Relocation PWC or Fairfax County??? (Arlington, Burke: rent, townhouse, neighborhood)

[shamrock847]

Also, the government and many private employers subsidize or partially subsidize the cost of public transportation to/from work for their employees. This is something you will want to find out about and factor in to your budget.

[theBIGstep]

1300 may get you a one bedroom in Loudoun county - the commute will be 1.5+ to DC. In PWC - a 2 or 3 br is possible....but typically not a house...they can start around 2000 - in Fairfax a 3 bdrm is 1700+ typically. Just some things to think about. Apologies if the cost of things is a bit saddening.

[michgc]

$1300 for a family of four in the DC area? I hate to say it, but somebody has to - you're not in Kansas anymore. Sorry, I don't mean to quip, but that is just unrealistic around here, especially for all that you want. I think you need to up the amount to $2000 per month and count on an hour commute. Good luck.

[JfromReston]

I like to show people what the options are in Reston. I searched for 3 bedroom/2 bath properties and tried to stay as low as possible in the areas of Reston that I consider desireable. Note that the commute on Fairfax Connector Bus/Metro to Capital Hill will be about 1:15.

2228 CARTWRIGHT PL, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | HomesDatabase.com
11617 STONEVIEW SQ #73/21C, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | HomesDatabase.com
11872 BRETON CT #12A, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | HomesDatabase.com

[Fern435]

Hi jsump,

If you can increase your housing budget to $1800 - $2400, you can probably find a reasonable number of townhomes and perhaps a few single family homes in West Springfield/Burke/Fairfax. These areas have good schools, and they would give your husband a manageable commute to DC.

Rental prices are usually a little lower as you go south (Woodbridge to the Quantico area) or west (Manassas, Gainesville).

Several years ago, my family used to live near Kansas City (on the Missouri side). I love Country Club Plaza and Westport in KC. Good luck with your move!

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by jsump

He will be working down by the Capitol. I apologize, this is all new to me and I don't know the area at all. And initially we will be renting, budget is around $1300.00 a month.

Thanks

As others have said, $1300 anywhere in Northern Virginia is highly unlikely. Frankly, if you find something for that, chances are, you wouldn't want to live there.

In a very brief search, the closest I found in PWC looks to be in the same neighborhood where my wife and I bought our first home - a townhouse - in Dale City (22193), and the rent for the 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath unit is $1450. SF detached houses (unless they are old and therefore smaller) can run from $2200 on up in the same zip code.

As far as the commute goes, it obviously depends on where you are living, but also the time(s) of day the commute will take place, and the method of commuting used. Just as an FYI, for the 5 years my wife and I lived in that townhouse, we commuted to Capitol Hill every day. Typical commute time was 45 minutes via a carpool using the HOV lanes on I-95. Throw in some rain and it could be a longer commute; throw in some snow, or lanes closed for whatever reason, and anywhere in this area, a decent commute can turn into a multi-hour ordeal.

[oneasterisk]

You've received a lot of good advice, though I'm not sure it's what you wanted to hear. Unfortunately rent prices in this area is very high and the foreclosure market has driven it higher.

One thing to also consider is that slugging in this area is free. That could reduce your commuting costs and maybe you can transfer that to your housing allowance.

[mrscott64]

Greetings all, You're input is much appreciated!!! I can see I'll have to remind my wife "She's not in Kansas anymore"...or at least soon won't be.

Anyway, update as follows:

Our budget will be approximately $1750 and we're considering the Woodbridge/Dale City/Manassas area.

If you can provide advice on best schools, most suburban-like area(gotta make the wife feel as much like-Kansas as possible) and area with most public transportation options, it will be greatly appreciated.

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by mrscott64

Greetings all, You're input is much appreciated!!! I can see I'll have to remind my wife "She's not in Kansas anymore"...or at least soon won't be.

Anyway, update as follows:

Our budget will be approximately $1750 and we're considering the Woodbridge/Dale City/Manassas area.

If you can provide advice on best schools, most suburban-like area(gotta make the wife feel as much like-Kansas as possible) and area with most public transportation options, it will be greatly appreciated.

You might like Haymarket 20169. Schools are great too.

[HereinVA]

You might want to check out the Bristow/Gainesville area, in adition to Haymarket.

I always get confused, what kind of real estate links we're allowed to post here...but just doing some basic searches it looks like there are several 3-4 bedroom townhomes for rent in Bristow in the 1700-1800 range.
The VRE Rail service in Virginia - VRE
is close by and there is also a commuter bus
Linton Hall Metro Direct AM Schedule

The commute would be WAY longer than 1/2 hour though...

From what I understand, slugging (basically a form of organized hitchhiking) Slug-Lines.com - Slugging and Slug Lines Information For Washington DC
is not really an option from the Bristow area to DC (along I-66), like it is along I-95 (Woodbridge/Dale city area)