Can we afford NOVA? (Richmond, Leesburg: crime, homes, safe area)

[ChristineVA]

Your requirements are very doable in Woodbridge. I live in a 2500 sq ft. home on 1/2 acre lot. It is valued between $375,00 and $400,000. I don't live "way far out". I am about 28 miles door to door to my office in DC. The commute would definitely be a bear if I was a single driver and commuted during the most popular hours. I do carpool with another person and I work very early hours to avoid that. If I could not do that, I would definitely take advantage of the many options to use mass transit or carpooling which would get me to work quickly even at the heaviest times.

I think you'd find the school system fine for your kids, although due to the diverse area in the eastern portion of the county, the scores won't be nearly as high as affluent Fairfax County. You can sort of circumvent the "bad" individuals schools by being choosy about your neighborhood.

I do always advocate that you move as close to your work place as possible so, if you are going to be working in DC, if you *can* squeeze out a bit more, it is much more beneficial to look in the Burke/Springfield area. But sometimes that just cannot be done.

[hilsmom]

if commute isn't a problem, then Loudoun or PWC have a good deal of options. Most people who wish to move here must commute to downtown DC, and THAT is where a $400K budget is going to severely limit your options.

What ELSE do you want the community to have? That might help narrow down your choices.

[MrsEvie64]

If you don't have to commute, than I would looking into Haymarket/Gainesville/Bristow in Prince William and Purcellville/Lovettsville/Round Hill in Loudoun. Good communities, good schools, no major crime, should be able to get a decent size lot, particularly in Loudoun, although Prince William would be newer builds.

[Riley09swb]

I would check out Purcellville or Round Hill. I think you should be able to get that size of a house for around that price.

[tysonsengineer]

Awww

I saw the thread title and was hoping this was a discussion of regional sustainability...

You are one of the lucky ones, consider yourself the winner of the hunger games, you get to live out as far as you want and not scream about traffic. Make sure you move to place that has solid internet connection though if you are primarily leaning on it for work.

If I had the ability to not worry about a commute and go get a house, I'd look in Western Loudoun, no denying its beautiful and serene.

[Minier]

Thanks for all the suggestions, making a list to check it all out when we travel there soon.

What ELSE do you want the community to have? That might help narrow down your choices.

Great question! Well, since I don't want to make the pilgrimage to DC all the time (even at off-hours), I'd like a community that enough of it's own entertainment that I could do more than sleep there. Mind you, I have two little kids and am mostly a homebody, so I don't need much. I just don't consider shopping or eating entertainment, which is what most people list when on talks about recreational activities.

Make sure you move to place that has solid internet connection though if you are primarily leaning on it for work.

Interesting point ... it hadn't even occurred to me that every inch of this country has anything but efficient high speed internet available. So thanks for the heads up.

I guess my final question is: are most of these places so far out or so not-self-contained that I might as well take it all the way out to Frederick, MD (that's the other top contender area). Or are these still easily accessible to the city while having enough offerings in and of themselves to make it appealing? I'll find out in person soon enough - but opinions are always helpful! Thanks.

[seiketsu]

If I were making $100k and not tied to an office, I'm not sure I'd choose to live in the DC area. There are a number of other places, even relatively close, that I'd prefer. Charlottesville, Annapolis, the Eastern Shore.... DC is great if you're downtown every day, but most of the benefits of the city -- culture, shopping, energy -- dissipate once you head out into the suburbs. Then it's just like Everyburb, USA, except a hundred times more expensive and a million times more crowded. Better to choose an actual town with its own history and community.

[Alicia Bradley]

NoVA is for sale??! I hope the buyer cleans it up a little bit!

[Minier]

If I were making $100k and not tied to an office, I'm not sure I'd choose to live in the DC area. There are a number of other places, even relatively close, that I'd prefer. Charlottesville, Annapolis, the Eastern Shore.... DC is great if you're downtown every day, but most of the benefits of the city -- culture, shopping, energy -- dissipate once you head out into the suburbs. Then it's just like Everyburb, USA, except a hundred times more expensive and a million times more crowded. Better to choose an actual town with its own history and community.

Absolutely a great point. That's the reason (along with knowing a couple of people there) why Frederick is on our list, and why places like Hampton Roads area, Annapolis and Chesapeake Beach are not scratched off our list yet (though we still know very little about these areas). I know it's a wide net to cast, but when one has the flexibility we have, that's what happens. However, as far being close to at least one person we know, that's NOVA and Frederick, so we figured we'd start there. I think the Eastern Shore would be too rural for us.

NoVA is for sale??!

Hardy-har-har!!

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by FCNova

Large house w/ at least 4 bedrooms and a big yard in an affluent neighborhood, and in a very good school district, for under 400k. Pipedream

The OP didn't say the neighborhood had to be "affluent".