Relocating from FL to DC area (apartments, leasing, condos)

[micnandec]

Hello!
I've been reading a lot of posts on these boards on relocating and such, but I'm getting kind of confused with all the possibilities. I'm leaving Tampa, FL for DC because for work (where I'll be working has not yet been determined, though.) I'll be heading up in early April for various reasons and was hoping to explore some of the neighborhoods while there. I'm currently just looking for a place to rent at the moment. I'm single, white, female professional looking for a townhome or condo in a quiet area that is still relatively close to everything. I plan on using public transport to get to work. I'm originally from NYC and I do miss having a diverse neighborhood. It's hard for me to put a price on anything since the difference in cost of living between the DC area and Tampa is staggering. My main concern is also to find a dog-friendly area since I have two large dogs. Thanks for any help!

[claremarie]

If you're planning to use public transportation to commute, but don't know yet exactly where the job will be, it will be difficult to choose a place to live. You should probably consider a short-term rental until you get your workplace sorted out, so that you can find a place to live close to the Metro or bus line most convenient to your office.

Two large dogs will be a limiting factor for sure. Eventually, a townhouse in suburban VA or MD might work better for you than a condo in the trendy urban areas within DC that many single professionals settle in, especially if your dogs will need a lot of exercise.

[micnandec]

Thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately I'm not quite sure how the job will turn out so I need to be flexible. I am planning on leasing until I get myself a little more situated in the area. What areas would be good to look for leasing options? Particularly anything that welcomes my dogs (they're big but they're couch potatoes). I guess I'm just trying to understand the area better for when I do make the big move.

[irisheyes13]

This is a very dog friendly area so if you are willing to rent a townhouse versus a condo/apt, your dogs should not be too much of a limiting factor. Can you narow down the possible job locations at all? That would help.

[vanyali]

The problem is that the DC area is actually pretty big, and it's not as centralized as New York. You can't really get to most places from most other places by public transportation, except maybe by bus which takes forever.

In New York, you want to be near a subway line, and every subway line takes you into Manhattan, and Manhattan is where you need to be. If you need to get somewhere else, you just hail a cab and can zip to wherever you need to be. Picking a place to live, in that sense, is pretty easy.

In DC, the Metro will take you into DC. That's about it.

To get from one part of the rest of the region to another part, you have to take the Metro into the city, make a transfer, and then ride all the way back out. That's not very efficient, and chances are you'll have to drive from the Metro stop you end up at to your destination anyway. That's not a very practical option most of the time. The Metro is just not really meant to take you around the suburbs at all. And there are fewer cabs around than in New York.

So far, not too different from NYC. However, a lot of the big job centers in the DC area are NOT in DC proper. Tysons Corner is in Virginia, for example. Many, many MANY people commute from one part of the suburbs to another part of the suburbs for work, and never set foot in the city proper. There are ways to get from this spot to that spot, sometimes, on public transportation, but by far the main way to get around is by car. When city planners don't necessarily know where people need to go, they can't provide super-efficient public transit to get them there. This creates a traffic nightmare.

My husband is staying just south of the Beltway, by the 95 interchange, in Virginia, and commutes to Tysons Corner, Virginia (near Arlington, but slightly farther West), and it usually takes him an hour to drive to work in the morning. It's around a 25-mile drive I think. That is how thick the traffic gets.

Some people live without cars. However, these people know where they have to get to, and they plan where they live very carefully so they know they actually can get from A to B without a car. If you don't even know where B is, it's almost impossible for anyone to give you advice on where to live.

Places with good Metro access include several neighborhoods in DC (not Georgetown, notoriously); Arlington, VA; maybe Old Town, Alexandria in Virginia.

[soulquarian]

seriously, since you don't have any kids, i would cosider settling near a metro in either southeast or northeast. there are a lot of myths and stereotypes about both quadrants, but you can find a reasonable place in a safe area if you aren't worried about schools. i live in on the border of capital north and trinidad and teach in brookland. those young gentrifying professionals in columbia heights and petworth go through way more drama than i experience behind h street. i have no complaints, my neighborhood is great and the rent is reasonable. the only reason i wouldn't consider moving to southeast is because of the lack of services and metro accessibility.

[micnandec]

Thanks for all the help! I never realized just how spread out DC is, particularly when it comes to where people work. I'm not moving just yet, since it depends on fast my place here sells. The market is really in the pits here...

[jsenk7414]

Hey, let me know how things turn out. I'm in Tampa and will be moving up to DC soon as well. I will be working down town for the VA. I also have a dog, but she's a chihuahua. Any info/leasons learned would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Joe

[joe.attaboy]

I recently "moved" here from Florida, so let me provide a little information.

I live in Jacksonville, but will be working up here (Pentagon) on a long-term contract job. I am not making a permanent home here...my income affords me the ability to travel home on weekends one or twice a month.

I'm older (53) and currently renting a temporary place while I hunt for new digs. The place I'm in is expensive ($1600/month) but that includes everything. It's a 15 minute walk to the Metro in East Falls Church. The trip to the pentagon in the morning takes about 20 minutes plus waiting time. I can get something cheaper, but I needed to get into something (other than a hotel at minimum $90-180 a night) quickly.

Some others have commented about the issues with commuting. I have my vehicle here, but I rarely use it during the week. I'm fortunate in that I live near the train. Buses go a lot of places in this region, but the further out you are, the longer those trips will take by bus.

As for the trains, someone described it as going into DC, then out from there, which is pretty accurate. There are big gaps in the Metro train system, especially in NOVA. Two lines service the areas to the east (into Alexandria) and one line goes out to Fairfax. But if you live in areas like MacLean, Leesbrug, anywhere near Dulles (Reston, Centerville), and in the areas between the train lines (the Burke Area to the south and Annandale up north), there is no train service via Metro. The Virginia Railway Express provides some service out to the boonies of Virginia, but even their service is somewhat limited.

Yhe advantage you might have is that, since your younger, you can be less picky about where you live than a coot like me. I want quiet, as few roommates as possible (I have one house mate right now, and I rarely see him...perfect), and a private bathroom. I need a place to park the truck, but I want to be near transit, too. You can find a lot of places with multiple housemates and reasonable rents.

Your problem is going to be the dogs, especially if they are large. A lot of shared places will allow a pet, but they like 'em small, if they like 'em at all. if you're serious about coming here, i would strongly urge you to consider (if it's possible) leaving the dogs in Florida until you get settled in a place of your own. I'm sure you love them and want them with you, but it will be a major hassle for you, trust me.

I've barely been here long enough to really enjoy the area...I plan to do all the tourist stuff when my wife comes up to visit.

I would advise the following:

1. Learn where the metro trains and buses go, as well as the other regional transit services. The Metro website is Metro - Homepage and they have links to VRE, MARC, and all the local bus lines.

2. Read craigslist.org. Go to the DC pages and scan through the rental ads. There are a lot, and new ones go up all the time.

3. Come up to visit on a weekend. Get one of the all-day metro train cards (for about $8, you can ride the trains all day from opening to closing on weekends). This is a cheap way to jump from area to area and see what you can.

4. Also consider Maryland on the other side of DC. I'm going to look at a place near Bethesda on Saturday. Lots of great areas and a little cheaper than on the Virginia side.

[ebbie]

I'd second everything people have said about the vicissitudes of public transportation in DC, especially vanyali's comments; you'll have a much easier time targeting your search once you know where you'll be working.

That said, I'm tempted to recommend the Mount Pleasant (NW) area. It's reasonably diverse . . . a heavy latino population and a smattering of Ethiopian mixed in with encroaching gentrification, not far from the Columbia Heights green-line metro station (depending on where in Mount Pleasant you are), and very close to the S buses, which run straight down 16th street and are good baseline buses for getting to the NW area of downtown. There are some Salvadoran eateries, a couple bodegas, a bakery, a delicious pizza place, and a good dive bar. It's also within walking distance of Adams Morgan, a fun bar-heavy area if you're single and in your 20s (if bars do nothing for you, Adams Morgan doesn't have a ton to offer, although it does have a kickin' little Creole restaurant, a couple trendy but decent upscale diners, and a couple good Ethiopian restaurant). It's also within walking distance of a decent-sized park to which you could take your dogs (Meridian Hill park) and the new Target/Apple/BedBath&Beyond/Marshall's/etc shopping area in Columbia Heights.

I'm also completely biased because I used to live there and I loved it.

If you want a yard for your dogs it's not your best bet (buying a townhouse could run $500K easily), but there are some nice older condos in the area, and many of the townhouses have apartments in them. . . if you get the right owner/landlord, you'd be able to use the yard.