTINE: Full bath.

JOHN: A full bath.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

All right.

So an en suite.

JOHN: So is this the owners?

CHRISTINE: I'm not sure.

You know, I wonder, 'cause looking at this bathroom, obviously the bathroom's not original.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

Yep.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

I'm wondering if this was actually a whole other bedroom.

JOHN: I think so.

CHRISTINE: Right, 'cause when you look at the floor... JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, a wall may have been here.

JOHN: Yes.

CHRISTINE: And that's a large like sitting area.

If you were going to have a sitting area.

JOHN: Agreed.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Okay.

Now, I think this is the main bedroom in the house.

CHRISTINE: Right.

Do you know, I feel like I'm walking to a new wing of the home.

JOHN: That's nice.

Oh!

CHRISTINE: Oh!

This feels like you just walked into your private sanctuary.

JOHN: And it is.

CHRISTINE: And of course the beautiful windows letting in... JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: The natural light and just the view.

JOHN: Yep, and bathroom.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

This is a really good size bathroom.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Got the double vanities over here.

JOHN: Marble shower.

CHRISTINE: Right.

And obviously this isn't the original bathroom.

JOHN: Sure enough.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Are you sure you don't wanna just hang out in this room and... CHRISTINE: It is peaceful.

JOHN: And enjoy, it is, it is pretty peaceful.

CHRISTINE: I know.

JOHN: It's good room.

CHRISTINE: Hi Margaret.

MARGARET: Hey.

So, what did you think?

CHRISTINE: Well, first of all this back area.

(laughing) JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Just being out here.

JOHN: Can we talk about it?

This is a very, you know, low maintenance... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Yard really.

MARGARET: Yes.

JOHN: Because there's a lot of like ground cover.

CHRISTINE: Right.

Perennials... JOHN: Perennials.

CHRISTINE: That don't need a lot of care, but look great.

JOHN: Yeah.

MARGARET: Yes.

It's beautifully manicured, but not a headache.

JOHN: Right.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

MARGARET: Perfect balance.

So what'd you think about the inside?

JOHN: Blew us away.

I, I grew up in a, a split level, not like this, so... MARGARET: Right.

JOHN: It's really so nicely done that kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And just spectacular.

MARGARET: Do you have any other questions about the house?

CHRISTINE: HOA?

MARGARET: The HOA is Reston Association, which is $718 a year.

Includes the 14 pools, about 40 tennis courts, the trails.

I know you may have seen that at the previous house as well.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: We walked from the last house actually.

MARGARET: Oh, good for you.

JOHN: It's like five miles.

CHRISTINE: No he's, yeah, he's lying.

JOHN: We drove.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

MARGARET: So the stats for the house, it's a four bedroom house, three and a half bath.

It's 2,500 square feet.

And it was built in 1968.

CHRISTINE: 2,500 square feet.

JOHN: Yeah, that's... CHRISTINE: That's... JOHN: So surprising.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

I, it feels so much bigger.

MARGARET: Let's hear it.

What are your guesses?

CHRISTINE: Okay, hmm.

Okay, I'm just gonna go $925,000.

MARGARET: Okay.

JOHN: Oh my gosh.

Okay.

I am going to come in with a guess for this home... of $800,000.

MARGARET: All right, well the actual list price $889, 900.

JOHN: It's Begeny for the win.

CHRISTINE: Oh, oh but I was... MARGARET: You were so close.

CHRISTINE: Closer.

JOHN: You were really close to it.

MARGARET: But now we're gonna head to Reston town center.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Let's do it.

MARGARET: All right.

LEILA: I've worked for Reston Community Center for 37 years and have had a love affair with this community, really, since, since coming to Lake Anne in high school.

Bob Simon who founded Reston, he used to say that community is what it's all about.

And the community center is really a catalyst for that.

Reston's uh, recreational amenities have been both outdoors and indoors.

And so water safety and creating a, a human friendly aquatics environment has been a central recreational value, uh, uh, throughout Reston's history.

MATTHEW: There's 14 outdoor pools currently in operation in the Reston community.

So with all the lakes and all the outdoor pools, um, swimming is a huge aspect of Reston.

The Reston community center is heavily involved in our drowning education awareness program.

So we have year round programming in which we are focusing on getting every child, in Reston the ability to learn how to swim, whether they pay for it or not.

SHREETI: If somebody was visiting or thinking about moving to Reston, I would tell them that if you like outdoor activities and down to earth people, this is the place for you.

A lot of people stand up paddleboard on the lake, uh, take out kayaks on the lake.

And Reston actually has a very welcoming running community.

And that really has been a source of, um, such joy living here these 20 years.

EVE: One of the things that living on Lake Anne has, um, really informed within me, is how much impact the built environment has on people.

Really baked into the recipe from the beginning was the existence of public art.

And so if you look around the plaza, you'll see we have, we have sculptures.

We call them the concrete toys.

Children have been climbing on for generations.

Bob invited artists like Gonzalo Fonseca to participate from day one.

So this is, uh, one of the most popular, uh, installations of Gonzalo Fonseca's.

This is called the sun boat sculpture.

It is a favorite with kids who immediately recognize it as a boat.

And so let's take a walk down this path and we'll go take a look at the next, uh, Fonseca installation.

We are now entering into the North Shore Underpass, this is without a doubt one of my favorite places.

What you'll see is reminiscent of what we saw on the plaza.

So we've got the sun boat, which is sort of a carved out piece in the concrete.

And then here you have it as a sculptural piece.

I remember my grandson walking through here at age six and he stopped, and he says, "Gee-ma, is this magic?"

I said, "Yes, it is magic."

And I have really come to believe that, that's the magic of living with art built into your space.

(doorbell).

BOOFIE: Hi guys.

JOHN: There she is.

CHRISTINE: Hey Boofie.

BOOFIE: Welcome to Midtown.

JOHN: Thanks.

Wow, there is so much going on here.

BOOFIE: Isn't it fun?

JOHN: Yeah.

MARGARET: Very dog friendly, very family friendly.

There's a fine arts festival here.

It doesn't feel like you're dropped in the middle of a city.

You're gonna be heading to the east tower and you're gonna be going to the 21st floor.

The very top.

CHRISTINE: Oh, count 'em.

JOHN: The very top.

CHRISTINE: Count 'em.

Right up there.

JOHN: I can see 'em.

I think I can, it's pretty high.

MARGARET: It is.

CHRISTINE: You know, I don't know if we've ever toured a penthouse.

JOHN: We haven't.

BOOFIE: Oh.

JOHN: This, this is a first on the show.

BOOFIE: Well, you'll enjoy it.

JOHN: Yeah.

BOOFIE: It's great fun.

JOHN: And then afterwards, we'll meet you?

MARGARET: We'll meet you inside.

JOHN: Inside.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Sounds great.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Okay guys.

BOOFIE: Have fun.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Whoa.

JOHN: Take a look at that.

CHRISTINE: So this is urban living 20... JOHN: All the way.

CHRISTINE: 21 floors up.

(laughing) JOHN: You can see the Metro station right across the way.

What a contrast.

We were just at that house with those beautiful woods.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: They were so serene... CHRISTINE: Yeah nice Zen moment.

JOHN: And calm.

And then bam, you know, which is really cool, but that's the story of Reston too.

And then this.

CHRISTINE: Oh, hey, did you notice there's actually a living space here.

JOHN: There's actually a living space.

There's a lot to take in when you come into this space.

CHRISTINE: Well, I think, you know, you come in, this is the first thing you gravitate to, you look up, you're looking everywhere and then you realize, oh, hey, yeah, you can actually, um, there's a living room.

JOHN: There's a living room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

Look at this light fixture.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: It's like an art installation in itself.

JOHN: It is.

It probably is.

And these windows all around, what do you say we check out this room?

Looks like it's a den bedroom.

You know, what I'm seeing is this is not the place to buy if you have a fear of heights.

Because whoa, are we high up.

CHRISTINE: So here we have a, you know, spacious bedroom.

And of course not only do we have this great view.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: And I'm not talking about you, step aside so I can see.

But you've got this great skyline.

JOHN: And I like the roof line of all the buildings here.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: And the town center.

Okay.

I'll check out, uh, what's behind all these doors.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Oh, big surprise.

It's a walk in closet with built-ins.

CHRISTINE: Who knew.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

I didn't expect that at all.

Huh?

More built-ins.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

And, door number three, closet.

CHRISTINE: Closet.

JOHN: You got a closet.

JOHN: Lots of closets in this house, but also, the bathroom's back here.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Let me check that out with you.

JOHN: Okay.

Look at the... CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Now this is a marble we do not see often.

CHRISTINE: No.

What do you think of the tile?

JOHN: Well, it's kind of like taking me back to something like this, like the ‘70s, like a high grade, it's kinda groovy.

CHRISTINE: It is, you know, it really is a stunning bathroom.

JOHN: Still a luxury in that bath.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: Very nice.

Yep, okay.

Into a room with more views, the dining room.

CHRISTINE: Whoa.

You know, you step in here and you just, you almost have to take a step back and just awe, you know, you can have your breakfast looking at this view.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Have your lunch looking at this view.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: And then have dinner looking at that view.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: I'm kind of calling this one my favorite so far.

JOHN: It's my favorite so far too.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: We're in a combo breakfast room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Kitchen... CHRISTINE: And another seating area.

JOHN: Seating area.

Yep.

And oh, there's another balcony out here.

Little balcony.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

Well I think little is the operative word because I keep waiting for a bigger balcony up here.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: You know, to take advantage of those views in the outdoor space.

JOHN: Yeah, in such a grand space.

CHRISTINE: Hmm.

JOHN: But I tell you what I would do with that balcony, because the kitchen's right here, I'd do an herb garden out there.

CHRISTINE: Oh, you're smart.

JOHN: That's right.

CHRISTINE: You're smart.

JOHN: You know, like, clip your herbs, make a little pesto right here in the kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Oh, well you are the, okay, wait a second, I know you're the cook.

I'm gonna channel my John, my inner John.

JOHN: Wow.

That should be good.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Because I'm seeing something that you always ooh and aww over.

Okay ready?

JOHN: I'm ready.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Oh my gosh.

There's a Bosch, Bosch dishwasher.

Oh, a Viking, Viking stove, four burners and something in the middle.

(laughs) Okay.

A Viking microwave and oven, I'm not quite sure what that is.

Oh, oh, Tina, a Subzero refrigerator.

Whoa.

You know Wheezy, as a cook, this kitchen is perfect for me.

How was that?

JOHN: Wow.

CHRISTINE: I'm really good.

JOHN: You know, I gotta say, I think you nailed it.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Um, either half bath, closet?

JOHN: Let's check it out.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Oh.

JOHN: All right.

And it's been updated, like the finishes in here.

CHRISTINE: I do.

I like the floor to ceiling tile.

JOHN: Yeah, that's glass tile.

CHRISTINE: Ooh.

I, I like the scheme that they used in here.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Well... CHRISTINE: Hey.

JOHN: Look at this bedroom.

CHRISTINE: So John, what do you think of it?

JOHN: I think it looks great.

CHRISTINE: John, John?

JOHN: I'm right here.

CHRISTINE: Oh my God, you just... JOHN: I'm not just a floating head, Tina.

CHRISTINE: You just blend right in.

JOHN: So two bedrooms, one and a half baths.

CHRISTINE: We need to check... JOHN: Up we go.

Now, here's a balcony.

Now that's what I call a balcony.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

JOHN: Take a look at that.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: That is what we've been waiting for.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And look at this.

So this is more like a gallery space for art, with views of the living room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Nice.

It really shows the scope of how modern this place is with all the great windows... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: The light, just the general construct of it, and... CHRISTINE: You know, everything I said downstairs about, oh, this balcony is too small or I'd like to see something bigger.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Looking out there and seeing that view and the, the space I take it all back.

JOHN: Oh yeah, you should.

CHRISTINE: I know.

JOHN: I mean, you could put a whole other condo out there.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: So, bedroom number three.

CHRISTINE: Oh, yep.

JOHN: Maybe a kid's bedroom, guest bedroom.

It's a long bedroom.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: And done here.

CHRISTINE: Okay, en suite.

JOHN: En suites.

CHRISTINE: So, two... JOHN: Three full baths.

CHRISTINE: Three full baths.

That's right.

JOHN: One half.

CHRISTINE: 'Cause there's one downstairs.

JOHN: Yeah.

Well, this has been a trip to the top.

JOHN: Hey.

CHRISTINE: Hey.

MARGARET: All right.

JOHN: Oh, you brought refreshments?

BOOFIE: We did.

So what did you think?

JOHN: I think my favorite room was the dining room.

CHRISTINE: You know, the views on all three sides.

JOHN: Then you have these two mammoth terraces up here, rooftop terraces, which I could just really re-envision with, you know, seating areas and maybe a Jacuzzi on that one and some trees, maybe an outdoor kitchen.

MARGARET: Yeah.

It's pretty incredible.

BOOFIE: There's a workout room.

JOHN: Nice.

BOOFIE: You're close to all the restaurants.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

BOOFIE: And there are four parking spaces.

JOHN: Okay.

CHRISTINE: Four.

JOHN: We need that.

CHRISTINE: Well that's nice.

JOHN: I think this place deserves four parking spaces.

JOHN: Yes.

MARGARET: I agree.

JOHN: Yeah.

MARGARET: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: And is there a condo fee?

BOOFIE: There is a condo fee.

It's $2,000 a month.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

All right.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

All right.

MARGARET: Let me tell you about the stats.

It's a three bedroom, three and a half bath unit, square footage is 2,989.

JOHN: Hmm.

MARGARET: With about 1,200 square feet of outdoor space.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

MARGARET: All of that together, what do you guys think?

JOHN: All right.

CHRISTINE: What I think is, I'm glad you're going first.

(laughing) JOHN: I'm not so glad right now.

CHRISTINE: That's what I think.

JOHN: I am going to make a guess of... $2,350,000.

BOOFIE: Hmm.

MARGARET: Okay.

And... BOOFIE: No pressure.

CHRISTINE: I'm gonna do 1.8 million.

MARGARET: And the actual list price is... $2,700,000.

JOHN: Yeah!

CHRISTINE: Wow!

JOHN: I can't even believe it.

I, I was thinking... CHRISTINE: Oh.

JOHN: Like, I was wait, I was gonna do 2.1.

I'm like, no I'm gonna go big.

I'm gonna go 2.35.

So, all right.

CHRISTINE: Wow.

BOOFIE: Okay.

So we should celebrate.

JOHN: Yes.

BOOFIE: But this doesn't cut it.

JOHN: Oh no.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, no.

BOOFIE: Let's go have a glass of wine on my deck.

JOHN: Oh, that sounds perfect.

MARGARET: Let's go.

BOOFIE: Let's go.

DANA: If you lived here, you'd know that, um, Thursday nights are the best nights to go paddle boarding on the lake because there's live music, beautiful sunsets.

You can have a glass of wine, um, see your friends.

SHREETI: If you lived here, you would know that the Lake Anne Coffee House is a great local spot for coffee and brunch.

JOHN: If you lived here, you would know that the, uh, Reston has the finest farmer's market in all of Northern Virginia and it has had it for 24 years, since I founded it together with Robert Simon in 1998.

EVE: Bob Simon, um, Robert E. Simon, and he's the R-E-S in Reston.

First and foremost, he was my neighbor.

WOMAN: To find out more about living in the Washington Metro area.

Visit weta.org/ifyoulivedhere.

Support for If You Lived Here comes from... NARRATOR: The Yuen Foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences within the greater Washington, D.C. community.