Transfer to Arlington and don't know where to live - Please help! (Lake Ridge: foreclosures, rental)

[BriannaLee_1]

My husband is possibly being transferred to Arlington. We are hoping to rent a place until we find a house/condo to buy. Our rental budget will be a measly 1750 a month and house budget 275,000. We have two very young children so safety is a top priority. We are very open to city or suburb locations. We would love to have a lot of amentities. Not afraid of fixer-uppers or foreclosures. Do you have any suggestions on locations that sound good for us?

On a side note.. Can I get a quick explanation on the commute. I grew up in the desert of Southern California so public transit is not something I'm familiar with. I understand there is a metro, but how far out if the city does it go? Is driving into the city during work hours realistic? Any info. would help.

[Deluusions]

Your house budget is very unrealistic.

[Cardiff Kook]

You won't live anywhere close enough to public transportation with that budget for it to make a difference. You should start looking in Loudoun County for places

[airjay75]

You are likely going to be very surprised to see how little house can be rent or bought with that budget. Housing prices here are more akin to coastal Southern California or the Bay Area. I'm not sure you could find anything in Arlington County for that money. There are parts of Fairfax County where you might be able to find an older, small TH for that type of money. I just searched zip code 22153 (where I live) and did find 4 older, smaller THs that are going for $275k or less, but they are quite small - all around a 1,000 sq. ft. and about 40 years old.

There are a lot of commuting options in the area whether it be Metro, commuter buses, VRE, vanpools, slugging, etc. Unlike Southern California, many people use public transportation to get to work, even professionals. Metro is the option that everyone thinks of first, but there are other options that can provide good commutes as well. Of course, keep in mind that the further out you go, while housing will get cheaper (generally speaking), your commute time and cost will increase. Oftentimes, the money saved on housing gets partially eaten up by the increased commuting costs.

[BriannaLee_1]

That's what I was afraid of. I figured the houses that were in our budget were priced low for multiple offers. His job reimburses commuting costs but the time away from family is of course important. Thank you very much for your responses. We knew this was going to be very tough. This move is not ideal but it will be vital for his career.

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by BriannaLee_1

Do you have any suggestions on locations that sound good for us?

The question is how important is home ownership to you? I doubt you will be able to afford a home within 20 miles of Arlington in a nice area given your budget. To move where you could afford would result in a one hour commute and a ton of money spent on gas.

If you are willing to rent you could likely find a townhouse not too far or maybe even inside the beltway. You might be able to buy a townhouse for $275K, but as has been stated it will be 40+ years old.

One big issue is that even a 1/5 acre lot is worth more than the structure on it so what you have are a lot of companies buying older forecloses/fix uppers and tearing them down to rebuild expensive McMansions in their place. This is especially prevalent in Arlington County.

[RecessionCasualty]

Ditto to everything pp's said. You are going to have a really tough time with that budget but take a look at Lake Ridge (22192). The townhouses are older and in general are already starting to creep past your budget but you can use the PRTC bus line to get to the Pentagon metro stop then metro to wherever you're going. It can get expensive and the commute will be long (did it ourselves at one point) but 22192 is a nice area with still good schools and perhaps a good starting point.

[ekb88]

Check townhouses in Fairlington. You might be able to get something not updated for close to your rental budget, with your kids sharing a bedroom. There are buses to Pentagon, and the area is very family friendly.

[Old Guard]

Originally Posted by ekb88

Check townhouses in Fairlington. You might be able to get something not updated for close to your rental budget, with your kids sharing a bedroom. There are buses to Pentagon, and the area is very family friendly.

This would be a could area if you can get it. The Pentagon has a Metro station that has multiple lines and is very convenient. I wish you luck.

Overall I think this is a good area. There seem to be a lot of people walking, jogging and biking around in the evenings.

[elias9193]

For $1750 you might be able to get a one bedroom apt in a decent neighborhood, you definitely need to reconsider living in Arlington if that's all you can afford.