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Old 01-28-2011, 02:43 PM
 
Location: 22407
13 posts, read 39,385 times
Reputation: 15

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A little bit of background. My husband, I and my 3 kids live in San Antonio right now. Originally the kids and I are from Cleveland OH, we've lived in Texas for 4 years now. My husband was in the Navy for 6 years so while he is from Texas he is used to moving around. His job right now has a lot of travel, he is gone for 2-3 weeks then home for 2-3 weeks. When he's home he works out of the house.

We need a 3 but preferably 4 bedroom house that has a big enough backyard for 3 growing kids and a 125lb dog. A good school system, good shopping available, low crime rates and hopefully baby sitting services I'll have no family near by.

We would like to be about 30mins-1hr from DC in case he loses his job and needs to find another, near a major'ish airport because he travels a lot and like 7 hours from Cleveland. I'm looking at the area but there's so many cities I don't know where to begin looking. We can afford up to $1500 in rent and we're open to buying a foreclosed home. I kinda like suburbs more than I like inner city.

Any help is appreciated

 
Old 01-28-2011, 02:53 PM
 
Location: Northern Virginia
4,489 posts, read 10,948,922 times
Reputation: 3699
What's your budget for buying?

A 4 br single family home for $1500/month is going to be pushing it on the hour commute, depending on his work schedule. At 5 am, 30 miles takes 30ish minutes. At 8 am, 30 miles could take 90 minutes. A quick craigslist search shows 4 bedroom houses under $1500 in Marshal/Front Royal/Culpeper and townhouses in Woodbridge/Stafford/Dumfries. All those places are going to be over an hour commute to DC.

The good news is that for now, just about everywhere is close to a major airport. IAD and DCA both have flights all over the country, and in a pinch BWI isn't a horrible drive (so long as you don't leave between 4-7 pm!)

I'd suggest either living far west (still within a comfortable drive to Dulles airport when needed) and relocating if/when necessary for DC, or upping your budget and/or settling for a town house.

Maybe someone else has an idea of an area that matches your wish list...
 
Old 01-28-2011, 03:10 PM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,248,970 times
Reputation: 1331
You are most likely going to have to compromise on your criteria. I don't think you will find a 3/4 bedroom house with a backyard for $1500 with a commute time of less than 1 hour from DC in NOVA. Think hard about where you are willing to make compromises.

A townhouse near a park?
Increase budget to $1800 to $2100?
Increased commute from DC to 90 minutes?

These house are a 60 to 90 minute commute from DC depending on when you go.
10931 HARPER'S SQUARE CT, RESTON, VA 20191 - HomesDatabase
11563 SHADBUSH CT, RESTON, VA 20191 - HomesDatabase
11500 IVY BUSH CT, RESTON, VA 20191 - HomesDatabase
2188 POND VIEW CT, RESTON, VA 20191 - HomesDatabase
11331 HEADLANDS CT, RESTON, VA 20191 - HomesDatabase
 
Old 01-28-2011, 04:07 PM
 
Location: 22407
13 posts, read 39,385 times
Reputation: 15
He doesn't have a commute right now because he works out of our home when he is not traveling. It's more "just in case" type thing if for some reason he's laid off.

Our dog is a st bernard and needs a lot of space to run around in so I guess we'd have to compromise on the commuting right since it's not even a necessity at this point.

That is very great about the airports. He's in Germany right now so he really goes all over where there are Army bases.

Thanks for the info, it helps to have an area to start looking.
 
Old 01-28-2011, 06:20 PM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,248,970 times
Reputation: 1331
If he does lots of international travel you will want to be close to Dulles rather than National or BWI. Try looking in the Ashburn, Sterling, Leesburg areas.
 
Old 01-28-2011, 08:28 PM
 
1,591 posts, read 3,553,833 times
Reputation: 1176
I would look in Ashburn or Potomac Falls (Sterling) -- no further -- if he eventually plans on commuting into DC. Both locations are very suburban. You will find lots of places to walk your dog. Both are close to Dulles Airport. Ashburn has lots of rental apartments that look pretty decent (Potomac Falls, not so much). Both are v. family oriented and have lots of good schools. I don't know about getting a single family home for that price. Both have had their share of foreclosures but you would be looking at a townhome in your budget range. You also may want to consider the Haymarket and/or Gainesville area. It fits the above description but the commute is known to be a bear.
 
Old 01-29-2011, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Heart of Dixie
142 posts, read 273,154 times
Reputation: 147
Look at Zipcodes 20136 and 20155 and stay on the west side of Lonton Hall Rd. I can't recommend them enough for families with kids. This is the best place we've ever lived out of 6 states and 17 yrs of moving with the Air Force. I only have 45 min commute to Ft Belvoir.

^ 60 to 90 minute commute from Reston? I can get from Gainesville to the Pentagon in less time than that.
 
Old 01-29-2011, 08:09 AM
 
Location: Woodbridge
265 posts, read 953,071 times
Reputation: 114
Prince William County has a lot to offer and you should be able to get a home in the 200's and up for an older home. I highly encourage you to speak with a lender so that you can get a pre-approval. Our market has very few foreclosures at the moment but many short sales and regular sales. It's about an hour drive (depending on traffic) to DC although many jobs are closer in throughout the area. Moderator Cut

Last edited by FindingZen; 01-29-2011 at 08:50 AM.. Reason: Real estate advertising
 
Old 01-29-2011, 08:21 AM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,248,970 times
Reputation: 1331
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben 'n Jen View Post
60 to 90 minute commute from Reston? I can get from Gainesville to the Pentagon in less time than that.
These days it is taking me 55 minutes to get from Reston to DC (14 & Penn) via the HOV on I-66. I aim to be in DC at 8:30 AM. It would be well over an hour if I was driving via the GW parkway or using mass transit (Fairfax Connector/Metro). My trip used to be shorter but the mess at 267 & 495 has added about 10 minutes to the trip. Also, the Pentagon is not DC. Crossing the bridge and getting into DC takes time. I'm usually between 10 and 15 minutes from the Potomac to my parking lot.
 
Old 01-29-2011, 08:29 AM
 
144 posts, read 333,759 times
Reputation: 92
Hell it takes me almost an hour to get to L'enfant Plaza from Vienna metro every day. On a good day, it can take like 40 minutes but the metro is so unpredicable lately. I would also suggest moving closer to the metro for commuting. I personally cannot stand driving in DC or anywhere near it. I'm a suburbia girl myself and dred when I have to go downtown for work.

I think maybe looking into some foreclosures is probably a good idea. There are few better places in the country where the real estate market took such a huge dive than Northern VA. I recently gave up a 2 bedroom condo that I paid 260k for in 2007 (I had 60k of equity in it then) and the bank just recently sold it for 119k.
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