Germantown vs. Reston commute to Bethesda (Gaithersburg, Rockville: lenders, townhouse, neighborhoods)

[dennissw]

I've recently started a job in Bethesda and my wife and I are looking for a 3BR townhouse. We prefer to stay at or under 300K.

Currently we are considering Germantown or Reston, VA. I've seen lots of recommendations for Rockville, but we haven't been excited by the neighborhoods and houses that are in our price range there. We're hoping for something with a newer feel.

I'm trying hard to use public transportation to get to work and have found an express bus from Germantown to Bethesda. With that, I can make the commute in a little over an hour. But (a few years ago) we used to live in Virginia, liked it, and really want to consider Reston or something along the Dulles corridor. It seems the only way to make the commute is via metro which (might?) be around 75-90 minutes each way. I could handle the time, but then you add the idea of standing up on a crowded train and it's less appealing.

I've looked all over the place and can't find any bus that goes from Tysons or Reston to Bethesda. The ones that do all seem to go into DC first. I'm having a hard time believing that there isn't a single option to take a bus over the American Legion Bridge on 495. Am I missing something?

Other than that, I'd appreciate any constructive thoughts/advice on these areas (or any that you think we should check out) that might help focus our search.

Thanks in advance.

[mommie2bgermantown]

You can definitly find something under 300K in Germantown/Gaithersburg area and have a easy commute to Bethesda. I myself work in Bethesda and live in Germantown, I drive in though, the commute with regular rush hour traffic is about 45 mins to a hour. Without 30 mins. I dont know VA so cant give you info there. Good luck.. I work for a title company and reccomend a agent for you if you dont have one. We also have a lenders office here, so if your are seriously looking and need help let me know we can get in contact with you. Otherwise good luck!

[IndigoGuy]

I live in Reston and work in the Bethesda/Rockville area (N. Bethesda). There used to be a bus that went from Tysons to Bethesda around 495, but they canceled it a few years ago during budget cuts. It's true, there were only a few of us on it. The reason was there were no dedicated bus lanes for part of the route on 495, and the bus always got delayed in rush hour traffic and wasn't reliable. They are currently building new High Occupancy lanes in Virginia, and my understanding is when those are completed, they will allow higher speed bus transport, and the buses across the American Legion bridge might resume. With Metro to Reston in less than 2 years and that potential bus option, public transit might again be a viable option for us.