Transfered to Fairfax Office and am looking for town to commute from (Arlington: short sale, sex offenders)

[hicksticks2001]

I currently live in Orange County California and am being transferred/promoted to work in our Headquarters in Fairfax, VA. We would like to buy a home since we have never owned before, and are looking for a home in the 200k-225k price range. My wife refuses to live in a townhome and doesn't like the idea of shared walls with our young kids.

I don't mind commuting, but would like to keep it 30-45 minutes. My new office is located in Fairfax on Lee highway where Lee and Arlington Blvd. I like to prices in Manasas, but my wife refuses to discuss moving to that town because of the such high ratio of registered sex offenders to citizens. Currently I am looking in Woodbridge, but I really don't know how long these drives are really going to be. i don't mind being creative with my commute if it cuts off minutes, but we would really like to buy a nice home in a quiet neighborhood and pleasant community.

Any suggestions on where to buy a home and more information on commuting to Fairfax would be greately appreciated.

The office i am going to be commuting to is:
ICF International
9300 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031 USA

I hear public transportation is good, i would defenitely consider this so that I could work while commuting.

Pleaes, any help would be helpful, we will probably be relocating in late March/early April.

-Aaron

[tgbwc]

If you are looking at single family homes, you might have to up the price range. $200-225 seems low.

[novahousehunter]

In that price/commute range you could probably get a townhouse in Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, all of which are an easy commute. You can get bigger and newer in Gainesville or Bristow, which could be toward the outside of your commuting range during rush hour but still doable.

A SFH in the low 200s is tough--would probably take you into Manassas or Woodbridge. Search those towns on this forum for more info on the pros and cons of living there. There are great bargains there, but a lot of folks have some negative perceptions of those areas which probably factors into their lower property values (haven for sex offenders is a new one though).

[hicksticks2001]

Also, what is a good web site I can go to if I am intersted in purchasing a home so that I can use Public Transportation to get to my office in Fairfax?

[hicksticks2001]

I know that 225k sounds low, but that is all that we can afford right now and my wife doesn't want a town home.

I have looked at woodbridge on this form, but the commutes always seem to reference D.C. proper, when I am intersted in learning about commutes to FairFax. Any advice on how long the commute will be to fairfax from various communities is much appreciated.

[mdcrim]

I would like to help and would have voted but I don't know if prices have gotten so low that you would be able to buy anything in your price range in the areas you're considering. I may be wrong though. I know SFHs in Ashburn are running about the mid-400's and up. Not too sure of the other areas.

If you are bound and determined to buy, set on a SFH in a decent area for under 225, you may need to look a LOT farther out. Good luck in your search.

[HereinVA]

At first I was going to post that there was no way you'd find a sfh in a decent area for $225,000 and under, then I did a little research and found this one
9825 Upper Mill Loop, Bristow, VA 20136 MLS# PW6948352 - Property Details

in a nice neighborhood in Bristow. I'm stunned prices have gone this low. The listing doesn't even mention it as being a short sale or forclosure, and I don't see any visible damage or anything. Wow!

[hicksticks2001]

Thank you Herein, I actually have that home on my short list of ones to consider. It seems like a good deal. However, it is a short sell and is already in contract. But that home isn't alone, there are actually many homes with the same quality in the same price, I am just not familiar with the neighborhoods. That is what i was hoping you guys could help me with, understanding the neighborhoods and the commute to Fairfax.

[knopfler]

You need to live in Manassas, in the Stonewall Jackson HS pyramid, preferably with Sudley, Mullen or Ellis as the elementary school. You'll find SFH's in your price range, - especially along Sudley Manor Drive - you can get to Fairfax within 30-45 minutes, and the schools are solid. Just stay away from West Gate ES and Sinclair ES within the Stonewall Jackson HS pyramid and you'll do fine.

You can live in Bristow and Gainesville and have the same situation, but the commute is a bit longer - you'll probably be at about 60 minute commute to Fairfax for that, if you're commuting single passenger auto at the height of rush hour. The advantage of Bristow and Gainesville would be newer homes, and slightly better schools - though if you stick to the Sudley/Ellis/Mullen ES districts that's not a substantial issue.

[HereinVA]

I don't know the commute to Fairfax, as we commute in the opposite direction, but we live in Bristow, very near the home I linked to. We also moved here from Southern CA (I grew up in Mission Viejo and then moved to San Diego county after I married and lived there 8 years before we moved here to VA) about 2.5 years ago. Prices have fallen at an alarming rate--I can tell you we paid more than twice what that Upper Mill Loop house is going for, and ours is actually smaller in sq. footage--that was the going rate back then! I'm really surprised there are many homes of the same quality in that price range.

We really enjoy living in Bristow. It is a very family friendly area, many of the neighborhoods are planned communities with things like clubhouses with activities, swimming pools, playgrounds, etc. They are really building up the area with new stores and restaurants. We're really close to Bull Run National Battlefield and only about a 20 minute drive to Prince William National Forest, both things my family visits frequently. LOTS to do here, though different than Southern CA.

There isn't a very close "nice" mall--I'd say the closest nice one would be Fair Oaks, which is about 20 miles away. I'd compare Fair Oaks as being something similar to the Shops at Mission Viejo, maybe a bit lower as there is no Nordstrom or Saks. There is a mall in Manassas, but it really doesn't have many of the shops I go to, and sometimes I think there is a bit of a seedy element there. However, as important as I thought being close to "good shopping" (mall) was before I moved here, I find I hardly miss it and have found other things to occupy my time. Being close to so many National Parks, and the museums and monuments in Washington DC definitely has helped.