moving from CT for job in McLean -- any advice appreciated (Alexandria: military, apartment)

[cttonova]

Hello Everyone,

I've read a number of very helpful posts in this forum and appreciate all the good tips that posters have already provided. Any advice on my specific situation would be greatly appreciated.

I'm moving from CT to NoVa in June with wife and 1 year old child for job in McLean (couple miles east of Tyson's Corner). We're looking to rent a townhouse (3 bed, 2+ bath) in a safe, family-friendly area with a commute that won't kill me (hoping for 30-40 min. if possible). Looking to spend approx. $1,500-$1,800/month.

We're visiting the area this weekend through early next week to get a feel for neighborhoods. Based on realtor.com, craigslist, & posts on this forum, I'm concentrating search in following areas: Sterling (cascades area), Centreville, Chantilly, Reston.

If you can share your thoughts on these areas (or others I've overlooked) I'd really appreciate it.

[VRE332]

first, make sure you car has the air conditioning working, I know you probably dont use it much in CT because I am from the North East.

by the way did you read this thread? Best Websites For Apartment Reviews/Ratings

[cttonova]

Thanks, VRE. Actually, I'm looking forward to thawing out a little

[BootLe]

I have always been partial to Sterling/Ashburn myself. I'm new to thes boards but have lived in the Northern Vriginia area all my life (Woodbridge, Tyson's corner, Alexandria, Springfield, Centreville, etc). I think you'll get the most "bang" for your buck in those areas as it's not as expensive as Reston, and a lot newer than Chantilly/Centreville. I have a friend that moved out to Ashburn (right next to Sterling) recently and he loves it. Hope this helps.

[5stones]

Ashburn to Tysons is more like an hour. more during heavy traffic times. If you live out by 267 and take the toll you might make it in under 60min but then you've got to pay the high toll fees. And take the price of gas into account.

Don't get me wrong...I think Ashburn is great for families etc... but you aren't going to get to Tysons in 30-40 minutes.
Cascades get you a bit closer in on rt 7 but I still think you are not in the 30-40 minutes area. Schools are good in that area and lots of families etc... it will be a commute of just under an hour on good days.

Reston is very nice and closer still. it does have some areas that aren't so nice, so just scout out your rentals closely. I don't know if you'll be able to get a palce in a fantastic area for your criteria and price. 2 bedroom probably yes.

Great falls is nice but pricey as well as living in Mclean itself would be nice but expensive.


So for what you want you may have to give up the 30-40 minute commute or the 3 bedrooms. Is this a temp transfer? or full time?
since your child is still so young I compromise on hte size of a place and get closer in. You don't want to waste your time sitting in traffic for up to 90minutes each way.

This area you usually have to compromise somewhere...since our kids were oldewr and involved in afterschool activites we choose to live out futher in a family neighobrhood and deal with the long commute for the 2 years. But it was really getting old and if we were to stay in the area we would have moved closer in to a smaller place.

look on militarybyowner as well as craigs list and the realtor sites.

[cttonova]

5stones,

Thanks for the hard dose of reality on the commute times. I definitely don't want to spend 2-3 hours/day on the commute, so it sounds like I can definitely cross Ashburn off my list.

[ibeg4sushi]

They might be able to rent a Townhome in Ashburn for around that much, but it would be an older home. You'd have to do some looking around. Start on craigslist.org, go through washingtonpost.com. I know realtor.com used to show rentals online but they really haven't done much of that lately, or maybe it's just me having trouble with the website I don't know. Good luck anyhow! Keeping in mind that the housing market is in a slough, lots more people are renting, so you may find an exercise in patience in this. In any case, I hope your family fares well and enjoys the area.

[campbetc]

I live in Chantilly and commute to Tyson's Corner every day. It takes between 30-40 minutes (about 25 with no traffic but that never happens!). I've found some faster routes just by doing it every day.

We just moved into this house, we were renting a few miles east in Fairfax until then, but we love Chantilly. Good luck!

[cttonova]

Thanks for the posts. Any thoughts on Herndon vs. Reston?