Where are affordable areas close to Arlington? (Alexandria, Annandale: crime, townhouse)

[tranquil9]

I am considering a move to the area from Louisiana. I am familiar with MD (HoCo to Baltimore) in general but nothing in NoVa. Arlington is expensive. I have two small children (under 8) and just am beginning to consider this move.

Where do families live that can only afford between 450-500K and actually want a little space? Or is it not possible without an hour or more commute to work in Arlington?

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by tranquil9

I am considering a move to the area from Louisiana. I am familiar with MD (HoCo to Baltimore) in general but nothing in NoVa. Arlington is expensive. I have two small children (under 8) and just am beginning to consider this move.

Where do families live that can only afford between 450-500K and actually want a little space? Or is it not possible without an hour or more commute to work in Arlington?

Depends what you mean by a little space. There are some older THs and semi-detached homes in that range in South Arlington and in western part of the City Alexandria.

But if you want more space (or newer than that - or more sought after public schools than in those areas) you will need to go further out - south and southwest into Fairfax is the better bet. The longer the commute, the more space for the $. Note that if your commute is to the Crystal City area, VRE (our commuter rail system) can be a good commuting option from southern Fairfax or beyond.

[Ffxdata]

There are some single family homes in Fairfax city proper that would be in that price range. They are older smaller homes on larger lots (.15-.25 acres). Some are more updated than others.
There may also be some options closer in in Annandale near Columbia Pike which is a straight shot to Arlington though still not super close.

You wot likely find anything in City of Falls Church, but may find some Falls Church postal address houses that are older.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by tranquil9

I am considering a move to the area from Louisiana. I am familiar with MD (HoCo to Baltimore) in general but nothing in NoVa. Arlington is expensive. I have two small children (under 8) and just am beginning to consider this move.

Where do families live that can only afford between 450-500K and actually want a little space? Or is it not possible without an hour or more commute to work in Arlington?

While there is nothing in your price range in the City of Falls Church, you can definitely find some options in the Falls Church portion of Fairfax County. You will still have a commute but it won't be anything close to an hour into Arlington from there. You could probably find some options in Annandale as well.

[sonnymarkjiz]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

Depends what you mean by a little space. There are some older THs and semi-detached homes in that range in South Arlington and in western part of the City Alexandria.

But if you want more space (or newer than that - or more sought after public schools than in those areas) you will need to go further out - south and southwest into Fairfax is the better bet. The longer the commute, the more space for the $. Note that if your commute is to the Crystal City area, VRE (our commuter rail system) can be a good commuting option from southern Fairfax or beyond.

And by older, he probably means made in the 1930's-50's that might have 1600 sq ft. But even those are rare to find these days with 400-500K.

I say maybe southern Alexandria is a pretty decent option too south of the Hungtinton metro.

[ersatz]

Originally Posted by tranquil9

I am considering a move to the area from Louisiana. I am familiar with MD (HoCo to Baltimore) in general but nothing in NoVa. Arlington is expensive. I have two small children (under 8) and just am beginning to consider this move.

Where do families live that can only afford between 450-500K and actually want a little space? Or is it not possible without an hour or more commute to work in Arlington?

Oh this is absolutely doable in the Alexandria, Fairfax County area. (Alexandria is also a separate City, with a different government, which can be pretty confusing to people not familiar with our area.) As other posters mentioned, you can do this in the Huntington area (Fairfax County) due south of Alexandria (City). Why? Because this area is a bit sketchy and some of it is located in a flood plain.

If those factors don't appeal to you, use www.zillow.com to search for single family homes under $500,000 in the Franconia area. You will find a lot of them in the southeastern part of Fairfax County but be aware that this is smaller older housing stock from the 1950s and 1960s. The area along Rt 1 south of Alexandria (the Mt Vernon area) is located near public housing complexes so houses there are quite cheap (relatively for Northern Virginia close into DC). Although Fairfax County public schools have a good reputation overall, public schools in the Mt Vernon area have a poor reputation. Since you have children, I suggest looking a bit west of there around the Rose Hill/Franconia area. That is well within an hour's commute of Arlington. As you go south, prices drop, so also look in Woodbridge. That is around your hour long commute limit, so you need to research neighborhoods carefully. If interested in a particular neighborhood, ask a lot of questions in the Northern Viriginia subforum and research school and crime statistics. Woodbridge is sometimes referred to as "Hoodbridge" depending on the neighborhood. Lake Ridge, to the north and west of Woodbridge, is a more popular choice with middle class families.

[tranquil9]

Thank you all. This is good information to help guide decision making.

It appears that I would be in for a commute either way.

Thanks!

[Hal Roach]

You just missed a great deal..Express bus across the street...large lot. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6...19636495_zpid/

Full basement not counted in square footage. Double lot worth more without the house or the inground pool. Put it a mile west from 22150 to 22152, and it costs 30% more. Schools not great, but considerably better than Rose Hill area.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by tranquil9

Thank you all. This is good information to help guide decision making.

It appears that I would be in for a commute either way.

Thanks!

You will but you definitely have options to ensure it is not a terrible commute.

Northern Virginia is a great place to live but the unfortunate reality is that unless you work from home (or extremely close to home) you are going to have a commute to deal with.

[Abraham Walker]

We moved from New Orleans, Louisiana to Northern Virginia 5 years ago.

What part of Louisiana are you moving from?

We live in Kingstowne where homes range in price from the low $400's to $1 million. Kingstowne is located in Alexandria Fairfax County, not to be confused with the city of Alexandria.

You'll be able to find a nice size townhouse within your price range within walking distance to Fairfax County Publis Schools.