another moving to nova request for advice (Arlington, McLean: real estate, car insurance)

[azdi]

Retired single female, active 65 year old, moving to DC area to be near family.

Family is in Glover Park area of DC (north of Georgetown). Want to be within 10 miles of them. Closer is better. They cross the river at the Chain Bridge, so the more northern area is probably better.

What REALLY is the difference between NOVA and MD? Taxes? Real estate closing costs? In Md, I'm looking in Bethesda, Potomac, N. Bethesda.

Townhome. Price range $500-650.

Would love to be within walking distance of shops, etc. with a feel of town/community.

The usual suspects of affordability, safety, etc. etc.

Hopefully since you are all at home today due to Hurricane Sandy, I'll get some good advice At least while the power is still on....

[VRE332]

Start off by using ... , and enter your min-max requirements, and press enter.

[Lucky★]

Not a townhouse and slightly over budget, but what can beat direct elevator access-

A listing of a 2BR condo on Clarendon Boulevard in Arlington.

I think the real estate transfer taxes are one of the reasons that closing costs in MD are usually a bit higher than VA-

Real Estate Transfer Taxes

[michgc]

You might want to look into the taxing of your retirement pension and social security, etc. Yes, they have higher closing costs and car insurance costs (although no car tax), but I think if you find one of those state-by-state charts of which states are good to retire to, that might be a bigger chunk. I'm guessing that VA would probably be cheaper for retirees, but you should look into it.

Taxes aside, Bethesda is a perfect place as far as your requirement go. Although, I'm not sure of the cost of townhomes. There is so much to walk to and do in Bethesda and there is a nice mix of singles, couples, and families. North Bethesda is nice, too, but you will be doing most of your "going out" in downtown Bethesda. Potomac wouldn't be on my list - there's not really a downtown, and it's more families and big homes.

You could also look into Chevy Chase or Friendship Heights and Cleveland Park if you are willing to do the city.

For Virginia, you can look into Arlington, Falls Church City, McLean, and Vienna. They all have a bit of a downtown area. Arlington is the most urban of that list, with probably the most to do. Falls Church would be the next most urban. Vienna is suburban with a nice, but not large, downtown. McLean's downtown is probably smaller - it's also suburban.

With everything else being equal, I'd probably pick downtown Bethesda as the best downtown with the most to do.