Moving to Gaithersburg > 23 yr old male needs help (Washington: sublet, apartments)

[thuriya]

I will be moving from Florida to Gaithersburg to take up a job, I am looking to stay closer to DC for the night life. I have been looking at NW DC, Bethesda, Silver Spring. Any advice on the locations, commute and prices i will be looking at. I am single and looking for a 1br/1ba preferably close to the red line

[opequon]

The red line neighborhoods you mentioned are among the most expensive, but they are great areas. Apartments, recently built, that are within walking distance to the red line will cost $1500- $3000 or more per month.
Silver Spring has many older and funkier areas where you might find a home for less than $1500.
I have handled rental properties ( though not a full time job) and recently rented one home for $1350 and will have one for $1500 in OCtober. Single family homes with yards, and Gaithersburg or Rockville mailing addresss/
If that interests you more than apartments, pls respond. Either way, Montgomery is a nice county to live in and the Red Line is a quick way in and out of Washington DC

[ENCE]

i would check into "north bethesda" (essentially rockville). there are some relatively new condos along rockville pike near old georgetown road or even further south towards grosvenor, and you'll be within a few blocks of the white flint metro station or grovesnor on the red line. i would imagine there are condo owners renting out their places.

this would essentially put you right b/w g'burg and dc also. also a good area with shopping and eats nearby.

not too sure about prices though... might be slightly higher than average for the area, but you get what you pay for...

[Pfish]

You are awfully young to move to the suburbs! Rent isn't cheap in DC, but it isn't cheap in any of the desirable burbs either (essentially Clarendon/Ballston in VA or Silver Spring in MD).

I'm making the assumption that desirable is what I'd want if I were 23 and moving to a big city: close to the better live music venues, coffee shops & nightclubs, variety of cool (non-chain) and ethnic restaurants, funky urban atmosphere, open air farmer's markets and flea markets, free cultural events, etc. Upper NW DC (anything north of the zoo) is for old people. The single best club in the DC area is the famous 9:30 club, but the Black Cat is cool too and there are some other good venues in Arlington. Maryland has little to offer outside of Silver Spring and even then it's much more limited.

Check out the U Street area, especially at the nexus of U & 14th NW. The surrounding neighborhoods are called Columbia Heights, LeDroit/Bloomingdale, Shaw, Logan Circle, and Adams Morgan. Expect to pay at least $1500 - $2,000 for either a one or two bedroom. Also have a look at Capitol Hill near H St. NE, there are a bunch of funky new restaurants and clubs that have opened there in the past year or two.

Personally, I would get a great 2 BR and then sublet the 2nd BR. In the hot downtown neighborhoods you can run a free ad (Craig's List or City Paper) for a roommate and get more applicants than you can handle. I had a great 2 BR on Calvert in Adams Morgan for which I did that and it was an excellent arrangement. A friends of mine has a small house in Shaw/Truxton Circle and does that now. Have someone pay half your rent for several months at a stretch and then consider taking a month or two off. It's a good way to share expenses and meet some new people but avoid being locked into a long term roommate situation with someone else's name on the lease.

[bronzelady]

Bethesda or Silver Spring are your best bets if trying to stay close to DC. Silver Spring in particular becasue there is a Silver Spring metrorail train station which is accessible to downtown DC. Gaithersburg is a nice area, however, much further out. The rental rates are probably steep for both Bethesda and Silver Spring. Try Apartment Guides for these areas.