Please help us find neighborhoods to buy a house... (Arlington: real estate, renting)

[Tee11]

Hi everyone! I would be so thankful for any advice/pointers/opinions that could help us find some neighborhoods to concentrate our real estate search on - if you can with zip codes, name of neighborhood and why you think it's great!

Me and my husband been renting all our lives, have moved 5 times in the last 7 years and are sooo tired of it. It's time to settle down and have kids! It's time to actually get to know your friendly neighbors (and not worry about them) and not feel like in a hotel! Our jobs (DC and Dale City) brought us to this area, and it is daunting to figure out WHERE to settle down. We are currently in Northern Arlington, near Clarendon, and like the area a lot (like walkability, green, metro access, feels safe, cafes, ...) but when we were shown a dark and dingy old 2 BR condo for $550,000 we ran. You get the picture. We could spend (much) more (we've been debating back and forth) -but not for sth like that, thank you. We'd really like a house with a yard.
I thought about Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Springfield,... but it's really hard to concentrate on such a large area. Also it seems that it varies so much within these areas on which are 'good' areas, and as far as schools, we won't need one for another 5-6 years it looks like, but better school district, better neighborhood, right? So I guess that's important, too.

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for reading!

[movingtodcfromseattle]

We moved to VA this summer and looked at 37 properties before we bought (Fairfax, Springfield, etc). We ended up in 22032 and LOVE our neighborhood. They have great schools, fantastic neighborhood and so close to a beautiful park and lake. If you want more info then PM me. Oh and we have two small children (4 and 1) and were specifically looking for a family-friendly area.

Good luck!

[weezycom]

Try Sleepy Hollow (more toward the Mason District Park side) and Lake Barcroft neighborhoods. Biggest drawback of both those areas is the trees are so mature that a lot of houses don't get much sun.

[Turbogyrl]

In my opinion, Vienna would be the choice. Has it all... great schools, metro, walkability, close to great restaurants - DC & Alexandria, wonderful central location.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Tee11

Hi everyone! I would be so thankful for any advice/pointers/opinions that could help us find some neighborhoods to concentrate our real estate search on - if you can with zip codes, name of neighborhood and why you think it's great!

Me and my husband been renting all our lives, have moved 5 times in the last 7 years and are sooo tired of it. It's time to settle down and have kids! It's time to actually get to know your friendly neighbors (and not worry about them) and not feel like in a hotel! Our jobs (DC and Dale City) brought us to this area, and it is daunting to figure out WHERE to settle down. We are currently in Northern Arlington, near Clarendon, and like the area a lot (like walkability, green, metro access, feels safe, cafes, ...) but when we were shown a dark and dingy old 2 BR condo for $550,000 we ran. You get the picture. We could spend (much) more (we've been debating back and forth) -but not for sth like that, thank you. We'd really like a house with a yard.
I thought about Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Springfield,... but it's really hard to concentrate on such a large area. Also it seems that it varies so much within these areas on which are 'good' areas, and as far as schools, we won't need one for another 5-6 years it looks like, but better school district, better neighborhood, right? So I guess that's important, too.

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for reading!

Hard to go wrong with West Springfield and Burke. central location for both commutes and great schools.

[claremarie]

Focus on neighborhoods that give you both a decent commute. Burke, Springfield, Alexandria would give you reasonable access to both workplaces. Vienna, Falls Church, Sleepy Hollow -- all very nice areas, but all much more convenient for the DC than the Dale City commute. And you really need to figure how much you are willing to spend. In general, as you are probably well aware, the closer to DC you are, and the "better" the school pyramid (generally measured by test scores), the more expensive the neighborhoods will be.

[Yankeesfan]

Do you (or is it your husband) take Metro into DC? If so, to which stop? And does the Dale City commuter take 95 South? I'm thinking somewhere along the Blue Line would be good. There are a lot of family-friendly neighborhoods there.

[bornindc]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Focus on neighborhoods that give you both a decent commute. Burke, Springfield, Alexandria would give you reasonable access to both workplaces. Vienna, Falls Church, Sleepy Hollow -- all very nice areas, but all much more convenient for the DC than the Dale City commute.

I agree with Claremarie 100%. Burke, Springfield and Alexandria south of the Beltway all could have good options for you and split the difference in the commute between DC and Dale City. 22151 and 22152 in Springfield have some nice houses with yards as you describe. Also some parts of Alexandria like 22310 could meet your criteria. I'm sure there are others, those are just zip codes I know off the top of my head. Check some of those areas out for sure.

[adctvmonkey]

Claremarie offered very good choices. You could also take a look at Lorton or Fairfax Station (zip codes 22079 and 22039), which is just south of Burke and Springfield and north of the Prince William County border in Fairfax County along I-95.

[terrence81]

I'm thinking West Springfield or Burke would be a good compromise. They're roughly in the middle between Dale City and Dc. They have good schools and they're nice plesant areas. Lots of trees and very family oriented.