Possible relo to Belvoir for husband, transfer to Herndon for me, where to live? (Burke: rentals)

[steedaunh32]

Possibly looking at relocation orders to Fort Belvoir later this year; my company can transfer me to Herndon and we are interested in where we should be looking to live somewhere in between that will make our commutes as equidistant as possible. Additional and important factors would be school systems and safety. We plan on putting down roots in NOVA as our family is local and husband will retire from the military and work in the area. Max budget would be $3000/month or around $450k and under. Would prefer a single family home but won't discount town homes if in family friendly, safe area with reasonable commute times. Any info/recommendations is greatly appreciated.

[ChristineVA]

I would look in the Burke area or Fairfax Station neighborhood areas specifically located off of Rt 123. He can head south and hit Ft. Belvoir. You can head north and pick up the Fairfax County Parkway and work your way over to the Herndon area. He will probably be a bit closer to work than you will but I don't think your distance will be that bad. It will *probably* get you in the price range you want, great schools, and general overall great area.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

I would look in the Burke area or Fairfax Station neighborhood areas specifically located off of Rt 123. He can head south and hit Ft. Belvoir. You can head north and pick up the Fairfax County Parkway and work you way over to the Herndon area. He will probably be a bit closer to work than you will but I don't think your distance will be that bad. It will *probably* get you in the price range you want, great schools, and general overall great area.

I agree. Burke was my first thought. It would be closer for him but you'll be driving against traffic and it's really not that far (I've commuted to Herndon from near Fort Belvoir).

[Carlingtonian]

I second the Burke recommendation--based on the one time I had to drive from Dulles Airport (which Herndon is near) to Belvoir (South Post near HQ) via the FFX County Parkway. I think it took close to an hour, but it wasn't that trafficky over most of the route.

[ArtyGuy]

Steed-

I'm active duty military, stationed at Belvoir. If you plan on renting, be prepared for a very competitive rental market. We found our home through the military by owner website but obviously there are other avenues. In any event, I was told by my sponsor to be prepared for the competitiveness of it and he was not kidding.

Someone is going to recommend living on post but even if you would consider that route, the wait list is very long. I came off of a deployment before I PCSd here and while that should have moved me up the list, they told me it was still a 12-mos wait. Additionally, homes are everywhere on Belvoir so you could be given a home in a really bad location. In any event, I don't think they are worth the BAH.

You can certainly find a nice home in your price range. Town house living isn't for me but there are plenty of complexes to choose from.

Belvoir-- I reported in a few months ago. It's a pretty nice post-- very different than what I am used to. A lot of construction going on as BRAC brought a lot of units and agencies here and age has caught up to some of the buildings.

[hilsmom]

For equidistant - yes, Burke and Fairfax Station area.

But I also will throw out my neighborhood as a possibility - Greenbriar (west Fairfax/Chantilly). You can get a nice house for your budget and a very family friendly neighborhood that is walkable to all 3 levels of school, a library, several parks and a shopping center with all the essentials. I rarely have to drive more than a couple miles for anything since Fair Lakes, Fair Oaks and Fairfax Corner are really close. I commute to Lorton a couple days a week (rather close to Belvoir) and the drive is a breeze.

I will say, though, that now that my husband is working in Stafford County (he was in Ashburn when we bought), I wish we weren't so far from his current job. With our current situation, we might have looked closer at Burke or Springfield for a similar neighborhood to what we have here.

[5stones]

Throw in another vote for Burke! It is super family friendly, has good schools, is safe etc... it has a great location for the area as well. You comute to Herndon as others has stated will be close to an hour, maybe 45 minutes as you get more familiar with side roads etc... but really not that bad.

Fairfax Station would be good but I think it might be a bit more$$ puts you a bit closer to your job but not that much.

I really like the Greenbriar neighobrhood (thats the neighborhood by George Mason right?) its very pretty and seems to have lots of families, it would be probably the "closest 1/2 way point" for both jobs.

And double yes, on Militarybyowner at GREAT resource for finding rentals!

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by 5stones

I really like the Greenbriar neighobrhood (thats the neighborhood by George Mason right?) its very pretty and seems to have lots of families, it would be probably the "closest 1/2 way point" for both jobs.

No, Greenbriar is off of 50 between Fairfax County Parkway and Stringfellow. It has a Fairfax address, but it is basically Chantilly, since Chantilly HS and Library are at the edge of the neighborhood off of Stringfellow. I suggest it because it is closer to Herndon than Burke and you face heavier traffic in that direction on the Parkway than going South to Belvoir.

I think I know what neighborhood you are talking about by Mason, but I can't remember the name of it. I did a drive through when we first started looking at homes in our price range (up to $450K). The reason I crossed it off my list was because you had to go through that awful section of Fairfax with all the roads intersecting at once from Main Street to get most places. It probably would work for my husband's current work situation, but going to Ashburn would have been a pain in the rear.

[steedaunh32]

Thanks everyone, this is helpful information. Can anyone recommend an honest realtor, preferably one familiar with military relocations? Thanks.