Looking to rent for 3000 or less commuting to Pentagon (Dale City: for sale, rentals)

[Crotongal]

We are going to be moving to NoVa soon. My dh will have a job at the Pentagon. Our budget will be about 3000 or less for housing. We are trying to narrow down where we will be looking. We are interested in a large house with 4 bedroom and den or 5 bedrooms with a two car garage. Schools matter not at all since we homeschool but we want safe neighborhood. Age of house doesn't matter as long as it meets the above conditions. I grew up in the NoVa area but left for college and haven't lived there for more than 25 years.

[Yankeesfan]

You could get a nice house in zip code 22315 for that price; check under rentals in realtor.com or militarybyowner.com. There aren't a lot of single-family homes but the ones there are in good neighborhoods for families (Landsdowne, Hayfield Farm, Kingstowne). A realtor might also know some owners whose houses are listed for sale but who would be willing to accept a rental since the market is slow. This area is a short drive to the Franconia-Springfield Metro which is just a few stops from the Pentagon. It's also close to Fort Belvoir and the amenities there if you will have access.

[Mike From NIU]

You can also check out Lake Ridge/Woodbridge (22192, 22191) and Dale City (22193). There are a number of large single family homes for rent in the area for that budget (www.homesdatabase.com, click on residential rentals). The Pentagon's a pretty straight shot down I-95 from there, too, and lots of transportation options (driving, Omniride, slugging). Depending on where you live in the area, your husband's commute would be from 30-60 minutes each way.

There's also a strong homeschooling community in the area. We just moved here with pre-schoolers and have already connected with a couple of homeschooling groups in Woodbridge through our church.

[slduvall]

I second the Kingstowne, Island Creek area. I was just looking at militarybyowner.com yesterday and saw a couple single family homes in the $3000 range. That is what you will pay for a SF. But you won't get a huge yard..which can be good. The Kingstowne SF neighborhoods are narrow with some houses sharing driveways, very attractive, but if you want outdoor space and outdoor privacy forget about it. If privacy and outdoor space isn't a huge deal, then you might as well save some money and go with a TH. We have two car with 3200 SQ, which you won't find in older SF homes that have yards and privacy. Some of the SF neighborhoods have a big problem with additional parking spaces. Huge issue in the whole NOVA area. Whether they allow on street parking is something you might consider. I find that annoying and somewhat danergous if there are lots kids. But it is something you need to take into account. TH neighborhoods tend to have SOME guest parking.

We pay $2500..because we did what a previous poster suggested, we called on a For Sale home. They jumped at the chance to rent, and didn't know they could get at least $2800-2900. Since school isn't an issue, the only real difference between the Kingstowne, Island Creek area is the amenties such as pools and gyms. Island creek just has a pool, KT has two pools, 2 gyms, and some activities open to just KT residents. Both have great access to the metro, as well as Fort Belvior. That will most likely be your serviceing medical facility. DH will probably use the Pentagon Clinic, but family members will choose a facility, well they will have one chosen for them. Fort Belvoir has the most openings. If you choose to live in Woodbridge, you will be serviced by a clinic down there. I'm not sure how good it might be, but some here might.

Another thing to double check is if the assignment is actually working at the Pentagon. There is lots of leased property that people work in, Rosslyn, Hoffman, Crystal City. That could affect your choice.

[Yankeesfan]

Here is the Metro map to give you an idea of the area. As you can see the Blue and Yellow lines stop at the Pentagon:

Metro - Metrorail System Map

[Crotongal]

Yes, he is definitely in the Pentagon. His current boss where he is stationed had the exact same job two years ago and should be able to give us a good idea how much travelling he will do and normally from which airport since that may have some impact for us. He is out of town and so can't find those things out until next week.

One question- I have never lived in a house with a basement since most of the areas we have lived were not conducive to underground living. how are the basements in Northern Virginia? Are they usually okay or is dampness or outright flooding a concern? I remember from when I was a child that an area called Shirlington Gardens was always getting flooded but so many areas have been built up in the last 27 years that I have been gone that I don't know if there are such problems.

[Flamingo13]

We live in the West End of Alex. and have never had water in our basement - it depends on how the house in situated - I know some in the neighborhood that have homes "up and behind" them that do have water issues in their basements. Will you have a chance to check it out before renting? If so, you'd see and/or smell if there was a problem.

I would suggest working w/a realtor - some homes are for rent while owners are waiting for the market to pick up again if they plan to sell in a few yrs.

[slduvall]

Most of the 3 story townhouses have the basements above ground, with nothing underground. Can't say those won't flood if you live in an area where there are poor foundations etc, but not as likely.