Moving to NOVA $4500/month (Arlington, McLean: real estate, apartment, rentals)

[nordskog]

We are about to move from Norway to the DC area We have been recommended to rent in NOVA. I will work in Crystal City. Kids are 13 and 10. Can spend about $4500/month. It seems like I get more of a house in Falls Church and even Arlington compared to Mclean. Can anyone give some hints about quality of schools outside Mclean, safety and commute.

[claremarie]

For $4500 per month, you can rent a very nice house. I live in McLean, and rentals in my neighborhood run from $2500-4000 or so. Lots of international families in McLean -- probably more so than was my experience when we lived in Arlington. Your kids would definitely not be the only new arrivals from overseas in their public school classrooms.

The City of Falls Church has its own small, very highly-regarded school system. (George Mason High School). The areas of Fairfax County near Falls Church, some of which also have a Falls Church mailing address even though they are not part of the City, are more mixed. Some are near McLean, and children attend the McLean High School pyramid, which is good. Others attend Falls Church High School, which is not so good.

North Arlington schools are generally very good -- the "best" high school is Yorktown, which is near the border with McLean, followed by Washington-Lee, which is more diverse (i.e., enrolls more minority and lower-income students). There are many very nice neighborhoods in North Arlington, but the nicer areas are every bit as expensive as McLean. One advantage to Arlington is that you are much closer to the Metro, which has a number of Arlington stops on the Orange Line.

The City of Falls Church, North Arlington, and McLean are all extremely safe. If you want to take the Metro to work, look for communities near the Metro stops -- the East and West Falls Church stops are actually within walking distance of many nice residential neighborhoods.

[Quinn-VA]

Nordskog,

I am from Norway too and have lived abroad for the last 12 years. We are on our way back to NOVA ourselves from the mid-east, and are looking in the Bristow/Gainesville area. What are the odds of meeting another Norwegian on here...

Hvor lenge skal dere bli her? Er det fast jobb eller kortsiktig?

We used to live in Crystal City, we rented an apartment in 1996. I am not too familiar with the housing in the area though.

Lykke til!

Quinn

[memiller]

For $4500 you can live just about anywhere you want. The school systems in the region are highly regarded. GreatSchools.net is a good website for a comprehensive comparison of schools. Consult a realtor who can help you narrow down your wants and desires and help you find the perfect home.

[slim04]

Since you obviously are extremely rich or have a hell of housing allowance, I would skip this site and call a real estate agent that specializes in upscale housing. Coldwell Banker in Georgetown or Sotheby's would probably suffice. No anonymous advice from strangers on the internet will do for you my well endowed friend, you can hire big time advisors. As for schooling, real estate agents are prevented by law from discussing the quality of the local school systems with you (why? They tended to lie too much about it). Each school system has a web site which has a report that shows its test scores and how they compare statewide. This will guide you in terms of school quality, but those numbers may be misleading or difficult to interpret. You might want to contact an educational consultant like Georgia Irving & Associates, but it will probably cost you about $500 for her advice. But if you are going to spend that amount of money in rent, $500 is a pittance. She could tell unbiased advice about each public school you are considering, or suggest a private one. Use google for contact information. Good luck.

[sweet-t-virginia]

I agree with clairemarie. If I had as much as you are willing to spend in rent, McLean is a great option. You'll have access to Fairfax County Schools which are excellent and you will encounter a multi-national neighborhood as well.

Welcome to Virginia and best of luck in your search for a home!

[nordskog]

Quinn
Yes definitely cool to meet another norwegian in this forum.