New job in Reston, where to live?? (Chantilly, Herndon: rentals, condo)

[jersygrl86]

I appreciate all the help anyone can offer! My husband and I will be moving from California to NOVA in about 5 weeks. My husband's new job is in Reston and we have to find a rental fast!
We've been all over the map as to where to rent and our biggest concern is we don't know the traffic patterns. We're looking to rent a SFH and can pay up to $2500/mo. We really need advice on nice towns with the easiest commutes. We do not have any children living with us so schools are no issue.
Thanks for any replies, we are desperate!!

[tysonsengineer]

Bechtel?

Reston is dooable if you look on West Ox a bit further away from Reston Town Center. Any reason you dont want to live there?

[CaliTerp07]

I agree, why not Reston? You may only find a townhouse in Reston, so if the SFH is super important Herndon would be a good option as well. Will you be looking for work too, or no? (Reason being depending on the field you may want to look towards certain areas)

[hilsmom]

I've seen plenty of rentals in my neighborhood in that range. I live in Greenbriar, which is near the intersection of Rt. 50 and the Fairfax County Parkway. The address says Fairfax, but it is basically Chantilly (the library and HS are walking distance from my house off of Stringfellow Rd) We're about 5 or 6 miles South of Reston - not a horrible commute.

You might also consider homes that track to Lees Corner ES, Oak Hill ES and Fox Mill ES. You might get lucky with a house in Stuart Ridge in Herndon that tracks to Armstrong ES in Reston, but I didn't see any right now for rent. I know you said you don't have kids, but that gives you some idea of the areas that are slightly more affordable.

You could easily get a TH in most of Reston for that price, but a SFH is going to be harder.

If you're willing to look into Loudoun, Sterling and Ashburn are options.

As a couple with no kids, you might like a condo or TH near Reston Town Center so that you can more easily walk to restaurants and bars and such. My husband and I bought a 2 BR TH in North Reston near North Point Village Center when we were just married. Lived there without kids until our daughter came along 2.5 years later, and lived there until just a few days before she started K last Sept.

A SFH in NoVA for less than $2500 is just not all that easy to come by, sadly. MAYBE you could find one in the one neighborhood near Tysons (Pimmit Hills?), but I haven't looked at rents near there. Tysons would get you closer into the city and not too bad a commute to Reston.

Are you planning to work? That also makes a difference.

[Caladium]

Reston's the center spoke of the burbs in eastern Loudoun/western Fairfax. So if you want to be the center of things, the most restaurants, etc. that's a good choice. If you're under 30 Reston would probably have the most people in your age group. If you want older architecture, the historic section of Herndon might appeal. If you want to be near the river and hiking, the Lowes Island section of Sterling is about 7 miles (and you can definitely find a nice SFH for that price in LI; this is a quiet, family neighborhood but I think it's a real gem). If you choose Sterling, many people prefer the neighborhoods north of Rt. 7 (zip code 20165, not 20164)

Here are some photo tours to give you an idea of these towns.

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...nter-lake.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...uth-lakes.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...ts-photos.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...sa-photos.html

FWIW we moved here from Manhattan Beach and have been very happy in Northern VA. A lot of Californians have moved here, especially in the last decade. People ask if Nova is more southern or northern and the joke answer is it's more Californian than anything else.

[jersygrl86]

Thanks for so many replies so fast, this is great. I'm not ruling out Reston, would love to be there, just haven't seen any SFH in Reston on the market. We definitely do not want a TH, has to be SFH. I plan on working also, i'm currently a dental receptionist. Not sure i understand what "track" means? Any suggestions for websites to look for rentals? We have to work with a realtor, we are not going to be able to view before moving.
thanks again!

[michgc]

Look at Craigslist or militarybyowner.com. You can also check hotpads. "Track" in that context meant the neighborhoods that feed into certain schools.

[mcleanexec]

SFH in Chantilly. Newer SFH in that area. 30 minute commute to Reston at the most. Not sure what type of SFH you can get in Herndon for 2500, older I would guess/sketchy neighborhood.

[JfromReston]

You should be able to find a SFH in Reston for your price, but none are currently available. If you want a SFH in Reston you will need to be prepared to wait for one to become available. Here is one just a little above your price in the South Lakes Area. The property back to the Reston trail system. It will be short walk on the trails to the new Wiehle Ave Metro Stop. I also recommend searching on homesdatabase - it includes all the MLS rentals in the area.

2070 AMBERJACK CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | HomesDatabase.com

[jersygrl86]

Well after looking around a bit we've decided that a TH might be good for us! Would love some suggestions on which communities are best. We saw one in Brambleton that was really nice, The Ponds i think it was called. Also some in Chantilly and Herndon. Haven't had much luck finding anything in Reston and that's really where we'd like to be. Thanks for all the help!