Moving to Virginia! Advice advice advice!!!! (Arlington, Alexandria: condo, how much, townhouse)

[almacaux]

My husband and I have being living in Massachusetts for many years and we love it, but I've got enough cold seasons in here...it's just too cold and we would like to head towards south for warmer weather. I grew up in South America but he grew up in Massachusetts, so we need to meet in the middle (USA). Also, we love the beach, but being a couple of hours away is fine.

We like Virginia and it sounds perfect for us, but I am a city person (100%!) but my husband loooooves the suburbs. I have being looking and it seems that Alexandria could meet our needs: close enough to the city for some cultural activities and the tranquility of the suburbs, which I like too.

I will work as a medical interpreter there, so proximity to hospitals are a plus. My husband will move his company with him (he sells customized shirts). We expect to pay not more that 300K for a house, and we see that possible in this area, but we are open to see other areas as well, so welcome to tell me more about it!

We don't have kids, but that will come soon, so schools, safety and things to do with kids are important for us.

I would appreciate so much any help, advice, words that could guide our search.

Thank you

[CAVA1990]

Alexandria is a great place to live but you should check out realtor.com to see how much house in what kind of neighborhood you'll get for $300K (probably something fairly small). You might want to look at spots with an Alexandria mailing address that are actually in Fairfax County. It's got a bit more of a suburban feel and the schools are somewhat better. Mount Vernon hospital is one in that particular area.

[athousandlogins]

Both Alexandria and Arlington are suburbs with easy access to city life, so they definitely fit your criteria there. We also have many hospitals in the area - the INOVA system has an enormous hospital in Fairfax, and there are a few smaller ones around, too.

$300K won't get you much in the way of a desirable SFH near the city, though, especially if you want one of those "great schools" neighborhoods. But if you're willing to do a condo, you can do okay. Otherwise, you might have to live further out. That's really the big tradeoff when you move here, there's no way around it.

The weather is better than in Massachusetts, I can assure you of this from personal experience It takes longer to get cold in the winter, and spring comes sooner. Summers are definitely hotter. However, this isn't really a "warm weather" locale overall, because we do get snow and even sometimes brutal cold, in January and February...you'd have to at least go into southern Virginia to really be living somewhere warm. But like I said, it is incrimentally better than Massachusetts.

[athousandlogins]

I'll give you an example, regarding the weather. It's cloudy here today with a high of 50. (Not our best day, LOL.) In Boston, it's cloudy with a high of 48. So we're warmer, but hardly tropical.

Yesterday, the high here was 58, and it was 52 in Boston. This is a pretty typical difference between the two places. Enough to make a difference, but not enough to put on shorts

[CAVA1990]

Do the same comparison in mid-January.

[athousandlogins]

The average high/low for Fairfax in January is 44/24.

The average high/low for Boston in January is 36/22.

I still don't find that to be a huge difference. NoVA is obviously a little warmer, but you'll need to wear a winter coat in both places. You can still get snow in both places (though you're much more likely to get more in Massachusetts). Both places have days that are uncomfortably cold. Massachusetts is likely to have a few more of them.

I mean, if you want *anything* less-cold than New England, NoVA certainly fits the bill, no question. And maybe that few degrees is enough to make a real difference. But I feel like this is not a place to come if you are specifcally looking for a "warm weather" locale. I could be the only one, though, I don't know!

[claremarie]

Because neither of you will be commuting daily to the employment magnets of DC, Arlington, or Tyson's, you have more flexibility than most newcomers in your housing choices. Given your budget, you should seriously consider looking further out than Alexandria. $300K will get you a townhouse, at best, in the more family-friendly (i.e., good school pyramids) neighborhoods in Alexandria, Arlington, and most of Fairfax County, for that matter. The problem with your personal preference for "city" living is that these neighborhoods are in high demand for their convenient locations for the many thousands of folks who work in DC or Arlington. You would be paying a premium for a short commute that doesn't really benefit you. There are hospitals all over the metro area -- would you be based at one of them or do you need access to multiple medical centers?

[claremarie]

i agree with athousandlogins. If you really want to avoid winter, you need to move further south. You will still need your winter coat, your boots, and your snow shovel in DC. You just won't need them quite as often as in Boston.

[michgc]

The average high for Washington, DC for January, February, and March is 42, 47, and 56, respectively.

The average high for Boston, MA for January, February, and March is 36, 39 and 46, respectively.

This is according to weatherchannel.com

ETA: Whoops, I just saw someone else posted this info. I agree that it's not terribly warmer, but I think we do get significantly less snow than they do. Having said that, I despise cold weather, and I agree that it is not warm enough here, if that is what you are trying to escape. A good choice might be the Raleigh area - good hospitals, better weather, and cheaper housing!

[michgc]

Not trying to convince you to go to Raleigh or anything, but their average temp. in Jan., Feb., and March is 49, 53, 61. Now that is significantly warmer than Boston!