Young married couple (baby incoming) looking for the right area in NOVA (Reston: apartments)

[lvoevge]

My wife (24) and I (27) are moving to NOVA for a job in Tyson's Corner, near the Greensboro Station. My wife is in the early stages of her career and will need to find work. We have one car.

We are looking for either a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in a quiet building. I noticed some nice 1 bedrooms for $1600-1800/mo in Tysons (Eaves Tysons Corner) that are extremely close to my job. This would be nice, as its close to my job and the train, so my wife could either use our car or the train to get to work.

If we can do better than this, I'd love to know. I noticed Reston is somewhat affordable, but I'm not sure if it's cheap enough to justify the move further out.

The main things we care about are price, relatively easy commute, and safety. We aren't concerned about schools yet as the baby hasn't been born.

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I am extremely open to cycling to work. I noticed some rail trails in the area and that would be appealing as well.

EDIT: Daycare information may be relevant, as we both hope to be working.

[LynchburgLover]

Keep in mind babies turn into toddlers very, very quickly. A one-bedroom apartment is not really feasible for too long. Better plan on a two-bedroom from the get-go.

Best of luck.

[Old Guard]

There are really no unsafe parts of NOVA. I would avoid some of the cheaper apartments just to get out of the nonsense. Tyson's is VERY safe. Look for newer places at Dunn Loring or along 7, 29 and Gallows Rd. When you find something post it here and we can give you our thoughts.

I love Reston but I am commute adverse so I would not recommend that to you even though you should be aware there are some back roads to navigate between Reston and the Tyson's area that may be helpful.

[LynchburgLover]

One other thing to consider regarding day care that I had never thought about before.

Our grandson has some relatively minor health issues but many day cares will not accept him. It involves intravenous medication three times a day. You or your wife may need to stay home for a while. Don't plan on possible future income as your wife is not currently employed. Better to be sure you can survive on one salary, just in case.

Best of luck.

[Badger21]

Agreed with the other posters here. You're going to want a two bedroom with baby on the way.

If you're willing to spend that much in Tyson's for a 1 BR, a 2BR with most of the amenities you seek can be had in Reston for the same price.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...277391176.html

[Deeman804]

A quick note, some apartments don't allow 3 people in a 1-bedroom apartment. Yes, that includes baby. Location-wise, I would check out Tysons immediate area for a first apartment then move further out once you learn the area and your spouse gets a job. Reston is a good second choice but understand that with the cheaper price comes a toll road which you will likely need to use to leave Reston and go to work (if not, Reston is suddenly on par commute-wise with many other areas).

[ijyeo85]

As a father of 1 year old, I will recommend a few things based on my exp.

1. 1 bedroom, you can totally rock it. - depends on your style of parenting, but what I have realized is that your parenting style will begin to shape as you raise one. For instance, we thought we will put the baby in the crib the whole time, but we didn't. We are now co-sleeping with our 1 yr old. So we have a crib that we do not use... and do not require to have baby's room. I would prepare as basic as possible.

2. However, choosing an apartment with good walls is important. - For your sake and your neighbor's sake. You will never know if your baby is a sensitive to sounds. Walking sound from upstairs, etc... or you never know if you have a sensitive neighbor who will complain all the time.

3. Convenience matters - you will want to choose a place where you can get stuff easily. No 30m driving to get a pack of diapers. With all of Amazon being your wife's best friend, still you would want to get your daily things done with minimal efforts.

Emphasizing the 1st point again, you guys will have different idea on what you will want to do for your family once the baby arrives. All babies are different and you will start thinking differently as you get to know them. Also, now that you are new to the town, i would even suggest to get shorter term stays and get the feel for the area before committing into anything bigger. There should be plenty of options for you.

[Ffxdata]

Generally, you can have 3 people in a one bedroom as long as the child is under 1 or 2 years old. We had a child in our room bed-sharing for 2+ years. We liked it. No big deal at all.

I agree that I would care more about not hearing (and not being heard) by your neighbors more than I would the size of the apartment.