Moving to D.C. w/wife, 2 kids, dog (condos, low crime)

[Psychedout]

Will be working 1600 block of M Street NW. Not sure which Metro line best but appears Farragut N. for Red and Farragut W. for Blue/Orange. Good Elementary Schools important. Doing an hour total driving commute now in Atlanta but wouldn't want to add to much to that. Budget? Current home in 300k range but will need to sell, will be making in the area of 130k (Gov.). Sage advice and wisdom sought and appreciated!

[orion1778]

Knowing how much money your wife makes would be a big help.

[claremarie]

Unfortunately, $300K will not buy very much. If you want to live within an hour of downtown DC, with a family (and dog), and good schools, you should plan to spend AT LEAST $400K, and that will get you an older townhouse. You will pay a premium to live within a reasonable distance of the Metro.
Communities to consider are Rockville in Montgomery County, and Springfield/Burke in Fairfax County.

[5stones]

see this thread for school info...
http://www.city-data.com/forum/washi...t-schools.html

LOts of good info reguarding the elem schools. and which ones are the tops...

DC schools are some of the worst in the nation. The very best elem schools are in the most expensive neighborhoods and then they still lack funding etc...
LOTS of people send thier kids to private schools. $$$ and hard to get into.

As much as I LOVE DC ...since I cannot afford 25k per year per child OR afford to spend over 500k on housing.
I would not live in DC with school age kids (esp those over 4th grade)

You will not find ANYTHING in DC or within 30min of DC with good schools, low crime, family friendly AND... 300k. (SFH)

outside of DC Montgomery county schools in MD are very good
Fairfax county schools in VA are very good. N. Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, McLean, Burke,West springfiled,Kingstowne etc...

[nva79]

I personally prefer DC, but with a family your size I would recomend NoVa. Skip the Maryland side(not as nice and more expensive.) Arlington county is very nice, but mostly condos. For a single family home, try Fairfax city, Springfield, Alexandria, or if you are willing to live further away for a cheaper price, Prince William County. I STRONGLY recomend living near metro or vre, and not driving to work. its not worth struggling with traffic and gas prices. VA is also cheaper than dc or md with much better colleges, schools. Safety is not even a concern in VA. Overall, all of NoVa is nice. By the way, the orange line is a more direct shot into dc. The blue line is kind of winding and slow. By the way, expect to pay 500 k at the minimum. You could also VRE into L'enfant plaza and then hop on west bound orange/blue to get to farragut west. Also, farragut north only goes to md, so commute to farragut west.

[chrisherbert]

You aren't going to find much for 300K, but Arlington around East Falls Church Metro stop is nice, relatively inexpensive (RELATIVELY), has great schools, etc. It seems like a nice place to have a family. It's self-consciously Mayberry-ish. Commute would be well under an hour on the train. Probably less than 30 minutes.

[PenguinSix]

How many bedrooms?

400k will buy you something in Northern Calvert with a yard and very good schools. Search for cities like Dunkirk or Owings or North Beach and Chesapeake Beach. About an hour to DC via commuter bus or a bit faster in a car.

In Virginia I think you might have to be a bit farther out, unless you want a townhouse.

[claremarie]

PenguinSix,
Less than an hour by car to DC from Calvert County?
I don't think so.

nva79,
Although there are many condos in Ballston and Crystal City, Arlington County has many neighborhoods filled with single-family homes, especially in north Arlington adjacent to the Fairfax County and City of Falls Church borders. But they are considerably more than $300K.

[PenguinSix]

Less than an hour by car to DC from Calvert County?
I don't think so.

Depends what part.

37 minutes from Chesapeake Beach to the Capitol, best time. Took Suitland and caught nearly every light (and sped a bit).

45 minutes to one hour normally. Usually leave about 8:45 to 9:30 am. Longer if there is a wreck on the Freeway or Bridges (but luckily I have staggered work hours that start pretty late and end pretty late).

It's only 37 miles from Chesapeake Beach to the White House (the zero milestone for DC). From Dunkirk it's 28 miles. From the Freeway to Calvert County (via Suitland) there are only 6 stoplights between Dunkirk and DC (soon to be 5 when they redo the Suitland/Route 4 Interchange)

Not sure how other's commutes are but I've never really had a problem getting to DC in under an hour.

[nva79]

Originally Posted by claremarie

But they are considerably more than $300K.

thats why i didnt mention it. plus the non condo areas usually arent new homes, but true point.