Wayout 'burb in NOVA vs Richmond (Arlington, Reston: condos, townhouses, find a job)

[davidnyc]

Our family is trying to make it back East from the Dallas, TX area. We are pinpointing Virginia. We are making a financial/lifestyle change from dual income to single income, therefore, housing options are different from what we have now. I can keep current job, but, if I did find work in NOVA, I have seen job postings in the Herndon, Reston, Vienna, etc. areas. I may not have to go into DC.

Our housing budget would be about $300K (have funds to go higher, but rather not because of single income).

I think with the budget of $300K, wanting good schools (I define "good school" as a good learning environment not necessarily high greatschools rating or SAT scores, even though they are a good starting point) and at least a one car garage (need a garage for a car hobby).... maybe NOVA is out of the question?

This leads me to thinking of Richmond instead of NOVA. I was thinking way out burbs of NOVA may have the same "feel" as Richmond? Major advantage to NOVA is potential work. Advantage to Richmond is housing dollar goes further.

One data point, we are an African American family. We currently live in a predominately Caucasian area, but aren't the only black family (8-10% of kids in schools are AA) and nearby burbs are relatively diverse. Something similar in Virginia is ok.

(We visit in March to take a look.)

Thoughts?

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by davidnyc

I think with the budget of $300K, wanting good schools, and at least a one car garage

Nope. Look somewhere else or up your budget. Maybe at $350K or if you drop the garage/get a townhouse. Check out Redfin etc for housing in Loudoun/PWC counties and you will see what you are looking for doesn't exist at your price point.

[OotsaPootsa]

Concur. Not enough budget to pay for your target home in NoVa. Richmond is nice. Look at Short Pump.

[Old Guard]

Find a job first and then you will know your budget. Look in both Richmond and Northern VA and you may have your choice made for you.

I personally would have no problem living in either area.

[Hesky]

At that budget it will certainly be hard to find a home with a garage that is in a top school district anywhere near reasonable commuting distance to the main areas where jobs are concentrated in Northern Virginia. But its also not incredibly far off.

About four years ago I purchased a SFH with a two-car garage in Sterling for 315K. Although the market has changed, you can still find SFHs, and especially townhouses, close to your price range in this part of NoVA. Sterling isn't the best school district though, but that depends a lot on what's important to you. When I made my decision to buy in Sterling I figured it was ok since I was working in Ashburn, so I didn't need to commute. But as it usually happens, eventually I got tired of that job and realized that most career growth opportunities where in DC, Arlington and Tysons and that I had put myself in a tough situation to accept them. And now that my son is getting older, I finally decided to bite the bullet and take a job in DC, and I now find myself doing a 90 minute commute and planning a move closer to Washington. The point of this is to say that while you may find what you're looking for, I personally recommend carefully evaluating where most of the jobs you may one day want exist, even if you don't need to commute today. If Richmond and its lower living costs is a good alternative for your career, it could save a lot of pain and it will provide a much higher quality of life for your budget.

[Deeman804]

I was in a very similar (no kids though) and decided to move to Woodbridge area. They have some very good schools to the west and southwest (Montclair) of town. The trade off is that you have a lot of traffic (budget 60-90 minutes from the Reston/Tysons area or focus your job search close to 395 for transit options) but that's the trade off to get all of your other items. Also, you can get a SFH in a great area for 300-350K in average condition and definitely not new. Lastly, Woodbridge is pretty diverse ethnically with majority White-Black-Hispanic people with a reasonable amount of Middle Eastern, East Asian presence.

It's not perfect but the economic alternative for diverse, cheap-ish, family friendly areas. I also second that you should find the location of your job first but want you to know that options are out there.

[davidnyc]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on Richmond vs NOVA. With two incomes, NOVA was easily in the price point, but wanting to slow down in life means picking a "slow down in life" area. Dallas, TX area is perfect for this, but I am not a Dallas person. Nice place, cheapish place with tons of stuff to do for families, just not me.

[FCNova]

I think Richmond would be a better fit. With that budget and your wish list you'd be way too far out to work in Reston/Herndon/Vienna and especially downtown DC without having a nightmare commute.

[ozzyngcsu]

Not sure exactly what you are looking for in a property but there are condos in the Haymarket/Gainesville area that meet your listed criteria. Probably more in Manassas but the schools are not a good.
6261 Aster Haven Circle UNIT 20, Haymarket, VA 20169 | MLS PW9749691 | Listing Information | Long and Foster

[Ffxdata]

A consideration for Richmond:

Some who live there think that it's very socially segregated with little mixing between white and black communities. It is changing though.