Questions about Loudoun County (Alexandria, Manassas: apartment, renters, HOA)

[FL teacher]

My husband and I are thinking of relocating to Loudoun County in the spring. He would transfer to Sterling and I would look for a teaching position in the area. When searching for homes, we are seeing a LOT of townhouses. I know that this is common in the DC area, as I have family in Alexandria who live in $700K+ townhomes, but I didn't realize this trend continues so far out.

For those of you who live in Loudoun Co., are the majority of homes townhouses? Is there an area that has some affordable homes in a safe neighborhood (under 200K)? Are there any particular areas that we should absolutely avoid? For those of you with children, how much do you pay for daycare in this area?

Thanks for your help!

[Margery]

Originally Posted by FL teacher

My husband and I are thinking of relocating to Loudoun County in the spring. He would transfer to Sterling and I would look for a teaching position in the area. When searching for homes, we are seeing a LOT of townhouses. I know that this is common in the DC area, as I have family in Alexandria who live in $700K+ townhomes, but I didn't realize this trend continues so far out.

For those of you who live in Loudoun Co., are the majority of homes townhouses? Is there an area that has some affordable homes in a safe neighborhood (under 200K)? Are there any particular areas that we should absolutely avoid? For those of you with children, how much do you pay for daycare in this area?

Thanks for your help!

If your budget is $200K you are pretty much limited to townhouses in Loudoun County. There are some detached homes under 200K but usually they are in iffy areas and/or need a lot of work. You really need to look at the neighborhoods on a street by street basis, in the communities with no HOA the appearance can vary greatly. Consider Clarke County, it would be about a 40 mile trip from Berryville to Sterling, but the prices are better and the schools are excellent. Manassas would be about 20-25 miles from Sterling and there are some good bargains to be had. I am going to be jumped on by other contributers to this forum, but there are some good areas in Prince William County to consider.

[twinmma]

We live in Ashburn which is Loudoun County and there is a good mix of townhomes and single families BUT for $200K in Ashburn you are looking at a condo or small townhome.
Daycare is expensive...How old is your child? It get cheaper with age...I have twins (almost 2) and it was going to cost us about $30K at the local Kindercare. Chesterbrook Academy had much cheaper rates, but I didn't like it there.
Good luck. Cost of living is extremely high here, so that is something to consider.

[FL teacher]

My youngest will be 2 when we move. My employer subsidizes child care so I only pay $100 out of pocket each month and this is the only increase in spending that I expect. I anticipate a $10K salary increase moving to VA to help compensate for this. I'm trying hard to stay in the teaching profession for the benefit of having time off to be with my children, but maybe it's time to change careers. :-(

Cost of living comparison calculators show that housing is the only thing that's more expensive in Loudoun Co., but everything else is lower!

[barryhussein]

Look at THs in 20165. They've held up very well. There are definitely some low prices in PWC. Sterling (NOT STERLING PARK!) is much nicer than PWC.

10 Harbert Ct., Sterling 20165 4br/3.5 bth, 169,900, built in 1986, about 1500 square feet. Lowest price SFR is 269K. Nicer than any part of Florida I've ever been.

[5stones]

I agree to look in Sterling (north east) 20165 Cascades etc... That area has held it's value better than parts of Ashburn and well better than Leesburg (futher out)

Since your jobs will be in Loudoun county you have the ability to look a bit futher out like Leesburg where you will get alot more for your money. I don't know if you will find a nice house for 200k but definately a nice TH. (about 30 minutes to Sterling in bad traffic)

[twinmma]

I wouldn't be 100% on those calculators. Groceries can be pretty expensive here compared to other places and although gas prices are pretty good, I think you use a lot more of it b/c of sitting in traffic and such...Also there are taxes on your cars...
Another thing to remember is that there is a lot to do here but it also costs money to do a lot of stuff...Just trying to help you be aware. We thought this place couldn't be any more expensive than Philly and we were so wrong!

Good luck!

[FL teacher]

I have a lot of family members in VA, but I am originally from MA where things were similarly priced to VA. Every time I have visited VA, I have found food, gas, and lodging to be less expensive than FL. Clothing seems the same, housing seems more expensive.

I guess my biggest concern was that townhouses are not as "good" as a single family, like the VA equivalent to a mobile home or an apartment or something.

Does anyone here live in a TH? I'm not trying to be a snob, but I don't want to purchase a property that I'm going to regret.

Thanks for all the info! We'll check out Leesburg as well.

[z28lt1]

Food in FLA does seem to be more than VA, at least for the items I buy.

We just moved from a townohuse, but were in one for a while. They are so common here there is no "stigma" attached to them. Many of them are very nice, and they come in a good variety of sizes. You should look around at them, but in your price range it is really the best option.

[5stones]

with the cost of housing in NOVA TH are like 1st homes that ALOT of young couples transition to when starting a family. There are many very nice TH, much nicer than alot of the SFH etc... ALOT of the very nice neighborhoods are mixed use...ie, SFH, TH and condos that all share amenities etc...
Alot are just as big sqft as SFH and have yards etc...

There really is no "stigma" to TH in NOVA like some others areas where it's affordable to buy a SFH as a starter home and the TH are for renters etc...

I know LOTS of families with young kids that live in TH, most will have playgrounds and communtiy pools etc... just make sure you are in a good school pyramid and all will be fine.

We were torn between a brand new beautiful TH in lOwes Island and a SFH in Leesburg...(I had 3 school aged kids) we choose the SFH because the bedrooms were just a bit bigger and I too was comming from an area where no-one lived in TH (the stigma) Finacially we would have been sooooo much better in the TH. hind site is always 20-20!

Just keep your options open.

Good luck