Possibly relocating from The Woodlands TX to Fairfax (surrounding areas) with Exxon. Worth it? Where to live? (Arlington: for sale, renting)

[normie]

FWIW, townhouses here are often very nice. Many of them are built with top quality materials. Since so many people live in them, there's no stigma at all attached to living in a townhouse (in fact many SFH owners are jealous of the TH pwners because they don't have to do tons of lawn care. )

[csoell]

Thank you for all the replies.

I definitely do understand that leaving my new house here - that cost about $260 - and is 2,700 sq feet is NOT what I will be getting in NOVA.

I think I do HAVE to do it though - if I can. I can ALWAYS come back to The Woodlands when Exxon moves here completely.

I will check out all those areas listed. I do think a townhouse will be our best bet - and renting as well.

I really do appreciate all of your replies.

[Caladium]

Welcome to Nova! We're happy to help you with any questions you may have.

[brooklynborndad]

No, it doesnt have lots of cute older prairie or Victorian SFHs close together like some northeastern street car suburbs do. But its NOT simply suburban tract homes like Burke or N Springfield. Its an interesting diverse place - SFHs include SOME ranchers, ramblers etc - a few small pre 1950 homes with a good bit of character - a bunch of kinda woodsy properties (probably WELL outside your price range though) and a bunch of McMansions (not in subdivisions of them, but either tear downs, or inserted on lots that were still vacant in recent years). THs range from tiny 1960s modernist (among the cheapest in NoVa inside the beltway) to 1970s standard issue small, to 1980s comfie, to millenial era luxury THs. There is still the ghost of a prewar walkable village center at the center of the community - even a handful of urban style stores. MOSTLY its suburban style strip malls, but much of the nabe is within walking distance of a supermarket (if the walking is less than ideal). Over half the retail in the area is Korean, and is either independent, or is chains you won't recognize if you haven't spent time in Korea. The population however is quite diverse, still almost half caucasian, I think, probably about a quarter asian (including viet namese as well as korean) and about a quarter hispanic (mostly poor to working class).

Its also VERY convenient to Exxon/Mobil location. And has extensive bus transit (though no metrorail).

Biggest caveat for Annandale would be the schools. AFAICT the school zones here are very complex, and are likely to change soon. And some of the schools here are considered not that great (they still get FCPS relatively high funding levels though) by some.

[brooklynborndad]

"I rarely see moms pushing strollers. "

it aint exactly Park Slope, but best area around here to see yuppie moms with strollers in a quasi urban environment is the Del Ray section of Alexandria, I guess. Its super cute, but kinda pricey (if a bit less so than Old town itself) and Im not sure of the schools.

[marie5v]

I think you might find something in your price range in Fairfax (city and surrounding area - not just county). 425 is not too low for a townhouse. You could almost buy a small house for that in my neighborhood, and our schools are pretty good and it's a short drive to parks, pools, etc. (forget walking except for some neighborhood pools). An easy commute would be anywhere south of the city of Fairfax, heading down 123 and into Burke. Try searching for a rental or homes in the 22032 area. Here are some examples of what you could afford - they are in fairly nice middle-class neighborhoods with good schools, but as you can see they are in need of some updating and are not brand new.

10303 LATNEY Rd, FAIRFAX, VA 22032 | MLS# FX7507799
10926 ADARE Dr, FAIRFAX, VA 22032 | MLS# FX7488421

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

"I rarely see moms pushing strollers. "

it aint exactly Park Slope, but best area around here to see yuppie moms with strollers in a quasi urban environment is the Del Ray section of Alexandria, I guess. Its super cute, but kinda pricey (if a bit less so than Old town itself) and Im not sure of the schools.

Mount Vernon Community School in Del Ray appears to be fine, if the diverse community I see in the playground and later in the library next door is any indication. Thoughts about TC Williams High School - the only high school in the city - have been discussed on the forum before.

[alibaba1579]

We moved to the area in June with ExxonMobil. We'd been in Baton Rouge for the last 9 years - so similiar cost of living to Houston. Our price range was $550-$650K for a single family home. Ultimately we ended up buying in Fairfax (we're in Fairfax Club Estates). The commute for DH is 25 minutes (or less) no matter what time of day it is. We mainly looked in Burke, west Springfield, western Annandale, and Fairfax.

We love it here in Fairfax, I'd totally recommend it. But, we were REALLY ready to get out of the south. I have a 4 month old and a 2 1/2 year old, and am a SAHM. The areas I mentioned all are really family friendly, and I felt totally at home here from the start.

Some things to think about (from an Exxon employee perspective):

The company won't move you twice - so if you rent, you're on your own to get into what ever you do buy. Also, they'll cover all your closing costs if you buy, but only w/n a year. So normally it's a good idea to rent first, but for us it made sense to buy right away. A little scary, but if you do your reasearch before hand, you can do it.

Do you have a time frame for this move? B/c all offices up here are being relocated back to Houston over the next several years (I'm sure you already know that). That might influence wether you decide to buy or not. Although with the company covering buying and selling costs (as well as any loss should you be upside down) it's not that big of a deal if you do buy and then get sent back to Houston in a year or two.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions - we have lots of friends who've made the move up here from Baton Rouge, Beaumont, Baytown and Houston.

[csoell]

Thanks so much Alibaba1579. It is great to get some perspective from someone making the same move.

I am ready to be back East. The Woodlands is great - but I don't ever leave because I am not a huge fan of Houston.

I will be in the same boat, child wise, when we move. We are thinking it will be this time next year.

I do agree that buying is still a good option because of all that Exxon covers - although I wonder if that means I will be in a less than desirable area.

I am at SAHM as well - and worry that I will be the only one from a lot of the other posts.

I will look into Fairfax Club Estates - although your price range is higher than what ours will be.

I have heard that they are moving most offices here to Houston - but also heard they may keep one open in Fairfax with a limited number of employees? Do you think you will be moving here in the future too?

As soon as I find out more - I will send you an email to find out more specifics.

Thanks so much!!

[Basketweave]

Don't worry - there are lots of SAHMs here! You will meet other moms by enrolling your children in the rec center classes (very reasonably priced), dance classes, gymnastics, library reading hour, preschool.