Maybe relocated to McLean, VA (Alexandria, Reston: apartments, rental, condos)

[nicolemjackson]

Hello,

I currently reside in Colorado but originally from VA. I will be working in Tyson's Corner. My issue is that I have a pet, somewhat bad credit, and have broken two leases almost 5-6 years ago. I have a realiable vehicle so that would not be an issue for travel. I am looking for either an apartment, townhome, or home to rent that will take me with my issues above. I will be working for DOD so I would have the money for at least 1200 for rent. If anyone can help this VA native out I would greatly appreciate it.

[momtotwoboys]

Mclean will probably will be out of your budget since there aren't a lot of apartments here and most th's rent for $2500+. You might check out parts of Falls Church or Vienna. How long of a commute are you willing to have? The further out you go, the more affordable the rents are going to be. GL!

[Tish Thompson]

Renting in McLean is going to be tough on your budget. Your best bet is to consider areas that are a little further out like Centreville or Manassas. Broken leases are only an issue if you broke them, owed money, and never paid. Pets aren't that big a deal. Your best bet is to write a letter of explanation regarding your credit...and set up payment arrangements for anything that's "bad" and start paying it off.

Low credit score is forgiveable, but when it's low and you're not doing anything to try to fix it is when things get hairy.

Originally Posted by nicolemjackson

Hello,

I currently reside in Colorado but originally from VA. I will be working in Tyson's Corner. My issue is that I have a pet, somewhat bad credit, and have broken two leases almost 5-6 years ago. I have a realiable vehicle so that would not be an issue for travel. I am looking for either an apartment, townhome, or home to rent that will take me with my issues above. I will be working for DOD so I would have the money for at least 1200 for rent. If anyone can help this VA native out I would greatly appreciate it.

[blossom4792]

Find a private rental in one of the nearby condos like Lillian Court, the Rotonda or the Lincoln (is it still called the Lincoln?). I don't know the Lincoln quite as well, but all are upscale. Lillian Court is the newest; Rotonda will give you the most square footage.

I have been renting my condo at Lillian Court for 10 years for $1250/month. (It's rented long term). I keep the rent "low" because I love my tenant and I'm an original owner (1996) so I bought at a much lower price. I have never been able to do a credit check; if I have doubts I ask the person to bring a copy of their credit report. But I have done it mostly on instinct and have been 100% successful.

I would definitely not recommend you move really far out - the commuting time and gas and car maintenance are not worth it.

Check craigslist. There are also a few places that will say "Falls Church" but are really close on Route 7/Leesburg Pike.

[nicolemjackson]

I want to thank all of you for the responses, I will take all of your advice in consideration.

[SteelCityRising]

There are a few older complexes in Reston that are pet-friendly, aren't strict about credit history, and have 1-BR apartments within $1,200/month. Next week I'm moving to Colvin Woods, wedged between the Tall Oaks and Uplands neighborhoods of Reston. In this complex for $1,105/month I'm getting a 1-BR apartment with a den in a quiet complex in a wooded setting. There is an off-leash fenced dog park, nature trails, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a fitness center. From what I've seen many residents have pets (I'm hoping to adopt a Siberian Husky myself).

Reston isn't exactly a trendy, hip, or fun place to live, especially for single professionals, but it's safe, somewhat convenient to McLean and other regional points of interest like Great Falls, Leesburg, or Fairfax, and has a popular (yet fake) downtown. Other complexes that come to mind that may work are The Sycamores, Fairway Apartments, or a few complexes in South Reston, which is generally lower priced because it tends to have a poorer repuation than North Reston. I work in Tysons Corner, and it takes me 15-20 minutes, without traffic, to get there.

[nicolemjackson]

Ok. Well I found out I will be working in Falls Church. I will be moving there the first of next month. I looked into Corporate housing until I found a place but that isn't working out very well. So any decent places in Falls Church?

[Ozone A]

Falls Church covers a pretty big area. Parts are near Tysons, there's a downtown Falls Church, with zip codes spreading all the way down to the Alexandria border (Baileys Crossroads). So it really depends where your job is in Falls Church. For example, if your office is in the Tysons part of Falls Church, it wouldn't be bad commuting from Reston. But if your office was in the Bailey's Crossroads part of Falls Church, a commute from Reston would be alot more arduous (and maybe unbearable).

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Ozone A

Falls Church covers a pretty big area. Parts are near Tysons, there's a downtown Falls Church, with zip codes spreading all the way down to the Alexandria border (Baileys Crossroads). So it really depends where your job is in Falls Church. For example, if your office is in the Tysons part of Falls Church, it wouldn't be bad commuting from Reston. But if your office was in the Bailey's Crossroads part of Falls Church, a commute from Reston would be alot more arduous (and maybe unbearable).

Agreed. Falls Church's reaches extend from the Pimmit Hills/Idylwood area on into the city proper of Falls Church, Seven Corners, Bailey's Crossroads, and I think even Dunn-Loring has a Falls Church zip code. It's a very sprawled out and congested area. If you could give us a general idea of where you'll be working (you don't have to be specific with an address, but if you could punch the address into Google and give us an idea of what's nearby), then we can better steer you into the right direction.

Route 7 is your main lifeline through a good chunk of Falls Church, along with Route 29 and Route 50. All three roads are littered with unsynchronized traffic lights that make the area very trying to those who hate sitting in gridlock. The City of Falls Church is a notorious speed trap with a ridiculously low speed limit of 25 miles per hour along the length of Broad Street. It has sometimes taken me a half-hour just to get from one side of the city to the other on Route 7.

[nicolemjackson]

I will be working on Leesburg Pike if I am not mistaken in the 5100 area if this helps any. I dont want to keep applying and my credit gets dinged everytime.