Where should we buy? Relocating from SoCal to NOVA. (Arlington: rent, crime)

[nikifrogrdh]

We are a family of 5 relocating from the Southern California desert to Northern Virginia. My husband will be working in Arlington from the hours of 6am-3pm. We have been house hunting all over and are overwhelmed at the decision of where to buy! We want acreage, at least 5 but preferably around 10 or more acres. We are looking for a newer or very updated/remodeled house with a budget of $400-$500k. Man I thought it was expensive to live in CA until I came out here! Anyhow, we'd like to stay in the western to north western areas of DC. We've looked anywhere from Warrenton, Gainesville, Manassas, Front Royal to Leesburg. A couple of those towns came up on the lust of best places to live in VA list which was based off education, median income and crime rate. I really like the Gainesville/Warrenton/Bristow area but we found a house in Front Royal that we love. We commuted for work 60min in CA so we're used to that. Traffic here is nothing compared to Southern CA. We're more worried about living in an area that our family can well adjust too....schools, sports, meeting people our own age, etc. My husband and I are in our early 30's with kids that are 7, 5 and 2 years old. Right now I have chosen to stay at home with our kids because we haven't settled nor do we know anyone and aren't comfortable leaving them in daycare in an area where we don't know anyone. I am a registered dental hygienist and will eventually be looking for work. I'd also like to live somewhat close (within 15-20) to shopping. We do want a little acreage like I mentioned but I don't want to live so far out in the country that I feel isolated. HELP! Where should we buy a house? What are your thoughts on Front Royal?

[mathogre]

Originally Posted by nikifrogrdh

We are a family of 5 relocating from the Southern California desert to Northern Virginia. My husband will be working in Arlington from the hours of 6am-3pm. We have been house hunting all over and are overwhelmed at the decision of where to buy! We want acreage, at least 5 but preferably around 10 or more acres. We are looking for a newer or very updated/remodeled house with a budget of $400-$500k. Man I thought it was expensive to live in CA until I came out here! Anyhow, we'd like to stay in the western to north western areas of DC. We've looked anywhere from Warrenton, Gainesville, Manassas, Front Royal to Leesburg. A couple of those towns came up on the lust of best places to live in VA list which was based off education, median income and crime rate. I really like the Gainesville/Warrenton/Bristow area but we found a house in Front Royal that we love. We commuted for work 60min in CA so we're used to that. Traffic here is nothing compared to Southern CA. We're more worried about living in an area that our family can well adjust too....schools, sports, meeting people our own age, etc. My husband and I are in our early 30's with kids that are 7, 5 and 2 years old. Right now I have chosen to stay at home with our kids because we haven't settled nor do we know anyone and aren't comfortable leaving them in daycare in an area where we don't know anyone. I am a registered dental hygienist and will eventually be looking for work. I'd also like to live somewhat close (within 15-20) to shopping. We do want a little acreage like I mentioned but I don't want to live so far out in the country that I feel isolated. HELP! Where should we buy a house? What are your thoughts on Front Royal?

Hello Niki! I live in Oakton, VA.

I-66 isn't the 405, but it's unpleasant during rush hour. There's a serious tradeoff between acreage and commute time.

Suggestion? Rent for a year. You won't get equity, but you'll quickly get a sense of where you want to live and the associated costs. You want convenience and shopping? Forget having measurable land. You want 5 to 10 acres, forget convenience and expect very long commutes.

Good luck.

Graham

[nikifrogrdh]

Haha...ok so I'll be more specific. I want the convenience and my husband wants acreage. I would be fine with 1-3 acreages. He wants 100! We have to compromise. I can work at a dental office wherever we move to. He'll be the one commuting and says he's fine with that as long as he can have acreage. I want the big beautiful updated or new house. So in order to afford the house and acreage, we have to live out of DC aways. I found my dream house in Front Royal, so that's why I was asking about the area. I just haven't heard too much about the town...

[PolandSprings]

Front Royal is too far to commute to Arlington. PERIOD. Warrenton is 60 minutes without traffic, so your husband will need to leave before 5am. If he leaves by 3:30 in the afternoon, he may get home in an hour, but by that time, rush hour has already started. Throw in bad weather or an accident and your husband is now sitting in traffic 2 hours - that is the potential for being out of the house for 12 hours. That means little time with your kids, not to mention how exhausting it will be for your husband.

I've done the traffic in Southern California (by husband was born and raised there) and truthfully, it is a different kind of traffic. I would not assume that you can handle traffic in NOVA just because you can handle traffic in Southern California.

If you are dead set on Front Royal, definitely rent for a year to try it out. If you can convince your husband to give up on some land, you may find something in between Gainsville and Warrenton that will work. There is a neighborhood with newer homes and larger lots on 15 before you get into Warrenton (sorry, I can't find the name).

Also check the Vint Hill area - just inside Fauquier County, but an easy drive to Gainsville. This house is a couple years old and on 5 acres.

Moderator Cut

This one is to be built on 1 acre, slightly further into Warrenton:

Moderator Cut

I'd also suggest looking in Loudoun County - Lovettsville or Purceville. I am not a realtor and I do not know anything about the houses posted above.

* edited to fix the links

[Darkseid]

Given your budget and your desire for lots of land, you will almost certainly be in an area that is pretty rural and somewhat isolated. Those that live in semi-rural/exurban areas know what they are getting and love the peace and quiet. There will not be a ton of people, but those that are there tend to be close knit - including the children. Obviously there are no play dates, skating parks, swimming centers or laser tag, and if you want the kids to participate in organized sports, it will require some driving. On the other hand, some popular children's activities in these areas may include things like horseback riding, farm petting zoos, picking your own fruit, and fishing (I am mostly referring to Western Loudoun here - click here for examples of what I am talking about) Since the roads are quiet, the children can ride their bikes too. So those areas tend to attract people looking for a certain experience.

I wouldn't expect to meet a lot of people your age. There are likely to be some, but I wouldn't expect too many. Again, people who live in those areas tend to be satisfied with just a hand full of friends and a small, close-knit social circle.

I am something of a recluse, so all of the above appeals to me in a home. Especially since I also travel a lot and deal with a ton of people.

Other things to keep in mind about semi-rural/exurban living:

- Simple activities like going to a movie (if you are into that) and/or going out to dinner will be an event that requires travel.
- Traveling on the narrow, winding and unlit roads in these areas can be perilous - especially at night. Lots of deer cross too.
- Semi-rural/exurban living tends to require more parental investment. The children will not be able to walk to a lot of their activities and someone will need to do a lot of driving the children around to all their activities. In a rural area, that means a lot of driving - which means lots of time. Obviously a lot of this is going to depend on your children and their activities.

[Bigfoot424]

I live in Manassas, ten minutes from I 66. I used to work in Front Royal and it would take me around 50-55 minutes to get to work in the AM and usually about the same on the return trip. Add another 45-55 minutes driving to Arlington at that time of the AM and you'll see you have a pretty long commute. Starting at 0600 helps but that'a still a long drive. You will have trouble finding a newer home in the Gainesville/Bristow area with any kind of real land. You might try Fauquier County close to Prince William CO and your commute won't be too bad.

[CAVA1990]

I have some relatives who've been looking around the area for homes with more land (they currently have 4 acres). The problem they've found is with anything at a reasonable price the home itself has been in really lousy condition. You should probably remind your husband that you're moving to another metro area like L.A. Where around there would you be able to find 10 acres within a reasonable commute where you'd actually want to raise your kids, priced at $400-500K?

[stpickrell]

I'd recommend Fauquier and Stafford Counties.

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by nikifrogrdh

Traffic here is nothing compared to Southern CA.

Understatement of the year right here

Front Royal to Arlington will be 70-80 minutes if you are lucky in the morning since he leaves so early, but it will easily be 2+ hours coming home guaranteed every day. Depending on his actual work times he might not be able to use 66 inside the beltway either (as it is HOV 2 certain times), which could add even more to his commute depending on where you are in Arlington.

Front Royal is certainly a nice area though. You might be able to find something closer along the 95 corridor.

[kww]

stafford/fredericksburg are further than I would personally want to commute, but I've had a couple clients purchase down there solely for the VRE access.

as others have said, it will be extremely difficult to find that much land for that price in an area with a reasonable commute