New to DC/VA - Looking For 1 Hour Commute From Crystal City (Manassas: for sale, real estate)

[chicagonick]

Hi everyone,

Hope to get some great input. Looking to rent or purchase a home within 1 hour commute to Crystal City (prefer VRE if possible) in a nice suburb. Fed employee so reimbursement for VRE is a possibility. Our particulars are listed below. We should arrive in September 2012.

**We have four sons
**Have 1 high school age, 1 middle school and 2 in elementary
**Spouse needs to work but only make 25k to 30k
**Affordability around 2k per month
**We don't mind townhouse living

Thinking Manassas, Quantico, Fredericksburg. Neither of us have ever set foot in the DC area. Just need solid schools and a safe place to call home. I believe we will be here for the long haul. Thanks in advance to any replies.

[ChristineVA]

Since you are looking for "solid schools", I would avoid most areas in Manassas. For your budget, and since you are taking the VRE, look out at housing in proximity to the Broad Run station on the Manassas line of VRE. The Bristow/Gainesville areas of Prince William County are going to give you good schools as well as the most bang for your real estate dollar.

I'm not sure about the Quantico area schools but you will do okay in Stafford and Fredericksburg. Your rent budget, unfortunately, is very low for having a 6-person family, so that is really going to tie your hands but it is definitely doable the farther out you go.

[Snownut]

The area I live in has lots of commuters with solid small schools. Yet maybe too far too far for your commute? Boyce / Berryville Clarke County VA It small town rural and with horse farms.

A better fit would be Loudoun County VA. ? Lots of nice townhouse in South Riding / Stone Ridge area and new schools.

My two step children are in schools there and we/ they have been very pleased.

Google Loudoun County and Clarke County VA

Also try Warrenton VA

Good luck on your move

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Snownut

The area I live in has lots of commuters with solid small schools. Yet maybe too far too far for your commute? Boyce / Berryville Clarke County VA It small town rural and with horse farms.

A better fit would be Loudoun County VA. ? Lots of nice townhouse in South Riding / Stone Ridge area and new schools.

My two step children are in schools there and we/ they have been very pleased.

Google Loudoun County and Clarke County VA

Also try Warrenton VA

Good luck on your move

Neither Loudoun nor Clarke counties have easy access to VRE or Crystal City. Commuting would be a bear from these areas. Well over an hour.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Neither Loudoun nor Clarke counties have easy access to VRE or Crystal City. Commuting would be a bear from these areas. Well over an hour.

Definitely. And who wants to be that far from home when you have 4 children. I would only consider those areas if I was working out by Dulles or the Tyson's area at best.

[johnsonkk]

Since you highlighted VRE, here is their map: Station Map

Their map doesn't show roadways, just cities but to quantify your commute, it's important to know the length of time on the VRE. General Schedule Information - VRE Quantico to Crystal city is just under an hour where Fredericksburg will be over an hour - just on the train. Additional time to walk from the VRE stop at Crystal city and drive time to/from the VRE station. But bottom line, it's predictable - which for most, significantly reduces commute pains.

On the townhouse, I only saw a couple 5 bedroom townhouses (near Woodbridge) and they were for sale vs. rent. Only 4 bedroom townhouses were in Fredericksburg. Stretching to purchasing, there is half dozen 5-bedroom, (single) homes in the 300k range (mostly short sales).

[shamrock847]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Neither Loudoun nor Clarke counties have easy access to VRE or Crystal City. Commuting would be a bear from these areas. Well over an hour.

Although there is no VRE, the Loudoun County Commuter Bus takes about 45 min from Dulles North to Crystal City and qualifies for federal (and some corporate) reimbursement. Add in some time on both ends to get from home to bus and bus to work, and you should be around an hour door to door.

Dulles/Ashburn to Rosslyn, Pentagon, DC

VRE from Manassas or Quantico will actually be a slightly longer commute than what you would have on the bus from Loudoun:
Fredericksburg Line
Manassas Line

There are a lot of areas in eastern Loudoun county with good schools, lots of families, and townhomes around your price range. Brambleton, Broadlands, and South Riding are some of the larger communities.

Housing is expensive here, so if you can increase your budget you may find a lot more options.

[Oldhag1]

He doesn't "need" 5 bedrooms; the two elementary kids could easily share a bedroom. And, if push came to shove, so could the older two. That will open some more possibilities for him.

[chicagonick]

Hi everyone and thanks for the comments. Upon reading the bus schedule posted by "Shamrock" it seems I can catch the 6:21 a.m. bus and be at the Crystal City 20th Avenue stop in about 45 minutes.....do I have to change buses at all or is this a straight shot? Alternatively, on the return journey I can board the 4:43 bus and arrive back to dulles north at 5:35...wow, that actually seems doable.

Really, you're all correct, I can go smaller but with such an age difference, a four bedroom would be great...three is certainly doable but for the sanity of four boys jockeying for position - sometimes it's nice to let the older one have some space. Well, this has at least opened another area to consider. Bus or VRE, I guess there is no difference as far as comfort, I would prefer a straight shot so hopefully, I won't have to switch buses.

Does anyone know how the parking around Dulles North is and are the buses more reliable than the VRE?

Last, the 2k budget is what I am shooting for...would like a life and not just a house. Thanks again.

[chicagonick]

Thanks Christine, I will certainly check these areas out...I will be making about 100K and come in with no debt...but you know the deal - four boys eat like crazy and I don't want to be house rich at the expense of everyone eating Ramen noodles and mac & cheese. Off the cuff, are all the schools in that area fairly decent or do I need to find the needle in the hay stack?