Help! Possible relocation to the area..

[saxman930]

I would check out Chantilly, Leesburg, and maybe Vienna if you can snag a deal. The good news is, any VA public school is up there in the top of the country, it also has a great college system like WI, so school wise you should be set. Are you living in a city right now, cause if you are these places are far more suburban then it might look

[CheyanneR]

So an update: My husband did get the job and he will need to move out there as of December 1st. The kids and I will move out later next spring 2014 (we have a house here we will have to try to sell first). We did drive out to the area over the long holiday weekend just to look at areas. We stayed in Leesburg which was nice but also really liked Ashburn and certain parts of Herndon (and are open to other suggestions). After being out there and reading more forums we did agree that we would have to bump up our rental budget to 2K-2.5K per month and with that being said I think we may be able to find a nice condo/TH in the future. Like I mentioned in my first post education and safety are a priority for us.
My question now is how far in advance should we look and lock something in? And do you have suggestions for short term, small rentals for the time my husband is out there alone for say $1K/month max for only 6 months? My husband will be working in Mclean near the Spring Hill station. He will not need anything special since he will be working a lot of long hours while he's out there alone. Just somewhere safe, fairly close or easy to get to work, and necessities such as grocery near by. Thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge!!

[Fredesch]

It sounds like you have a great plan. Your husband could look into the extended stay hotels, or renting a room or part of a house. I would ask his employer whether they will help with his temporary living expenses or whether they have a discount he can use.

For temporary housing, I would suggest you husband being as near work as possible. Then when you start looking for a residence for the whole family, he can drive to the locations you are considering early in the morning and try out the commutes. These try out commutes should be done after school starts and at his normal commute time. And as you get more serious about a location, he should do more trial commutes.

I think you would have to look really hard to find a sketchy or dangerous part of northern Virginia and Fairfax is known for its great schools. So don't worry too much about finding a great school.

[Alley01]

I think he should get an apartment in the area you are most interested in. Leesburg and Ashburn are both nice areas and absolutely family friendly. I think it is best to get used to the commute early on, and it will also give him a good idea if he wants to deal with that. So, I think it is a horrible idea to have him live near work. That would be incredibly stressful when you do move out with the kids because he isn't used to the stresses of family life as much as dealing with traffic. The transition would be so much more of a pain. There are many options in the area, and most apartments are a bit flexible when it comes to getting out of a lease. If not, realtors can take care of that. I would deal with a realtor regardless of if you want to rent or buy a house. It is just easier that way. Most apartments have the option for corporate apartments, or he can rent furniture on his own.

[CheyanneR]

Thanks for the insight. I think I will try to look for something for him near the areas we would eventually like to live. I would like for him to get accustomed to the area before the kids and I move out there next spring. And he might as well dive right into the commute asap He will have his own vehicle but I did see also that the Tyson's Express Commuter Bus drops off right at his building (the USA Today building) which seems like another nice option.

[CheyanneR]

I do have another question I hope someone can help answer for me. As I mentioned earlier we currently live in Wisconsin and my husband accepted his new position in McLean, Va as of 7/16/13 but is able to work remotely, from Wisconsin, until 12/1. So although we still live here he is employee of VA now. For tax filing purposes would it make more sense for him to set up his residency there as of the new year, 1/1/14? With the last almost two weeks of the year being around the holidays and him taking vacation to be back home with us, we could just find him an "extended stay" hotel type place for 12/1-12/20 and find a small studio apt for him to live there after the new year. If that makes any sense?!

[acgood]

I don't think the contortions are necessary. Either way he will be a Wi resident for the majority of the year but would have to file VA income taxes as non-resident and then get a credit for the VA taxes paid on your WI return.