Southwest from DC? (Arlington, Alexandria, Annandale: sale, real estate, apartment)

[dmiller91]

I am still considering N. VA as a new job has popped up in my company located in Arlington.

Moving from Madison, WI, want to spend less than $350k, so I'm looking out past Gainesville area - Warrenton maybe? We're older so I think I'd almost prefer not being in a subdivision with a lot of kids at this point in my life.

Is this doable at all and commuting to Arlington maybe 3 days a week?

I'm willing to get on the road at 6. When does the traffic start getting bad heading east?
Do people live that far out?
We prefer SFH over condo/townhome. possible?
we like the outdoors, nearness to western VA is appealing for things to do on weekends (hiking), I'm assuming?

Thanks for any help.

[springfieldcollegealum]

I would not want to make a Warrenton to Arlington commute 3 days a week. On Mapquest, it states it would take at least an hour and that's pretty much without traffic. With traffic at 6 a.m., it could take you 2 hrs. possibly if there were no accidents. And you say you are older which would make it even harder. Have you been to the area before?

Like a lot of people say on here, you have to adjust your priorities due to costs and traffic.

[dmiller91]

thanks. that helps. I have been there, I work in Arlington by flying in and staying in an apartment nearby currently. I have ventured west, but not a whole lot.

Two hours is not feasible. So we probably have to adjust into a closer town home I'm guessing. How does one buy a town home to ensure resale? My biggest worry is that I don't want to stay there forever, and would want to resell. I'm concerned about the number of foreclosures.

[ChristineVA]

Leaving at 6AM from an area from Gainesville is not "early." I live in Woodbridge and leave at around 5:15AM so that I have a beautiful commute into DC. If I left at 6AM, it would be a bit of a tough commute. Not the worst, but not a breeze.

[stpickrell]

Where in Arlington are you? VRE might be a possibility if you are near a Metro, but it'd still be 90-120 minutes depending on where you're at. Stafford would be a possibility.

A 1 BR condo in North Arlington or Old Town Alexandria won't collapse in value.

If you need more room, a TH in Annandale or Falls Church would be good too.

[marie5v]

A condo would sbe your best bet for no kids as well as a decent location. There aren't that many foreclosures. A good real estate agent will help you find a place with good resale value. We have owned everal houses and condos and never lost money, even at the worst buying time. You can easily check the condo building and see what is selling, how long it's been on the market, what it was purchased for, etc.

[ACWhite]

Two points:

1) Are you sure you really want to take the job? If you really enjoy the outdoors, you will have to pay a great deal (compared to WI) for a house that is both reasonably close to Arlington and surrounded by green space. I think people who move here generally are happier if they are doing so for some combination of these reasons: (a) love the city and factors associated with it, e.g., activities, weather relative to where they are now; (b) much better job with a big bump in opportunities and/or pay; (c) family nearby.

2) Townhouses and condos are viewed differently here vs. how they are viewed in much of the midwest. For one reason: There, because land is still relatively inexpensive, most people choose to have a fairly large SFH when they decide to buy. Here, the land is very expensive, so many people choose to spend less on land in order to have a nicer townhouse or condo than SFH for the same $. So there is less risk of "resale problems" here on those properties. However, one always needs to choose carefully, and hope to be lucky enough not to experience certain life events that may force a sale at a bad time.

[dmiller91]

Thanks. I'm seeing a townhome in my future...from my online inquiries I can see that we can get nice house for the money and it seems as though resale isn't an issue with the right realtor.

We are a couple with pets and a grown child. My daughter is a graduating nurse and will be looking for work in the area... but hopefully living on her own. I am recommending Charlottesville area for her as she won't like N. VA congestion.

This job is with a company I've worked with for 11 years. I love my job and this would be a promotion, basically my dream job. I'm in my early 50's and I was hoping my next move would be my last. But judging by the congestion in NVA, I don't see myself retiring there, so while I definitely want to own a place, I will want to sell it when I retire.

I'm willing to put up with NVA in order to do this job. My husband may struggle with the congestion, but he is willing to try it too. My job involves a bit of travel too, so my husband needs to be able to bike or play tennis when I am gone. VA offers a lot of tennis and an earlier spring than we have. So there are tradeoffs.

We can't do a 1 BR condo /TH due to the stage in our life. I've debulked, but not that much, and I have pets and will have guests, like my daughter. Plus I need an office at home as i don't have to go in to work every day.

The job is a block from Ballston Metro. Where is VRE?

I'm willing to do a bit of a drive to find a condo in an anrea that is nice for biking, walking, etc. I love the bike trails in VA. i jog them when I am there. Currently I stay in the Ballston area, so I'm very familiar with ARlington!

[stpickrell]

VRE goes to L'Enfant Plaza, where your husband can easily take the Orange Line out to Ballston. It will be a time-consuming but less-stressful commute -- you could probably find acreage 10-15 minutes from a VRE station -- if you want to be closer to the mountains, you'd likely be looking at northern Fauquier which is a little further from Manassas (where the other VRE line terminates.)

[dmiller91]

okay... thanks. Sorry I'm slow, so VRE is a train that takes you to the Metro at L'Enfant Plaza? that might be worth exploring. THanks!

I'm perfectly happy working and traveling on a train, although I know that the fees add up.