Moving to Manassas/Woodbridge/Dumfries renting questions (apartments, rental)

[perk76]

As I will be a new NOVA transplant in the near future the cost of living seems daunting. My job is going to be close to Dumfries and I would like to live as close as possible. I am willing to be within 30 minutes or so in the north western direction. Any ideas for location is good also, even though there are already a ton of posts on communities.

I have some questions regarding Apartment/Townhouse living as I am coming from Michigan as a home owner. I am familiar with budgeting and utility bills for a SFH but not apartments/townhouses.

1. 2 bedroom Apartment living in some of the communities: Outside of their stated monthly fee (lets say $1200), what other costs do they charge? What kind of utility bills would be expected in a 1k sq foot living space? Are the common areas included in cost (pool, rec room, weight room, etc)?

2. Utility costs for a townhouse rental?

3. Will a 55k salary be sufficient in the areas mentioned for a family of 3?

I appreciate any assistance.

[oneasterisk]

1. The common areas should be included in the rental price. Trash service should also be included, and I've seen where sometimes water is also included. You'll probably have to foot the bill for electric, maybe gas, tv, phone internet etc.

2. There are a lot of variables when considering utility costs. Some homes are not built to the same specs so some are better insulated than others, or the efficiency of the water heater/furnace/AC etc.

I have an almost 1600ft SFH rental that I lived in for a few months by myself. Water was about $20-30, electric was about $160 during the really cold winter months. The house had an electric heat pump, water heater, stove, washer, dryer etc and I'd keep the thermostat to 70*.

3. It depends on the family. Do you have any other bills like car payments or school/medical loans etc?

My sister does it with less and they are a family of 6. No car payments or school loans, and they don't go out to each much. They much prefer eat in. She's a SAHM who home schools the 4 kids. The nice thing with this area is that there are many activities that are free like museums and parks.

[perk76]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

3. It depends on the family. Do you have any other bills like car payments or school/medical loans etc?

I have one combined medical/cc bill that will be taken care of once/if my current mortgage sells. I have already planned for the worst in regards to my old home.

So for an 1000 sq ft apartment would $200 be a decent avg for gas/electric combined?

Thanks for your information.

[oneasterisk]

I think that would be a good assumption for gas/electric.

Also I think it's a good idea to look north/west of Dumfries. You may get a bit more apt/townhouse for the money if you look in Stafford (south of Dumfries), but then you'd be fighting traffic to go North. There are some newer apartments in Bristow that you may consider. You'd have to take 234 to get to Dumfries from Bristow, but the commute wouldn't be bad at all. Probably around 30 minutes and there really isn't much traffic on 234.

Good luck on your move.