Moving to Northern Virginia/DC area

[nysara]

Originally Posted by choff5

This was probably The Meadows of Chantilly, Meadows of Chantilly in Chantilly, VA. The homes, especially the new ones, look and seem very nice, however you rent the land and I have heard the land fee keeps going up so that needs to be checked, despite the low cost of the homes. It is also a very, highly diversed community with many families, ie: many kids in a small area. The price may be right to be that near in to DC but just check it out carefully first. I would be worried about resale as well since it is mobile homes.

Originally Posted by HokieFan

I would suggest asking this question on the Northern Virginia sub forum: http://www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/

The further from DC, the less expensive housing cost will be. So asking for suggestions 30 minutes from Fairfax City and 30 minutes from Alexandria might net better results than asking for suggestions 30 minutes from DC.

I googled "Trailer parks in Alexandria, VA" and received three results, so I would suggest giving that a try. There weren't any websites associated with the results, but there were phone numbers and you can use Google street view to get an idea of how the neighborhood is maintained.

I have driven past a couple of trailer parks in the Woodbridge area, but that would put you outside of your 30 minute commute. In traffic, about an hour away from Fairfax and Alexandria.

Are you willing to consider renting an apartment instead?

Thank You! I will check out that forum. My brother in law lived in Fairfax so I'm thinking thats probably the side we will go with. Plus I think we'd rather be on the western side of the state since the east seems to be more plus we don't want to be right on the coast. At first we didn't want an apartment but I don't know maybe I should keep the option open.

[nysara]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

The most economical mobile home park I can think of in the NOVA area that is not a dump is Bull Run Mobile Home Park in Manassas off Old Centerville Rd. It's about one mile from Fairfax Co. It's a plain looking area but crime has never been bad there. The neighborhood surrounding it was real bad back in the 70-90's but has improved considerable. This is a site with info but I don't believe it's the web site for the community.

Bull Run Mobile Home Park in Manassas, VA

OK I will check out Bull Run. Thanks.

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by nysara

Thank You! I will check out that forum. My brother in law lived in Fairfax so I'm thinking thats probably the side we will go with. Plus I think we'd rather be on the western side of the state since the east seems to be more plus we don't want to be right on the coast. At first we didn't want an apartment but I don't know maybe I should keep the option open.

While Fairfax city is west of Alexandria, and Alexandria is in the eastern part of the state, they aren't so far apart to seem like they're in different regions. Also, Fairfax isn't in the western part of Virginia, and Alexandria is several hours from the Atlantic coast, not "right on" it (156 miles to Ocean City MD)

[Dan_in_DC]

One of the nicest mobile home parks in Northern VA is Audubon Estates in southern Fairfax County. It's maybe 3 or 4 miles south of the Capital Beltway, and situated in a secluded area less than 1/2 mile off Route 1 (Richmond Hwy).

The park is clean, quiet, and friendly; and it's very well maintained. Over the years, we have visited several friends who live there, and have never seen any significant problems. It's a little upscale compared to most "trailer parks" I've seen, but my understanding is that it is affordable for most (if they have a vacancy).

Audubon has single-wide and double-wide homes (I think maybe a few triple wides also). They usually have units available both for sale and for rent. Call their office and they will discuss the details with you, at 703-780-2544.

Best of luck in your quest.
Dan

[nysara]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

The most economical mobile home park I can think of in the NOVA area that is not a dump is Bull Run Mobile Home Park in Manassas off Old Centerville Rd. It's about one mile from Fairfax Co. It's a plain looking area but crime has never been bad there. The neighborhood surrounding it was real bad back in the 70-90's but has improved considerable. This is a site with info but I don't believe it's the web site for the community.

Bull Run Mobile Home Park in Manassas, VA

ok i will look it up thank you

[nysara]

Originally Posted by Dan_in_DC

One of the nicest mobile home parks in Northern VA is Audubon Estates in southern Fairfax County. It's maybe 3 or 4 miles south of the Capital Beltway, and situated in a secluded area less than 1/2 mile off Route 1 (Richmond Hwy).

The park is clean, quiet, and friendly; and it's very well maintained. Over the years, we have visited several friends who live there, and have never seen any significant problems. It's a little upscale compared to most "trailer parks" I've seen, but my understanding is that it is affordable for most (if they have a vacancy).

Audubon has single-wide and double-wide homes (I think maybe a few triple wides also). They usually have units available both for sale and for rent. Call their office and they will discuss the details with you, at 703-780-2544.

Best of luck in your quest.
Dan

Hi Dan,
Thank you for the message, its very helpful. I will look into this more.

[metamorphosis]

Originally Posted by HokieFan

You will not find this in Northern Virginia.

This area is not a cheap place to live. Also, traffic is really bad in the area - 30 minutes from DC really narrows down the area you're looking at.

I just moved from this area. Hokie Fan is exactly right. You are not going to find a cheap place to live in NOVA, nor are you going to find traffic that isn't a headache.

The closer you get to DC, the more expensive it is. Meaning that going from one city to another that is less than 8 miles away jacks the price of housing up unbelievably.

When I first moved there, I was sooo ignorant of the housing prices. I thought it would be a snap to find a nice little older house for $100K (since the economy was tanking). That wasn't the case. I found complete DUMPS for $250K that I would have been ashamed to try to sell to anyone.

And traffic? I had a fluctuating shift, and work was about 17 miles away. The main highway across NOVA is I-66. Some mornings it would take me 1 1/2 HOURS to drive 17 miles. A few times it actually took me 2 hours - and that was NOT going into DC . . .