Any Shortlisted apartments- Falls church,Vienna,Fairfax !!!!!!! (Arlington, Reston: for sale, apartment complexes)

[vijuchida]

Hi,

As i have told earlier that my husbands workplace is Freddie Mac, Mclean. And i am going crazy searching for apartments on the net. My price range is around $1500 excluding utilities and i have realized that Falls Church, Vienna, Fairfax, Arlington are the closer ones to his workplace. I have no idea how far Herndon or Reston are?

If anyone has names of some apartments on the top of their head please let me know. I am not able to shortlist myself from the net info. If someone is living anywhere their or know abt good apartments just inform me. both single or double bedrooms are fine with me but prefer slightly spacious and newer ones with good ventilation!!!!!!!

I have some shortlisted ones - Elms at oakton, Apartments at Regents park, Post forest in fairfax... Does anyone know about any of these?

Just help me to start somewhere. I get lost if i browse the net.

Thanks in advance

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

Try this link for apartment ratings:

Fairfax Apartments for Rent with Ratings & Reviews by Fairfax Renters at ApartmentRatings.com

Here is the direct link for Falls Church:

Falls Church Apartments for Rent with Ratings & Reviews by Falls Church Renters at ApartmentRatings.com

and Vienna:

Vienna Apartments for Rent with Ratings & Reviews by Vienna Renters at ApartmentRatings.com

Wow, nothing very good here for Vienna, but some good ideas for Falls Church and Fairfax.

I've driven by some of these, but have no personal experience otherwise ...

Edit: Herndon and Reston - the drive from Reston to Freddie Mac is 18 minutes in good traffic and a *lot* more in heavy traffic; I just don't think either would be worth it, but that's just me ...

[vijuchida]

Hi,

Thanks for the info.

How is the travel on I-66 during peak hrs? Bcoz if we plan to rent in Fairfax we have to travel down I 66 in case we have to catch Metro. So is it worth living 6-8miles away from metro service and travel down or live near the metro itself but rents are unnecessarily high that too for older apartments. So i am really confused here.....Even falls church doesnt have newer apartments and somehow i feel its too close to downtown(Tysons corner) and maynot be that good for a family with kid. Whats ur opinion on this?

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

I think traffic is heavy on I-66 during peak times. There is a distinction between I-66 inside the beltway (inside 495) and outside of the beltway. Inside the beltway, you have HOV restrictions during rush hours (that is, you can't ride on 66 if you don't have 2 passengers or more); outside the beltway you benefit if you have 2 or more because you can use the HOV lane. But if you are in Fairfax, you can catch the Orange line and so I don't think you would necessarily have to take 66 at all. We'd need to pick a sample complex and then map the route to the metro, but even if you had to travel a few miles east, you could find an alternate route. [Fairfax would be close to the Vienna metro on the Orange line; I can't remember exactly where the Dunn Loring stop is, but that would be close too, I think].

Tysons Corner is not at all like a downtown to avoid if you have kids. Is that what you were thinking? It's very upscale - a little "fancy" and materialistic, with a few too many Lexuses and Mercedes, etc., but not like a downtown.

Does this help? I just pasted a metro map into another post ... maybe that would help you visually a little bit.

edit: here is the map; we are talking about the orange line over there on the west side; if you lived in Fairfax, you would probably just hop on the metro at the Vienna/Fairfax stop. You might have to drive to get there, but it would unlikely be W/E (that is, unlikely you would have to be on 66).

Metro - Metrorail System Map (http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/systemmap.cfm - broken link)

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

It's me again. I just realized your husband will be at Freddie Mac. If you are in some parts of Fairfax/Vienna, I guess you might be traveling down 66 and connecting with 495 to Tysons/McLean. That is a pretty brutal segment of 66; you could instead just cut across 123, etc.

The metro is not really at issue. At present, there isn't a metro hitting Tysons/McLean. There is something in the works, keep posted in the future.

If you live in Falls Church, then you are going against traffic, probably up route 7.

If you live in Vienna or Fairfax, you might be on route 7 going in traffic, or on 123 in traffic.

I can't imagine any scenarios where you would be taking the metro. I also can't really think of any where you would be on 66 - at least not any that couldn't be avoided.

Again, Falls Church and McLean seem very interesting. I would suggest you calculate costs in a comprehensive manner - that is, if you live in McLean and cut out gas, maintenance, and other commuting costs that might be $200-400/month, then you can spend more on rent. Move to the Rotunda, or something like that. (Is it Rotonda?)

[househunter6]

There are so many housing choices near Tysons, I would tend to stay close in but then again McLean is very expensive. I personally would not go to an apartment complex, I would go to Craigslist (craigslist: washington, DC classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events) and search for rentals in McLean...I just found a number of 2 bedroom rentals (condos and townhouses) within minutes of Freddie Mac, fromn $1375 to $1800.

There are some condo communities nearby (Gates at McLean, Lillian Court, Colonies, Regency, Rotonda...lots of others...) where you can probably find a nice rental in that price range. (I say "probably" because I have not been inside any of their units, only drove by.)

As for actual apartment complexes in McLean, I know of a highrise in "downtown"
McLean - Ashby at Mclean...2 bedrooms start at $1800. They have a pool, not sure about playground on site. The Commons of McLean is real close to Freddie Mac, 2 bedrooms start at $1460 and I know they have a playground. There is also Post Tysons Corner and Avalon Crescent right in Tysons, and they start their 2-beds at $1800ish. Archstone has a property in Vienna, 2 bedrooms are $1665+.

I agree with poster above, don't worry about proximity to Metro unless you are thinking of using it yourself for future job?

If your husband is willing to commute, I would also suggest looking at points west, close to 267, the toll road. For example, you can get a 3 bedroom TH, over 2000 sq ft. in Ashburn for $1800. You will find newer construction, lots of kids / moms, playgrounds, etc in the planned communities west of McLean. Herndon and Reston can fall into this mix, and then further out is Ashburn, Brambleton, Broadlands, etc. If your husband left the house early (6:45 am?) from the Broadlands and took the toll road, I think he would be in McLean in a half hour (am I right about this, other locals?)

[goldenmom7500]

Right. I've mentioned before, I'm an original owner at Lillian Court (1996) and then started renting when I got married and moved further out. I did find my current tenant (who is sooooo wonderful, I hope she stays forever) through craigslist.

I would suggest starting in either the Rotonda or Lillian Court. Then drive around these neighborhoods and if you want to relocate after a year to Falls church, Ashburn, Vienna, you'll know what you want. The Rotonda will have larger units and just might have more room for a family with children (one child?). You just can't lose if you do that - excellent neighborhood, excellent schools, so close to Freddie, etc. Lillian Court has a very international population, but I never got any huge "community" feel. People just come and go - apparently you have to drive a Lexus or Mercedes to live there. I'm kidding, but it's very fancy.

[vijuchida]

Hi,

I really appreciate your help.
Since i dont know anything about VA i am finding it difficult to understand the routes and maps.
For ex, i have chosen some apartments like Archstone Fairchase, 4411 Dixie Hill Rd Fairfax VA 22030 and The Hermitage apartments 12105 Polo drive Fairfax VA 22033 and many more which are in and around this area.
So now if i look at the distance b/n freddie mac and these apartments its around 12-13 miles and defnitely Rt 66 comes into picture. I dont know whether its outside or inside 495 beltaway.
The next thing is why i am considering to be near to metro is in case i get a job which is not drivable so atleast i should be able to take the metro and it should not happen that i need to travel more again to catch the metro. The apartments which i have said earlier are around 6-7 miles from Vienna metro station and the directions show that again i have to take Rt 66 from these apts to reach metro.
when u say orange line what other stops may be nearer to the fairfax addresses which i have said?
I tried looking out at Falls church apartments but the ones i like are expensive for the sft area what they provide. Then i started feeling why should i spend so much for a smaller place? what do u feel?
And one more thing. My husbands work time is from 8am to 8pm so does he still come under those peak hrs of traffic?
Hope u will help me out.......

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

I'm not sure if the link below will work, but I searched mapquest for directions between the Archstone and McLean (sorry, I ended with Lillian Court since I know that address by heart and it's close enough to Freddie). Initially mapquest sent me on 66, but then I clicked on "advanced options" and clicked on "avoid highways" and it sent me on what we call 123 (also called Chain Bridge Road, and throughout that segment is called Maple). The beltway (495) is that vertical road that is further right. That segment of 66 (the one we are trying to avoid) is always backed up because you are approaching the beltway; 123 also helps you avoid 495 (the beltway). Anyhow, all of this is definitely "outside the beltway". Tysons is really close to the beltway but is (mainly) outside.

Driving Directions from 4411 Dixie Hill Rd, Fairfax, VA to 1625 International Dr, Mclean, VA

Let's try the second place, yes, mapquest is doing the same thing.

Driving Directions from 12105 Polo Dr, Fairfax, VA to 1625 International Dr, Mclean, VA

You are looking in a very nice area of Virginia, so without specifically knowing those places, well done. I assume they will be close to the "Vienna Metro" stop on the orange line. Let's go back to mapquest to be certain.

The first is 6 miles to the Vienna Metro (it is 8 miles to the next metro stop, "Dunn Loring".

The second is ... same.

Like I said, you are on the right track. I do have a friend of a friend who lives in a nice place closer to the Vienna metro. I can double check the name of the complex. It was sort of newer garden style. It was really nice.

[goldenmom7500]

Me again. I wanted to quickly add that there would be times when you would want to take 66/495 (when traveling between Fairfax and McLean) - that is, there would be times of day when it would be quicker. Like, at 8PM, I would probably take 495/66 to travel from McLean to Fairfax.

Also, I still think that Falls Church (and maybe McLean) are worth considering, even if they have less square footage. Falls Church would give your husband a reverse commute (going against traffic) and would, depending, put you close to the metro. I think a little bit of less square footage (and even higher price) could be worth it if you see anything there that interests you. Since you might save on gasoline, vehicle maintenance, etc., the price might be comparable.

But Fairfax is also a great choice.

A final note: the Vienna metro is near to a place called "Fair Oaks" so if you see "Fair Oaks" in the name of a complex, it should be close to the metro. [Fair Oaks is the name of a mall right there, but it's also the name of a "neighborhood-community-town?" - is that right everyone? But I think your address would still be Fairfax, not 100% sure.]