New Housing Developments in Winchester/Stephenson, VA (Leesburg, Fairfax: 2013, rental)

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by michgc

I agree that commute takes precendence over the size of the house - for me anyway. The thing is, when you move farther out to get the big house, but you add on a long commute, you have less time to spend in that house, especially if both of you are working full-time. If one of you was a stay-at-home parent, then it might be different. I agree that staying in a hotel there would be a great idea.

A lot of that depends on your job, hours, etc...

A 9-5 job M-F with the typical holidays off nets you plenty of time IMO...

But yeah, its definately a matter of personal preference... No doubt. With commuting I don't like being TOO close to work anyway. Like a little time to listen to the radio and get into "work mode".... (Though 1 hour is admittedly more than I need for that... LOL!!! )

[Tdavispsu]

I'm trying to convince my husband to move to winchester from ashburn. I am a speech therapist in the schools and can get a job there in a minute. My husband works from home and may have to travel into the district/Bethesda once every few weeks or fly out of Dulles once a month. To me, it makes sense...he's worried about the commute. I am desparate to leave here and need to convince him it's right for our family. Any insights or ideas would be helpful

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Tdavispsu

I'm trying to convince my husband to move to winchester from ashburn. I am a speech therapist in the schools and can get a job there in a minute. My husband works from home and may have to travel into the district/Bethesda once every few weeks or fly out of Dulles once a month. To me, it makes sense...he's worried about the commute. I am desparate to leave here and need to convince him it's right for our family. Any insights or ideas would be helpful

How stable is your husband's job? Are there jobs in his field?

Winchester-Loudoun commutes are not terrible.

You might want to consider Frederick MD (again, depending on his field.)

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by Tdavispsu

I'm trying to convince my husband to move to winchester from ashburn. I am a speech therapist in the schools and can get a job there in a minute. My husband works from home and may have to travel into the district/Bethesda once every few weeks or fly out of Dulles once a month. To me, it makes sense...he's worried about the commute. I am desparate to leave here and need to convince him it's right for our family. Any insights or ideas would be helpful

What brings about your desparation to move? I mean I don't think it'd be a problem for your family as a whole (with one parent working near your kids at least)... IMO your husband just needs to buck up and deal with the commute once every two weeks, but then, I do it every day so....

[Tdavispsu]

Originally Posted by Rhett_Butler

What brings about your desparation to move? I mean I don't think it'd be a problem for your family as a whole (with one parent working near your kids at least)... IMO your husband just needs to buck up and deal with the commute once every two weeks, but then, I do it every day so....

I really don't like the ashburn area. I come from a college town in PA and I miss the feel of having a downtown area. Plus, the housing and taxes are so much more affordable than in loudoun county

[lisag81]

My husband and I are STILL going back and forth over whether or not to move out to the Winchester 'burbs. The new builds going up are just so appealing for the affordability and lower taxes. We could never afford a house like that in Leesburg or close surrounding towns in Loudoun Co.

But I keep coming back to these factors:
- Gas/commute time into Leesburg and Sterling 5 days/week.
- Re-sale value of the house since neighborhood isn't very established. (re: Snowden Bridge)
- Dangerous driving conditions in the winter on Rt 7.
- General "feel" of Winchester compared to what we're used to in Leesburg.

Since our jobs aren't likely to change locations anytime soon, it ultimately boils down to whether the 1 hour+ commute each way is going to be worth a brand new/nice house. I'm afraid of hating life after a year and then being stuck out there. Would we be happier in a townhouse closer to work? I just don't know.

I wish I had a crystal ball.....

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Tdavispsu

I really don't like the ashburn area. I come from a college town in PA and I miss the feel of having a downtown area. Plus, the housing and taxes are so much more affordable than in loudoun county

Well, scratch Frederick MD then ... housing is more affordable there but taxes not so much. :P

[FireDog40]

Originally Posted by lisag81

My husband and I are STILL going back and forth over whether or not to move out to the Winchester 'burbs. The new builds going up are just so appealing for the affordability and lower taxes. We could never afford a house like that in Leesburg or close surrounding towns in Loudoun Co.

But I keep coming back to these factors:
- Gas/commute time into Leesburg and Sterling 5 days/week.
- Re-sale value of the house since neighborhood isn't very established. (re: Snowden Bridge)
- Dangerous driving conditions in the winter on Rt 7.
- General "feel" of Winchester compared to what we're used to in Leesburg.

Since our jobs aren't likely to change locations anytime soon, it ultimately boils down to whether the 1 hour+ commute each way is going to be worth a brand new/nice house. I'm afraid of hating life after a year and then being stuck out there. Would we be happier in a townhouse closer to work? I just don't know.

I wish I had a crystal ball.....

Im in the same boat as you. I would love a new house in Winchester/Stephens City with low property taxes, but I would also love to be closer to DC in a more family friendly area such as Gainesville

[PolandSprings]

After a year in Cross Junction, we were hating our commute. We finally sold two years after buying and ended up losing money on our new construction home. I've stated my reasons before why not to buy in Winchester. I'm sure some don't mind the drive, but it is not for everyone. Especially if both parents (assuming you have/will have kids) work an hour away. That extra time in the car really means you miss a lot.

[lisag81]

Originally Posted by PolandSprings

After a year in Cross Junction, we were hating our commute. We finally sold two years after buying and ended up losing money on our new construction home. I've stated my reasons before why not to buy in Winchester. I'm sure some don't mind the drive, but it is not for everyone. Especially if both parents (assuming you have/will have kids) work an hour away. That extra time in the car really means you miss a lot.

Yes, we have a 9 month old and I already feel like I miss a lot just having him in daycare. And when he gets to school-age, that's just more time he'll have to be in an after school program before we'd make it home from work because of the commute. It's not fair to him and I think I would really start to resent the commute missing so much time with him.

I'd love a big country kitchen and a new house with all the shiny, new trimmings - but ultimately I think the time with our family is going to be more important. My husband and I have talked about it extensively and I think we might just end up renting a townhouse in Leesburg or Ashburn, save up some more money and reconsider purchasing in another year or two.