Need Help with relocating to DC Metro area (apartments, rentals)

[LaPanamena]

Hello All,

I currently live in DE and I've decided that in order to make something of myself I must move out of this small state and venture off into a larger city. Since I have a military background (Reserves....Serving a 1 1/2 in Iraq) I figured that the DC area was probably the place to seek advancement. So I have set a time line to move to that area and I have begun my research. I want to be able to be situated by the end of the upcoming school year since I have 2 kids whose education I do not want to interrupt. The problem is that my budget is not that large and I need affordability until I can land the right job. Just by telling you that the rent I currently pay is $620 for a 3 bedroom apartment you can get an idea as to what I am up against. I currently work as a bilingual legal assistant for a Worker's Compensation and personal injury Attorney. Not really looking to stay in this field since I will be obtaining my Bachelors in International Business Management at the end of this year. So my questions for all of you are: What areas do you think I should start looking as far as apartments and good schools? Do you know of any good private schools in that area that might offer financial aid or some kind of voucher system? Do you guys know of any apartments that are maybe income based and offer affordable rent? Someone told me about the Arlington area in VA, does anyone suggest this area? What about commuting to the DC area from the surrounding cities? I know my questions are a little vague but any info you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

[Gottasay]

International business? Do you have a job lined up? What would you market overseas that DC produces? I don't know of anything produced in DC other than red tape -- I'm being serious! You might be better off in New York, Miami, Chicago, or LA. That said, you are in for some sticker shock having paid $650 a month in Delaware. Be prepared to pay double or triple that -- make sure your new salary reflects the extremely high cost of living in the DC area as too many people come here, accept a job that in their town would be high paying, and end up paying out more in rent, taxes, etc. Arlington is extremely expensive as well and congested. There are some single family homes in the area, but expect to pay a lot more than that in rent. Also look at Annandale, Fairfax, Vienna, and Reston for close-in family oriented areas. Don't fall for the such and such is a great school trap -- schools are great b/c the parents that live in the area are well-educated and affluent and thus their kids test scores are generally going to reflect that. You might be better off financially in a cruddy school district and putting your kids in private school. Just my 2 cents.

[LaPanamena]

Makes a lot of sense what you say about the schooling subject. As far as the degree, at this point its just worth the 4 years of college that many government jobs require in order to be eligible for the better jobs. Thank you for your post though. I know that rent wise I will be facing a lot more so I am not really surprised. I have been doing some research and it is quite expensive. I guess I have to land the right job first and then I can figure out what area is more adequate to live depending on my income.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by Gottasay

International business? Do you have a job lined up? What would you market overseas that DC produces? I don't know of anything produced in DC other than red tape -- I'm being serious!

Yeah, DC's not really a hub for international business. Plenty of work available for people with international experience, but those tend to be either in the regulatory environment, the World Bank or IMF, or for one of the many think-tanks and nonprofits set up here.

[PenguinSix]

DC is a term that describes a huge place. As such, it's really hard for us to recommend a good school area given that your job could easily put you on the other side of the metropolitan area with basically an impossible commute. There are commutes from one side of town to the other that can be crazy, and that's just DC proper, not counting the 1,000 of sq miles of suburbs.

Really your best bet is to try full blast to get a job in the DC area and then look at a place to live within commuting distance. There really isn't much other way around it if your job is 2 hours each way from your home (and you are still in the 'DC area').

DC is not really an International Business kind of place. There are a few companies but they generally are in the technology space (telcom, defense contractors, etc) and they often are looking for more techie type hires. As others have mention, $620 isn't even a room in a shared house in some parts of town, and certainly not a 3br in many others.

I'd try to look around the help wanteds and get a feel for where some of the jobs you would be interested are located and then let us know what suburb / area is more likely than others and folks can give you some apartment ideas. Again, $620 is nothing down here--double or triple if you are looking for some space.

Take a look at militarybyowner dot com for some rentals that are geared more for military folks. Might give you an idea of what is out there.

[lisaramsey86]

U can google hud to look for income based apts .