Housing, work in D.C., attend Community College... (Alexandria, Burke: hardwood floors, fit in)

[Abraham & Sarah]

Help with housing!! We are looking to buy a single family home, 3 br, 2 baths, hardwood floors, prefer brick, gas heating w/ washer/dryer with a max of $500,000, around 1500 sp. feet in a nice neighborhood. We would like bus or metro access. Husband will work in D.C. Our daughter will commute to your N. Va. Community College, so this will be a big traffic consideration. The church we would prefer is the Fairfax Circle Baptist Church. We will be traveling as much as possible back home to Char, S.C. What about parking (we will have 2 cars) & utility costs, too? We also have a cat. We will probably plan to sell our house, buy, hopefully resell with profit in 2010 when he retires. Please help. My husband needs to make a decision on the job offer VERY SOON!!! Thanks!

[allivant]

The housing wouldn't be really hard. I'm a Realtor so I just checked out that area for SFH's in that price range. Which NOVA campus is your daughter going to? Traffic will be somewhat bad everywhere you go during rush hour traffic to be honest with you. Contact me if you need any advice.

[The Dissenter]

i know you prefer a sfh but the west end area in alexandria has 3 br condos and townhomes with all you need for under that price range. you get all the metro access of being close to DC. the area also has bus lines going straight from condo buildings to NVCC-Alexandria and the pentagon where your husband can metro to DC. The traffic is a killer no matter where you live so it's smart you want metro access. You may be able to shave a few min off your commute if you know where to get on and off the freeway.

[DavidS827]

Basically it all hinges upon what a reasonable commute would be for your husband and daughter. Finding a house close to Fairfax Baptist wont be a problem. Neither will parking, as you'll probably have a driveway, garage, or carport....or at the minimum some street parking in front of your house.

by the way..I like the Biblical reference in your name.....it's an interesting story.

[Abraham & Sarah]

Thanks so much for the replies! This is the first time I have used such a forum. It is an awesome opportunity! The commute for my daughter would be a great concern. She does 4-lane (2 lanes both ways)interstate driving here and "back road" driving of about a 30 minute commute to her college, but avoids rush hour. I (her Mom) envision going with her to the college until she gets familiar with it (we both have some anxiety issues concerning directions and traffic. Your traffic will probably be a great challenge for us.)
I guess I need to add that driving to places like the stores and such will be a great challenge for me too. (I do not need to work outside the home) My husband can deal with it much better. He said he is willing to do up to a 45 minute commute to work if it will put the rest of us in a better position for driving or housing. His job will pay him to ride the Metro.

We don't necessarily have to live near the Fairfax Circle Baptist Church, though it would be convenient, but if the drive is far or too challenging, my daughter and I can commute with my husband at the wheel. The church would entail perhaps 2x a week whereas my daughter going to college would entail maybe 4x a week. (there could be another church that would meet our needs, but as of now, that is the one to which I am really drawn.) Also, she will need a part-time job, which will entail the traffic challenge as well. Currently she is working in retail at a small home town drug store, and would probably want to pursue a similiar job.

We are not "big city folks," but my husband has traveled extensively because of his job & is better able to deal with it.

Part of the reason for choosing my user name is because everthing I have ever known and is comfortable to me will have to be left behind when we move. This will be a MAJOR ADJUSTMENT for us, and our faith, like the faith of Abraham and Sarah, will be way we can take each step. We were born in very southern Char, S.C., have tons of family & friends; I have been to the same church all my life (though it has changed into a purpose-drivin contemporary church, thank God) The house I am in now was built by my husband and is only my 2nd home. I envisioned living in it and in my locale the rest of my life!

So now, you have more of a complete picture of what our needs are, and how thankful we are for any help from "way up there"!

[dullnboring]

Check out the area around Springfield, Franconia and West Springfield. Maybe venture out to Burke if you want more suburban and quiet. This will put you within a relatively short commute to NVCC's main campus in Annandale (figure 15-25 minutes), as well as it's campus in Alexandria, and there is Metro access via the Blue Line that should put your husband into work in DC in less than 45 minutes. I'm not exactly sure where Fairfax Bible Church is, but you're roughly 20 minutes from Fairfax in these areas. There are plenty of strip malls with retail in the area where your daughter could find part-time employment. There's a mall as well, Springfield Mall although it doesn't have the greatest reputation at the moment, but basically, any generic strip mall you pass (and there's lots) will have a handful of Help Wanted signs out front so that's of no concern.

[Abraham & Sarah]

Why does Springfield Mall have a bad reputation right now? Not as many stores? Problems with crime?

One thing that I have forgotten to ask about is the crime rates. What areas are not so good? One of the job considerations my husband has is Jacksonville, & we have heard that the crime & poverty is pretty bad.

I do know that there are good & bad sections anywhere you go. The same with where we live.

[DavidS827]

There have been some problems with fights and I believe there was a stabbing there recently. Depending upon who you ask, there may or may not be a gang problem there.

Of all of the malls in the metro area, this is the last one I would have my daughter work at.