Nervous about a move to NOVA (Arlington, Alexandria: rentals, insurance, how much) - Northern Virginia - Virginia - City-Data Forum

ajzjmsmom · 07-14-2008, 03:27 PM

My husband is wanting to move to NOVA for his work (he will actually work in DC) and I am really nervous about the move. We live in NM now and the difference in prices really scare me. He was detailed to DC last summer and the kids and I went for 5 wks, our stay was paid by the gov't so we stayed in Pentagon City. I know that we won't be able to afford to stay there if we move though. We don't want to buy since these jobs are normally only 18 months, just a way to move up the ladder for him. I know since I have been there how much there is for the kids to do, but where is a good place to live? I was wondering if we will be able to find something to rent for no more than $1700? We have friends that moved there last year and live in Woodbridge and found a house for $1500 and another who just moved there and is a renting in Falls Church. We would of course like to limit my husbands commute and he does want to use public transporatation. I am excited about having 4 seasons as opposed to hot, hotter and hottest. Not to sure how it will all work out but I figure if we don't like it after 18 months we can rotate out and he will have at least gotten his 14 out of it. Not to mention his parents will finally be close enough to see the kids more. Any input would be appreciated.

nixau27 · 07-14-2008, 04:20 PM

We moved from TX and I really like it here; I understand your concerns abt. not buying a house and just renting since you might only be here for less than 2 years. There's a lot of houses for rent and hopefully you find one that you can afford-i'm sure you will. My spouse has been here since last year and I barely followed last month from TX. When we were looking at houses last year in August, we were being shown townhouses-brand new ones, decent looking, 3 BD, 2BA since the new SFH were a little out of our price range. Now, we can even get a brand new 4 BD/2.5BA SFH! Just look around-check out realtor.com, craigslist.com,military.com to check the prices, i'm sure and i hope you'll find a few, if not a lot.

5stones · 07-14-2008, 04:50 PM

you should be fine. There are ALOT of rentals now and even though you wnat under 2000/month I think you will find a nice place with a reasonable commute.

look on craigslist and militarybyowner for rentals in NOVA.

the cheaper places are the ones out a bit from the metro... but you can still find some great areas with some searching.

For schools and commute I'd look in Fairfax county.
Burke, WEST Springfield (have both the metro close and VRE close to commute)Kingstowne, Vienna, Falls Church and Fairfax city...ALL have great schools and are family friendly etc...

You may have to get a TH or an older home with less sqft than you currently have but the trade off is SCHOOLS are very good and the commute is better the closer to the Orange line you are.

GOOD luck...you will enjoy your stay.

PLUS...SCHOOLS are WAYYYY better than NM schools. the only ones we found close to the NOVA schools in NM were up in Los Alamos.

NOVAmtneer82 · 07-14-2008, 06:17 PM

Don't be nervous, there are few places in the nation more expensive than the DC area so there are A LOT of people who have been in your shoes. I moved here from WV where 100,000 can get you a fairly nice house...imagine my thoughts when I saw townhouses in my Arlington neighborhood that sold for 500K.

$1700 per month is doable but it will have to be in the outer suburbs. You mentioned that your husband is working in DC and you found places in Woodbridge, that would be around 2 hours each way in traffic during peak commute times..I guess he could always take the VRE commuter train.

I agree with 5stones that it might be better to look at areas in SW Fairfax County such as Burke, or West Springfield. There you have fairly easy access to both VRE and the Metro for commuting into the city along with excellent schools. Housing is definitely more expensive in these areas though, it will just depend on personal preferences.

ajzjmsmom · 07-14-2008, 09:08 PM

Thanks for all your info. Just another couple of questions. Is auto insurance expensive in Virginia? What about water, gas and electric bills? We pay about $100 a month for water, $250 for electric and about $60 for gas.

MacUser85 · 07-14-2008, 10:58 PM

Hello there and welcome.

Things are a little different from the Land of Enchantment and our Mexican food cannot match yours, but I think you will enjoy your 18 month stint here.

I think one of the things that will make this easier on your whole family is choosing a place as close in to the District as possible without breaking your budget. Every extra minute your husband is commuting is time he cannot spend with you and the kids and all. Arlington can be really expensive I know, but if I were you I would look all over Falls Church and Alexandria and leave no stone unturned. Really try and stay inside the Beltway. I recognize sometimes that is not possible of course, but just see if you can make it possible as a 30 minute or under commute here is so nice! Best of luck to you!

ajzjmsmom · 07-15-2008, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaseyMac

Hello there and welcome.

Things are a little different from the Land of Enchantment and our Mexican food cannot match yours, but I think you will enjoy your 18 month stint here.

I actually don't like the Mexican food from here. I am originally from South Texas down on the border of Texas and Mexico and the Mexcian food there is way better. I usually just cook my own so it works out real well. I am looking forward to the next experience just not real excited about forking out so much for rent. Oh well

knopfler · 07-15-2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

Thanks for all your info. Just another couple of questions. Is auto insurance expensive in Virginia? What about water, gas and electric bills? We pay about $100 a month for water, $250 for electric and about $60 for gas.

Virginia auto insurance is among the cheapest in the nation. No worries there - and we're MUCH cheaper than MD or (especially) DC.

Obviously with utilities it depends greatly on your usage and the size of your property, but those costs seem reasonable here too.

Welcome in advance to Northern Virginia!

5stones · 07-15-2008, 08:45 AM

auto was even cheaper in VA than PA.
Utilities are that bad...summer will have higer electric with AC (humid) but probably not as bad as NM. (although stucco is a much better insulator than vynal siding!)

water rates can be tricky...sometimes if you arein and unincorporated part of a city and use city water it can be very high. (as Leesburg was, city reidents..CHEAP water others $$$$)

If you really can't find anything in South Fairfax...
Then I would say look in Lakeridge. It's part of woodbridge with good schools and a family friendly atmosphere. your husband will have a long commute but he can take VRE train instead of driving.

nixau27 · 07-15-2008, 09:26 AM

My auto insurance will dramatically decrease when i switch from TX to NoVA! I had to get a quote for homeowner's insurance as well so I asked abt. the auto ins.-here goes: TX homeowner's insurance I was paying $600/yr for a $155K house and the house we might be buying w/c is worth $220+, I will only pay $360/yr; auto-for 3 cars, I will only pay $498 (6 mos.)+ compared to $890+(every 6 mos.) I was paying in TX. Now all these quotes are w/discounts since we're sticking w/the same insurance co. and all. Also, they are not new vehicles-1996 truck, 2001 Sentra and 2006 jeep. But I was happily surprised that even if the cost of living is a bit higher (well, the housing), I will save in some aspects e.g. insurance.