Washington DC/Baltimore

[Dionysos]

I am looking for houses that could use some restoration work, so I figured the older the house, the more likely it may need restoration. Perhaps someone that knows NOVA better than I could help me start my search. Thanks!

[jbeall]

Olde Forge and Somerset South in Fairfax had at least some portion of their homes built prior to 1978.  Here are two example listings:

Olde Forge, 1966 house:

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Fairfax/9525-Stevebrook-Rd-22032/home/9696048

Somerset South, 1977 house:

http://www.redfin.com/VA/Fairfax/9615-Ceralene-Dr-22032/home/9697026

I think if you look around that area you will find many houses in that area that are pre-1978.

You can also do a Redfin search for properties with a maximum "year built" value.  For instance, here's a Fairfax County search for all properties built prior to 1941:

http://www.redfin.com/homes-for-sale#!market=dc&max_year_built=1940&region_id=2965&region_type=5&v=8

A search like that might help you identify the older neighborhoods.  Note that Fairfax City is separate from Fairfax County, thus it was exclude from my example search.

  -Josh

[jimi]

You'll find plenty of restoration opportunities in Old Town Alexandria.

The close-in areas of Arlington County are also ripe for renovators.

Not close to DC, but many old properties in the Leesburg, Virginia area for true restoration work.