Working in Arlington...living in MD..advice? (McLean, Fairfax: insurance, house)

[zotmeister]

I am thinking of a possible job where I would be working in Arlington, VA. Based on the property tax of cars, I would rather live in MD. Where would one suggest I live so that I can take metro to Balston area of red line in Arlington from MD. How would the drive be M-F during rush hour?

[jaamkie]

Originally Posted by zotmeister

I am thinking of a possible job where I would be working in Arlington, VA. Based on the property tax of cars, I would rather live in MD. Where would one suggest I live so that I can take metro to Balston area of red line in Arlington from MD. How would the drive be M-F during rush hour?

Personally I wouldn't base my whole decision on "the property tax of cars" (particularly since I have many coworkers who don't own a car!), but MD is overall probably cheaper (though not around Bethesda). On the other hand, Arlington is an awesome area for younger singles/couples or for families with a high enough income to afford a house here, and there are plenty of cheaper nice places along the Orange line in Fairfax County, which would be an easy commute.

As far as Metro, if you live near the Red line in MD you'd have to transfer to/from the Orange line to get to Ballston. It'd be a bit of a long train ride each day, but still much much better than driving (and parking!) You could also live in MD on the other end of the Orange line, though I'm not sure I'd particularly recommend the schools in PG.

[car54]

Originally Posted by zotmeister

I am thinking of a possible job where I would be working in Arlington, VA. Based on the property tax of cars, I would rather live in MD. Where would one suggest I live so that I can take metro to Balston area of red line in Arlington from MD. How would the drive be M-F during rush hour?

Did you know Maryland has a LOCAL income tax? And higher STATE taxes.

Unless you drive a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari....it's going to cost more to live in MD.

And then there's the nightmarish commute....

[claremarie]

Agree with car54.
Check with your insurance company on auto insurance rates in both states.
There are good reasons to work in Virginia and live in Maryland, but the personal property tax is NOT one of them.
Live in Ballston.

[flrnova]

That's funny.... I guess you have a really crappy job or evade taxes (kudos!) while driving a brand new Mercedes S Class.

I pay $600 a year insurance for my 3 cars in zip 22101, McLean.

[ChristineVA]

I got quite a decent raise in my check when I moved from MD to DC. Payroll taxes are quite a bit higher in Maryland. Even the property tax wasn't so bad.

[OrangeFish]

I work in Ballston and have several colleagues that live in Maryland. They absolutely detest the commute. One of my colleagues lives in University Park and it takes him as long as 80 - 90 minutes to get into work -- and that's in good weather.

Now if you can swing a remote work deal that meant you didn't have to go into the office every day -- then maybe it would be tolerable.

[mississippimagnolia]

I don't know all that much about the taxes. But we just moved from Montgomery County, Maryland. We couldn't get out of that place fast enough. Check into the neighborhoods very, very carefully.

We've lived in Northern Virginia twice before and were very happy both times. When we were assigned up here again, we decided to give Maryland a try. Huge mistake.

[normie]

Originally Posted by zotmeister

Based on the property tax of cars, I would rather live in MD.

Interesting reason. Do you own a whole bunch of cars?