moving to NOVA in the Spring, advice needed (Richmond, Arlington: sales, rent)

[surfs1st]

Hi,

My wife and I are moving from Northern CA, to the DC area this spring and were looking for some advice.

We've been renting a house for the last three years and are tired of paying someone else's mortgage. We are interested in buying a house, but 500,000 is about our max. I know the DC area is crime ridden compared to what we are use to so location is a big deal for us since we have a 9 yr old child. Unfortunately we know absolutely nothing about the area.

I'll be working in Arlington and my wife will be in Bethesda and I know traffic in DC is a nightmare. We can each put up with about an hour commute with traffic anything else would be pushing it. We've never used public transportation, and I'd prefer not to use it, is this even an option?

We are really stressing this move, and I've actually considered turning in my resignation to avoid it. I look at it this way, we're sick of the hight cost of living in CA, and DC isn't any better. All we're doing is trading nice weather for crappy weather with the same cost of living and more crime.

Any suggestions on places to live, so as not to throw my family into complete culture shock?

[mdcrim]

Wow, sounds like you really, really don't want to come here. I want to address some of your comments before I make recommendations on where you may want to live.

First off, the entire DC area isn't crime ridden. The crime is mostly limited to certain areas, just like anywhere else in the world. You will learn the places to avoid, but there are plenty of wonderful, safe, family friendly areas in the Washington DC area. If that was not the case, there wouldn't be so many people living here.

Second, the weather... I wouldn't consider it crappy. Think of it this way: just when you are starting to get sick of the cold or the heat, the seasons change and the weather does something different.

And the bonus' which you may not have considered. The diversity and activities of the area. All the museums are free. There are beaches within 2.5 hours and "skiing" within 1.5 hours. There are tons and tons of parks, walking trails, playgrounds, pools. There are probably lots of like-minded people who will be your neighbors that you will develop relationships with. And your child will grow up with good schools (as long as you do your homework on where to live).

If you haven't done so yet, I would strongly suggest taking a full week of vacation to come and visit the area. Maybe you can alleviate some of your concerns. Do the museums. Take the kid on a boat ride in the Potomac. Walk Georgetown. Check out the C&O canal or Great Falls park. And cruise the area. Check out the neighborhoods you may be interested in living in.

Okay, to some suggestions. $500000 will actually buy you a lot more now than in years past. Other people may have better suggestions than this, but I'll take a stab. I think the Reston are may work for you. It is a planned community with lots of kids and should (?) get everyone to work within an hour (?). I am pretty sure you can get a SFH in Reston for under $500,000-haven't really been tracking the market lately, though.

Traffic is pretty awful, but nowhere near as bad as Southern CA...

Good luck on your move. It may not be as bad as you think it will be...

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by mdcrim

Okay, to some suggestions. $500000 will actually buy you a lot more now than in years past. Other people may have better suggestions than this, but I'll take a stab. I think the Reston are may work for you. It is a planned community with lots of kids and should (?) get everyone to work within an hour (?). I am pretty sure you can get a SFH in Reston for under $500,000-haven't really been tracking the market lately, though.

I keep pretty close track on the market in south Reston (the less expensive side of town). I just did a search for SFH in zipcode 20191 on LongandFosters.com (I like this site because you can see addresses and also houses that are under contract to get an idea of what is selling). Right now there are 5 houses on the MLS between 400 - 500. Under 400 there are 9 houses but I wouldn't give those neighborhoods high recommendations. If you expand your search to 550 there are an additional 8 homes. Not a ton of homes but a fair selection. Reston doesn't seem to be having the fire sales that are going on in some of the other areas.

Reston is a great place to live. Check out Reston.org to find out about our lakes, natural areas with trails, swimming pools (15 I think), tons of tennis courts, and activities for children.

I commute to the district and get there in about 45-50 minutes with a car pool on I-66 (HOV only during rush hour). I'm sure you could make it to both Arlington and Bethesda in less then 1 hour.

I agree with previous poster. Traffic is bad but no where near So. California (my daughter lives in Redondo Beach and I just spent a week with her so I do know LA traffic). There is just too much great free stuff to do in this town - the monuments, Smithsonian, and Great Falls park offer so much! The weather can have it's moments but there are so many worse places weather wise this kind of seem like it is in the middle of the road (of course I've lived in northern Wisconsin and Atlanta, GA).

[Tone509]

Comparing Northern Virginia to Northern Cal is like comparing apples to oranges, the similarly high cost of living aside. If the stereotypically laid-back California vibe is true then there will be a culture shock as NOVA's preponderance of career-oriented professionals can be pressed for time and perhaps not as polite. Assuming by Northern CA that you mean the greater Bay Area, then you will find your equivalents of the more challenged neighborhoods of Oakland, Richmond and East San Jose here... but they are easily avoided. DC itself is on the way, for better or worse, to becoming a fully gentrified city much like San Francisco, to the detriment of its longtime poorer residents.

Although you'll probably save a $1/gal here, you may find that the Metrorail system is indeed more convenient and comparable to BART which I found to be a rather useful and pleasant experience during my visits out there. As far as driving goes, assume that you will be traveling at 30MPH at rush hour, which lasts about four hours here.

Even in this depressed market, $500K for a SFH is slightly pushing it for an hour commute, Reston suggestions aside. If you're open to a TH, your options will increase exponentially in close-in Fairfax County.

You will certainly get all four seasons here. The summer humidity will be an adjustment. I grew up in the mid-Atlantic and winter is certainly not my favorite season so I can empathize with a native Californian. In NOVA you will see more ice than snow. But as another poster said, just as it seems one season is dragging on too long, another one will come.

There are lots of positive things about living in Northern Virginia which have been touched on this and other threads. Definitely bring your family to take a look around and you may indeed discover that it's a great if not better place to live than what you have known.

[barryhussein]

Perhaps, I can help you. I'm a 6 year veteran of NoCal, and a 28 year veteran of NoVa.
If you could tell me what areas of NoCal you really like, and could point you to its DC equivalent. For example, I would say that West Springfield/Burke would compare favorably to Walnut Creek. And you would have quite a bit lower taxes and a little bit easier commute to the city. The schools are probably a little better. Last year, Virginia was ranked number one for business out of all 50 States. I would expect California to be near the bottom. NoCal was good to me, and has a lot of style. Sometimes I think that I would give my left pinky for some KGB. We do have Trader Joe's for almond/pistachio/cheap wine; but they just don't seem to get it on the artichokes. They do have the frozen artichoke hearts in a 10 oz. bag for 2.19, though.

[surfs1st]

Right now we live in Novato, north of San Francisco in Marin county. Don't get me wrong California is no paradise, the roads are bad, the school systems aren't great and 62 degree weather in the summer can be a real pain. But it's the devil we know.

Not be able to buy a house is a deal breaker on the move. Houses in the Norcal area range between 6 - 9 hundred thousand, all of them with less than 2000 sqft. I'm paying $2900.00 a month in rent on a four bedroom house, and by the time we move I will have paid over $250,000 towards someone else's mortgage.

My biggest concerns are the traffic, knowing the areas to avoid like Oakland, finding a decent school system for my son and be able to purchase a home that won't bankrupt us.

We were looking in areas like Burke, Vienna, Oakton, Chantilly and Great Falls but the DC area seems to have CA prices.

[Tone509]

Your family should feel comfortable in any the towns you're considering. You might able to find an older SFH in Burke and Chantilly around your preferred price range. Vienna and Oakton might be tough and I'd be amazed if Great Falls offered anything close to that.

All of those communities are located in Fairfax County which has one of the most well-regarded school districts in the country. Even with that status, discussion about which schools are the best are popular on this forum.

It does appear that there may not be much difference for you in the intensity of traffic or cost of living... but it sounds like you will save some in buying a house.

Originally Posted by surfs1st

Right now we live in Novato, north of San Francisco in Marin county. Don't get me wrong California is no paradise, the roads are bad, the school systems aren't great and 62 degree weather in the summer can be a real pain. But it's the devil we know.

Not be able to buy a house is a deal breaker on the move. Houses in the Norcal area range between 6 - 9 hundred thousand, all of them with less than 2000 sqft. I'm paying $2900.00 a month in rent on a four bedroom house, and by the time we move I will have paid over $250,000 towards someone else's mortgage.

My biggest concerns are the traffic, knowing the areas to avoid like Oakland, finding a decent school system for my son and be able to purchase a home that won't bankrupt us.

We were looking in areas like Burke, Vienna, Oakton, Chantilly and Great Falls but the DC area seems to have CA prices.

[EuroExpat]

We moved from the SF Bay Area a few years ago. Please come and see the area first before you move, you might like or might not. Lots of Californians around here.. Yes you will be trading nice weather to mostly bad (just my opinion). But overall the public schools are much better in good areas. And remember, it's all about your attitude. If you don't like the place before moving and have a negative attitude towards it then don't move. This isn't California.. It's hardly ever ok to show up at work wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The beaches are a long drive away. The list could go on. But if you decide to move, you might actually like it. I know we do.

[barryhussein]

Take a look at 22152 West Springfield. There are 11 SFR under 375K. Median Household income for the zip is around 82K. Schools far above average. Crime way below average. Eleven miles to the Pentagon. Highly respected Catholic Churches (but the public schools are better than their private).

[PJW3565]

Hi, my family lived in NOVA for 4+ years in Arlington and Alexandria specifically and we loved it and may be going back this fall. Just to put one of your fears to rest is the idea that there is a lot of crime there. My kids were young our first time there and high school our last time there and I traveled by myself with the two of them all over the area on the metro and bus system and NEVER once felt threatened by anyone. People are freindly and helpful on the metro and if I needed directions there was always someone willing to help out. And the neighborhoods we lived in were very small town feel and very community oreinted.The area is beautiful with lots of parks and trees. I really can't say enough good about it. D.C. itself is amazing, very european feel to it (since it was designed by one) with a lot of cool neighborhoods like Georgetown or Dupont Circle. It is not a huge skyscraper city like you have in California. Tons of things to do with kids, lots of shopping and dining out. The weather is 4 seasons so you get a little of everything, but we like that. Definitely give it a try. You'll be able to find something in your price range, especially if you are ok with a townhome, they have some awesome ones in great communities like Kingstowne with pools and all kinds of amenities. Best of Luck!