Arlington - short term lease (Alexandria: extended stay, for sale, 2015)

[Backtovalady]

Hi!

We will be relocating to Arlington, VA from RVA. My spouse has accepted a position there and I will be joining him sometime over the next six months. We have a house to sell here, but in the meantime, we are looking for a furnished apartment in Arlington. Any suggestions? Budget for this apartment would be under $2,000 hopefully. A studio apartment would be fine until we figure out where we want to live, etc. We would like something nice, but don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money. Ideally, would like to be near the Ballston Metro station.

We will focus on buying something in 2015...any suggestions on areas so we can start to get ideas would be helpful, too. The most we would want to commute is 30-45 minutes. I'm not sure where I will be working yet, I'm a CPA so *hopefully* I can find something soon. Our only child is in college, so schools are not an issue; however, I want to buy in an area that will hold its value and good schools usually go along with that. Ideally, we would like a single family home, but a townhouse would be fine, too. As far as purchasing a home, we would like to stay below $400 - $450 max. Where should I be looking? We are more interested in quality of life as opposed to a large home.

Thank you very much!!

[gomason]

You aren't getting a furnished apartment near Ballston for less than 2k. I would look around Rosslyn, Crystal City/Pentagon City, Shirlington, or Alexandria. River Place Apartments in Rosslyn have 1 BR furnished for about 1,700 which would be close to Ballston. Just be careful about the unit. I have read that the North and West building are worst and the South Building is the best.

[ACWhite]

Prices in CC/PC are roughly the same as those near Ballston, for comparable properties.

I think the OP will need to look much farther out for both the rental and the homes for sale--or adjust the price ranges. Short term leases, especially if furnished, usually cost several hundred $ more per month than the same apts rented unfurnished for at least 12 months. Townhouses are relatively rare in Arl. due to land costs, and SFHs will typically start at $600k and need work. Schools don't play the same role here in influencing home values as in most communities; proximity to job centers and metro are at least as important. 4/5ths or more of Arl. households have no school age children, yet Arl prices are pretty stable.

[Middlin]

You could start with this

Ballston Arlington Corporate Housing | Arlington VA Furnished Apartments | Tempoary Housing Arlington - Corporate Apartments

Arlington - Northern Virginia Extended Stay Hotels and Corporate Housing - Biz-stay.com