What does $8.3 million buy?

A five-acre riverfront estate in McLean with year-round views of the Potomac

Published December 31, 2015 by Paula C. Squires

Waterfront homes typically command a premium price. So it’s no surprise that the top-recorded sales price for a home in Fairfax County in 2015 was a five-acre,  $8.3 million estate in McLean with sweeping views of the Potomac River.

The siting of Riverview Manor was done to provide all-season river views from the home’s three levels. “The river presence was felt throughout the house,” says Marianne Polk, a Realtor with Long & Foster’s McLean office, who was one of the home’s listing agents along with MaryAnn Martell, another L&F agent.  

“You don’t just see across the river, you see islands. The water runs all around,” says Polk. “I always enjoyed showing it, because every time I went there, it was different — the water, the lighting, the views, the seasons. It’s constantly changing.”

The 8,249-square-foot home at 606 Boyle Lane was built in 2004. Georgian in style and proportions, it has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and two half-baths.

The front exterior, a Georgian stone façade, opens to a soaring marble reception area with chandeliers, sconces, arches, intricate cornice moldings and a sweeping staircase. 

In addition to the home’s grandeur, there are plenty of modern-day amenities, including a gourmet kitchen, patio with stone fireplace and infinity edge pool, a 21-seat home movie theater, temperature-controlled wine cellar and a grand family room with a gold-leaf coffered ceiling and fireplace with onyx surround. 

“There were so many things that were beautifully done,” says Polk. “The moldings, the openness of the spaces, the grand proportions. We had more showings than I would have imagined,” she says, noting that the pool of buyers is smaller for high-end, multimillion-dollar homes. 

Polk, who does not disclose the identities of clients, says only that the home was used as a primary residence before its sale.

Riverview Manor originally was listed at $12.9 million in February 2014. Before it sold, the price dropped to $10 million. The sale closed in June at $8.3 million, still far above its 2015 assessed value of $5.5 million.