Movin to DC area from Sincity Vegas, Need suggestions were to live (Manassas: middle-class, apartment)

[sincityej]

Moving to DC area in a couple months from Sincity (Vegas) and need some suggestions on were to live. I'm looking for a rental hm or town home / Condo with the rent around $1200 -$1500. I need something with a garage for my motorcycle. I have kids elementary age so decent schools are high on the list. We like a little night life and fun activities when we have the free time. Any suggestions or advice would be greatful

[Carlingtonian]

Ask for a raise.

Not trying to be flippant--but that budget ain't gonna cut it for what you're wanting. Big house, near nightlife, with a garage, in a great school district: Pick one. Sorry, but that's the reality here.

Also, where's work? If your job is in the hinterlands of Loudoun or Pr. William County, then you're in luck, because housing in either will be much cheaper than the options closer to DC.

[CaliTerp07]

I have to second what Carlingtonian said. We have a steal on our little 1100 sf 1950's rental home in a less-than-ideal school zone (no kids here, so I don't care), and we're still paying $2000/month for it. The closest night life is a 20 minute drive without traffic.

You want to live close to your job if at all possible (especially with young kids, imo), because otherwise you'll spend a large portion of your evening commuting each day. If you let us know where your office will be, it will be easier to give you an estimate of what costs will be, what schools to look at, etc.

[RiotAct41]

Originally Posted by sincityej

Moving to DC area in a couple months from Sincity (Vegas) and need some suggestions on were to live. I'm looking for a rental hm or town home / Condo with the rent around $1200 -$1500. I need something with a garage for my motorcycle. I have kids elementary age so decent schools are high on the list. We like a little night life and fun activities when we have the free time. Any suggestions or advice would be greatful

If you find a condo or townhome to rent in that price range, let me know!!! I'm paying $1255/month for a 1-br. apartment in Ashburn right now.

[movedoften]

I hope you are moving here for a great job and a better financial situation.

Vegas and DC are about as diametrically opposed cities as there are in the US. The lifestyles are completely different.

I knew two families who came to DC from Vegas for work and neither came close to adjusting to the cost of living, traffic, lifestyle, climate, time away from home, etc. Their wives and children did not like it at all.

They were both led to believe that the changes would be marginal.

They both went back as fast as they could.

It isn't that it is a "bad" place to live, just very different from where you are coming from. There are lots of advantages to living in this area.

The only reason I posted this was that it reminded me of their stories when they moved here.

They looked on line and thought they saw places in their price range until they got there and saw what they actually were. Then they found out what the commutes were like after they got into places that were 50% higher than they originally thought they were going to pay.

The one guy didn't get home until his little kids were about ready to go to bed at 7:30 after his 80-90 minute commute.

I live in a 25 year old one bedroom apt. in a nice, clean, safe area. It is $1,400 and I have a deal! It's still 8 miles to the closest metro. No garage.

You can buy a 2,000 sf 4/3 with a swimming pool in Vegas right now and have a lower PITI payment than my 1 BR and have a nice tax deduction.

The move can work for you if you have accurate information and realistic expectations.

Good luck.

[khuntrevor]

Figure rent is 2-3 times more in NoVa.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by sincityej

Moving to DC area in a couple months from Sincity (Vegas) and need some suggestions on were to live. I'm looking for a rental hm or town home / Condo with the rent around $1200 -$1500. I need something with a garage for my motorcycle. I have kids elementary age so decent schools are high on the list. We like a little night life and fun activities when we have the free time. Any suggestions or advice would be greatful

Where will you be working? Most decisions will probably flow out from that piece of information.

Your range is in the low-to-mid range for a 1BR apt. Others have given you an idea of what to expect to pay for what you want.

In general, school districts in this area are considered to be among the best in the nation. Others may parse the differences perhaps because one wants to make the most of what will be a considerable investment in housing no matter where you choose to live.

[sincityej]

Hi, I posted before but this gives a much better description of what we're looking for. Small family moving to the Va, DC, Md region soon and looking for an ideal place to call home for our family. I've been looking at the Maryland and Virginia areas. We like to go out to the local scene but not the priority. We're looking for the typical, a little culture, safe neighborhoods, decent schools all at a great price for a young hard working blue collar family. I need to have a small garage for my motorcycle so a town home or small house is probably the ideal. Doesn't have to be in the city rural is fine just within 45min or so from nightlife. One of us travels for work plus will also work at multiple regional locations where Trade shows, conventions and or concerts take place like convention centers, Hotels, event centers, stadiums, Arenas, etc in Va, DC, Md region. The other will work near Home locally wherever we move.. Suggestions will be appreciated..

[Caladium]

I don't want to discourage you, but it sounds like you are moving here without either of you having a definite job. That is really not a good idea. If you decide to try it anyway, I'd suggest renting in one of the outlying areas such as Manassas. That might work with your budget. You aren't going to be near much nightlife, however. Best of luck, and maybe Maryland will have something that would fit better for you.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by sincityej

Hi, I posted before but this gives a much better description of what we're looking for. Small family moving to the Va, DC, Md region soon and looking for an ideal place to call home for our family. I've been looking at the Maryland and Virginia areas. We like to go out to the local scene but not the priority. We're looking for the typical, a little culture, safe neighborhoods, decent schools all at a great price for a young hard working blue collar family. I need to have a small garage for my motorcycle so a town home or small house is probably the ideal. Doesn't have to be in the city rural is fine just within 45min or so from nightlife. One of us travels for work plus will also work at multiple regional locations where Trade shows, conventions and or concerts take place like convention centers, Hotels, event centers, stadiums, Arenas, etc in Va, DC, Md region. The other will work near Home locally wherever we move.. Suggestions will be appreciated..

Coming from a place as spread out as Vegas, you will be amazed at the density, traffic and expense so far out from urban centers. Since the work location will constantly be changing for one of you, it sounds like the length of the commute may not matter. In that case, you may be open to Manassas (as suggested) as well as Fredericksburg and Winchester. Note that the downtowns are nothing like, say, Fremont Street or Town Center (although you may see that as a good thing) but they all feature traditional downtown areas. These are most likely to offer the rental price that you're looking for although others more knowledgeable than me can verify that.

Because of the cost of living here, many newly-arriving middle-class families find themselves "driving until they qualify" out to the counties of Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania Counties. The breadwinners endure the longer commutes in order to maintain the lifestyle they may have had elsewhere.