Cost of housing in NoVa (Arlington, Reston: wood floors, houses, high schools)

[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.

[VEIK]

350-400K for SFH, nothing fancy.
You might find a TH in the 300-350 range thats decent.

Thats if you live in a good area, such as....let say Reston.

Ofcourse if you move south towards Springfield, Dale City, Lorton, prices go down a bit.

[5stones]

25 miles from where? DC proper? Arlington or Tysons?
are you associating 25 with a 30 minute commute?

I know Atlanta traffic is bad,(esp from north like Alphretta inot downtown) NOVA is a bit more but not an over shock like alot of places.

SFH...
so, if it's DC proper then your price for what you want will be 600-700k But not newly built, older smaller than you have now. lots have been re-done very nicely with wood floors granite etc... but smaller rooms, bathroom , closets etc... Think of McLean, Arlington, Falls Church etc...(inside the 495 loop)

For an hour commute to Arlington, Tysons fairfax etc.... you can look out in Loudoun county Ashburn/Potomac falls area etc... and for 500k get a very nice newer home in a planned communtiy. Or...in PWC Gainsville ,Haymarket etc...500k will get a you a vERY nice house.

For TH which are very nice in this area...usually 3 levels and 2500-3000 sqft. around 400k should get you within an hour commute.

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by 5stones

25 miles from where? DC proper? Arlington or Tysons?
are you associating 25 with a 30 minute commute?

I know Atlanta traffic is bad,(esp from north like Alphretta inot downtown) NOVA is a bit more but not an over shock like alot of places.

I am guessing 25 miles = about 1 hour on an average day.

Since you are familiar with Alpharetta in Atlanta -- for that kind of suburban living I would be paying say 350K in Atlanta. Looks like an equivalent price tag in NoVa is 500K. Is that generally correct?

The property tax on a 500K house would be about 5K?

[claremarie]

McLean, Arlington, and Falls Church are about 10 miles from DC, not 25. But the commute can take 45 minutes or more, depending upon where in DC you're working.
For 25 miles, you can expect a commute of well over an hour.

[scimitar12]

Well. if you mean 25 miles from the heart of D.C., then I think you can add about 60 percent to the numbers used for Atlanta.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by athensvaasi

The property tax on a 500K house would be about 5K?

A little less than in Fairfax County. Their rate this year remains at $8.90 per thousand of assessed value. In neighboring Loudon County to the west, a little more. They raised their rate this year from $9.60 per thousand to $11.40 per thousand...

[athensvaasi]

McLean, Arlington, and Falls Church are about 10 miles from DC, not 25. But the commute can take 45 minutes or more, depending upon where in DC you're working.
For 25 miles, you can expect a commute of well over an hour.

Well. if you mean 25 miles from the heart of D.C., then I think you can add about 60 percent to the numbers used for Atlanta.

If I had to go into DC for work, I think I would want to take the metro or VRE, right?

Atlanta has a traffic pattern of all the heavy traffic being outside the 285 loop, and lighter traffic inside the loop. Since the mass transit train mostly goes inside the loop, it becomes mostly useless. Atlanta traffic is *bad* and when I say one hour for 25 miles it is a best case, and if you avoid peak times, and if you know what you are doing.

I am guessing DC traffic is heavy inside the beltway as well, and so taking the metro or VRE would be a useful option. If taking mass transit + working around peak hours to drive into the station, a commute into DC might be managaeable????

[VEIK]

DC Metro is very crowded.

Spring and summer time adds tourists too, making it even more unpleasant.

[5stones]

Since you are familiar with Alpharetta in Atlanta -- for that kind of suburban living I would be paying say 350K in Atlanta. Looks like an equivalent price tag in NoVa is 500K. Is that generally correct?

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

for an hour commute with metro acess...it will be more around 600k and it will be older smaller houses than the Alphraretta area. you might be able to find a place for 500k, but it will be quite a bit smaller.
Vienna, city of Fall church, etc... are the areas I would look at.
Are you open to TH?

Gainsville area has the VRE and it's housing is comp. to the Alpharetta area at about that 450-500k mark. but your commute will be over an hour into DC.

Loudoun county has some area very comp to Alpharetta and pricing is better and 500k would be on target...
BUT commuting to DC from Loudoun county is tough since there is no metro acess or train. There are bus options that get you to the metro, but they have limited schedules etc... I don't recommend it.