Relocating to Nova from South Africa (Reston, Charlottesville: lease, house, pre-school)

[andrevdp]

Hi, my family (me, my wife and 18 month old daughter + 4 furry kids) will be relocating to the DC area in the very near future. The company I work for has a large office in Reston, and though I will work from home, I will need access to the office and Dulles every now and then (once a week max.)

Coming from South Africa, we want to live in a relatively rural setting (or small town), and have considered places like Purcellville and Lovettsville etc. but we are open to other suggestions as long as it is within about a 45 mile radius of Reston (NoVa or southern Maryland). I am used to spending upwards of an hour to an hour and half commuting in Johannesburg, so traffic doesn't worry me too much.

We have 4 small dogs (2 shelties and 2 miniature dachsies), and thus need to rent a house with some space:
- lot size, 1/2 acre minimum, but preferably 1 to 2 acres,
- house size between 2500 and 3500 sq. feet
- 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
etc.

Not knowing the cost of things in the area, we are looking to get a feel for the cost of utilities (electricy, gas, water, etc) as well as what it is likely to cost in respect of food etc. on a monthly basis.

At this stage we are likely to lease 1 or 2 cars depending on the cost of everything else. Salary will be between $110k and $120k excluding bonus.

We are also hoping to live in an area where finding good pre-school groups and toddler "entertainment" is easy, as well as some decent golf courses (I am a competitive amateur off about scratch).

Any information, suggestions or advice will be gladly welcomed.....

Andre and Kerry van der Post

[Fairfax Mom]

Not sure but I think a 45 mile commute - depending in which direction will take about 3 hours each way. I think you need to move closer in to D.C. - Fairfax is nice and is not city, not country but suburban which will give you a nice plot of land and trees. I think you will find the traffic here unbelievable.

Also - 120k is an O.K. salary here - but not considered upper class - thing are VERY expensive here.

[sgermanguy]

A good friend of mine lived in SA for years and now resides in Reston. I may be able to put you in touch with him--PM me if you want to take a small chance. I'm currently overseas myself, and can appreciate your situation.

[andrevdp]

Hi and thanks for the info - we are considering both Fairfax and areas in Prince William County - do you have any specific areas you would suggest?

Andre

[vanyali]

There's a good South African restaurant in Charlottesville. Super yummy. You don't want to live in Charlottesville, but the restaurant might be fun to check out if you ever find yourself out that way.

[Mr. Mark]

Your commute from Prince William County to the Reston Dulles area could be very long and stressfull. I believe most areas of PW county will put you outside your 45 minute window (in rush hour). I usually recommend to my clients to enter their destinations in MapQuest or Google Maps to get an unbiased opinion for distance then DOUBLE the time to compensate for VA rush hour traffic.

As for the number of pets you have... you may want to find a community that doesn't have a Home Owners Association. If you definetly plan to rent before you buy, finding a landlord that will allow 4 pets could also be a challenge.

[vanyali]

You might think about MD too. You'd have to get across the river, but since you're considering places so far out in VA, that one little bridge shouldn't be that big a deal to you. Olney has a real small-town, woodsy feel to it that you might like. There are other places too -- maybe you should ask around on the MD board as well as here on the VA board.