Moving from Syracuse, NY to Virginia-Help (Chantilly, Manassas: for sale, condos, travel)

[mrSouth]

We are looking to move to a mid size town with good schools and low crime. We are in are mid 30's with 2 children ages 7 and 4. My husband will be working out of Manassas VA, but can live any where around it with in 60 miles or more. We would like to be with in a couple hours of the beach and not near DC. Any suggestions?

[claremarie]

Because Manassas is located in an area of tremendous growth and traffic congestion, it could easily take 2 hours to go 60 miles during regular commuting hours. Most of the major roads in that area, such as I-66 and Routes 28 and 29, are commuting nightmares, which is not necessarily apparent when you look at a map.
How much do you want to spend on a house? That will give folks a better idea of areas to suggest.

[mrSouth]

We wold want to spend between 150,-250.

[claremarie]

Well......
In most of the DC metro area, you could only buy a condo (and a small one, at that) for 150-250K. Manassas is part of the DC metro area, so you will need to travel pretty far out from Manassas to find a single-family house in decent condition at that price. Warrenton has some townhouses in that price range -- don't know about the schools, though. Front Royal has single-family homes in that range, but again, the schools might be iffy. There are a LOT of homeschooling families out there, so maybe that tells you something.

[EricD]

You should look anywhere southwest of there... the further southwest you go, the less expencive the houses will be. If you're looking to live in a town, and not in the middle of no-where, I would suggest Culpeper. You should be able to find a pretty good home for the price you want, and it should only be a 30-45 min commute for your husband. (depending on traffic)

Oh, and you can see the mountains from there

[Michelle Boyle]

We moved here 3 years ago from Rochester. We live in Lake Ridge, which is just east of Manassas. It's a great place, but unfortunately, you won't find anything in your price range. If you go out as far as culpepper, you could deffinately find a home in your range, but it'll be an older, smaller model. Like a rambler. If you want a larger, newer home, you'd be looking at spending around 300,000 or so. You could find a townhouse for in the 250 range. All depends on how much space you need. It's a beautiful area, and the weather is much nicer down here. You'll love it here! Good luck with your move.

[Myersmama]

My sister-in-law and her husband live in Chantilly, Va. They love it! Decent housing prices, great schools, nice community, and not too close to D.C., but not a bad commute. You should check it out!

[5stones]

^
NOT for 150-250! she can't find a house in chantilly for that ... 420 house for sale cheapest I found was 399k!

Condos in South riding...cheapest are 260's.

Seriously I don't know if you can ANYTHING in the area for 150-250 except a condo or townhouse. and those start at about 160 for a 2 bedroom.

the original poster needs to know that Manassas is now a "suburb" of DC 20 years ago is was the country but not now. You are closer to DC than I am in Leesburg.


so lets see... whats avial in Culpeper county for 150-250k

still mostly TH but some homes are popping up. I think that's your BEST option. I don't know about the schools though OR the Commute into Manassas close to 60min I would think.
Culpeper is a neat town and they are several out lying towns that would have some housing also. But then again....SCHOOLS may be really iffy.

Good luck!!

[Michelle Boyle]

Originally Posted by 5stones

^
NOT for 150-250! she can't find a house in chantilly for that ... 420 house for sale cheapest I found was 399k!

Condos in South riding...cheapest are 260's.

Seriously I don't know if you can ANYTHING in the area for 150-250 except a condo or townhouse. and those start at about 160 for a 2 bedroom.

the original poster needs to know that Manassas is now a "suburb" of DC 20 years ago is was the country but not now. You are closer to DC than I am in Leesburg.


so lets see... whats avial in Culpeper county for 150-250k

still mostly TH but some homes are popping up. I think that's your BEST option. I don't know about the schools though OR the Commute into Manassas close to 60min I would think.
Culpeper is a neat town and they are several out lying towns that would have some housing also. But then again....SCHOOLS may be really iffy.

Good luck!!

Unfortunately yes, it's VERY DIFFICULT to find any type of housing in Northern Virginia for under 300,000. Culpepper, & possibly Warrenton might have a few. As far as the schools, they are all pretty good.

[dullnboring]

I think there is a possibilty of finding condos for 250K and not having to go TOO far out. Here in Ashburn (Loudoun County, 35 miles from DC, good schools, middle to upper middle class, planned community, quintessential suburbia, very family-friendly), there are two bedroom, two bathroom condos going for 280K so I'd imagine that there would be a handful cheaper than that in places like Manassas, Woodbridge or maybe even Leesburg, all of which tend to be a bit cheaper than here.