Relocating from Germany to Virginia Jan 2013. Need Help!! (Arlington, Alexandria: 2015, to rent)

[Novabound2013]

I am relocating to Virginia from Germany in Jan 2013. I will be working in Arlington (Crystal City) as a government employee. I will be arriving prior to my wife who will join me in the summer. It will be my task to get a lay of the land and find a home for us. No children.

I am willing to sacrifice some time to have a better quality of life. So i'm not adverse to commuting ( I commute 2 hours a day now (1 hour each way))

We are willing to spend no more then 350k for a house. I have been looking into the stafford and Fredericksburg area. Any thoughts on either?

I was also looking into town-homes in the Lorton, Springfield, Burke area... any thoughts?

How is the VRE? vs. Slugging and Driving?

How does the job market look for Human Resources? That is my wife's occupation who will be searching for employment upon arrival?


Any suggestions or replies would be greatly appreciated.

[stpickrell]

Do you plan to have kids? I'm guessing you prefer a townhouse or a single-family house and do not care much for nightlife/activity, as there are easily 1 and 2 BR condos in Arlington in your price range.

[Middlin]

I would really recommend that you rent for a year. Traffic here is incredibly bad and miles mean nothing in terms of commute time. Taking the VRE from Fredericksburg and Stafford would range in 1 to 1+ hr in train time alone. You would also need to factor the time to get to VRE and then to your office.

[irvine]

For many, "quality of life" means shorter commutes and more time with the family. If you're not dead set on a house, I suggest looking at condos closer in, in Arlington and Alexandria.

The VRE from Burke to Crystal City might be a decent commute. You will have some decent townhouse options there, if that's what you prefer. 350k seems low for that area though.

[Novabound2013]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Do you plan to have kids? I'm guessing you prefer a townhouse or a single-family house and do not care much for nightlife/activity, as there are easily 1 and 2 BR condos in Arlington in your price range.

Our plan is to have children next year some time. That is why we started looking at houses right away. Town homes are also an option if we could find one closer that hasn't been abused. I don't really want to throw a ton of money into renovations. I have seen nice ones in the Lorton Area as well as the Stafford area. Any thoughts?

Night life isn't a priority as we don't really get out much now. When we do it's once or twice a month for a nice dinner or dinner party.

Originally Posted by Middlin

I would really recommend that you rent for a year. Traffic here is incredibly bad and miles mean nothing in terms of commute time. Taking the VRE from Fredericksburg and Stafford would range in 1 to 1+ hr in train time alone. You would also need to factor the time to get to VRE and then to your office.

I understand that there will be no choice in the matter... I will commute like the masses do. Is the VRE the best mode of transportation to Crystal City? From what ive been told the Crystal City stop is about at 7 minute walk.

Originally Posted by irvine

For many, "quality of life" means shorter commutes and more time with the family. If you're not dead set on a house, I suggest looking at condos closer in, in Arlington and Alexandria.

The VRE from Burke to Crystal City might be a decent commute. You will have some decent townhouse options there, if that's what you prefer. 350k seems low for that area though.

I appreciate the response. I will look into burke. What do you think about Lorton? 350k doesn't get you much north of Quantico from what i'm seeing.

[stpickrell]

You'll likely find some nice THs in Burke or Reston that have been decently cared for.

From Fredericksburg/Stafford, VRE or slugging is your best bet. Slugging is where you line up in designated parking lots and either pick up extra riders or get in someone's car. It works very well.

[scottfs]

I would also recommend Burke for a family. I checked franklymls.com and saw there are definitely a fair number of THs in 22015 on the market for $350k or less. You aren't looking at a new TH or ones with garages, but there looked to be some decent homes on the market that didn't look in terrible shape. Plus you could pick up the VRE easily.

I think the less expensive properties you are seeing in Lorton are probably not in such great areas, I'd stick with Burke over Lorton. In Stafford you are really pushing your commute time pretty high.

I also agree with the recommendations to rent for a year. Traffic and commute times may influence you more than you expect right now after you've lived in the area for a while. Sometimes people don't really understand how bad it can be here until they experience it.

For HR, I would imagine the job market here is as good or better than anywhere else. However, HR can be very specific to the industry you're in so just remember many of the HR jobs will be within the defense/gov't contractor industry.

[Novabound2013]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

You'll likely find some nice THs in Burke or Reston that have been decently cared for.

From Fredericksburg/Stafford, VRE or slugging is your best bet. Slugging is where you line up in designated parking lots and either pick up extra riders or get in someone's car. It works very well.

A current employee of mine is also moving to VA and he is really considering Burke. I think I will look more into it now. Do you have any information or tips on housing along the Manassas line? Would that be worth considering in my price range?

Originally Posted by scottfs

I would also recommend Burke for a family. I checked franklymls.com and saw there are definitely a fair number of THs in 22015 on the market for $350k or less. You aren't looking at a new TH or ones with garages, but there looked to be some decent homes on the market that didn't look in terrible shape. Plus you could pick up the VRE easily.

I think the less expensive properties you are seeing in Lorton are probably not in such great areas, I'd stick with Burke over Lorton. In Stafford you are really pushing your commute time pretty high.

I also agree with the recommendations to rent for a year. Traffic and commute times may influence you more than you expect right now after you've lived in the area for a while. Sometimes people don't really understand how bad it can be here until they experience it.

For HR, I would imagine the job market here is as good or better than anywhere else. However, HR can be very specific to the industry you're in so just remember many of the HR jobs will be within the defense/gov't contractor industry.

I appreciate the advice and in depth response.

Burke seems to be the on-going trend. Any thoughts on Springfield? utilizing the metro?

Is there something off with Lorton that I should know about? What I've seen of the TH's in Lorton are close to the VRE. It looks like lego development in that they all look the same but its all within walking distance of the commuter train. While the Lorton Station area looks nice the HOA's are outrageous in that area.

My initial thoughts was to rent first since I will be without my wife for the first 6-7 months until she joins me. This way I could get a feel for the commuting and housing areas and market while she finishes her duties with her company.

She currently works for Eli lilly International and runs the HR department. To transfer wasn't an option as they only offered Indianapolis or New Jersey. So she will be looking for work in the area. She is german but speaks perfect english and has worked in the american market with Eli Lilly for some time now. Hopefully she can find something.

[scottfs]

You can probably look to West Springfield too, 22152 and 22153. You could always drive to the Franconia-Springfield metro. Can't say I am familiar with the commute times on the metro though, haven't taken it from there before.

[marie5v]

I think Burke and the VRE are good options for you, if you check into it and the VRE goes where you need it to go. Burke offers a great compromise in terms of affordable housing and good schools. The sacrifice is that, aside from not being right where you work, it's pretty suburban/boring. But not ugly. Just a little monotonous. I would not bother with Lorton or any areas south of that - too far and in a difficult commuting area, plus cheaper places will not be in the best school districts.

I don't care for the Sprinfield metro because parking there is very difficult, or at least it was a few years ago. I used to commute that way and it took forever because I had to park a few miles a way and take a shuttle. Perhaps the situation is changed now and someone else can give more current information on that.