Commuting to NOVA from WV (Manassas, Jefferson: apartment, rental market, lenders)

[jmarkd]

I am priced out of northern Virginia, currently renting, and considering buying a single family home in the east panhandle, perhaps in Charles Town or Harper's Ferry. I am particularly interested in the Huntfield development because of its advertised "small town" feel. If any of you live there or know about the area I would love to get your opinions.

Also, is it a tough commute? I hear 9 is crowded going into Virginia. I would be driving to Herndon. According to Google Maps that's 41 miles and should take 1 hour, 2 minutes. I would like to hear how long it actually takes during rush hour, how bad the mountain pass gets in the winter, and any other thoughts on the drive.

I am not sure if it's worth such a long drive, but my little family is going nuts in a 3 bedroom apartment. If the drive wasn't too stressful I would love to give my wife and kids the nice home they deserve.

[tarp]

Jefferson County is ranked #14 school district in performance in the state of West Virginia, which itself is #34.

By contrast Virginia is ranked #7 and Fairfax County is #1 within the state of Virginia.

Do you really want your kids to grow up in a poorly performing educational system, just because you want a bigger house? Also you are paying much more for gas and spending 2 hours each way commuting on a dangerous mountain road. In the winter when there is ice on the road, you will be risking car accidents and possible death.

Even Frederick, MD would be a much better choice, with a more reasonable commute.

[jmarkd]

My kids won't start school for 4 years, and when they do I'll probably send them to private school so I don't care about the school system. Kindergarten and the first couple grades are not exactly academic-intensive so you may be overestimating the importance of the "ranked school district" for my purposes.

Also you are paying much more for gas and spending 2 hours each way commuting on a dangerous mountain road. In the winter when there is ice on the road, you will be risking car accidents and possible death.

I am sure the cost of gas would be more than offset by the lower cost of housing. If you have done that commute or know someone who has please contribute that experience. Or tell me more about Frederick.
Otherwise you are full of opinions which are not very helpful.

[tarp]

I know someone who works at AOL in Ashburn and commutes daily from Frederick. The commute ranges 1 hour to 1.5 hours but is on mostly flat roads. Frederick house prices are more expensive than in WV but cheaper than in Loudoun County. The schools are, from what I have heard, better than in WV but not as good as in Fairfax or Loudoun. I don't know much else about the area. Perhaps someone on the MD Board could elaborate.

I would not recommend WV for a home purchase. I have family that have invested in homes there and the values are stagnant. We likely won't see much appreciation that far out of the job centers.

You should consider renting for another year and seeing where the market goes.

[Mike from back east]

Mark: We saw Huntfield back in 2004, before moving to CO. We liked some of the houses, still have pix of one kitchen I really liked.

I think Huntfield got a big push a few years ago when Loudoun County, VA enacted restrictions on building in western Loudoun; minimum 10-acres or 50-acres per homesite. I believe the restrictions were overturned, hopefully a Loudoun-ite knows for sure.

For me, the road system around Huntfield is not up to the task. There's a dinky 2-lane coming in off Rte 340, which itself is a 2-laner in some spots. Traffic in the Charlestown area is overwhelming what roads they do have. Coming from downtown Charlestown, another dinky 2-laner serves Huntfield.

My in-laws live near Berkeley Springs, WV, and WV is not a place I'd want to raise children, the outlook seems too rural (agriculture, dairy, cattle, poultry). I don't envy anyone who lives up there and commutes, even if they ride the train into DC, the total elapsed time from door to door has to be 2 hours each way.

I'd look at Berryville or Winchester or Front Royal and use I-66, even though its a zoo. At least you're still in VA.

If that don't work for you, I'd suggest renting a SFH in your current area. With so many unsellable homes, many are going into the rental market to avoid carrying the monthly payments without any cashflow, and some decent values may soon show up.

If rents for SFH are high, I'd stay in the apartment and make the best of it. If we get a hard landing next year, we will see prices come down as lenders hope to get something back to reduce losses. FWIW, we lived in Herndon (Stuart Woods) in the mid 1970's, then a recession hit, and lots of then-new SFH near the town center were sold at fire-sale prices. May happen again.

s/Mike from back east, and I ain't going back.....

[jmarkd]

Mike, good insights.
How was Huntfield as a walkable/playable neighborhood? According to the builder it's a modern-day paradise
Like everything else it's going to be a trade-off. A good formula would go something like:
IF(Time/Distance/stress of commute)>(Enjoyment family gets in home/area), THEN stay in Va, IF the opposite is true, THEN become a tax-dodging West Virginian.
I think my best bet is a job transfer...we have an office in Denver so maybe I'll get to see why you "ain't going back"!
But I'll have to spend more time with my nose to the grindstone and less time on message boards to get that promotion...

[Mike from back east]

Walkable in the sense that you can walk to each other's home and the green common area, etc.

Not walkable in the sense like in-city living and walking to dozens of taverns, restaurants, coffee shops, and storefronts.

Coming in off Rte 340 there is nothing for miles save maybe a gas station. Coming from downtown Charleston there is no sidewalk along the narrow 2-laner, and maybe a mile or more to any semblance of civilization.

If you're in Defense, there's a lot of that here in Colorado Springs, all the big names back in NoVA are here too, for USAF and for Army at Fort Carson, which is growing a lot right now and in the next several years.

Denver has a lot of the same companies and a decent job market as well.

Look at home prices on realtor.com to determine if you like what you see in the way of prices. There is a lot of stuff here in Col Spgs for $300k, plus or minus, it is amazing. Read all about it in my thread found at:
//www.city-data.com/forum/color...o-springs.html

You'd like it here.
s/Mike

[sws10]

jmarkd--are you making the commute into N. Va. If so, I'm looking for a ridesharing arrangement. I currently live in Winchester and work at Verizon in Ashburn.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by jmarkd

My kids won't start school for 4 years, and when they do I'll probably send them to private school so I don't care about the school system. Kindergarten and the first couple grades are not exactly academic-intensive so you may be overestimating the importance of the "ranked school district" for my purposes.

I am sure the cost of gas would be more than offset by the lower cost of housing. If you have done that commute or know someone who has please contribute that experience. Or tell me more about Frederick.
Otherwise you are full of opinions which are not very helpful.

You're going to send multiple children to private schools, and yet the entire NoVA area has priced you out of the housing market?

Forgive me, but that doesn't pass the sniff test.

Single family residences on a quarter acre in Manassas, in the Battlefield or Stonewall school districts, are going for 400k and under. Were you looking for less?

[Panks]

I gave you a reputation point because I thought this line that you wrote was so sweet . I hope you guys end up in a great home.

I would love to give my wife and kids the nice home they deserve.