Need rental location suggestions! (Reston, Chantilly: apartments, condo, new home)

[Hoosergirl88]

I'm planning on making the move out to the NoVA/DC/MD area this summer. I'll be making 55k pre-tax in the Tysons/McLean area. I'm used to much cheaper housing prices from Indiana and am not really quite sure what to expect. I know for a 1BR I'm likely going to be in the $1000-1400 range, but I'm not sure what neighborhood.

I do have a car and no debt, and am trying to avoid a roommate if at all possible. I'm semi-familiar with the area from interning in college and was thinking the Reston/Herndon/Sterling area, but if you guys know of anyplace that might be a bit cheaper and have less of a commute, that'd be great.

Also if it matters, I'll be working an off shift (2-10 pm).

Thanks!

[2C Sunshine]

Originally Posted by Hoosergirl88

I'm planning on making the move out to the NoVA/DC/MD area this summer. I'll be making 55k pre-tax in the Tysons/McLean area. I'm used to much cheaper housing prices from Indiana and am not really quite sure what to expect. I know for a 1BR I'm likely going to be in the $1000-1400 range, but I'm not sure what neighborhood.

I do have a car and no debt, and am trying to avoid a roommate if at all possible. I'm semi-familiar with the area from interning in college and was thinking the Reston/Herndon/Sterling area, but if you guys know of anyplace that might be a bit cheaper and have less of a commute, that'd be great.

Also if it matters, I'll be working an off shift (2-10 pm).

Thanks!

hello welcome to nova. i worked in the tysons area and commuted to vienna, it can get intense just to forewarn you!! im sure you have heard all about the crazy traffic here though!! if you can, try to get a place in tysons or vienna nearby. there are tons of craigslist listngs on this, we found our old place in vienna off craigslist for 1400/ month 1 bdrm across from the vienna metro. very safe and good area. even better try to find a place in tysons if at all possible. my commute sometimes would be 45 mins if traffic was bad!!!

good luck to you and your new home

[oneasterisk]

Originally Posted by Hoosergirl88

Also if it matters, I'll be working an off shift (2-10 pm).

This helps as you could live theoretically further away since you don't have to deal with regular rush hour traffic. Usually further away also means lower rent. Though if you plan to switch to a "normal" shift, you'll have to deal with the traffic.

I used to work a 12-9pm shift and I thought it was great. Only drawback was hanging out with friends after work.

[saganista]

That off-peak shift gives you a lot of flexibility. It might be worth a look at the Fair Lakes area just west of Fairfax City. There is quite a bit of new, pretty, and by local standards at least fairly affordable places in there, so lots of young people and tons of local amenities. 66 can somehow get backed up in either direction at any time of day, but mostly you could use any of the major roads to get to work and back quite easily at the hours you'd be doing that.

[tysonsengineer]

Fairfax gives you the most flexibility in case your shift switches and you can get decent apartments for that range without a roommate. Good luck, welcome to the area, I hope you enjoy it here.

[Hesky]

5 years ago when I first moved to Virginia I was making a little less than that and I rented a one room apartment in Merrifield. The rent back then was $1200/month but the first month was rent free. I suppose it's more expensive now, and the apartments weren't great, but it worked for me. It's close to the metro and close to Tysons.

[Riley09swb]

When I first moved out to this area from IN (a fellow Hoosier)in 1996 I worked in McLean and lived in the Sterling area (Drainesville road behind the bowling alley in a condo). I had to be at work by 7:45am and I used to leave around 7:00am. I actually worked in the McLean/Tyson's areas for 6 years at different jobs and still lived in the Sterling area (Dominion Station) before starting a job in Chantilly then Ashburn.

[Hoosergirl88]

Thanks for all of the advice!

I interned between my junior and senior year in Langley/McLean and commuted from Reston, which wasn't so bad. I generally took the toll road there and the GW-Beltway (which was the worst)-Leesburg Pike on the way back. Everyone I knew hated paying tolls, but I'd take that over sitting in that awful Beltway traffic. I developed road rage I didn't even know I had

[saganista]

The Beltway is a crapshoot at almost any hour. Even if you get on at 3:00 in the morning, you may run into backups from some lane closure or other. 66 may actually be worse. Unlike the Beltway, it's always a disaster at the peak, and it can back up in either direction at any hour for no apparent reason. But working a 2:00 to 10:00 pm shift should spare you at least 90% of the worst problem around here. Opportunities for road rage should be few and far between.

[Pat t.]

Hi all, just reading this thread from last yr. (I just joined so forgive me). Well, I do have a solution for folks that are needing reasonable housing near Tysons. and I'm not trying to "toot my horn" so to speak, just help out. I just happen to rent rooms (some, totally private ent. and bath so you don't have to share or have a roomate) at my lovely home in Vienna, near the Vienna metro and near Tysons too. I often run ads on CL, and you can also email me privately at [EMAIL="patcat87@yahoo.com"]patcat87@yahoo.com[/EMAIL]. thanks!