Looking for recommendations on areas to shop for condo/townhouse in NOVA (Alexandria: apartment)

[MambaMentality]

Hey, so I'm a federal government worker that's been renting in Crystal City for the past 15+ years - finally decided it's time to get out and shop for a condo or townhouse (preferably condo probably), hopefully to purchase within the next 12-18 months. My place of employment is actually in Prince George's County, Maryland and I was born and raised in Maryland but, as I just mentioned, I've lived across the river in NOVA for the past several years, like it, and would prefer to stay out here.

I'm single and would be looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom condo (or townhouse) in or around the $325K-400K range if that's doable. I technically work in Maryland but have been working from home every day for over the past year (due to the pandemic) and would only need to physically travel to the office once a week when pandemic restrictions are lifted - so I'd actually be willing to live up to 60-75 minutes (by public transportation like Metrorail/bus) outside of DC in NOVA if I can find something nicer a bit farther out, though I'd probably rather stay a bit closer in. I do have a preference of being within reasonably close (i.e., walking) proximity to bars and restaurants, even if further out from DC, though that's not a requirement.

Any recommendations? Halfway embarrassed to say I know next to nothing about the condo/townhouse marked in the area, despite living out here seemingly forever. Just through some quick perusal, some of the relatively newer condos in the Potomac Yards and Columbia Pike area intrigued me, though I haven't looked to much into them yet. And while I did say I'd prefer to live in NOVA, some of the condos at National Harbor in Maryland intrigued me due to seemingly relatively cheap pricing and proximity to my job. (I'm also an avid poker player who travels to Las Vegas a few times a year so the proximity to the casino is appealing as well.)

Any recommendations/advice greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Overcaffeinated_in_NoVA]

First thing you should do is speak with a lender, and have a preliminary work-up done to see what you may qualify for. You don't want to look for a place, only to find that it's out of your range. Also, lenders may give you a number that may be higher than you're comfortable with - keep in mind with condos, the HOA fee is higher than with townhomes, and will be taken into account against what you can afford. Once you know that, then you can start your search. As you already noticed, MD will be less expensive than VA.

[ersatz]

Your post seems pretty specific at first, but it leaves a lot open to interpretation.

Your budget of 325 to 400K is not really practical for a townhouse in the NoVA area close into DC, given your other requirements, but it is feasible for a condo. As the previous poster pointed out, you absolutely need to factor the additional HOA charges into your calculations, and keep in mind that condo owners can be hit with "special assessment fees", so you will need to keep some thousands of dollars in reserve for that possibility.

When you say “60-75 minutes by public transportation”, where are you trying to get TO? Downtown DC is feasible from a number of locations in NoVA. If you are trying to get to work, it will depend on where your office is. I am going to assume that getting to National Harbor is what you want. In that case, there are three buses that go there – the NH1, NH2, and 35. The NH1 leaves from Anacostia Metro, and the 35 from Southern Ave. Both would require several transfers on the metro from NoVA That leaves the NH2 bus - it leaves from King Street Metro in Alexandria. Your best bet is to start looking at places with easy access to the King Street Metro.

Condos on the east end of town tend to be expensive, but get cheaper as you head west. You might look at condos in West End Alexandria, that area is getting a lot more shops and restaurants. DASH bus connections will take you to the King Street metro. Also, although a bit more expensive than the West End, you can occasionally find a condo in your budget in Shirlington. Shirlington has lots of walkable bars and restaurants and it has DASH connections to the King Street Metro as well.

I suggest that you take a couple hours one of these days to go to King Street, take the NH1 bus, and see if that will work out for you. If so, you can search online through a site like Realtor.com to look for suitable condos. www.walkscore.com will let you know about nearby public transit, restaurants, bars, shopping etc.

[leighland]

You'll need to stay on Orange Yellow or Blue lines to remain in a 75 mkn window. Not Silver Line
I suggest these condos:
[URL="https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7758-New-Providence-Dr-22042/unit-9/home/9548387"]https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/7758-New-Providence-Dr-22042/unit-9/home/9548387[/URL]
Its in your window
its close to the Dunn Loring
There are buses to take you to DL if you dont want to walk in bad weather
The area is highly desirable and walkable to Mosaic, grocery stores, Drs etc
its near beltway 66

I have a trusted RE/lenders (including vhda cheapo loans for 1st time buyers (Iam most def NOT in that industry AT ALL, eww) and dm me if you want his info.

[MambaMentality]

Originally Posted by ersatz

Your post seems pretty specific at first, but it leaves a lot open to interpretation.

Your budget of 325 to 400K is not really practical for a townhouse in the NoVA area close into DC, given your other requirements, but it is feasible for a condo. As the previous poster pointed out, you absolutely need to factor the additional HOA charges into your calculations, and keep in mind that condo owners can be hit with "special assessment fees", so you will need to keep some thousands of dollars in reserve for that possibility.

When you say “60-75 minutes by public transportation”, where are you trying to get TO? Downtown DC is feasible from a number of locations in NoVA. If you are trying to get to work, it will depend on where your office is. I am going to assume that getting to National Harbor is what you want. In that case, there are three buses that go there – the NH1, NH2, and 35. The NH1 leaves from Anacostia Metro, and the 35 from Southern Ave. Both would require several transfers on the metro from NoVA That leaves the NH2 bus - it leaves from King Street Metro in Alexandria. Your best bet is to start looking at places with easy access to the King Street Metro.

Condos on the east end of town tend to be expensive, but get cheaper as you head west. You might look at condos in West End Alexandria, that area is getting a lot more shops and restaurants. DASH bus connections will take you to the King Street metro. Also, although a bit more expensive than the West End, you can occasionally find a condo in your budget in Shirlington. Shirlington has lots of walkable bars and restaurants and it has DASH connections to the King Street Metro as well.

I suggest that you take a couple hours one of these days to go to King Street, take the NH1 bus, and see if that will work out for you. If so, you can search online through a site like Realtor.com to look for suitable condos. www.walkscore.com will let you know about nearby public transit, restaurants, bars, shopping etc.

How common are "special assessment" fees? I guess that's one of the (many) things I'll have to read up on.

I work at the Suitland Federal Center, which is within walking distance from the Suitland metrorail station. I'll need to commute there once a week starting maybe the middle of next year (2022) once they stop allowing us to telework from home everyday. One of the reasons I could consider a condo at National Harbor is because there are the buses that put me right at Anacostia or Southern Avenue, which are only a couple stops from the Suitland Metro.

Thanks, I do like the Shirlington area so will add that to my area of focus...

[MambaMentality]

Originally Posted by leighland

You'll need to stay on Orange Yellow or Blue lines to remain in a 75 mkn window. Not Silver Line
I suggest these condos:
https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Chur...9/home/9548387
Its in your window
its close to the Dunn Loring
There are buses to take you to DL if you dont want to walk in bad weather
The area is highly desirable and walkable to Mosaic, grocery stores, Drs etc
its near beltway 66

I have a trusted RE/lenders (including vhda cheapo loans for 1st time buyers (Iam most def NOT in that industry AT ALL, eww) and dm me if you want his info.

I'd actually be willing to consider the entire range of the Silver Line, even if it lengthens my commute a bit... I'd only be commuting once a week when I return to commuting to work next year and am used to Metro transit so think I can bear it... can also mix the subway commute in with driving as needed.

Thanks, the condo you suggested looks reasonable - I'll look into it a bit more and others in that area. Might PM you when I get further into this... just doing some initial info gathering right now.

[kww]

personally, I'd be looking for a minimum of two bedrooms, purely from a future resale perspective.. Right now, you could get into Shirlington with a couple options that only leaves you a couple minutes outside of DC, BUT they are condo ownership with hefty monthly fees (300-500 a month). Plenty of people are willing (begrudgingly) to pay them to be close to the city but that's a fee that typically never goes down and of course doesn't go towards your mortgage.

Moving to apartment style condos (1 level typically), options open up up in Courthouse/Rosslyn but the majority of those buildings have even higher monthly condo fees (500-600+ in some cases)

as use leighland mentioned, there are options out near Mosaic District that is right on the metro, similar monthly condo fees, but you do have some walkable aspects that a lot of buyers are drawn to with restaurants, shops etc

special assessments aren't a thing that pop up in every community every year or so, but can definitely hit from time to time. it's hard to gather whether that might be an issue or not by a quick review of the CCR's (which you'll get 72 hours contractually to review, although you can ask for an extension on the review period if necessary, provided seller agrees). Very difficult, IE costly, to try and review any of these docs in advance as they'll be furnished to you after going under contract (no buyer would ever be excited about paying proactively for these docs before going under contract as it might be money "wasted" if you don't move forward on a unit in that community)

I'd recommend getting with your lender at some point and seeing what you can qualify for, and then you can take into account whatever those monthly fees may end up being (the lender is going to approve your loan factoring in those fees).. per condo ownership, interest rates may be a touch higher but user Smartmoney on here could definitely speak to that (and is local to the area)

[leighland]

Originally Posted by MambaMentality

I'd actually be willing to consider the entire range of the Silver Line, even if it lengthens my commute a bit... I'd only be commuting once a week when I return to commuting to work next year and am used to Metro transit so think I can bear it... can also mix the subway commute in with driving as needed.

Thanks, the condo you suggested looks reasonable - I'll look into it a bit more and others in that area. Might PM you when I get further into this... just doing some initial info gathering right now.

Go listen to kww, she knows her stuff