NoVa or Md? Yes again...no politics please! (Burke, Reston: real estate, apartments)

[Rizodea]

I know there's a TON of MD/NOVA threads out there, but for the most part, they dissolve into political arguments. Which is really not what I'm looking for. What I am looking for: info on neighborhoods, family activities, schools, safety. Really, I suppose, the heart and soul of an area.

My husband is separating from the Army and has job offers in McLean and Crystal City. I'd like to keep our rental budget under $2000. We will eventually buy, but not until we know more about the area. Areas I've searched: Ashburn, Reston, Herndon, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rockville. Really, all the cities surrounding those as well. No matter how much research one does on the internet, it sometimes can't answer all the questions (and sometimes gives you more ) So here's the gist of it:

1) SCHOOLS: Very important, 3 kids, two already in elem. school. Not only are scores important (yes, I've been all over greatschools.org) but I'd like to know about the atmosphere and how the teachers are with kids and parents. This is our driving force right now, since MD and NoVA both have good schools to offer.

2) Neighborhoods: I'd like to live in a family friendly neighborhood. The type where we can walk to parks and such (currently a one car family). We're open to houses, townhouses, apartments (not really preferred but we can manage that).

3) COMMUTE: Holy crap!! From what I've read, that's insane. I google the commute times on every place I've found that I like. But, to be honest, I just don't understand the car-less options. We've never lived in an area that had metros available and I'm completely lost on how they work. Google shows a travel time of 90 mins or 3 hours on the public transit options. Is that right?? We expect a commute and are ok with it for good schools and decent housing, but I thought the purpose of transit was to knock that time down? Please, someone just tell me I'm a dimwit and doing it wrong!!

4) Cost of living: TAXES, TAXES and more TAXES. That's been a big one on the other threads. Does the higher tax rate of MD equal out the higher housing cost of VA? Or do I have that all backwards?

I know there are some random questions up there. But I've really got my head in a jumble with the whole DC area. Doesn't help that I had brain surgery in July so I'm still trying to get the wires adjusted in there We are a very adaptable family but I don't want to put my kids in a terrible school system and get stuck in a lease.

Any input (non political please) would be appreciated.

[Bigfoot424]

Sounds like Vienna (VA) is ideal for you but I'm not sure your budget will allow for this. Small town feeling close to the beltway. It has plenty of traffic but you get off the beaten path and you feel like you are in a family neighborhood. I'm afraid your budget may force you further out into the areas such as Manassas. I've been in the Manassas area since 73 and trust me, the commute inside the beltway really blows.

[smarterguy]

If its walkable from the Metro, I'd take the Crystal City job (if all things were equal) and look for a place in Springfield by the metro or VRE. Probably the best bang for the buck for real estate I think. Close to metro/VRE, 495, 395, 95, DC, National Harbor etc. And if other jobs around the area pop up, like in Mclean, Tysons, Reston, DC, getting there won't be too difficult. Right up the beltway, or up 395, or take the metro/VRE. There is also Fort Belvoir close by and ex-army folk do get jobs there...

For me, its all about location. I wouldn't live out in Ashburn or Rockville because if a job moves or I change jobs, I don't won't an awful commute.

[hilsmom]

If the job offers are in VA, your most logical choice really is to be in VA. Yes, people DO commute from MD, but I wouldn't suggest it.

Politically, I'd personally be happier in MD, but we live in VA because that is where our jobs are. Plain and simple.

Your budget of $2000 is going to be a stretch, though, anywhere close to McLean or Crystal City. Can you go up to maybe $2500? I feel like that might open a few more options for you.

I would look in Burke, Reston, Herndon and Fairfax. I'm pretty sure you could rent in my neighborhood (Greenbriar, right by Chantilly HS and Library) for $2500 - we like it here, it's very family friendly and close to lots of amenities.

Edited: oops, I forgot Springfield. Yes, Springfield would be a great location, too.

[marie5v]

There really are no car-less options. You are not doing it wrong. If you happen to live close enough to a metro to walk there, then you can go car-less to another metro, but there is little chance you will want to on a regular basis unless you work in DC. Otherwise you're looking at a lot of buses and things (assuming you can even walk to a bus stop), and buses in NoVa are a very difficult and slow way to get anywhere. You are going to need a second car. I mean really - you NEED to have a second car if you are taking care of two kids.

If your housing budget is 2K, then you probably can't afford McLean. Someone mentioned Vienna - it's walkable and family-friendly, but I'm not sure of the commute and I'm not sure if you'll be able to find something affordable that's walkable and family-friendly.

Reston Town Center has a metro on the way, and if you live near the town center then it's more walkable than most places in NoVa. Not sure about an area to live in with kids, though - it looks very young professional to me. Perhaps there are some nearby townhouses.

I don't really see that much of a difference between NoVa and MD - we looked for homes in MoCo and NoVa, and found them cheaper over here (the ones we wanted, anyway). I think the school districts - Montgomery and Fairfax - are comparable, with neither better or worse than the other. I believe teachers prefer Montgomery - they say the pay is better and the work atmosphere is better, but I have only worked in Ffx so I don't know for sure.

I would suggest that if you are prepared to buy then you enlist a good real estate agent. One who will identify commutable places with good schools and show you places in those areas in your price range. That's what ours did for us.

However, if you must do your own search, then begin with the commute. Decide how far away you are willing to be from your husband's work and look only there. Then use something like ... or another mapping real estate site to identify some houses in those areas (I found our house that way). See what the school districts are (I would use fcps.edu for Fairfax schools, not just greatschools - you can see there what the demographics of the school are, which is really a more reliable indicator of the neighborhood and overall atmosphere of the school). Check the whole pyramid - up to high school. Many home searches here begin with a high school and work their way down. It helps you focus in and eliminate the most places first, then you can check elementary and middle schools if you find a home you like in the high school district that you want.

Unfortunately, there really are a lot of options,and it really is that hard to decide on a place. However, if you check out the school pyramid and the demographics and test scores look OK, and greatschools looks OK (I do NOT believe in trusting just the star rating by the way - I just don't think it correlates in any real-life way to school quality), then you probably can't go wrong as long as the commute in traffic is reasonable.

[nuhusky11]

Your only real option is VA. Commuting from MD is tough at best and the only option is Montgomery county. You made a comment about cost of living in MD vs VA. MoCo is pretty much just as expensive as Fairfax county, if not more so in the more commutable parts. You might find a deal out towards Gaithersburg but the commute would be beyond insane.

I'd recommend Reston and Vienna, you can decide after a year of rent if the cost of housing (age, size) in those communities out way the commute time you might see coming from Ashburn or further out.

[hilsmom]

Reston is a great place to live with kids, but I don't think a lot of the families live in the RTC area. There are community centers, pools, playgrounds, trails - I have to say I miss Reston. Sadly, there weren't SFH's in our price range so we had to leave. Don't get me wrong, I think our current neighborhood has its pros as well, but if we could have stayed in Reston, we would have.

[xxengineerxx]

Vienna or Oakton is your choice..school is great. We just moved to Oakton too. Your husband can take the Orange line then to the blue line to Crystal City. Commute will be under 1 hour. I am pretty sure the company will have commuter benefit so most of his Metro will be paid for except parking...

[justtitans]

Unless you can extend your budget, with 3 kids, none of these places being named are realistic. That is going to determine how close you get to what you want.

[xxengineerxx]

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

Unless you can extend your budget, with 3 kids, none of these places being named are realistic. That is going to determine how close you get to what you want.

No...$2k rental budget is doable in those places...of course it has to be smaller home. I don't think OP expecting a SFH or mansion