Moving to the DC Area (real estate market, condo, crime rate)

[Sodakcpl]

Hi,

We're considering accepting an offer on a job in Silver Springs. This will be a huge change for us coming from the rural midwest. Really not looking for a long commute, but want to keep the cost of housing below $400,000. What are the benefits of living in Maryland vs Virginia? Any suggestions on towns we should look at?

[PenguinSix]

Maybe others can chime in with some actual experience but I would think a commute from Virginia to Silver Spring would be a monumental headache every day. I don't think it is very realistic, but I'm sure there are some on this board who do so.

How far of a commute are you willing to accept? 10 minutes to the office, 20-30-40 each way?

p.s. you might post on the Maryland board for some more advice about MD areas.

[baseball_guy26]

If you are working in Silver Spring, you will not want to live in VA unless you like traffic. Since you are coming from a rural town, you may prefer to move north of Silver Spring, like Burtonsville, Olney, or Sandy Spring. These areas are less developed, and generally cheaper. The commute in should not be bad. If your job is near the metro, you can get on the metro at Glenmont or Wheaton.

[titaniummd]

Originally Posted by Sodakcpl

Hi,

We're considering accepting an offer on a job in Silver Springs. This will be a huge change for us coming from the rural midwest. Really not looking for a long commute, but want to keep the cost of housing below $400,000. What are the benefits of living in Maryland vs Virginia? Any suggestions on towns we should look at?

From the commuting standpoint, there is only one real way to get to Silver Spring (the Beltway). If you live in MD, there will be a lot of different routes depending upon traffic. It snows from time to time and it has more flexibility to live in MD regarding the commute. You should look into places like Columbia MD in Howard County or Laurel, MD.

[BearLaker]

I commute from DC to Laurel, MD, which is (sort of) near Silver Spring. My commute is a minimum of 45 mins. because of horrendous traffic.

Unless you want to spend all of your time on the road, you need to live in Maryland. Silver Spring has lots of reasonable housing, and in the down real estate market you might find something for 400K.

Try REDFIN.COM. Put in Silver Spring, MD to get you started and then drag the map around. When you put in your housing criteria, it will then give you an idea of what's available.

Benefits? Close-in Maryland is more expensive than close-in Virginia but BOTH can be expensive. I live in DC now, but if I had to chose one or the other, I'd pick Maryland.

Good luck!

[Pfish]

If you're working in Silver Spring there's little reason to live in Virginia. It's not like Silver Spring is on the border, there's simply no physical way for you to avoid the back-ups on one of the bridges. I have nothing against Virginia, and probably actually prefer it to MoCo, but I suggest you have a look at a detailed map of the region and note how many municipalities and freeway exits you will have to crawl past on a daily basis. If you weren't already aware, traffic in DC is a fearsome beast.

The only way I can see this making sense is if you bought in VA walking distance to a metro (blue, orange, or yellow) and then come into the District and change lines on to the red and of course work within walking distance of the SS metro stop. Are you that lucky?

Silver Spring has undergone quite a boom in the past few years. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find a nice place in the down R.E. market near your work. If you're bound and determined to extend your commute, then in your circumstances I'd consider DC before VA.

[elsycoo]

ALEXANDRIA???

My kids are going to college at GW for spring 09 . I am thinking to move with my 84 years old mom to the DC area to be close to them. My mom is very sad because her only grandchildren will be away from her for years. She is afraid that something can happen and she won't see them again. I don't have a husband or any family here. My kids and mom are everything I have, that's why I don't want to be so far away from them.
Is that a good idea? I am in California, and I Know DC is very cold. The houses in Alexandria look soooo pretty. I can afford a house between $400 and 500K Is there any area in Alexandria with that price in Alexandria that would be considered a "safe area"? I live in in L.A. , in an area where I can walk at anytime, and go to the grocery store or pharmacy at 2: or 3 AM without any concern.
I am worried about the crime rate in D.C. Is the crime rate that bad?
Please tell me any good area where you think is a good idea. I am 48 years old, and my mom is 80+
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[CHIP72]

A few questions that will help people answer your questions:

1) Where in Silver Spring (no "s" at the end of the word Spring BTW) will you be working? Silver Spring zip codes cover a wide swath of area.

2) How big is your family? If you have kids, how old are they and are schools a consideration?

3) How long is a "long" commute for you?

Incidentally, along with everybody else I definitely advise living in Maryland if you will be working in Silver Spring.

[BearLaker]

Originally Posted by elsycoo

ALEXANDRIA???

My kids are going to college at GW for spring 09 . I am thinking to move with my 84 years old mom to the DC area to be close to them. My mom is very sad because her only grandchildren will be away from her for years. She is afraid that something can happen and she won't see them again. I don't have a husband or any family here. My kids and mom are everything I have, that's why I don't want to be so far away from them.
Is that a good idea? I am in California, and I Know DC is very cold. The houses in Alexandria look soooo pretty. I can afford a house between $400 and 500K Is there any area in Alexandria with that price in Alexandria that would be considered a "safe area"? I live in in L.A. , in an area where I can walk at anytime, and go to the grocery store or pharmacy at 2: or 3 AM without any concern.
I am worried about the crime rate in D.C. Is the crime rate that bad?
Please tell me any good area where you think is a good idea. I am 48 years old, and my mom is 80+
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I'm guessing you won't find a whole lot of house in the nice parts of Alexandria for 400-500K. You might find a condo. Try Redfin.com. It's helped me a lot. You just put in the zip code or city you're looking for and it shows you houses on the market (it's only good for some major market areas...DC is one of them)

Be prepared for traffic (but you're from LA so YOU know about that). Old Town Alexandria is cute but expensive. There are also lots of cute historic towns a little farther out in Virginia. Try the Virginia post pages and see if you get some good suggestions.

AND GOOD LUCK!

PS: Where are you located in LA? We are looking to move to CA and I'd love to know about super-safe neighborhoods in LA!