Working in Herndon, VA where to live? (Reston, Chantilly: rent, how much)

[aromano2]

Hello, just wanted to get some opinions/information from everyone on here. I may be accepting a job in Herndon, VA and would be looking for a good place to live. My wife and I are looking for something under the 500k range, preferably a 3-4 bedroom house. We want to be near good schools for sure. We are in our late 20's and would like to be around a crowd of a similar age range, where should we look?

[jillybean720]

Do you have children who need the good schools NOW, or are you looking for a home in which you can start your family? If you're moving to the area and don't have children yet, I would highly recommend renting for a year or so before buying so you get a true feel for the area and exactly where you want to be.

Would you consider a townhouse, or does it have to be a single family home? There are some nice parts of Herndon and Sterling that could work, and Reston might get you around more younger couples, but I'm not sure about that price range for a SFH in Reston.

We moved to Sterling last year and mostly used Redfin for our home search since it shows local school GreatSchools ratings for each property you view.

[aromano2]

No we are starting our family and wanted to lay some roots down as soon as possible. I agree renting would make me feel more comfortable but at the same time buying might make more sense for us financially. We would probably be open to both and choose whichever is the better option. We need to narrow down our locations regardless. I have seen Mannassas, Gainesville, Herndon, Leesburg etc, but not sure which would really suit our needs. We want to be within 10-15 minutes of shopping, etc and I am ok with a commute of an hour or so to Herndon.

[claremarie]

Buying does not make more sense financially if you buy the wrong house because of your unfamiliarity with the area. Many people who move to northern Virginia from elsewhere are completely unprepared for the soul-sucking nature of a long commute, especially in congested outer suburban areas without good public transit options or a network of alternative escape routes. Your still nonexistent child will not be ready for public school for at least 6 years. During that time, you may well change jobs/locations, school boundaries could change, your spouse may or may not be working, and you may or may not need to factor child care into your housing choice. Rent a place in Reston at first, and spend your weekends exploring some of the communities with homes in your price range (and spend some of your weekdays testing out the commutes). You will find that most 20-something couples in northern Virginia are not living in 3-4 BR houses yet, and if you want to live near others in your age cohort, keep that in mind.

[aromano2]

While I appreciate the opinions on here, all I am trying to gather is information about the different areas. I am not looking for a financial advisor and/or a life coach. Just because other 20 somethings don't live in a house, doesn't mean I cannot either. I'm doing research on here so that I DON'T buy in an area we regret. We fully plan on visiting numerous times obviously before buying, we just don't know where to start. Regardless of renting or buying, we are looking for a HOUSE, 3-4 bedrooms, decent area close to shopping, restaurants etc. Good schools are a must (even if I have a non-existent child). If anyone has USEFUL information on the surrounding areas, please feel free to contribute.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by aromano2

While I appreciate the opinions on here, all I am trying to gather is information about the different areas. I am not looking for a financial advisor and/or a life coach. Just because other 20 somethings don't live in a house, doesn't mean I cannot either. I'm doing research on here so that I DON'T buy in an area we regret. We fully plan on visiting numerous times obviously before buying, we just don't know where to start. Regardless of renting or buying, we are looking for a HOUSE, 3-4 bedrooms, decent area close to shopping, restaurants etc. Good schools are a must (even if I have a non-existent child). If anyone has USEFUL information on the surrounding areas, please feel free to contribute.

All of the locations you mentioned fit your criteria (close to shopping and restaurants). Just use Redfin to find a house large enough, that meets your budget, and is within a school district that ranks high.

[billscamaros]

I'd urge you to give great consideration to finding a place in Herndon, near where you'll be working. My wife and I lived in Herndon from our mid 20's thru our early 40's. We enjoyed our time there and very much appreciated our neighborhood that we lived in. A 3 bedroom house, decent shopping, good restaurants and good schools. Needing a 4th bedroom and not wanting her to have to return to the workforce for a few years, we looked around and made the decision to move out to the edge of West Virginia.

So in WV I have everything that you listed above .... 3-4 bedrooms, excellent schools, good restaurants, good shopping and I'm within an hour commute to Herndon. Substantially more house at slightly more than half of your price point. Seems great .... but that commute stinks! I'm exhausted by the end of my work week. So my $.02 would be to avoid the commute and live locally.

I'd also offer up that you will find nice houses, good schools, good restaurants and shopping, and people within your age range everywhere within an hours commute of Herndon. People here will argue ad nauseum over one school being better than another, but they are all good. Once you have kids and they begin school, you'll find that the biggest factor in their academic success is simply your involvement in their education. The big differenciators regarding where you live will be the cost you are willing to pay for a house and the distance that you are willing to commute. If you can afford to live in Herndon where you job is located, then why would you commute?

Again, just my $.02.

[aromano2]

Thanks for the reply Bill, I agree if I can be as close to work as possible that would be ideal. I just need to figure out the price point between how much we can afford vs. how close we want to be. As far as the areas that are commutable to Herndon, what cities/towns are within an hour considering traffic?

[Grsz11]

Originally Posted by aromano2

As far as the areas that are commutable to Herndon, what cities/towns are within an hour considering traffic?

Leesburg, Manassas, Gainesville and anything closer in. I wouldn't look much further out than that.

[hilsmom]

$500K won't get you the very "top schools" in Fairfax County, BUT you can still find nice neighborhoods and schools in that price range. We bought in Greenbriar (22033) in Fairfax, but it is basically Chantilly as the HS and library less than a mile walk from my house say. We also looked at the area around Oak Hill ES, which is in 20171 (Herndon) - It is Franklin Farm area. There is also Fox Mill in 20171.

Just throwing out a few suggestions for you in Fairfax near Herndon.