Moving to DC area, looking for best NoVa city recommendation: Great Falls? (Arlington: buying, public school)

[SomeGuyInFairfax]

I have a Realtor client with whom I have assisted with hundreds a of appraisals over the past 1.5 years, and I will say people are spot-on when suggesting Oakton.

I also like Great Falls a lot -- to the extent I will likely move there -- but good luck finding much inventory in the $800K range, although it does exist. I would suggest searching the triangle formed by Seneca Road, Utterback Store Road, and Leesburg Pike; along with the immediate area just west of Great Falls Village. You could find some hidden gems.

Originally Posted by lothcreb

Hi, all - looking for some advice!

My family and I are moving to the DC area from Los Angeles next year and are considering Northern Virginia. (We're also open to Maryland.) Currently, we're looking at Great Falls, but have only just started our research. We're hoping for some recommendations about the best places to look.

- We both work from home, so commute is not an issue.
- We're in our late 30s/mid 40s, have one child, and will be looking to have two more children. Hoping for a family-friendly area with excellent public schools, low crime, and large lots. We currently have zero backyard in Los Angeles, which is one of the main reasons we're moving.
- Our budget is no more than $900K. Hoping to find something in the $800K range.
- Wishlist is 4 BR, 3 BA
- We're open to a tear-down or renovation
- Liberal attitude (or at least not wildly conservative) and nice neighbors who aren't overly materialistic/have their heads firmly on their shoulders would be a plus
- My husband would like to be close(ish) to a metro, so that we can get into DC easily on the weekends for museums with the kids, etc.

Would love to hear any thoughts or recommendations.

Thanks!

[johnsonkk]

The OP said their best/ good friends live in the area. If the OP ends up in Reston and their friends live in Chevy chase, they won't ever see them.

To OP, have your good friends recommended any cities? Where do they live and why did they choose to live in that city. Goldmine of trusted information is there relating to "where to live".

[gefblueapple]

I agree with the Oakton/Vienna recommendation. Really, anything in the triangle formed by I-66, Dulles Toll Road (267) and the Fairfax Co. parkway (286) would be golden for you.

I'd also suggest looking just south in there around City of Fairfax/Mantua as well.

And if you really want bang for your buck in terms of house/lot size, go a bit further south to Fairfax Station or Burke.

[lothcreb]

Thank you all for the helpful info! Had a bad burn/hand accident, so typing is tough, but we have done more research and feel now that Oakton is exactly the right place for us. We're very excited about it.

To the poster who talked about travel, we agree! I am a travel writer and we do it as much as we can.

To the poster who asked where my BF lives, it's in Takoma Park, which isn't the right fit for us for a variety of reasons. We had been thinking Rockville, MD, instead, but my husband and I both love what we've found in Oakton, as well as the proximity to great shopping, lot sizes, homes, etc.

Really appreciate all the responses!

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by lothcreb

To the poster who asked where my BF lives, it's in Takoma Park, which isn't the right fit for us for a variety of reasons. We had been thinking Rockville, MD, instead, but my husband and I both love what we've found in Oakton, as well as the proximity to great shopping, lot sizes, homes, etc.

!

To echo the earlier poster...be aware that you are unlikely to see a lot of someone who lives in Takoma Park if you live in Oakton. My sister lives in Springfield (I live in Middleburg, but drive to DC every day) and I see her or her family about 4-5 times a year. So that may be much more than you see them now, but it's not likely that you will see them much more often.

[Ffxdata]

Don't let people scare you too much. I go up to all areas of Maryland including Potomac, Silver Spring, and Gaithersburg. I generally have no trouble from Oakton to these places during the day especially if leaving around 10am when the last vestiges of the morning snarl are gone.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Ffxdata

Don't let people scare you too much. I go up to all areas of Maryland including Potomac, Silver Spring, and Gaithersburg. I generally have no trouble from Oakton to these places during the day especially if leaving around 10am when the last vestiges of the morning snarl are gone.

I certainly agree; but visiting friends usually isn't during the work day. Visiting friends is usually after work or on weekends, when commutes are harder or time is limited due to your own family commitments.

Sure, it's no problem to jump over from Oakton to Takoma Park at 11 am on a Tuesday. But, generally, who's available at that time to do it?

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by spencgr

I certainly agree; but visiting friends usually isn't during the work day. Visiting friends is usually after work or on weekends, when commutes are harder or time is limited due to your own family commitments.

Sure, it's no problem to jump over from Oakton to Takoma Park at 11 am on a Tuesday. But, generally, who's available at that time to do it?

Well people who have flexible work situations or work from home as the OP does often have more flexibility during the day and could make a trip like that.

Do I think they will be having happy hours together? No, but considering they don't want to live in Maryland, I don't know of a drive that will be any kinder to them and meets their other criteria than Oakton/Vienna

[NoVA2016]

We relocated 2 years ago and we are in Ashburn. We love Loudoun County and the schools are great and it's not as "congested".

[lothcreb]

Originally Posted by spencgr

To echo the earlier poster...be aware that you are unlikely to see a lot of someone who lives in Takoma Park if you live in Oakton. My sister lives in Springfield (I live in Middleburg, but drive to DC every day) and I see her or her family about 4-5 times a year. So that may be much more than you see them now, but it's not likely that you will see them much more often.

We're aware of this, alas, but thank you! Because we're both parents, it's unlikely that we'd see each other more than once a month unless we were literally neighbors, however. Likely, we'll probably meet up once every three months on the weekend in DC with the kids, or do a girls' date on special occasions. It's still more than the once every two years I see her now!