Best rental info resources? (Alexandria, Springfield: rentals, houses, high schools)

[elmoisgr8]

Hi there! We are moving to NOVA end of May. Schools are top priority and we've narrowed it down to Frost Middle/Woodson HS area (elementary is very important as well but they all seem pretty good in that area). Often it seems that rentals are gone before they are up! We don't live in the area so we can't run over to a rental as soon as it's posted. We've been searching Zillow and Trulia (since these sites allow you to narrow down by schools) but are there any local agencies/contacts/sites we could get in touch with? We are looking for houses specifically (drum kits make for not happy apt/town home neighbors!) but would consider town homes as well! Thank you!

[FCNova]

You're looking at a small area. Are schools the only reason you're looking there? Woodson HS is a good pyramid but this area has good schools almost everywhere. I think you're splitting hairs worrying about Woodson vs Marshall vs Fairfax vs Lake Braddock vs etc. There are a couple of areas that schools are considered subpar around here, but for the most part you have a lot of options.

[Vectorhead]

Originally Posted by FCNova

You're looking at a small area. Are schools the only reason you're looking there? Woodson HS is a good pyramid but this area has good schools almost everywhere. I think you're splitting hairs worrying about Woodson vs Marshall vs Fairfax vs Lake Braddock vs etc. There are a couple of areas that schools are considered subpar around here, but for the most part you have a lot of options.

I agree. I totally understand putting a very high priority on schools but since you don't live here, you don't realize how highly most of the high schools surrounding Woodson are regarded as well. Not saying that Woodson isn't an excellent school -- it is! But if you're having trouble finding a house then you could feel very confidant that your kids would still be in an excellent school if you broadened your search to include other schools, as FCNova said (be sure to put West Springfield on your list too!).

Edited to add: My comments can be generalized to pyramids as well as high schools.

[lindy112]

You could always a hire a realtor .. the landlord/owner pays their fee. Don't forget about www.militarybyowner.com. That's a good site to find rentals listed by owners. But I know of quite a few people who finally just rented a house without ever actually seeing it in person.

[elmoisgr8]

We're also trying to minimize commute time as DH will be commuting to Andrews AFB everyday and occasionally to Ft. Meade. The potential is a permanent job in VA after about a year and a half. We have friends very familiar with the area and these are the schools they highly recommend. It's good to know about other choices for sure though! We are in an amazing charter school where we live now and I'm heartbroken at the thought of leaving it so I'm trying to mitigate the change as well. We've never rented before so I hadn't thought about hiring a realtor!

[Grsz11]

Originally Posted by elmoisgr8

We're also trying to minimize commute time as DH will be commuting to Andrews AFB everyday and occasionally to Ft. Meade. The potential is a permanent job in VA after about a year and a half. We have friends very familiar with the area and these are the schools they highly recommend. It's good to know about other choices for sure though! We are in an amazing charter school where we live now and I'm heartbroken at the thought of leaving it so I'm trying to mitigate the change as well. We've never rented before so I hadn't thought about hiring a realtor!

Yikes, I would not want to commute from anywhere in the Woodson zone to Andrews let alone Ft. Meade. The commute would be much better (which is a subjective term around here) in the Springfield or Alexandria area.

[Sunnny]

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