Husband's Job will be in Crystal City (Alexandria, Burke: lease, townhouse)

[cory.crawford]

Hello everyone!

My husband will be relocating to TSA headquarters in Crystal City. We have 3 children ranging 7-12 so we of course are looking for a good school system. We don't want to spend more than $380,000 for a house but worried about his commute. He can use the VRE if we live in Manassas or Gainesville from what I understand. He would just have to drive to the park and ride correct? People talk about traffic and the commute being horrible but is it alleviated by using the VRE? We currently live in Maple Valley outside of Seattle so we totally get traffic/commuting. Right now it takes him 45min-1 hour each way but SO worth it for the school district we live in. Would you recommend a different area to look for homes? We don't mind living in a townhome but need at least a little bit of yard for our Doberman Pinscher. Your advice is VERY much appreciated as this is such a big step for us as a family

[NOVA_guy]

I would not count on the VRE. I've heard it's extremely unreliable and more of a headache than metro.

Maybe look at Springfield for a TH but it's probably going to be right at your budget from something decent.

[gomason]

It is very reliable. I rode everyday for a couple years and had a major delay like once. It is also very comfortable -- I took a nap pretty much every day both to and from work. That would be a very stressful traffic-filled 1.5 hour commute driving. Additional stations are also supposed to be built in the next few years in Gainesville FYI.

If he's getting a transit subsidy, he would be absolutely crazy to drive.

[NOVA_guy]

Oh really? I take back what I said then. A few of the people I've worked with said they hated it. But ultimately, anything would be better than driving especially if OP is going to go further out to get a bigger house.

[JfromReston]

With your budget, I would suggest finding a TH in a community with shared open space. People usually don't go to Manassas or Gainesville for the schools - they go there for the relatively inexpensive housing. Fairfax county has one of the best school systems in the country.

Here are a few options in Reston (about an hour via public transit to Crystal City) that are very near shared open space for your children and dog.

10968 GRANBY CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX9613377 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
11255 SILENTWOOD LN, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX9597103 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2364 SOFT WIND CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX9581763 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
11565 IVY BUSH CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX9621841 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com

[spencgr]

The TSA is planning on relocating their headquarters. While the lease they signed was vacated by a judge in Nov, I doubt that means they will stop looking for a new location.


I do no think it wise to move so far out and plan to rely on VRE, and then have them move locations, where VRE isn't an option. (They had signed a lease at 5001 Eisenhower, Alexandria, which is a 20 minute bus ride from the nearest VRE station.)


I recommend renting until they decide on their new location.

[ChristineVA]

$380,000 for a house is not going to put you in a very good school district at all.

The VRE is a great ride from Manassas to Crystal City, but again, the 380,000 is going to be problematic for a SFH in a good school district.

I do know of some much smaller homes (updated) in Montclair (just outside of Woodbridge, that might get in you in that range and you would have access to the VRE line from that direction. The eastern part of Prince William is not as good for schools as the western side, but the Montclair neighborhood has a pretty solid pyramid.

If schools are a big focus for you, as they seem to be, I would look up to Fairfax County and look at a townhouse.

[Mombrarian]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

Here are a few options in Reston (about an hour via public transit to Crystal City) that are very near shared open space for your children and dog.

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That hour is if you use the Crystal City/Pentagon Express bus (599) from Reston. If you rely on Metro, give yourself at least 70 minutes one-way, and that's if all the trains are working. I know because I used to Metro from Reston to Crystal City. I gave up after the Stadium Armory transformer fire, which lengthened my commute time to 90 minutes one-way.

And keep in mind commuting costs as well. The bus will cost $15/day round trip. If he doesn't get one of the free spaces for the bus(it fills up at 6am, mind you), he can add $4.80 on to his commute cost to park at the Wiehle Avenue metro garage.

Metro at peak rush hour times will alone will cost $11.80 from Reston to Crystal City. If you want to park at the Wiehle garage, add another $4.80/day.

I now carpool - it saves me an hour in commuting time and $15 a day.

[HomesForAllVA]

I agree with the above - stay in Fairfax County for the schools. However your budget is going to be difficult and yes - you would be in a townhouse. (However, most have small yards for your dog!) There are currently 97 3+ bedroom town houses available in your price range. You can see them here: Email from Apr 20 2016 - Matrix Email+

Burke, Reston and Springfield are all good options for you!

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

I would not count on the VRE. I've heard it's extremely unreliable and more of a headache than metro.

Here you can read about the performance levels. It's not that bad.
VRE Daily Performance