Relocating to Metro DC w/family (Arlington, Alexandria: short sales, real estate, foreclosures)
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I have received an offer to relocate to the DC area from Minnesota. While I am excited about the new position, my wife is somewhat apprehensive. We have 2 elementary-age children and have located 2 small parochial schools they may attend (Silver Spring, MD and Falls Church). I am wondering about the benefits/drawbacks of these areas and also whether my wife will easily find suitable employment. She has a BA and is currently taking graduate courses. Her experiences include non-profit and housing related areas. Are there readily available jobs in the area in these fields and any idea on the pay scales with 5+ years exp and 3 yrs management exp?
I should mention that the schools would either be located at 3233 Annandale in Falls Church or 1500 Brown Station in Largo. I have been checking craigslist and the real estate sites - it looks as though a 3br townhouse can be found in these vicinities starting at around $1800/mo. (we're trying to stay in the $1800-$2000 range). I keep hearing how expensive it is to live in DC, but we already pay almost $1200/mo. and with the pay increase and loss of a car payment my math is telling me we will actually come out ahead by moving. Am I missing something? Obviously, we will no longer have acreage and 2000+ sq.ft., but it doesn't seem that unaffordable to me.
Welcome to DC. I do not know much about Maryland but I can tell you that Fairfax County has some of the best public schools in the U.S. Housing in the metro is shockingly higher than what you have in Minnesota, even though prices here have dropped more than 25 percent the last two years (depending on the area).
We just moved here from K.C. last fall. My new job here pays more than what I had in K.C. to hopefuly cover the huge increase in housing in D.C. Still, it's quite a shock. $1800 a month in rent sounds about right; however, I am not too familiar with rents in Falls Church. How many bedrooms were you expecting to get? I may be wrong but you probably won't get anything more than a nice 1 bedroom there or perhaps a two bedroom, but I am sure others with more experience living here will add their opinions.
Hi Minnesota04, where will you be working? The commutes around here can be pretty hard so I would consider your job location in the search. Are those two schools the only parochial school you will consider? I know there are many others in the area. I can't speak much to the job market for your wife other then to say that job opportunities in general seem pretty good. This will be a big change for you but it is a wonderful area and a great opportunity for your family to experience.
I have received an offer to relocate to the DC area from Minnesota. While I am excited about the new position, my wife is somewhat apprehensive. We have 2 elementary-age children and have located 2 small parochial schools they may attend (Silver Spring, MD and Falls Church). I am wondering about the benefits/drawbacks of these areas and also whether my wife will easily find suitable employment. She has a BA and is currently taking graduate courses. Her experiences include non-profit and housing related areas. Are there readily available jobs in the area in these fields and any idea on the pay scales with 5+ years exp and 3 yrs management exp?
I should mention that the schools would either be located at 3233 Annandale in Falls Church or 1500 Brown Station in Largo. I have been checking craigslist and the real estate sites - it looks as though a 3br townhouse can be found in these vicinities starting at around $1800/mo. (we're trying to stay in the $1800-$2000 range). I keep hearing how expensive it is to live in DC, but we already pay almost $1200/mo. and with the pay increase and loss of a car payment my math is telling me we will actually come out ahead by moving. Am I missing something? Obviously, we will no longer have acreage and 2000+ sq.ft., but it doesn't seem that unaffordable to me.
A fellow Minnesotan! I moved out here in 2004 for work, so I kind of know the feeling. Though it was quite a bit easier for me without a family yet. You are probably aware of all of the differences in regions, but they are legit.
Climate: Huge difference. It basically never gets cold here. A day with a high in the 20s is the lead story on the news. Schools shut down for almost any accumulating snowfall. In the summer it is always humid. In MN, there are hot and humid days, and then a front comes through with some storms and it'll be nice for a while. That doesn't happen here. The heat and humidity is nonstop for months.
Traffic: If you have to get on a highway, it is terrible. Choosing a place to live with a decent commute to work and your kid's school is imperative. The drivers in this area are very bad, either way too slow or way too fast. The roads change names every few miles, they are extremely poorly signed, and turn lanes are a foreign concept. You can't be in a left lane because of someone stopped making a left turn, and you can't be in the right lane because that's where the buses stop.
Diversity: There are far more minorities here. There are ups and downs to this, but it does make the restaurant selection fantastic. DC and Prince George's county has a significant African-American population, while the Virginia suburbs are more heavily Hispanic and Asian. The Falls Church area that the school is in has a pretty large Hispanic population from what I've seen (I rented for a brief time about a mile away).
Housing: It sounds like you are aware of the price difference, so that is good. And if your new job pays more, it shouldn't be a problem. The $1800 still probably isn't going to go as far as the $1200 would back in MN, but you should be able to find a place for that. If you are thinking of Falls Church, be aware that the area near the school is going through a lot of foreclosures and short sales, so if you rent from a private individual do what you can to make sure that they aren't in financial trouble. The Fairfax Co. tax assessments are online, so you can see when people bought and for what price. Prices have tumbled in that area over the last year, so you might want to beware of any 2005-2007 sales.
As far as your wife goes, I am not sure about her specific job market, but Northern Virginia is extremely tight right now, which is good news for her. The unemployment in Arlington is something like 2%. There are a lot of non-profits in the area. Obviously, housing jobs have probably been hit, but maybe something in the housing assistance realm? Just throwing things out there.
PS. If you are a Vikings fan, there is a fan club that meets to watch the game at a restaurant in Arlington. Anywhere from 40 to 140 people show up, depending on how they are playing and the matchup. If you are a lousy Packers fan I think that they have a meeting place too, but I'm not going to go encouraging that type of thing.
What you might be missing is that a 3BR townhouse for $1800 might be in a less desirable neighborhood than wherever you live now. As a previous poster noted, parts of Falls Church have very high immigrant populations, with many homes rented out to groups of unrelated adults. That tends to drive the sales and rental prices down, which is something to keep in mind when you wonder why a particular property is significantly cheaper than comparable homes in different neighborhoods...
As Minnesotans, you will find your new home to be full of ugly and unfriendly people.
[url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2007/]America's Favorite Cities 2007 | Travel + Leisure[/url] In fact, for many years, they will look at you as if you are green men from mars.
Housing is really expensive, but it's worth it to live in VA instead of MD. The police in Alexandria and in Arlington are everywhere and respond really quickly to any call. I spend most my time in Alexandria and Arlington so I can't speak to other areas of NoVA.
I have found that the biggest apparent street crime is public drunkenness by Hondurans and Salvadorans, but you can push them over with your finger. It's not like other neighborhoods in DC and MD with drug-related crimes.
There is absolutely no way I would raise my children here. There is no escape from the Old Dominion racist heritage. I especially would not raise girls here. If your children are girls, I would not let them out of my direct line of vision for a second. If you insist on bringing children, your only choice is to put them in some super-exclusive school (expensive) and after-school keep them in a well-gated, well-secured community (also expensive.)
The public parks are dangerous, private back yards are expensive, the sidewalks are broken or narrow or non-existent, and pedestrians--especially pedestrians in marked crosswalks--are not yielded to but seen as targets by most drivers.
Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. My tall thin blonde blue-eyed sister from Minn. stayed with me one year and I had to walk her home from the Metro bus stop every day. My 13 year old Minn. niece is coming to visit me for a week and I'm at wit's end about her safety.
And yes, you can catch the Vikes at the Tortoise & Hare on 23rd Street in Crystal City. In fact, Crystal City would be a safe bet, with its good private security force and direct uderground access to Metrotrain, and you could probably get a decent 1BR apt there for $1500, and maybe a little more for a 2BR. The only problem with Crystal City is that I heard that the private garage security staffers themselves were breaking into the cars, but that was over ten years ago and I haven't heard anything since then.
As Minnesotans, you will find your new home to be full of ugly and unfriendly people. America's Favorite Cities 2007 | Travel + Leisure In fact, for many years, they will look at you as if you are green men from mars.
Housing is really expensive, but it's worth it to live in VA instead of MD. The police in Alexandria and in Arlington are everywhere and respond really quickly to any call. I spend most my time in Alexandria and Arlington so I can't speak to other areas of NoVA.
I have found that the biggest apparent street crime is public drunkenness by Hondurans and Salvadorans, but you can push them over with your finger. It's not like other neighborhoods in DC and MD with drug-related crimes.
There is absolutely no way I would raise my children here. There is no escape from the Old Dominion racist heritage.
I am sorry you feel that way. I just moved here from K.C. and I admit this area takes some getting used to; however, most the people I have met are very friendly. Crime seems to be no worse than many neighborhoods in Kansas City (both of them). And, Johnson County Kansas has neighborhoods equal to or better than most neighborhoods in NOVA.
I guess what I am saying is that most areas and people seem to be about the same with the same issues and problems. Hope things will go better for you.
There really is no comparison between KC and Minn.
KC has a civil war history and is a Southern City, same as NoVA. Minn. was not in the civil war except for sending troops to aid the Union.
Falls Church is probably all right, but to get a quality of life similar to Minn. with the given budget, I would suggest you won't find it there, and you'd be hard put to find it anywhere inside the Beltway, and maybe not even in any of Fairfax County.
I would suggest Loudon County. It's not so much of a shock, and your family won't hate you. There are commuter buses for you to get to work, and Dulles Airport for a quick escape. Winchester or Stephens City might be worthwhile considering.
I wouldn't suggest Springfield or Manassas or anything further south. The culture shock would be too much.
I only say this because I'm from Minn and I know what I'm talking about, and I can relate to another Minnesotan. I may be wrong, but that's my humble opinion.
As Minnesotans, you will find your new home to be full of ugly and unfriendly people. America's Favorite Cities 2007 | Travel + Leisure In fact, for many years, they will look at you as if you are green men from mars.
Housing is really expensive, but it's worth it to live in VA instead of MD. The police in Alexandria and in Arlington are everywhere and respond really quickly to any call. I spend most my time in Alexandria and Arlington so I can't speak to other areas of NoVA.
I have found that the biggest apparent street crime is public drunkenness by Hondurans and Salvadorans, but you can push them over with your finger. It's not like other neighborhoods in DC and MD with drug-related crimes.
There is absolutely no way I would raise my children here. There is no escape from the Old Dominion racist heritage. I especially would not raise girls here. If your children are girls, I would not let them out of my direct line of vision for a second. If you insist on bringing children, your only choice is to put them in some super-exclusive school (expensive) and after-school keep them in a well-gated, well-secured community (also expensive.)
The public parks are dangerous, private back yards are expensive, the sidewalks are broken or narrow or non-existent, and pedestrians--especially pedestrians in marked crosswalks--are not yielded to but seen as targets by most drivers.
Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. My tall thin blonde blue-eyed sister from Minn. stayed with me one year and I had to walk her home from the Metro bus stop every day. My 13 year old Minn. niece is coming to visit me for a week and I'm at wit's end about her safety.
And yes, you can catch the Vikes at the Tortoise & Hare on 23rd Street in Crystal City. In fact, Crystal City would be a safe bet, with its good private security force and direct uderground access to Metrotrain, and you could probably get a decent 1BR apt there for $1500, and maybe a little more for a 2BR. The only problem with Crystal City is that I heard that the private garage security staffers themselves were breaking into the cars, but that was over ten years ago and I haven't heard anything since then.
Just curious....If you feel so unsafe and can't stand your surroundings, why haven't you gone back to Minnesota??
Because federal taxes have sucked all the money and jobs out of Minnesota and deposited it here!
I work here for the money. There's no way I'd raise a family here. I actually fly back to Minn. at least once a month. In fact, I think it would be cheaper to leave the family there and commute to an efficiency here, which actually is what a lot of Hill people and judges and agency people do, leave the family in CA or NY or FL or whereever life is normal, and just work here.
In My Humble Opinion.
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