Herndon job, traffic/living question (Reston, Manassas: low income, real estate, apartment)

[Trinten]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking into a job offer in Herndon. I currently own a home, and I am looking to buy, and I've been approved for 110k (that may be revised slightly higher, depending on the final salary, which even at lowest will be more than I make now).

Because of my relatively low income compared to most of the housing market (searching on zillow.com), I was eyeballing Manassas. But from reading on this site, it appears that the commute might be terrible? Right now my commute is 27 miles each way, about 35 minutes.

Distance isn't so much an issue as time. I'd like to keep my commute to 45 minutes or less, if possible.

Does anyone have any better suggestions on where to look into housing, or if Manassas is the best choice for my buying power, what parts of Manassas for traffic concerns?

I just found this thread ( http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...s-herndon.html ) and it talks about housing in Herndon being "inexpensive". But the thread is a bit old. I'll check around Herndon again on some real estate sites, but can anyone confirm if the commute information is accurate? I'd probably be leaving the house around 8am, to get to the office by 9 - 9:30. Thank you!

Thanks everyone!

[Poopy00]

I drove my husband to work yesterday in Manassas and the drive was great going but hell coming back. I suppose it would be better earlier (this was about 9).

ETA should have said that was Reston to Manassas and back.

[novahousehunter]

That's a tough commute.
Maybe search on some of the "Sterling" threads on this board?

[Trinten]

Thanks for the reply guys, I'll start checking out the Sterling area next!

Any other suggestions, please, post 'em!

[ScranBarre]

Herndon is probably relatively inexpensive because it generally has a terrible reputation as a place to live. I've inquired on other forums and in real life, and most people grimace (or blatantly imply grimacing through their writing style) when I mention I'm working in Herndon and want to find an affordable 1-bedroom apartment within a one-mile walking distance. I hear all sorts of horror stories about Herndon being "full of illegals", "high crime", "bad schools", yada, yada, yada, and the more that spread itself around like a plague, the more difficult it is for landlords to find tenants and for homeowners to lure in buyers (hence the lower housing prices).

As for me I don't mind terrible schools since I'm a single gay professional who will be childless by choice, and I don't mind "diversity," especially considering I come from one of the most heavily-Caucasian cities in the nation, Scranton, PA. High violent crime doesn't bother me unless it's random. I don't think I'd be very likely to be walking down Elden Street in a suit and tie and get shot in the face in the middle of the day, but judging by some of the attitudes I've received I suppose it could happen! LOL!

[saganista]

Herndon gets a bad rap for no reason. It has a higher Hispanic population than most of the surrounding towns. The town government once had the nerve to open a day-laborer center, and people like those you can find over in the Immigration subforum went nuts over it. That's where almost all the negative stuff came from. It's actually a perfectly fine town with some lovely neighborhoods, great parks, and really quite a bit to say for itself.

[Trinten]

Hey Scran,

LOL, thanks for the input. Well, besides the commute, I'm trying to find an actual house (not a condo or townhome), and hopefully something with a little land, for a decent sized garage (cars are a hobby).

I did a search in Sterling to see what the housing market was like for my house-hunting criteria, and didn't come up with much... so I may have to peek back at Manassas and just live with a lousier commute.

That being said, I've seen alot of threads mentioning what areas of Manassas and Manassas Park to avoid, some are recent, some aren't.

Looking at the "Rixley" and the "West Gate of Lemond" and "Bull Run Regional Park" area around Manassas - these places have some of the higher concentrations of homes that meet my shopping criteria. I don't mind any kind of diversity (where I live now is pretty diverse), crime is a bit of a concern - again we've got a few cars, plus some expensive "toys" in the house.

Schools might be a concern if my room mate who's currently living with me (along with his wife and kid) also gets one of these positions and decides to move with me.

So again, sacrificing my commute some more to widen my scope of available homes to buy under the 110k range, what are decent subdivisions in/around Manassas?

Thanks again!

P.S. - Hey Saganista, Thanks for additional input, nothing you mentioned bothers me, I would have no issues living in the area, except in a preliminary house search, I only receved 5 hits, and well... some of them aren't looking like they'd stand up to a strong wind. lol But I will keep looking in the area!

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by Trinten

Hello everyone,

I'm looking into a job offer in Herndon. I currently own a home, and I am looking to buy, and I've been approved for 110k (that may be revised slightly higher, depending on the final salary, which even at lowest will be more than I make now).

Because of my relatively low income compared to most of the housing market (searching on zillow.com), I was eyeballing Manassas. But from reading on this site, it appears that the commute might be terrible? Right now my commute is 27 miles each way, about 35 minutes.

Distance isn't so much an issue as time. I'd like to keep my commute to 45 minutes or less, if possible.

Does anyone have any better suggestions on where to look into housing, or if Manassas is the best choice for my buying power, what parts of Manassas for traffic concerns?

I just found this thread ( http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...s-herndon.html ) and it talks about housing in Herndon being "inexpensive". But the thread is a bit old. I'll check around Herndon again on some real estate sites, but can anyone confirm if the commute information is accurate? I'd probably be leaving the house around 8am, to get to the office by 9 - 9:30. Thank you!

Thanks everyone!

If you're working in Herndon, I'd recommend finding something in Herndon or Sterling. Schools don't matter yet b/c you don't have kids, and based on what you could afford, I'd assume it would be a starter home anyway.

If I were you though, I'd sell my home first, and then move into an apt.

[Trinten]

Hi Tankdude,

Thanks, I'll keep looking in those two areas. I really appreciate everyone's input!

BTW, for those that live around those areas, what are you paying for your natural gas bills? Does anyone have a home around 1300 square feet (so I can sorta compare to what I have now).

Thanks!

[gnu]

Bump.

Trinten, have you moved in to the area yet? I've been looking at townhouses along Worldgate/Parcher and Centerville Road, and there are so many bank-owned/REO ones that are sub-100k at this point. I work in the area so I want to cut my commute (from Fairfax, so it's not really that big of a move, but still...). So prices there are still quite low.