Need advice please!!! (Arlington, Reston, McLean: for sale, apartment, to rent)

[slw]

Hubby rec'd a job transfer to DC and we will need to be there by the end of the year. We have no desire to live in DC and realize in talking to others this move is going to dramatically change our lives but this is not a permanent position. We no nothing about the areas but have heard good things about Manassas and Fairfax. Any advice on Great Neighborhoods, Family Oriented, and Great Schools would be appreciate!


Thank you,
S

[Denton56]

The best schools are always in the best (most expensive) neighborhoods. (Smart kids in, smart kids out.) So houses in McLean and Great Falls, the Langley high school district, have the best schools.

We need some idea of what you are looking for, how much you want to spend, do you want to rent a house or apartment, all those details.

[slw]

Since we will only be there for 3yrs, we do not want to spend no more than 650,000 on a home. Do not want to live in an apartment,th,etc. Would prefer to buy but may need to rent until we get a better idea where to buy.

Thanks again for any advice!

[Mearth]

Originally Posted by Denton56

The best schools are always in the best (most expensive) neighborhoods. (Smart kids in, smart kids out.) So houses in McLean and Great Falls, the Langley high school district, have the best schools.

We need some idea of what you are looking for, how much you want to spend, do you want to rent a house or apartment, all those details.

I have to disagree. The kids who live in the most expensive neighborhoods, are the most spoiled, and the worst influences.

Also, money does not equal smart.

I would avoid Arlington altogether. McLean... probably not. I'd shoot for Loudoun County. The further away from DC, the more down-to-earth the kids will be.

[athousandlogins]

If your budget is up to 650, you should be able to get a decent house in a decent area, no problem.

Commute is a huge factor when deciding on location here, since we have some of the worst traffic in the nation. Where exactly is the job? If it is in DC proper, the closer you can get to the city, the better. Manassas is quite far away, I wouldn't recommend it unless your price range was lower or the job was actually in Manassas. (And even then, the schools are a mixed bag.)

Fairfax County is closer to DC and the schools are very well-regarded, as a whole.

[JfromReston]

Reston is in Fairfax County and is a good distance from DC but not nearly as far as Manassas. Here are a few houses I would recommend looking at in your price range in Reston.

View Property Details- 2422 SILVER FOX LN, Reston, VA 20191
View Property Details- 2025 BEACON PL, Reston, VA 20191
View Property Details- 1941 UPPER LAKE DR, Reston, VA 20191
View Property Details- 1501 STUART RD, Reston, VA 20194

http://reston.org has lots of information on Reston. Just ask if you have any questions.

[Denton56]

For $650,000 you should be able to find a home in Vienna, in the Madison high school district. The schools are good and the commute isn't awful. Vienna is very family friendly and a real town which is somewhat rare in Fairfax county.
FranklyMLS.com Virginia & DC MLS via Keyword Search & Wiki. Homes for Sale

You might also want to try the city of Falls Church. Be sure it's the city because the schools are very good. Some areas are called Falls Church but are not in the city of Falls Church and their schools are less good.

You might even be able to find a house in McLean at that price.

Fairfax county is a mine field of schools, varying from quite good to quite bad.

Loudoun is too far out to commute. It would take at least 90 minutes even at 5:30am.

[Denton56]

If you have children in middle school or high school, Reston is not a good choice. Some of the elementary schools are ok, not great, but ok. Hughes Middle school and South Lakes high school are not good. If you find a house in Armstrong or Aldrin elementary areas, in north Reston, they feed to Herndon middle and Herndon high school which are better than the Reston middle and high schools.

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by Denton56

The best schools are always in the best (most expensive) neighborhoods. (Smart kids in, smart kids out.) So houses in McLean and Great Falls, the Langley high school district, have the best schools.

We need some idea of what you are looking for, how much you want to spend, do you want to rent a house or apartment, all those details.

All I can say is "wow", I sure hope that people like you are not the norm in NOVA or I am going to have some serious run-ins with people. Just because someone has money does not mean they are the smartest, likewise just because someone is poor doesn't mean they are stupid.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

All I can say is "wow", I sure hope that people like you are not the norm in NOVA or I am going to have some serious run-ins with people. Just because someone has money does not mean they are the smartest, likewise just because someone is poor doesn't mean they are stupid.

I feel like the OP got caught in a bit of cross-fire here. Perhaps if the OP can elaborate on what he or she is seeking for his or her family, other posters could chime in. Athousandlogins, however, did nail it; the OP would have a lot of good options in the current market if seeking a $650K house in the region.

As it stands, I think there's a lot of questionable "insight" in this thread. In particular, many of the schools in the county with Falls Church and Reston addresses compare quite favorably to some of the schools that students from the town of Vienna attend, particularly at the elementary school level. And anyone steering newcomers who will be working in DC to look out in Loudoun ought to acknowledge that it can be a pretty significant commute. Why are kids whose parents end up commuting 90 minutes each way to their jobs likely to be more "down-to-earth"?