Moving to Fairfax, need housing advice (Burke, Reston: townhouses, purchase, construction)

[HDTBill]

Like said above, check out Burke/Springfield area.
Most of us probably don't like the 1-hr commute idea, but some do it and they go further out on I-66 West there you're talking places like Warrenton and so on.

[Middlin]

Originally Posted by 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!

Rule of thumb is miles times 2 to 3x equal commute time in rush hour. South Riding is doable, but to avoid the mess on Route 50 you could cut through Viriginia Run neighborhood to Lee Highway, cut over to New Braddock that intersects with Route 123 right by George Mason University. Manassas would be horrible even if you lived close to Route 28 which is not the most desirable area to live in Manassas.

[cement8]

Thanks all! It is official, we will be moving!

Any suggestions on how to calculate the actual cost of a commute? Based on some of your suggestions, I think I may up our rental budget if we can get to a location that will decrease the cost of commuting in equal measure. I've done some Googling, but would appreciate suggestions on how to accurately estimate that cost.

[cement8]

Hi again. I'm hoping to get a little more guidance from everyone and I beg your patience. Right now I'm feeling really confused about locations. I've been looking on Google Maps and using their traffic function to help us find a place within a relatively short commute. Based on that, I've found places in Chantilly, Herndon, Springfield, Centreville, Burke, etc. in addition to places in Fairfax City (which is where my husband will be working). But when I send places to the realtor, I hear back that Centreville and Chantilly will be too far. I'm looking for anything 30 minutes or less, because at the end of the day we need to find a place that can house 6 people (2 adults, 4 kids) and 1400 sq ft just isn't going to cut it.

Centreville and Chantilly have offered up a lot of options with good size, although they are at the top of our budget. So they are only doable if the commute costs stay low as well (and my husband has to have his own car for his job). Any thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated.

[gomason]

Chantilly, Centreville, and Burke are your best bet.

Herndon is way too far for a 30 min commute and Springfield is really pushing it (probably more like 35-40 mins).

[Vectorhead]

Originally Posted by gomason

Chantilly, Centreville, and Burke are your best bet.

Herndon is way too far for a 30 min commute and Springfield is really pushing it (probably more like 35-40 mins).

Make sure West Springfield is on your list. It's closer to Fairfax than Springfield. It's a pretty predictable 30-minute commute from West Springfield (22152) to Fair Lakes, and that's further than downtown Fairfax. It's a really nice area and the schools are excellent.

[cement8]

Can someone explain some of the Chantilly addresses to me? The realtor said all of the ones I sent her with Chantilly addresses are actually South Riding and too far. How do I tell which ones are ok and which ones are not? I feel like Google was giving me a pretty standard 20-40 minute commute for all of the Chantilly ones.

[JfromReston]

This zip code map should help you.
Chantilly, Virginia Zip Code Boundary Map (VA)

You should look for Chantilly houses in zip code 22033. The 20152 zip codes will be too far as will many in the western portion of 20151. Probably should stay east of Hwy 28 if you want to keep the commute to 30 minutes.

[Nova703]

Fairfax City should have a lot of short term rentals because George Mason University is there. I commute to Fairfax City and live in Chantilly 20151 which is the Fairfax County part of Chantilly. If you are looking in 20152 you will be in Loudoun County and not Fairfax County. Also traffic to and from 20152 (South Riding part of Chantilly) can get very congested during rush hour. Look in 22033 (Fairfax) as well. Greenbriar has tons of rentals and It would be a quick trip down route 50. Also you could do Centreville and just go down route 29. Those are what I would recommend. All of those options would be $2000 a month at minimum.

[Middlin]

Would love to know where in Centreville is too far to Fairfax City. That doesn't make any sense to me at all.