Moving to DMV area-looking for advice on schools/housing (Alexandria: best neighborhood, rent)

[NIH73]

We're moving from New Mexico and the housing prices are astonishing. $700,000 for a tear-down?!
I'm starting a job at the NIH and my husband is a firefighter/paramedic who is looking for a job in either the MD or VA area. He prefers Northern Virginia, I'm open to wherever the best schools with affordable houses are for our high school age kids. I'm open to a longer commute to make that happen if necessary (no more than 1 hr if possible), but hoping for a house with a yard and a neighborhood that's family friendly. We're open to fixer-uppers and have habitually bought with the adage of the worst house in the best neighborhood in mind, and with the prices here, it looks like that's what we're going to have to find. We don't want to buy a house, and pour a bunch of money into it, only to find that the prices are stagnant, or that there is no return on investment.


We like the Falls Church, Alexandria, McLean and Great Falls area. Does anyone have a perspective on where the growth areas have been? It looks like a lot of the neighborhoods we visited had a lot of construction going on, but it's hard to tell what's a good area and what is just an area where a bunch of builders bought lots/houses that were cheap to knock down and are just trying to capitalize on an uptick in the economy.


Also, does anyone have experience with builders in the area and who to avoid?


Thanks in advance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Ffxdata]

You could get an older home in City of Falls Church for $650k. I would think that Mclean and Great Falls are out. Vienna would be out too. Fairfax or Merrifield would have some options. The schools are universally good, so that isn’t a limiting factor.

[spencgr]

What is your budget?

[NIH73]

It is dependent on numerous factors including the job my husband finds and what we can sell our house in NM for, but perhaps between $2500-$3000/month to be conservative.

[acgood]

What is the basis for the preference for NOVA? Be really sure before you choose the commute across the river without considering areas in MD near NIH

[JfromReston]

I would look hard in MD as close to NIH that has houses that you are willing to accept for your budget.

[Hal Roach]

yep, you could get within walking distance of NIH and Silver Spring Metro for under 3000. Older SFH, smallish yard...townhouse will be more modern with more amenities for about the same...absolutely no reason to commute as a renter. Traffic is somewhat worse than Dallas or Denver, and a lot worse than Phoenix. We even amaze those from Philly, Joisey, and New Yawk with the horrible traffic. Any kind of fast lane, toll options cost a lot on a monthly basis....Metro ain't cheap, either, and kind of sucks.

[ViennaSausages]

Be prepared for an all out war on a tear down. Builders are running around with cash-on-the-barrel offers and those are very, very hard to pass up.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by NIH73

We're moving from New Mexico and the housing prices are astonishing. $700,000 for a tear-down?!
I'm starting a job at the NIH and my husband is a firefighter/paramedic who is looking for a job in either the MD or VA area. He prefers Northern Virginia, I'm open to wherever the best schools with affordable houses are for our high school age kids. I'm open to a longer commute to make that happen if necessary (no more than 1 hr if possible), but hoping for a house with a yard and a neighborhood that's family friendly. We're open to fixer-uppers and have habitually bought with the adage of the worst house in the best neighborhood in mind, and with the prices here, it looks like that's what we're going to have to find. We don't want to buy a house, and pour a bunch of money into it, only to find that the prices are stagnant, or that there is no return on investment.


We like the Falls Church, Alexandria, McLean and Great Falls area. Does anyone have a perspective on where the growth areas have been? It looks like a lot of the neighborhoods we visited had a lot of construction going on, but it's hard to tell what's a good area and what is just an area where a bunch of builders bought lots/houses that were cheap to knock down and are just trying to capitalize on an uptick in the economy.


Also, does anyone have experience with builders in the area and who to avoid?


Thanks in advance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If Northern Virginia is your top preference then I would look in Fairfax City or the Falls Church portion of Fairfax County. $2500- $3000 per month definitely won't get you a house in Great Falls and will likely rule out McLean unless you have a huge down-payment or buy one that needs a lot of work. Commutes in this area can be brutal so know that an hour generally won't get you very far- will you have conventional work hours? I wouldn't rule out portions of suburban Maryland for an easier commute.

[Novadhd5150]

Rent in the Bethesda area for a while before you decide on Nova.