Moving to Fairfax, need housing advice (Arlington, Alexandria: rentals, how much, houses)

[boyd888]

The drive from Woodbridge to Fairfax is horrendous during rush hour. Chantilly wouldn't too terrible depending on where you are in Fairfax.

You are not going to find housing for less than <$1K a month in Fairfax unless you want one room with one bed. A long term stay hotel may be your best bet there.

[cement8]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that by "which is it" you mean do I need a 4 bedroom for $2000 or less OR do I need a short term rental for 1 person for $1000 or less.

We need both. My husband will need to start working in Fairfax (downtown) before the rest of us are able to move out there. So he'll need a short term rental (about 2 months) just for him, then we'll be moving all of us into a 4 bedroom rental after that (June).

I think when it's just him there we'd like something as close to work as possible. For our more "permanent" home, we'd be willing to do a 30-45 minute commute (he's decreased the time he wants to drive since I originally posted).

I've found a lot of things on realtor.com and homes.com in our price and size range, but they are mostly in Woodbridge and Manassas. Are these ok areas? According to Google Maps the commute should be around 30 minutes. Is that accurate? What is a good place for newcomers with small kids?

[tgbwc]

What homes are you seeing in Woodbridge and Manassas? We have lived both places, but both addresses cover large areas. They're not necessarily bad, but I'd recommend living closer if you can. When we lived in "Manassas" zip 20112, closer to I95, I drove 15 miles to work. I left around 7 a.m. And it often took about 40-45 minutes to get to W. Springfield.

A lot of places are good for newcomers with small kids. Many of them have already been mentioned in this thread, a couple of times.

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by cement8

I've found a lot of things on realtor.com and homes.com in our price and size range, but they are mostly in Woodbridge and Manassas. Are these ok areas? According to Google Maps the commute should be around 30 minutes. Is that accurate?

No, it's not. Maybe 30 minutes in late at night or the middle of the day. Unfortunately 66 and 95 are basically parking lots during rush hour and that is why housing is so much cheaper out there - because you sit in traffic for 45 minutes to an hour each way every day. Unless you are working off hours I really would try to find something closer to where you work.

[jeff22152]

Originally Posted by cement8

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that by "which is it" you mean do I need a 4 bedroom for $2000 or less OR do I need a short term rental for 1 person for $1000 or less.

We need both. My husband will need to start working in Fairfax (downtown) before the rest of us are able to move out there. So he'll need a short term rental (about 2 months) just for him, then we'll be moving all of us into a 4 bedroom rental after that (June).

I think when it's just him there we'd like something as close to work as possible. For our more "permanent" home, we'd be willing to do a 30-45 minute commute (he's decreased the time he wants to drive since I originally posted).

I've found a lot of things on realtor.com and homes.com in our price and size range, but they are mostly in Woodbridge and Manassas. Are these ok areas? According to Google Maps the commute should be around 30 minutes. Is that accurate? What is a good place for newcomers with small kids?

Hello.

I would check out Craigslist for a short-term rental in the immediate Fairfax City area. Your husband might be able to find a room/bath or a studio apartment that's being let for less than $1,000. It also wouldn't hurt to check with extended stay hotels in the area; however, I think it's going to be difficult to land a rate in your price range.

The commute from Woodbridge and/or Manassas to Fairfax City will be more than 30 minutes, and often more than 45 minutes. As others have said, I would narrow your search to Burke and West Springfield. You will be able to find a townhome in your general price range that's situated in a well-established family-friendly neighborhood with excellent schools and convenient amenities. If you are able to nudge up your price point to $2,500 or so, you will be able to add single-family homes to your consideration.

[cement8]

Thank you everyone so much for the input! Relocating with no experience in an area is hard, it's great to have some locals give info on the areas.

Glad I found you all!

[cement8]

Ok all,

How do you feel about South Riding and Centreville? Arlington and Alexandria?

You have no idea how much I appreciate the real world advice and perspective you're all giving. Thank you!

[choff5]

If he's working in Faifax City, definitely city, not county (which is huge) you don't want Arlington or Alexandria. The commutes are horrendous out here. South Riding and Centreville are better. Manassas will be over 45 min in rush hour. I tried looking on MRIS, link below, for under $2300/mo and only found a couple for the zip codes 22033, west of Fairfax City and 20151, Chantilly part of western Fairfax. You can play with that, change residential sales to residential rentals and use zip codes. Hope it works, doesn't seem to link right.

Homes for Sale and Rent in DC, Maryland, Virginia | MRIShomes.com

[cement8]

Definitely Fairfax City, not county. Thank you so much for the info!

[Badger21]

For a family of four Centreville and Chantilly are excellent. Good schools and the commute will be doable.

As far as the short term rental, your husband's best to find a room to rent on Craigslist or go the short term hotel route.