Between Quantico-Washington DC (Springfield, Lake Ridge, West Springfield: condos, townhouse, neighborhoods)

[mielcre]

Hello all,

It is my first time here so bear with me please. Well, my husband just got his orders to Quantico and we are looking to sell our house here in NC and move up to the DC area. I just finished my MBA and will be looking for a job. We do not know where to start from.. We are looking to buy a house in a nice neighborhood between Quantico and DC where he and I can easily commute to work. I will highly appreciate any advice you can give. Thanks alot.

[lindsayd]

Best place to start is what type of home you're looking for and your price range

[mielcre]

Single family or townhouse. I am not a big fan of condos. We can afford $300K in the first place until i get a job. We are living in a small town now and adjusting to a bigger place will be difficult. It is important for me to live in a safe, small, family-oriented, pet friendly neighborhood. Thank you for your help.

[lindsayd]

Lake Ridge and West Springfield come to mind. Both have some nice neighborhoods that would be a doable commute to Quantico and DC.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by mielcre

Single family or townhouse. I am not a big fan of condos. We can afford $300K in the first place until i get a job. We are living in a small town now and adjusting to a bigger place will be difficult. It is important for me to live in a safe, small, family-oriented, pet friendly neighborhood. Thank you for your help.

At 300k you're looking at townhouse range unless you get a rambler in need of updating. The good news is that 300k will get you a really nice townhouse in Lake Ridge (zip 22192), which is all of those things that you mentioned. It's in Prince William County (same as Quantico) about 10 miles north of Quantico, and it's reverse commute so your husband will be happy with that (except having to wait in line forever to get on base, apparently)...

Welcome to Northern Virginia!

[mielcre]

Thank you very much for your help. I am nervous Is it nice up there? Which side of the Lake Ridge is nicer ? Do you recommend a place close to the lake or in the center of the city? We have a siberian husky who loves to walk/run and it is very important for us to keep him happy. I would love to live in a place where i can walk up to the store and restaurants. Am i asking too much? I have never been there, maybe it will be the best to make a weekend trip and see first. I appreciate your help again.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by mielcre

Thank you very much for your help. I am nervous Is it nice up there? Which side of the Lake Ridge is nicer ? Do you recommend a place close to the lake or in the center of the city? We have a siberian husky who loves to walk/run and it is very important for us to keep him happy. I would love to live in a place where i can walk up to the store and restaurants. Am i asking too much? I have never been there, maybe it will be the best to make a weekend trip and see first. I appreciate your help again.

The nicer part of Lake Ridge is pretty much anything to the North of Old Bridge Road. (blanket statement - there are exceptions). Try to find somewhere within walking distance to Dillingham Square, and then you'll be able to do just that.

And yes, a weekend trip would be a good idea.

[Espressoo]

^It's funny you mention that part of Lake Ridge since I'm located right around there. We live in a fairly quiet area of townhomes. Price wise, the TH in our area ranges from $300-450K for the most part. There's lot of pet owners since I see many of our neighbors walking their dogs all day. It's not quite walking distance (1 mile+) to restaurants or town centers but a short drive. The commute to Quantico is against traffic so my estimate would be 30-40 mins on an average day. Most of it is getting onto I-95. However going towards DC in the morning can be 45-1hr+ depending on if you carpool in the HOV lanes.

It's an overall nice area and we're lucky enough to have a water view. The trade off is dealing with some traffic depending on where you commute to work.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by mielcre

Single family or townhouse. I am not a big fan of condos. We can afford $300K in the first place until i get a job. We are living in a small town now and adjusting to a bigger place will be difficult. It is important for me to live in a safe, small, family-oriented, pet friendly neighborhood. Thank you for your help.

Lake Ridge or Montclair. Try Westridge and Springwoods also, nice areas and pretty safe.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by knopfler

The nicer part of Lake Ridge is pretty much anything to the North of Old Bridge Road. (blanket statement - there are exceptions). Try to find somewhere within walking distance to Dillingham Square, and then you'll be able to do just that.

And yes, a weekend trip would be a good idea.

I second this. I used to ride my bike from Westridge to the Dairy Queen at Dillingham when i was but a wee lad. Never had any problems.