Housing suggestions for commuting to Ft. Belvoir

[ChristineVA]

Try doing a search on homes in the 22026 zip code. This is technically "Dumfries" but it is for the planned community of Montclair. I think Montclair is a great family friendly neighborhood. On par, yet smaller, than Lake Ridge and the prices tend to be a little cheaper. It also doesn't have any "undesirable" pockets that some of the very old areas of Lake Ridge have because the community is much more enclosed. It is a golf course community. It is a bit farther down 95 than Lake Ridge (2-4 exits depending on which one you want to take), but it is a nice in-between if you don't want to go as far as Stafford but can't quite handle Woodbridge pricing. IMO, Stafford is going to really wreak havoc on your commute.

The I-95 horror stories are all true, especially in the summer, but if you can jump off by the time you hit Woodbridge, you will save yourself a LOT of time.

[zxbane]

Christine,

Thanks for the input I am going to look into the zip code you mentioned. I only live down in La Plata (southern MD) right now so I will take the ride up over a weekend and ride around Woodbridge, Dumfries and Manassas and look around as well just to get a feel for the area. Hopefully traffic isn't awful!

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by zxbane

Christine,

Thanks for the input I am going to look into the zip code you mentioned. I only live down in La Plata (southern MD) right now so I will take the ride up over a weekend and ride around Woodbridge, Dumfries and Manassas and look around as well just to get a feel for the area. Hopefully traffic isn't awful!

Make sure you visit the Montclair neighborhood, specifically. It is situated between Rt. 234 in Dumfries and Cardinal Drive in Woodbridge and has entrances/exits to each road which is convenient.

Also, I live VERY near Montclair. This week I commuted to Kingstowne which is very close to Belvoir. I left my house at 7:45 AM, drove up to the Occoquan exit commuter lot to pickup a coworker and got back on I95. I was there by 8:30. So a 45 minute drive but that was with a stop that wasn't overly quick. The second day I exited at Lorton because 95 was really slow with the rain and it was a nice drive up Rt 1 to Kingstowne. I did pass Ft. Belvoir!

[kww]

Montclair would be another excellent option, but unfortunately, no detached homes under $350,000 over there anymore.. Beginning of the year, you could get those Victorian style on Larkspur and Mimosa for around $300-310,000.

But currently everything is +$375,000 in the neighborhood

[Fredesch]

I commuted from Dale City to Fort Belvior for 9 years. I did it because that is where we could afford to buy on a government salary. I would not recommend a commute from anywhere in Prince William or farther south to Fort Belvior if you can avoid it. You might see if you can find a house in the original Springfield area. That area has small brick post WWII houses. Your commute from that area will be 1000x less stressful.

If you buy a bigger/newer/nicer house with a horrid 1+ hour commute each way, will you really enjoy life more? Or will the stress or backaches start to gnaw at you? Houses are cheaper the farther south you go for a reason, no one wants that commute. Good luck, and do not believe anyone that tells you their commute does not suck. YOU MUST TRY THE COMMUTE YOURSELF, during your expected commute times durning normal weekdays (not Christmas Eve or another holiday).

[greekchampion04]

If you have the flex hours, buying in Stafford county may be doable. I live in zipcode 22405 and commute all the way up to Fairfax every day. I work 6-3 and my commute is just about 55-65 minutes depending on traffic on the particular day.

I got a 1300 square foot house on .75 acre for $160k. I moved down this way because I have my first kid on the way and wanted that "rural" feeling while still having good schools. Stafford county affords me that.

The commute is ONLY tolerable because I work so early. If you won't have the flex hours, don't even consider it.