Wv transferring to va (Arlington, Alexandria: real estate market, foreclosures, townhouses)

[WvTransfer]

I am about to move to Arlington, VA. I am currently located in norther WV. I am having problems finding a good family neighborhood in Arlington, VA. I don't mind about an 30 min - 1 hour commute. I am looking for a home in the 500k range, with min of 3 bedroom. I am a little intimidated though. A 150k home here is a 500k home there. Is the real estate market there stable or am I going to have my head underwater soon.

[Alexys]

If you prefer Arlington try looking for homes in zip code, 22204. There's some nice homes. Nice running trails available - 4 Mile Run Trail. If you don't mind the commute then I recommend Springfield, Virginia. It's about a 20 minute commute of course around 5:00am. In the evenings it could be ~hour, I395 can be very slow after 5:00pm. Good luck.



Alexys

[FindingZen]

A 3BR detached single family home might be difficult in Arlington, Alexandria and a good portion of Fairfax County. It's often necessary to make a compromise between convenience and commute here. Some of your neighbors on the WV panhandle who commute down to VA and DC can attest to that.

Besides Springfield as suggested, consider Burke, Lorton, Chantilly and Centerville.

The prices in Prince William County will seem tempting. That is due to both the commute as well as a relatively high number of foreclosures.

In general, the trend around here seems to be that the relatively "inexpensive" homes (< $500K?) are being snapped up quickly while the higher-end homes tend to languish longer.

Traffic can be pretty brutal around here. If it's possible to negotiate a work schedule outside of traditional rush hour, or even telecommuting, take advantage of it.

[Hazel B.]

I totally get the sticker shock coming from WV! We moved from Martinsburg, WV to West Springfield this summer and are very happy with our neighborhood. We were able to find a newly renovated 2500 sf four bedroom, 2.5 bath for under $450K. There are plenty of transportation options near here - bus, VRE, metro, slug lines, etc. We love our neighbors and our neighborhood - lots of trees, good for walking, community pools, bike lanes, excellent library and a great community center. As mentioned above, Burke is also a good place to check out. I think homes in the under $500K range in Fairfax County are a good bet in terms of stability. Good luck to you!

[normie]

Just popping in to say welcome to Nova!

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by WvTransfer

I am about to move to Arlington, VA. I am currently located in norther WV. I am having problems finding a good family neighborhood in Arlington, VA. I don't mind about an 30 min - 1 hour commute. I am looking for a home in the 500k range, with min of 3 bedroom. I am a little intimidated though. A 150k home here is a 500k home there. Is the real estate market there stable or am I going to have my head underwater soon.

Welcome to Northern Virginia from a fellow ex-West Virginian!

If you need at least 3 bedrooms and want to be around 500K then you will probably have to look somewhere other than Arlington. Most SFHs in my north Arlington neighborhood usually start at closer to 600 or 700K. Since you are willing to commute I would probably consider looking closer to Springfield as another poster mentioned. Burke is also a good option. You could go even further down I-66 towards Centreville and Chantilly if you are willing to accept the fact that your commute will not always be less than an hour.

[robbobobbo]

You say you're moving to Arlington, but don't mind a 30 minute to 1 hour commute. Which begs the question - is your job in Arlington, or are you moving to live in Arlington (or both)? There are plenty of good communities in Arlington - could you explain what you mean by having trouble finding a good family neighborhood? If you're looking to live in Arlington and you'll work in Arlington, you probably won't encounter a 1 hour commute unless you need to go from one end of Glebe Rd to the other end.

North Arlington (the areas north of Route 50) is more expensive than south Arlington. But there are good neighborhoods to be found in both. A $500,000 limit means you're more likely going to find townhouses instead of detached houses, but there are some detached homes to be found in that range. Search up to $550,000 and you'll find more. Still, those are going to be fixer-uppers or foreclosures.

The real estate market here is stabilizing and even picking up, slowly - at least for the close-in areas like Arlington. I seriously doubt you'd be underwater. It's the homes in the further-out areas like Prince William County that have been hit hardest with declining property values.