Renting in NOVA (Arlington, Alexandria, Reston: apartment complex, rentals, townhouses)

[DennyCrane]

Based on what I'm seeing, the rents in NOVA (excluding places like Arlington and Alexandria) for a 2br apartment average around $1800. Given that, I'm wondering if it would be better to rent a privately owned townhouse.

I've lived in professionally managed apartment complexes and also rented a townhouse from a private owner. Each has its pros and cons. With the apartment, the management was hit or miss depending on where you rented. If it was good, maintenance issues were dealt with promptly and management was always quick to respond to your requests or complaints. With bad management, it was the exact opposite. When I rented from a private owner, I never had any issues. But the property I rented was brand new so there were never any maintenance issues. My impression of most private owners who rent their property is that they just want the rental income, but don't want to be bothered with the maintenance. Another issue with most private owners is that they don't like to rent to people with pets. I do have a dog, but no kids.

I want to get the most for my money, especially if I'm going to be spending $1800. Are the deals better for rental townhouses? How easy is it find someone who allows pets? What a rent-to-own townhouse? Are there deals out there for that? If I go the apartment route, are their management companies I should absolutely steer clear of or ones that I should focus on? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm just trying to get an idea of the rental scene in NOVA, particularly in Fairfax, Vienna, Reston and Herndon which are the areas I'll most likely end up living in. I already know that inside the Beltway will out of my reach and living farther out past Herndon or Fairfax is out of the question.

[normie]

Denny! Good to see you! I was just wondering where you were...figured you probably took a job in another city. Are you still thinking of moving here?

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by DennyCrane

Based on what I'm seeing, the rents in NOVA (excluding places like Arlington and Alexandria) for a 2br apartment average around $1800. Given that, I'm wondering if it would be better to rent a privately owned townhouse.

I've lived in professionally managed apartment complexes and also rented a townhouse from a private owner. Each has its pros and cons. With the apartment, the management was hit or miss depending on where you rented. If it was good, maintenance issues were dealt with promptly and management was always quick to respond to your requests or complaints. With bad management, it was the exact opposite. When I rented from a private owner, I never had any issues. But the property I rented was brand new so there were never any maintenance issues. My impression of most private owners who rent their property is that they just want the rental income, but don't want to be bothered with the maintenance. Another issue with most private owners is that they don't like to rent to people with pets. I do have a dog, but no kids.

I want to get the most for my money, especially if I'm going to be spending $1800. Are the deals better for rental townhouses? How easy is it find someone who allows pets? What a rent-to-own townhouse? Are there deals out there for that? If I go the apartment route, are their management companies I should absolutely steer clear of or ones that I should focus on? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm just trying to get an idea of the rental scene in NOVA, particularly in Fairfax, Vienna, Reston and Herndon which are the areas I'll most likely end up living in. I already know that inside the Beltway will out of my reach and living farther out past Herndon or Fairfax is out of the question.

You would probably get more space for sure, while there are alot of owners who don't want pets they can be found, the only thing I notice here that is different from other places is that the pet deposit ranges anywhere from $300 to $1000 here and in other states not so expensive

[DennyCrane]

Originally Posted by normie

Denny! Good to see you! I was just wondering where you were...figured you probably took a job in another city. Are you still thinking of moving here?

Yes I am. I'm just trying to get a clearer picture on the cost of living, the job market, the expected salaries in my field, and where in NOVA I'd want to live. Moving to a new city is a big decision. The last time I did it, I discovered I didn't do enough research and it really came back to bite me. I want to avoid that this time.

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

You would probably get more space for sure, while there are alot of owners who don't want pets they can be found, the only thing I notice here that is different from other places is that the pet deposit ranges anywhere from $300 to $1000 here and in other states not so expensive

Having more space isn't as important as the quality of it, though I don't want to be stuck in a shoebox. I'd rather pay a little extra to be in a good location and have better amenities even if it means giving up some space. The pet deposit thing worries me, but it's just something I'll have to deal with.

[normie]

Originally Posted by DennyCrane

Yes I am. I'm just trying to get a clearer picture on the cost of living, the job market, the expected salaries in my field, and where in NOVA I'd want to live. Moving to a new city is a big decision. The last time I did it, I discovered I didn't do enough research and it really came back to bite me. I want to avoid that this time.

Smart move. Let us know what questions we can help you with. I don't know the answer about the dog, per se, but in general Nova is very dog friendly so I think you'll be able to find a landlord willing to rent to you. You might even find a townhouse with some doggie amenities in place.

[eastli84]

I definitely think you get more bang for your buck for a townhouse rather than an apartment. A friend and I rented a 3br townhouse in a great spot in Fairfax for $1825, but no pets were allowed. The townhouse was incredibly spacious and had a little backyard. Townhouses in NoVA are generally really nice, more spacious, and not much more expensive than the typical apartment. If your work is in a community with both townhouses and apartments, definitely go for the townhouse!

[CaliTerp07]

Depends what you're willing to compromise on. You will not get a townhouse next door to an apartment for any less (in my experience, it will be significantly more). If you're willing to increase your commute or rent an older townhouse with less amenities, you can probably find something on-par with some of the nicer apartments.

I'm curious where you're looking though.

[DennyCrane]

Originally Posted by eastli84

I definitely think you get more bang for your buck for a townhouse rather than an apartment. A friend and I rented a 3br townhouse in a great spot in Fairfax for $1825, but no pets were allowed. The townhouse was incredibly spacious and had a little backyard. Townhouses in NoVA are generally really nice, more spacious, and not much more expensive than the typical apartment. If your work is in a community with both townhouses and apartments, definitely go for the townhouse!

The last time I moved, I discovered the apartments were $1200. Then I noticed the nearby townhouses could be rented for $1300. An extra $100 for nearly double the space, a garage and more privacy. Seemed like a no-brainer. But I also didn't have a dog at the time. Like I said, I don't need a ton of space. But the ideal would be to land a townhouse that I could perhaps buy at the end of my lease.

[CaliTerp07]

I found that I could rent a full house (3br/1ba) in North Springfield or an older townhouse/duplex (2br/2ba) in the part of Alexandria around Huntington metro for around $2000/month. I had no problem finding pet friendly rentals (though my dog is only 25 lbs, not a restricted breed, and has quite the little "doggy resume" to prove she won't tear up the house). The extra $400 over my $1600 apartment is a 25% increase though, significantly more than the extra $100 you mentioned you saw before.

Play around on craigslist to get an idea of what private landlords are renting their homes for. That was the quickest way for me to find ballpark numbers and determine what was worth it.

[athousandlogins]

When we searched for a place last year, we definitely found that private owners offered better deals than apartment complexes. No question about it. However...

My impression of most private owners who rent their property is that they just want the rental income, but don't want to be bothered with the maintenance.

I have also found that impression to be ENTIRELY true. Our dishwasher was broken at the end of last year and it took them 2 months to fix it. Now it is broken again and we're coming up on 3 weeks with no sign of life from our property management company, despite our repeated calls. My guess is that our very cheap landlord is balking. I'm so enraged. When I lived in an apartment complex this kind of thing would be taken care of within 24-48 hours.

So while I do think renting from a private owner is a good value, I would just be careful about the kind of property I rent. If it looks well-maintained, it probably means the landlord is interested in keeping it that way, and you're golden. But if it looks at all like there have been gaps in maintenance, DO NOT rent it, even if it seems like a great deal for the money. Even if you think you could live with things a little rough around the edges, don't take the risk. I now know, this is a sure sign of a landlord who begrudges his responsibilities and will fight with you over every penny.