Moving to NoVA on $54,000. What area? Apt suggestions? Please help. (Arlington: apartments, rental)

[KTuner]

I currently live in Illinois, right outside of St. Louis, MO and have recently been offered a position with a established technology company in Herndon as a Software Engineer making roughly $54,000/yr.

Please don't be put off by my long list of questions. Even a simple one word answer to any of these questions is more information than I have now.

Here are my questions:
1. I want a 1 bedroom apartment that isn't in a ghetto with drug-dealers and thieves. I think I can afford ~ $1,000/month. Anyone have any suggestions?

2. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with any of the apartments I may be looking at in the area? I have read horror stories of roaches, paper-thin walls, etc and not being able to just drive around and look causes quite an issue.

3. What areas are considered "bad" and what are considered "rich"?

4. I enjoy working on my car, and modify it as I can afford. How do the local authorities feel about this in the various areas? All of my mods are legal here in IL, and the car is not loud or obnoxious. (BTW, it is a 2008, will I need to do an inspection?)

5. I have looked at the Reston area and think it looks like a good place to live. Is it? Can I afford it?

6. Am I better off living closer to DC so I commute away from the city in the morning and twords it in the evening?

7. I will have 3 days to visit and house-hunt before I move. I want to go into those 3 days with as much information as possible. While I have looked on Apartment Finder, etc, I know that many times you can find better deals by driving around and calling numbers on for rent signs. Anyone have suggestions on areas I might want to spend time driving in?

Basically, I am looking for a crash course on the area and some inside information about the apartment situation. I am young (22) and will be all alone when I move, with my fiance coming to live with me about 6 months later if that helps anyone make suggestions.

[clarksonknight]

See responses below:

Originally Posted by KTuner

I currently live in Illinois, right outside of St. Louis, MO and have recently been offered a position with a established technology company in Herndon as a Software Engineer making roughly $54,000/yr.

Please don't be put off by my long list of questions. Even a simple one word answer to any of these questions is more information than I have now.

Here are my questions:
1. I want a 1 bedroom apartment that isn't in a ghetto with drug-dealers and thieves. I think I can afford ~ $1,000/month. Anyone have any suggestions?

Try $1200 to start and go up with that. If you want to spend $1000 or less, you'll most probably need to have roommates.

Originally Posted by KTuner

2. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with any of the apartments I may be looking at in the area? I have read horror stories of roaches, paper-thin walls, etc and not being able to just drive around and look causes quite an issue.

I lived at Archstone Reston Landing (right on the border of Reston/Herndon) and found it to be pretty good.

Originally Posted by KTuner

3. What areas are considered "bad" and what are considered "rich"?

Didn't hang around Herndon much.

Originally Posted by KTuner

4. I enjoy working on my car, and modify it as I can afford. How do the local authorities feel about this in the various areas? All of my mods are legal here in IL, and the car is not loud or obnoxious. (BTW, it is a 2008, will I need to do an inspection?)

Don't know the state laws, but I do know they're good at enforcing them.

Originally Posted by KTuner

5. I have looked at the Reston area and think it looks like a good place to live. Is it? Can I afford it?

See answers to 1 and 2.

Originally Posted by KTuner

6. Am I better off living closer to DC so I commute away from the city in the morning and twords it in the evening?

See answer to 1.

Originally Posted by KTuner

7. I will have 3 days to visit and house-hunt before I move. I want to go into those 3 days with as much information as possible. While I have looked on Apartment Finder, etc, I know that many times you can find better deals by driving around and calling numbers on for rent signs. Anyone have suggestions on areas I might want to spend time driving in?

No idea on that one. Also use apartmentratings.com in your search, it can weed out some seedy apartments.

Originally Posted by KTuner

Basically, I am looking for a crash course on the area and some inside information about the apartment situation. I am young (22) and will be all alone when I move, with my fiance coming to live with me about 6 months later if that helps anyone make suggestions.

I was 23, single, and only knew one person when I moved down here 6 years ago, and found it an easy transition. Adjust your housing cost expectations/budget a little bit and you should do fine.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by KTuner

I currently live in Illinois, right outside of St. Louis, MO and have recently been offered a position with a established technology company in Herndon as a Software Engineer making roughly $54,000/yr.

Please don't be put off by my long list of questions. Even a simple one word answer to any of these questions is more information than I have now.

Here are my questions:
1. I want a 1 bedroom apartment that isn't in a ghetto with drug-dealers and thieves. I think I can afford ~ $1,000/month. Anyone have any suggestions?

2. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with any of the apartments I may be looking at in the area? I have read horror stories of roaches, paper-thin walls, etc and not being able to just drive around and look causes quite an issue.

3. What areas are considered "bad" and what are considered "rich"?

4. I enjoy working on my car, and modify it as I can afford. How do the local authorities feel about this in the various areas? All of my mods are legal here in IL, and the car is not loud or obnoxious. (BTW, it is a 2008, will I need to do an inspection?)

5. I have looked at the Reston area and think it looks like a good place to live. Is it? Can I afford it?

6. Am I better off living closer to DC so I commute away from the city in the morning and twords it in the evening?

7. I will have 3 days to visit and house-hunt before I move. I want to go into those 3 days with as much information as possible. While I have looked on Apartment Finder, etc, I know that many times you can find better deals by driving around and calling numbers on for rent signs. Anyone have suggestions on areas I might want to spend time driving in?

Basically, I am looking for a crash course on the area and some inside information about the apartment situation. I am young (22) and will be all alone when I move, with my fiance coming to live with me about 6 months later if that helps anyone make suggestions.

Here's what I can answer:

1. You can do it in Manassas, which isn't too bad of a commute to Herndon. Just stay away from the Coverstone development and try to get as close to I-66 as possible. Ravenscrest, Carlyle Station both come to mind. You may be able to find $1k/mo in a private rental townhome or condo in the same area, too.

3. Really Rich = Vienna, Arlington, McLean, Great Falls, Alexandria, Clifton, Fairfax Station.

Still too rich for you = Reston, Oakton, Fairfax, Oak Hill, Catharpin, Falls Church.

Places for you to look = Herndon, Manassas, Manassas Park, Chantilly, South Riding, Ashburn, Sterling, Broadlands, Leesburg.

Would be fine but further away than you need to look = Annandale, Springfield, Lorton, Franconia, Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, Dale City, Occoquan, Bristow, Haymarket, Gainesville, Broad Run.

Dangerous towns = none in Northern Virginia. Some bad developments within towns, but we don't have a wholly terrible town. Go us. Some areas of Manassas Park can get a little sketch, likewise Woodbridge and Dale City, likewise the southern Route 1 stretch of Alexandria, and likewise some of the Bailey's Crossroads area of Falls Church.

5. Reston is very nice, but may be out of your budget. This is because of its proximity to Tysons Corner, which isn't of particular benefit to you. Tysons Corner does not actually have a zip code, and is comprised of McLean and Vienna. It's one of the priciest areas in the entire DC Metro area.

6. Yes in that it's the right idea, but it costs a lot more, so no. You're lucky in that you're working in Herndon, which opens up a lot of areas for convenient commuting in a way that working at Tysons, Arlington or DC wouldn't.

7. Herndon, Manassas and Sterling.

Happy to help where I can - I am a NoVA local, which is a rare find these days. Private message me if I can help further, and welcome to Northern Virginia!

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by KTuner

54,000

KTURNER, I dont know how to tell you man, but that is an terribly LOW BALLED salary they're offering you. Corporations are taking advantage of the economy and offering lower wages to out of state residents. I think have been tricked. That's about $2,900/month after taxes, with 1,300/month going towards rent, 2-300 for utilities, gas, car payment, insurance, personal property tax, groceries, car modifications, you'll be lucky to keep your head above water. Good luck! One thing about big companies, they like to layoff

[qwertman]

Originally Posted by VRE332

KTURNER, I dont know how to tell you man, but that is an terribly LOW BALLED salary they're offering you. Corporations are taking advantage of the economy and offering lower wages to out of state residents. I think have been tricked. That's about $2,900/month after taxes, with 1,300/month going towards rent, 2-300 for utilities, gas, car payment, insurance, personal property tax, groceries, car modifications, you'll be lucky to keep your head above water. Good luck! One thing about big companies, they like to layoff

ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE. Obviously I don't know the details of your education, experience, or the details of the position, the company, benefits, etc, so 54K might be a little high or a little low. But it is within the middle 75% for an entry level software position in this area.

Sure, you might get A BIT more in a good economy, and possibility a few more job offers too, but that's the way it is. I can tell you software developers are still in demand in this area and I certainly feel with a software engineering position in this area at this time is one of the better positions to be in.

EDIT - will respond to your questions later today.

[mac10]

Originally Posted by VRE332

KTURNER, I dont know how to tell you man, but that is an terribly LOW BALLED salary they're offering you. Corporations are taking advantage of the economy and offering lower wages to out of state residents. I think have been tricked. That's about $2,900/month after taxes, with 1,300/month going towards rent, 2-300 for utilities, gas, car payment, insurance, personal property tax, groceries, car modifications, you'll be lucky to keep your head above water. Good luck! One thing about big companies, they like to layoff

That's about average for entry software level engineer.

[michgc]

[quote=knopfler;10349560]Here's what I can answer:


3. Really Rich = Vienna, Arlington, McLean, Great Falls, Alexandria, Clifton, Fairfax Station.


I'm laughing at your description of Vienna as "Really Rich." I don't think of it that way at all. Prices are higher here because of the relative closeness to DC and I-66. And I think the "town" atmosphere does boost home values, but I think most people who live here are very middle class. And a majority live in ranch homes built in the 1950's. A large portion also live in 1960s splits or 1970s colonials. For the same price you can buy a newer 4-bedroom colonial farther out in Loudoun County but I don't think that makes people who live in Vienna any richer than our Loudoun County counterparts. I think we just have different priorities - shorter commute, town feeling, access to the Metro, etc.

Anyway, I'm not giving you a hard time for your definition. It's just funny how people see things differently.

[bk401596]

54K is not unreasonable at all. If you work for most government agencies you would be starting off at the salary. I think you can definitely work with 1K a month for an apartment. I second other comments about renting directly from a person, over renting in a rental complex. I would say try looking along Columbia pike or Route 50, they are closer in than Reston too. If you are willing to take a garden or basement apartment, you likely can get much closer, maybe even walking distance to a metro in the sought-after balston, clarendon, our virginia square areas. Check out craigslist for good options.

I lived in DC for 5 years and commuted out of the city. I could get to Tysons Corner in 25 minutes in the morning. You could never do that the other way around. DC of course will be much more expensive. I am not sure you could get a basement apartment even for 1k in a nice neighborhood walking distance to the metro.

If you are young and like to go out, you should check out balston, clarendon, virginia square, rosslyn or courthouse, alexandria old town, or dc: georgetown, dupont circle, logan circle, chinatown area, woodley park, adams morgan, to name a few. These are the main areas for young singles or couples without kids that are close to DC. Herndon (near Reston) was just listed a top ten US location for the rich and single. It has great ethnic restaurants too. I bet you could find something for 1K there, as long as it isn't in a nice appt buidling.

If you have multiple cars however, you won't have much luck finding parking for them in DC, and not sure about the "young areas either" I paid 200 dollars a month just for parking in DC. Depending where you go however, you can get street parking for A car. Email me directly if you want to know more about these areas. Good luck.

Only my opinion, but Ashburn and Manassas are the boonies. If you are a homebody, like a little more land and lots of families, this might fit you well though.

[KTuner]

Thank you everyone for the very helpful responses and great information. It is nice to know there are people in the area that are genuinely caring and willing to help others out.

I want to add that while I will be alone when I move, I do have a fiance that will be coming with me sometime, and the idea of going to bars and clubs has never really appealed to me or her that much. To be honest, while I wouldnt mind being near the *fun* places, I would be just as happy in a family-oriented type area. Not sure if this helps anyone with suggestions, I'm just trying to provide as much information as possible.

[RedKnightt]

Do you know what area your job will be in? This can have some impact on your choices.