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Old 06-16-2013, 09:18 AM
 
5 posts, read 8,352 times
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Hello all,

I would very much appreciate your advice, opinions and insight on my dillemma.

Here are the basics of my current situation:

- Renting in Friendship Heights (on border of MoCO/DC), about $2500 for a 1BR/1BA in high rise in a nice apartment building
- Commute/Transportation: Virtually on-top of Friendship Heights metro station, so easy access to downtown DC, no commute (work in office building across the street or from home). I don't own a car, just rent whenever i need one from nearby zipcar or avis one metro stop away.
- Getting married in December, and I'm considering moving to a bigger place (not in same area as 2br here starts from mid 3K's, and also owning vs continuing to rent.)

Looking around DC, decent 2BR start in the 500k's for about 1000-1500 sq ft depending on area, metro accessibility, etc. so I started thinking what if now is a good time to consider moving out of DC, and since I'm about to start a new family, get a lot more house for my buck. I started looking at Ashburn as a possible place to move. It looks like a lot of nice recently built houses could be had in that 450-500K range. If I buy there, I would have to change office locations (commute to Reston).

My main questions are:
1. for someone just starting a family, is it better to stay in DC or move out and why
2. If I move to Ashburn, what are the pros of the community (aside from lower house prices/sq ft) than other NoVA regions. I've seen in other threads some mixed opinions around zoning, traffic, character, airplane noise)

Any insight would be greatly helpful!

thanks!
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:22 AM
 
12,905 posts, read 15,580,718 times
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Here's my insight (old, married lady with two grown children).

Get married and get used to that. In fact, stick with your apartment or the one that your significant other currently has. Let it all settle down.

Living in DC has its pros and cons but it's a "lifestyle" for sure. Moving to Ashburn is a BIG, BIG change in that sort of lifestyle. I think you should really evaluate if you are ready to give up the "city life" and all its conveniences (and negatives) for full on brutal suburbia.

I guess I'm saying that I wouldn't rush into anything without giving it some time and even spending some of your weekend time out in Ashburn.

Last edited by ChristineVA; 06-16-2013 at 09:43 AM..
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:39 AM
 
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Thanks Christine, that is actually one of my biggest fears - I've actually never lived in suburbs in my life. I like the convenience of the city, but i'm wondering if "settling down" means that i will have to move to a suburb at some point. In the same vein, I don't know what I don't know. Is there a case to be made for moving out at all? that's why i was asking what the pros would be. In other threads the comments were mostly negative about the traffic, blandness, etc.
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:40 AM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
2,186 posts, read 7,916,958 times
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You are already established in DC, stay there. I would love to live there, but my husband and I had never really lived in a condo/apartment and like you, thought moving to the suburbs would be good for starting a family. Ashburn isn't horrible, but it is a different life. DC does offer so much for kids (aside from public schools) that I would love to be able to live there and not depend on a car, but be so close to so much. The living costs may be higher living in DC, but I think that on average, people out here do spend a lot more overall due to commuting costs, time sitting in their car to get from point A to point B, and yet may live in more square feet, but in most cases live just as close to their neighbors. I see that people make it work living in the city, and if you already are, you can probably continue to do that. It is a tough decision, but I wish you all the best.
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:47 AM
 
12,905 posts, read 15,580,718 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cloudguy View Post
Thanks Christine, that is actually one of my biggest fears - I've actually never lived in suburbs in my life. I like the convenience of the city, but i'm wondering if "settling down" means that i will have to move to a suburb at some point. In the same vein, I don't know what I don't know. Is there a case to be made for moving out at all? that's why i was asking what the pros would be. In other threads the comments were mostly negative about the traffic, blandness, etc.
The suburbs are an adjustment, for sure. In hindsight, I wish that I had lived closer to the city with my kids when they were growing up. I think Arlington would have been a perfect compromise between city and suburbs.

I don't mind the suburbs, at all, really. If you have children and they are very much into "activities" (mine were not), the suburbs are probably for you. If you future children love soccer, swimming, lacrosse, etc., you are going to find fabulous sports teams/leagues in the suburbs and you will have a built-in network of friends because of your common interests. If that's not your thing (or you children's thing), you may find that you are doing a lot of driving around all weekend getting here and there. As I said, I don't hate it, but I think I'd be much happier in a more "city" setting.

DC is horrible, for the most part, with regard to schools, so DC itself may not be an option for you down the road.

I think after you get married, you both should spend some time visiting the various suburbs and just riding around, do some shopping, etc. and see how you like the feeling of it.
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:48 AM
 
1,526 posts, read 2,248,322 times
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That would be a serious life style change on top of adjusting to a life of marriage and what all that entails. When I got married, I knew myself well enough to know that our sharing the 1 bdrm I curently lived in would push the boundaries of my comfort level of personal space and thought it best we move to a larger space. We rented a 2 bdrm just down the street from where I was and it made sense since it was a good commute to both our jobs. We didn't buy until 2 yrs later and I'm glad we didn't rush any decisions.
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:51 AM
 
1,261 posts, read 6,090,189 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristineVA View Post
Here's my insight (old, married lady with two grown children).

Get married and get used to that. In fact, stick with your apartment or the one that your significant other currently has. Let it all settle down.

Living in DC has its pros and cons but it's a "lifestyle" for sure. Moving to Ashburn is a BIG, BIG change in that sort of lifestyle. I think you should really evaluate if you are ready to give up the "city life" and all its conveniences (and negatives) for full on brutal suburbia.

I guess I'm saying that I wouldn't rush into anything without giving it some time and even spending some of your weekend time out in Ashburn.
ITA with this advice. In fact, even if you have an infant, you can rent in Ashburn before purchasing a home. When we relocated back to the area, we had a child, two dogs and were planning for a second child. We knew we wanted to purchase a SFH, but Arlington was out of our price range (that's were we lived when we were single and first married). We found temporary housing in Herndon and 4 months living there was long enough to realize that a commute from Ashburn (where we were hoping to buy) to DC would be very long by our standards. We chose to buy near Burke. It's still a long commute if you drive, but at least we have other public transportation options available (VRE and commuter bus). If your heart is set on Ashburn, try it out first by living there temporarily. But if you are looking for a nice, suburban community, you have other options closer to your job.
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Old 06-16-2013, 09:53 AM
 
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Thanks Alley, I have already started looking for possible apartments to buy in DC. I do want to start building some equity for that 2.5K that i'm paying in rent every month, which is part of why i also started to consider buying a SFH/TH in the suburbs. It sounds from what you are saying that quality of life is much better in the city, even if it's living in a smaller place.
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Old 06-16-2013, 10:00 AM
 
1,526 posts, read 2,248,322 times
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I think the overall message is that you have defined what your quality of life is currently and that's being in the city. Once you have kids, that may change. Nothing is written in stone, and life doesn't always go as planned, i.e. jobs, kids, etc. I would focus on the fact that if you buy, buy with the intention of holding on to it for at least 5 years. If you feel comfortable with that decision than go for it
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Old 06-16-2013, 10:04 AM
 
5 posts, read 8,352 times
Reputation: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by Middlin View Post
That would be a serious life style change on top of adjusting to a life of marriage and what all that entails. When I got married, I knew myself well enough to know that our sharing the 1 bdrm I curently lived in would push the boundaries of my comfort level of personal space and thought it best we move to a larger space. We rented a 2 bdrm just down the street from where I was and it made sense since it was a good commute to both our jobs. We didn't buy until 2 yrs later and I'm glad we didn't rush any decisions.
agreed, i actually was thinking of jumping straight from renting a 1BR to buying a 2BR. I'll start looking at 2BR rentals too. When you ended up buying, what type of property did you choose to go for if you don't mind my asking?
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