Relocatiing: Work in Georgetown, Live in Arlington? (Annandale, Fairfax: real estate, to rent)

[concord39]

I am moving to take up a job at Georgetown University. I'll be moving with my wife and 3 year old daughter. Once both our jobs are sorted out we should have a household income of about $100k. We could rustle up a down payment of $30k but will rent for at least the first year if not longer.

I would be commuting via bus/train and would like a commute of less than an hour.
NB: There is a Georgetown bus that departs from the North Rd/Tondoff Rd intersection (?)
http://otm.georgetown.edu/guts/index.cfm?fuse=aloop

If my wife was to work near Logan Circle how ugly a commute would that be (public transport or driving)?

We would like access to a good public school and to live somewhere that doesn't feel too suburban. Arlington has been recommended to us. I do not know the area well and therefore are open to all suggestions - which parts of Arlington? Or other parts of Northern Virginia?

(Some people have also recommended Montgomery County. It seems Takoma Park/parts of Silver Springs would be the more affordable options there. I have posted over on another board to get MC suggestions).

Thanks.

[Carlingtonian]

Hi. First, welcome to DC, and congrats on the job!

The Rosslyn section of Arlington is just across the Key Bridge (which has a grade-separated walking/biking path along the shoulder) from G'town. An easy walk--though the University is I think a bit farther. Rosslyn is definitely not suburban in feel--mostly high-rises, with a few low-rose townhouses thrown in. But it's not cheap either.

I don't have firsthand experience re. Logan Circle to G'town, but I can tell you that traffic in downtown DC on weekdays is BAD. Traffic in the shopping area of G'town around M Street is bad almost all the time.

Arlington does have great schools, but there are actually good elementary schools in far NW DC as well. That would give you a much shorter commute.

If you go the Arlington route, you could also look at South Arlington, near Columbia Pike. There's going to be a streetcar there soon. I would say it's quasi-suburban--mostly SFHs but also condos on the Pike itself and townhouses mixed among the houses back there. Check out Arlington Village--very nice buildings with a great pool and huge trees. Until the streetcars are built, this would mean you'd have to take a bus to the Blue or Yellow line Metrorail to get to Rosslyn and then walk on the Key Bridge to work.

Takoma is super granola/crunchy. Silver Spring is less so. They're both quasi-suburban as well--houses surrounding high-rise office buildings and condo towers. There's more crime over there than in Arlington, but it's not a war zone or anything. It's also kind of a long commute to Georgetown from there. Bethesda is a lot closer and very nice, with great schools, but extremely high taxes and home prices akin to those of N. Arlington (or very slightly less).

The challenge I think will be to find a house within your budget, with great schools, but not in a suburban area. Tall order. Even a small 2BR house in S. Arlington goes for 400,000. If you were willing to live in suburbia, Fairfax County has great schools, but it's more conservative and not urban at all. Bethesda and N Arl have great schools and some neighborhoods that are more semi-urban--but homes there start at around 600K.

If you're willing to consider condos, I just looked on a real-estate search site and saw a 2BR/1BA condo in N. Arlington for $250K, near N. Cleveland and Lee Highway. There are many others in that range if you look on one of those search sites (which the moderators have asked that we not ID by name). Send me a PM if you want me to suggest one. (I'm not a realtor, just an avid follower of the market.)

Hope this helps.

[concord39]

Thanks. This is all really helpful. We currently rent so if we end up having to keep doing that it would not be the end of the world.

[hilsmom]

rosslyn is great for georgetown - my aunt owns a condo there and walks to georgetown frequently.

price in arlington is always a issue. not a lot of cheap areas.

I lived in the shirlington area for a few years - I love that part of town, and it has been built up quite a bit since I moved out 7 years ago. Fairlington is next door and is a nice area, too. They have bus service in that part of town to the metros, and it is not too bad. You can be downtown in 30 minutes.

[bmwguydc]

You might rent in Arlington for a year or two, since you have time before school, and then consider where you want to buy, once you're in the area.

Logan Circle is not too well served by Metro rail from the west, so the commute would be longer via the Orange Line. The closest station would be at Howard Univeristy, which would require a transger from the Orange Line to Green or Yellow at Metro Center.

If, however, you were to rent along the Yellow/Blue line, it would not be too bad for either of you to take Metro. Your wife could take the Yellow to Howard, and you can take the Blue to Rosslyn. Pentagon City, Crystal City would be good bets in Arlington.

The Orange Line stations might not be a bad option when it comes time to buy, however, since you could likely find a townhouse or smaller single-family house in communities along the line. Dunn Loring and Vienna-Fairfax might have decent options. If your wife had parking, you could commute together on I-66 as it's HOV-2 in the morning if that would work with your morning schedules. You might also consider some communities in Annandale that have a bus to the Pentagon station, which is Yellow and Blue, so each of you could get to work on public transportation, since sometimes the afternoon driving commute is worse getting out of DC.

[ACWhite]

Welcome to the area. Single family homes in North Arlington and 22202 sell at the median around $700K and many of them need some work. Lenders typically expect 20% down payments plus several months of emergency savings, unless you want to pay PMI and a higher interest rate. Condos and townhouses have lower median prices, but they aren't cheap. You may want to get on one of several real estate database sites available in the area and take a look at the options available to buy. You may want to plan on renting a longer time, but rents also aren't cheap in these areas.