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Will some of you please stop further fueling the fire now that the bad blood has been mostly diffused? I'm not going to reply to those last statements because I've moved on from the bickering and just want to move onto other endeavors. I don't want to see this thread get locked, as I think some of the discussion can be very relevant for research purposes for other members, but I'm not responding further in this particular thread because I want this in-fighting to eventually end! We all can't fight non-stop for months.
Workin_Hard, with all due respect you're about the 700th person to post "Why move here?" During a recession job openings are slim, even in my field, which my professors and advisers lied to me at the time about when they said it was "recession-proof" when I switched my major several years ago. Coming from a household where I saw a parent struggle with frustration as his own industry laid him off time after time I yearned for stability. When I was sitting watching as many of my friends didn't have job offers with graduation approaching I wasn't going to reject one falling into my lap just because of the geography. I looked at it as a blessing to have been chosen when so many others are still in limbo. Beggars can't be choosers during times like these.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 05-11-2009 at 04:53 PM..
Reason: Additions
BTW, when I bought my first condo, I was single and bought it with a friend. We worked out a contractual agreement so that neither person was taken advantage of. I think that's a very good way for a young person to get started in real estate.
pittsburgh is a lot like scranton, so if you loved living in scranton, pittsburgh will be perfect. But my guess is that you'd hate the accent, football mania, blue-collar envy, parochialism (most people living in pittsburgh were born there and have never lived anywhere else), lack of diversity, conservatism, gray skies, potholes, and lack of good professional employment opportunities.
But housing is very affordable.
Workin_Hard, with all due respect you're about the 700th person to post "Why move here?" During a recession job openings are slim, even in my field, which my professors and advisers lied to me at the time about when they said it was "recession-proof" when I switched my major several years ago. Coming from a household where I saw a parent struggle with frustration as his own industry laid him off time after time I yearned for stability. When I was sitting watching as many of my friends didn't have job offers with graduation approaching I wasn't going to reject one falling into my lap just because of the geography. I looked at it as a blessing to have been chosen when so many others are still in limbo. Beggars can't be choosers during times like these.
OK, so you made your choice, the best of all available options. And it seems that since making it, all you've done is whine and complain about what you perceive to be the shortcomings of NoVA. The general consensus is that, based on the volume of your complaints, and if it's that terrible, why are you still coming here?
I moved here from Pittsburgh when the economy collapsed there and have carved out a very comfortable life here. There are things I miss, and ways of life I'd prefer that just don't exist here. But all things considered, I'm generally happy here (in spite of the lousy sports teams).
It does boggle the imagination... think how pricey homes in Fairfax County would be if they had forbidden development beyond the Loudoun and Prince William county lines.
Scran seems to think there's a huge supply of empty homes here, but I don't see it. There are more homes available than there were in 2006, but it's not what I'd call a huge inventory. Right now my neighborhood has more Contract Pending signs out than For Sale signs.
LOL, so true. And the same people who scream about needing more affordable homes are the same ones who sneer at the affordable neighborhoods that do exist. Look at how many people deride Sterling Park (and most of them haven't even been to Sterling Park, they just know it's the popular place to sneer at).
Sterling Park may not be as deluxe as the wealthier neighborhoods, but it's not a slum. It's a good place to get a starter home, IMO. When people gripe that there's no place for police officers, teachers, etc. to live, look again. Not everyone can afford a home in McLean but even the less wealthy neighborhoods in NOVA are decent places to live.
You really hit the nail on the head on that one. Sterling Park isn't a glittery McMansionville--if you want that, see the communities to the West--but the prices for SFHs on decent-sized lots are certainly affordable for many folks starting out, and it's a decent commute to Tysons and the Dulles corridor to boot.
I also find it amusing that some posters on this board who consistently talk about how great the "diversity" is in NOVA are the same ones who warn people away from neighborhoods (like Sterling Park) that actually have diversity!
I see that once again all of the "you can't Who I'd also be interested to hear from also are stay-at-home parents with a few children who have their spouses being the only bread-winner for their families. When did you buy your home? How much of your current net budget is being devoted to housing costs? How old were you when you were able to comfortably afford a home on one income? How much does your spouse earn, and, more importantly, did he/she finance the home on his/her own or did you both pool your financial resources?
We are a single-income family in a SFH (Sterling). We've had the house for over 5 years. Basically, here's how we did it.
I bought a small, 3 BR townhouse in Reston back in the mid-90s when the housing market was weak. I was then single and made a small downpayment I was able to scrape together. I lived there for 6 years when I met my wife. I sold my Reston TH for a modest profit, enabling my wife and I to buy our first house together (a larger townhouse in Herndon). At the time we both worked, but we had agreed that when we had children, my wife would stop working. We therefore only bought a house that I could afford on my income alone.
We had the Herndon TH for less than 3 years and bought a SFH in Sterling, the downpayment for which was financed entirely on the profits from the TH sale in Herndon. Our housing PITI is less than 20% of our income. My income is in the $130K range.
Bottom Line: scrimping and saving in the early years (and realizing I wasn't going to start out in a SFH) enabled us to eventually get a SFH. It took 9 years from the time I first bought a TH to work my way to a SFH.
Will some of you please stop further fueling the fire now that the bad blood has been mostly diffused? I'm not going to reply to those last statements because I've moved on from the bickering and just want to move onto other endeavors. I don't want to see this thread get locked, as I think some of the discussion can be very relevant for research purposes for other members, but I'm not responding further in this particular thread because I want this in-fighting to eventually end! We all can't fight non-stop for months.
Workin_Hard, with all due respect you're about the 700th person to post "Why move here?" During a recession job openings are slim, even in my field, which my professors and advisers lied to me at the time about when they said it was "recession-proof" when I switched my major several years ago. Coming from a household where I saw a parent struggle with frustration as his own industry laid him off time after time I yearned for stability. When I was sitting watching as many of my friends didn't have job offers with graduation approaching I wasn't going to reject one falling into my lap just because of the geography. I looked at it as a blessing to have been chosen when so many others are still in limbo. Beggars can't be choosers during times like these.
ScranBarre this might have been said in earlier posts but I didn't feel like reading through every single one. I will try and give you my perspective as someone who moved here from a smaller blue collar area.
The DC area is what it is, as has been pointed out the region isn't evil and trying to forbid people from moving here. It's a supply and demand issue that centers around a lot of people making high salaries and being able to afford higher priced homes. You saw a lot of new construction going on in the outer exurban fringe of the metropolitan area and yes there is but it simply isn't enough to satisfy all of the demand for moving here, especially inside the Beltway. The end result is higher home prices that adjust according to what the market is willing to support.
You referenced in one post earlier about people you know back in Scranton buying homes at young ages, the same can be said in my hometown. Friends who are now my age (late 20s) are purchasing homes for under $80,000 and while it seems like a good deal they will probably never appreciate because there is virtually no demand for housing where they live. Factor in very low salaries and a poor economic outlook and you understand why certain areas can offer very very low home prices while others like DC that have amazing high paying job opportunities are very expensive.
You also must keep in mind that sometimes the choices we make directly determine financial abilities. I've read earlier that you chose to rent a one bedroom apartment in Reston because that was as close in as you could get because of high prices and because you could walk to work. I'm not convinced you looked hard enough as there are plenty of places in Arlington that can be had for the $800-$1000 range but you need to do what most young people do right out of college here is and that is HAVE ROOMMATES. Is it really that awful to share a living space with a friend for a year or two? I've lived in Arlington since I got here and in that time I've had roommates but also lived on my own, saved on rent and am now looking to buy. I started out just below 50K five years ago and while I've been successful with my job I can't exactly say I earn much more than my friends, most of whom also work in the same field.
Is this area expensive, YES nobody is denying that. As I've also pointed out in past posts debating this issue, people often compare prices in neighborhoods of other regions that are in no way similar to the DC area. Various posters will compare prices in outer suburban cities of Atlanta, Charlotte, etc. to higher-end inside the Beltway communities like McLean or Arlington. Or they will compare prices in some run of the mill Pittsburgh neighborhood like Lawrenceville to Old Town Alexandria or Georgetown. You just can't do that for a fair comparision.
If I read correctly you said you expected to probably remain a single income earner. I don't know whether to take that as you expect to remain single or what but if so why would you ever need to purchase a single family home? You can certainly buy condos for under 600K, even inside the Beltway in a walkable neighborhood like Clarendon or Ballston.
You say that you see nothing that is really unique about Northern Virginia but you haven't even lived here so that isn't really a fair statement. There is more to this area than Reston where you decided to live and Herndon where you work. I'm still trying to figure out why somebody who seems to love ultra urban environments chose to live in Reston...I know plenty of people in Arlington and DC who work out in the Dulles Corridor so again it has come down to the individual choices that you have made. I'm not suggesting you move away but just letting you know that you have the freedom to live wherever you want (this includes within the DC region) so why not take advantage of it!
The reason why I chose to move to Reston as opposed to closer to DC, where I'd undoubtedly be happier, are:
1.) The traffic congestion, even on a reverse-commute from, per se, Ballston to Herndon would get on my nerves after a while, not to mention not wanting to endure the expense of paying tolls everyday when my budget is already razor-thin. I need to travel for 70% of my job in the Reston/Herndon area to various clients, and it would be a strain to live as far away as Arlington and risk being late to a meeting due to some sort of traffic tie-up. This was my big gripe about the Silver Line not being built for years into the future due to the NIMBYs because meanwhile those of us who have to work in Herndon/Sterling/Reston/Chantilly due to our job location but hate the suburban environment really have no options besides living in Arlington and making the commute.
2.) I didn't want a roommate specifically so I could have ample privacy to start trying to date in DC after living in a very socially conservative (and in most cases regressive) area where I've become terribly lonesome. I'm by no means a risque person, but I don't even feel comfortable holding hands with a partner in front of someone else, much less cuddling, kissing, or saying "I love you." I've had plenty of people during my lifetime treat me terribly for that very reason. I wouldn't want to subject someone to that who wouldn't be comfortable around that type of environment, and I'm not the type to flaunt my romantic life in the faces of others because I know it causes a lot of social conservatives anger/resentment. This is why I need my privacy. Even if a roommate says he or she is "cool" with it, I'll always have my doubts about that.
3.) Due to the lack of having a roommate for reasons specified in #2 I wouldn't be able to afford anything in an area I'd truly "like" right in or near DC. Being near to the Reston Town Center was the best available option for me to be able to afford to live on my own within walking distance to some amenities. It's sad that there aren't any better options, but as others said I should just stop whining and be content living in an area I don't really want to live in but am "trapped" in because that's the way many people live in NoVA.
I mean I'm not asking you to stop whining and be content but to rather be happy with where you live and if that means moving somewhere else so be it. It is inaccurate to say many people feel "trapped" in Northern Virginia, most people really enjoy it here. People aren't necessarily defensive on this forum, we just get tired of listening about how awful this place is from individuals that would probably be miserable regardless of the location.
I don't exactly know what would constitute something you "like" but you can get 600 square foot studio apartments in some North Arlington complexes for what you are paying for a 1 bedroom in Reston. Did you even try to meet potential roommates in this area? I think you are pre-judging a very large pool of candidates considering the hordes of twenty somethings who live in this area and come from a variety of backgrounds. Believe me I've had a lot of roommates and everyone has their opinions about various things but at the end of the day your personal life is your personal life and they won't intervene. Most people have more pressing issues to worry about other than who their roommate is dating.
As for the traffic from Arlington to the Dulles Corridor..it isn't great especially coming home but it could be a lot worse. I go out that way at least once a month visiting client sites and it certainly isn't unbearable and the tolls aren't even that expensive. And while I have been late for a few meetings because of traffic so has everyone else in this area.
Last edited by NOVAmtneer82; 05-11-2009 at 09:11 PM..
2.) I didn't want a roommate specifically so I could have ample privacy to start trying to date in DC after living in a very socially conservative (and in most cases regressive) area where I've become terribly lonesome.
Whatever your reasons may be, having an apartment without a roomate is a luxury. The more luxuries you feel you have to have, the more difficult it will be to save money to buy a home.
Buying your first home requires most people to do a lot of scrimping. Scrimping doesn't just mean shopping at Wal-Mart, it means sacrifices. It's your choice as to what you're willing to sacrifice. If you aren't willing to sacrifice things like eating out all the time, and having your own apartment, and driving a nice car, then it isn't realistic to get a house as a single guy in your 20s. (Which, for many people, is the way to go. Not everyone needs to own a house.)
So quit complaining about it. You've made your choices and you got a nice apartment that you don't have to share. Be happy with it. Welcome to reality.
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Very Well Stated!
