Cost of housing in NoVa

[VEIK]

Loundoun County to DC has a great bus service.

AM/PM rush, tons of people use it.

[claremarie]

Keep in mind that, even using Metro, an hour commute from downtown DC doesn't really take you very far into the suburbs, unless you happen to live across the street from a station. Vienna is the end of the Orange Line, and, depending upon where you live there, it could take more than 20 minutes to drive to the station, find a place to park, walk to the platform, wait for and board the train. With a train ride of at least 30 minutes, plus walking to your workplace, that's an hour (or more).

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by athensvaasi

I currently live in Atlanta area, and one way of estimating the cost of living here is to say:
25 miles from the city center + area with top elementary thru high schools + tough commute understood = professional family subdivision homes cost 300K (the kind I would be happy with)- 400K (the kind wife would be happy with). [Ryland home type. Ofcourse, nothing extravagant.].

What would such costs be in NoVa. I know it will be higher in NoVa, and I am generally fine with it. I just want to move there with my eyes open.

In general, the further out (from DC) you move (Loudon, Ashburn, Purceville, Haymarket) the more likely you will be able to find a nice sized, newish home on a nice lot with a decent price tag. Go even further out (Fredericksburg, Front Royal, Winchester, etc.) and you'll probably be able to get some land to go along with it. I've known people who've commuted from Baltimore and West Virginia and swear they don't mind the drive. And I believe them!

Personally, I hate commuting and I like having my kids in Fairfax County schools. So I choose to live in a smaller, older house with a close in (but not super close) location (Burke/West Springfield).

Your own priorities, job location and commuting tolerance will help you decide which part of this area is best for you. Mapquest can help give you a feel for where places are/how far they are from various destinations.

Good luck!

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by 5stones

(from your price I am assuming...around 4 bedroom SFH around 10years old??

To me, if I were living in metro DC (NoVa) I would give up space for quality of life. Whatever will work, smaller house, townhouse, .. It looks like I will get a some form of reasonable accomodation, in a commute/transit/bus location, in a good school district, for me and my family within 500K. I am not a fan of crazy commutes, I would make (atleast partial) public transportation and catch some work or sleep on the way...

Whether the wife agrees with all of the above is a different matter, I didnot check! She has a fear of townhouses because we have loud boys, and is afraid that the neighbours will get mad of the noise.

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by VEIK

Loundoun County to DC has a great bus service.

AM/PM rush, tons of people use it.

Do you have a name or web site I can look up? Often I will find something on the web (such as the metro) only to find that there are other options (such as the VRE) mentioned by helpful posters.

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by 5stones

(from your price I am assuming...around 4 bedroom SFH around 10years old??

5stones , I just posted another message discussing NoVa housing. With respect to Atlanta, yes, the 300K-400K is for this kind of house. 10-15 years old is usually because that is when the Alpharetta area developed rapidly.

[VEIK]

Originally Posted by athensvaasi

Do you have a name or web site I can look up? Often I will find something on the web (such as the metro) only to find that there are other options (such as the VRE) mentioned by helpful posters.

Commuter Bus Service

there you go.

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by athensvaasi

To me, if I were living in metro DC (NoVa) I would give up space for quality of life. Whatever will work, smaller house, townhouse, .. It looks like I will get a some form of reasonable accomodation, in a commute/transit/bus location, in a good school district, for me and my family within 500K. I am not a fan of crazy commutes, I would make (atleast partial) public transportation and catch some work or sleep on the way...

Whether the wife agrees with all of the above is a different matter, I didnot check! She has a fear of townhouses because we have loud boys, and is afraid that the neighbours will get mad of the noise.

I have two loud boys myself, so I understand your wife's concerns! There are lots of nice townhouse communities in this area with fantastic common areas that are great for kids. I live in a SFH and love my fenced in yard - and there is something to be said for owning land in this county Townhouses tend to be a bit newer than SFHs are.

[5stones]

look hard at the areas of west springfield, kingstowne, Burke, Vienna, Falls Church.
(and centerville/Clifton) somewhere around a 15-20 minute drive to metro. Still not the perfect commute to DC but darn good for the area.

You should be able to find a nice house with a pretty good yard. (nice thing about the older houses, bigger yards!) Split levels usually are cheaper since they are kinda funky in layout, but some have been re-done nicely really using the downstairs for game room and a couple of bedrooms. (storage usually is lacking and you might not get a garage)


Then you can scope the TH's as well as your "fall back" plan. There are some really nice TH in NOVA and some have pretty decent yards. Look for "end units" they give you more privacy and only one shared wall etc....

Good luck.

[Artsywoman]

Originally Posted by athensvaasi

I currently live in Atlanta area, and one way of estimating the cost of living here is to say:
25 miles from the city center + area with top elementary thru high schools + tough commute understood = professional family subdivision homes cost 300K (the kind I would be happy with)- 400K (the kind wife would be happy with). [Ryland home type. Ofcourse, nothing extravagant.].

What would such costs be in NoVa. I know it will be higher in NoVa, and I am generally fine with it. I just want to move there with my eyes open.

You will have a stroke when you see how high houses are up there. If you want to live a bit further, try Fredricksburg, VA. Otherwise you have to have an inheritance or trust fund to buy a house there. I know, it was my home all my life. I am shocked and happy to see the low housing prices and rents in the South. Everyone says you make a lot up North, but believe me, you will spend half of your paycheck on rent. I did it for years.