Moving to NOVA- Old Town or ?????? (real estate, apartment complex, renting)

[jbsf3]

I'm hoping y'all can shed a little light on the Old Town area for me. We are moving to Northern Virginia in July, I'm an active duty military member and I'll be working at the Pentagon. My wife and I don't have any kids or pets, so schools aren't too important for us when deciding on location. We visited friends last year in NOVA and really enjoyed Old Town and all it had to offer. We are primarily looking for a place where we can leave our one car parked and walk as much as possible. Having restaurants and such close by would be nice. I plan on taking the metro to work and don't mind a mile or so walk to a metro stop.

We plan on buying (living there for 3-4 years then renting the place to cover the mortgage) and have looked (online) at a few condos in Old Town. Our budget is up to $350K, we are looking for a 2 bedroom/2 bath but realize the more we look that a one bathroom is easier to find. Based on your experience does that seem reasonable? We have just started to work with a realtor but again I'd appreciate any insight you all have on this subject.

Are there any areas in NOVA that would be recommended over Old Town, we really like the charm the area has to offer but admittedly haven't spent much time looking around in person. I am currently deployed to Iraq and my wife is in Korea, we will be extremely limited on time to look around and find a place so I'm trying to do as much "homework" as I can online. I'd appreciate as much insight you all can offer on the Old Town area and specifically any condos/townhomes to take a look at as well as any areas to look at or stay away from. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing your responses.

[irisheyes13]

Old Town is a great area and a few folks that post on here know it better then I do so will leave the particulars to them. You did ask about other areas to consider so I would suggest you look at the Clarendon/Ballston area. There are metro stops right there and they are both very popular but they may be a bit heigher in price then Old Towne. Don't know if you are aware of this site but it is a very popular place to look around. MilitarybyOwner.com - Real Estate near U.S. Military Bases
Good luck!

[jbsf3]

Thanks Irish- I had seen that site, I'll check out Ballston as well. Please keep the comments coming!

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by jbsf3

I'm hoping y'all can shed a little light on the Old Town area for me. We are moving to Northern Virginia in July, I'm an active duty military member and I'll be working at the Pentagon. My wife and I don't have any kids or pets, so schools aren't too important for us when deciding on location. We visited friends last year in NOVA and really enjoyed Old Town and all it had to offer. We are primarily looking for a place where we can leave our one car parked and walk as much as possible. Having restaurants and such close by would be nice. I plan on taking the metro to work and don't mind a mile or so walk to a metro stop.

We plan on buying (living there for 3-4 years then renting the place to cover the mortgage) and have looked (online) at a few condos in Old Town. Our budget is up to $350K, we are looking for a 2 bedroom/2 bath but realize the more we look that a one bathroom is easier to find. Based on your experience does that seem reasonable? We have just started to work with a realtor but again I'd appreciate any insight you all have on this subject.

Are there any areas in NOVA that would be recommended over Old Town, we really like the charm the area has to offer but admittedly haven't spent much time looking around in person. I am currently deployed to Iraq and my wife is in Korea, we will be extremely limited on time to look around and find a place so I'm trying to do as much "homework" as I can online. I'd appreciate as much insight you all can offer on the Old Town area and specifically any condos/townhomes to take a look at as well as any areas to look at or stay away from. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing your responses.

I don't think that $350k will buy a nice 2 bed condo in Old Town. One possible alternative would be the West End which is close to Old Town. $350k goes further there.

[ekb88]

We're renting in Fairlington - they are condos, townhomes that were military housing during wwII. Very charming area and not too far from Old Town. I'd recommend checking them out as well.

[irisheyes13]

Actually Shirlington is another very popular area but it does not have a metro stop. I THINK to make up for that though, it has a great bus system from what I have read. Because they do not have a metro, I think you can get more for your money there and they do have a nice town area with bars, restaurants and shopping within walking distance of many condo's.

[Artsywoman]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

I don't think that $350k will buy a nice 2 bed condo in Old Town. One possible alternative would be the West End which is close to Old Town. $350k goes further there.

Old Town is a beautiful place but the condos and houses start around 500k and upward. You can still live near Old Town, Seminary road area, but that is also expensive. I am from Nova and housing is extremely high.

[jbsf3]

Thanks for the info guys. The place we found (we just started looking) is a small 800 sq/ft 2 bd/1bth unit with some updates for $320- pretty pricey but in the right location. We'll definitely keep looking, thanks for taking the time to respond, please keep them coming!

[slduvall]

We are military also and REALLY wanted to live in Oldtown for our second tour here, but reality hit us on the head. It is just way to expensive. Anything you are finding for $350K sounds like it might not be in the nicer parts of Old Town, might be a very busy street, limited parking etc, far away from the dining, stores etc.

Traffic can be brutal there, even though you say you will walk to the metro, if you want to drive somewhere during rush hour it can be tough. The station that feeds Old Town, Kings Street is on the west end of town and can be a long walk...the places right near there wouldn't be that desireable.

But one area to think about is the area right around the Eishenhower metro station, and the Carlyle properties along Duke Street. Not as pedestrian as Old Town, but fairly yuppie.

We settled on Kingstowne, and take the money we saved and go to Old Town just about every weekend.

[juniperbleu]

The area near Fairlington and 395 & King Street is pretty nice. I lived in the Archstone apartment complex by there, and really liked it. You're also only about 15 minutes from Old Town; we went all the time. Shirlington's also nice, and the above poster is right about the buses. There are 3 or 4 that I used to take to Archstone that had Shirlington as their first stop after the Pentagon. Despite not having a metro station, it's not bad, and in a pinch you can get a cab from Pentagon City for ~$5-10 (it was $13 to Archstone, so I'm betting it's closer to $5 for Shirlington).