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Old 09-04-2011, 11:35 AM
 
12 posts, read 19,478 times
Reputation: 10

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....and will be working in Sterling/Dulles area. We have learned that it's crazy expensive there and as any big city, things get more expensive towards the city epicenter.

So, here are some parameters:

- Thinking $350K for a house. Like to avoid a crime ridden area. (like anyone).
- Suburbia is important to us...we've lived in the sticks in GA and want some civilization. Local shopping/restaurants at a reasonable distance, not all 30 min away.
- Good commute to Dulles. (stop laughing.) If I can go 30 min, that'd be fine. I can do an hour but would like to avoid it. (Again, stop laughing.) ;-)
- Good schools but we've been reading that's more common than none.
- Kids to play with in a neighborhood, mom's clubs, etc.. The problem with living further out is that close knit communities become more spread out.
- Some internal data: Married, 2 young kids. I will be flying out from Dulles 30% of the time.

Ok, look....we realize that only some of this is attainable and "you can't always get what you want". We were looking at:

- Winchester VA (#1 on list)
- Charles Town, WV
- Leesburg (dicey. Can't afford much and we read the congestion is insane and not worth it.)
- Berryville

We didn't consider MD or east of the Beltway was the commute through DC looks like suicide.

We welcome your expert thoughts and thanks in advance.
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Old 09-04-2011, 11:39 AM
 
3,550 posts, read 6,476,432 times
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Have you considered Aldie?
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Old 09-04-2011, 11:48 AM
 
515 posts, read 1,688,675 times
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I'm confused. It sounds like you have ruled out living in Sterling. I think you should be able to find a home there that meets your criteria.

I suggest that you go over to a local realtor site and enter Sterling VA in the search box. Put in your price limit. I think you will find lots of choices. If Sterling is out, you can search other areas.

Last edited by FindingZen; 09-04-2011 at 12:06 PM.. Reason: referencing realtor-driven sites constitutes "free" advertising for them
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Old 09-04-2011, 12:08 PM
 
Location: Prince William County, VA
722 posts, read 1,918,729 times
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I live in Bristow, and I think the Bristow/Gainesville/Haymarket would fit your bill...except I'm not positive about the 30 minute commute...
If you're not going during prime "rush hour time", you could make it to Dulles in less than 30, no problem. During rush hour would be a much longer commute.

Anyway, this area is full of young families, mom's clubs, etc. There are also lots of nice homes available between 300,000 and 400,000
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Old 09-04-2011, 12:22 PM
 
Location: Gainesville, VA
1,266 posts, read 5,603,048 times
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I second what HereinVA says... go for Gainesville/Bristow/Haymarket. There is no way I would commute to Dulles from Winchester or Charles Town. I don't even know where Berryville is.
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Old 09-04-2011, 12:44 PM
 
12 posts, read 19,478 times
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Thanks.....we are going to reserach some of these cities mentioned here. Some replies:

- We've researched Sterling which would be crazy easy for a commute. But the crime ratio there is dicey and we also read that Sterling Park isn't a good place to live. We'd like to avoid nice/bad just-over-your-back-fence scenarios. We're not naive to live in a bubble, but welcome a nice buffer between us and any bad areas.

- Commute time would be 8am in, 6pm out.

Please keep the thoughts coming. we are very appreciative and checking back often while doing the research on these new sounding communities!!
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Old 09-04-2011, 12:48 PM
 
2,879 posts, read 7,765,669 times
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20165 Countryside--I could walk to the terminal in an hour and wouldn't want to be any closer. Avoid PWC. You're cutting it close on the budget. Something tells me you want a real yard and that may be a huge constraint.

The N side of Rt 7 is upscale in Sterling, and you would be lucky to get in there under 350 in decent shape--and you're right Sterling Park sucks.

Last edited by khuntrevor; 09-04-2011 at 01:15 PM..
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Old 09-04-2011, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Sterling, VA
1,059 posts, read 2,956,301 times
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I'll second Countryside section of Sterling (also called Potomac Falls). There are some detached homes there in the $350,000 range but they go quickly. If you would consider townhouses, you can get a very nice one in the Cascades area (also called Potomac Falls) of Sterling in your price range. There are loads of kids and most families are very friendly.

As far as Berryville goes, it is like a small Winchester as far as making friends, very friendly people. It would be about 45 min to an hour from Dulles, depending on traffic. However, you will not find the shopping or restaurants there as you would in Sterling. Homesdatabase.com is a good site to use and the map feature will help you get an idea of commuting distance.
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Old 09-04-2011, 01:13 PM
 
121 posts, read 468,685 times
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i suggest looking in 20165 or 20166, not sure you have to worry much about crime.
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Old 09-04-2011, 01:23 PM
 
2,879 posts, read 7,765,669 times
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Reston might be good for you, but there may not be any sfr below 350.
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