Input on DC Relocation Plan(s) (Washington: real estate market, rentals, new home)
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Hello!
We are currently in the process of relocating to the Washington DC area from the Midwest & are interested in knowing what the opinions of those already established in the area.
I will be working for the government as a GS-13 in the Pentagon area. We are tentatively looking to settle in the Stafford, VA area. We’ll probably rent until we can find a suitable home to purchase in Stafford. I plan to utilize public transportation (VRE) and avoid driving as much as possible. (*I’m aware of the extended commute time from Stafford.)
We are a single-income family with 4 children (*my wife actually works part-time and should be able to transfer & continue working once we move, but we try not to factor her income and use that as a “buffer”). Our maximum housing budget is $2K / month ( = no more than $2,000 a month for rent or mortgage). We are in the process of selling our home here in the Midwest, but probably won’t have a lot left over for down payment on a new home on account of the current state of the real estate market. Plus, we plan to rent the first year anyhow as we get to know the area.
Please let me know what your thoughts are on this plan – any insight would be most appreciated!
Thank you,
Hello!
We are currently in the process of relocating to the Washington DC area from the Midwest & are interested in knowing what the opinions of those already established in the area.
I will be working for the government as a GS-13 in the Pentagon area. We are tentatively looking to settle in the Stafford, VA area. We’ll probably rent until we can find a suitable home to purchase in Stafford. I plan to utilize public transportation (VRE) and avoid driving as much as possible. (*I’m aware of the extended commute time from Stafford.)
We are a single-income family with 4 children (*my wife actually works part-time and should be able to transfer & continue working once we move, but we try not to factor her income and use that as a “buffer”). Our maximum housing budget is $2K / month ( = no more than $2,000 a month for rent or mortgage). We are in the process of selling our home here in the Midwest, but probably won’t have a lot left over for down payment on a new home on account of the current state of the real estate market. Plus, we plan to rent the first year anyhow as we get to know the area.
Please let me know what your thoughts are on this plan – any insight would be most appreciated!
Thank you,
Josh
Sounds good....Makes sense to me. Just be prepared for the cost of living difference and traffic. Its nothing like the midwest except for Chicago....
you might want to consider the Gainsville area in PW county. It's closer in than Stafford (less commute time) and the VRE runs out of there as well. Schools are good in the Gainsville/Nokeville/Haymarket area and housing is better than Fairfax or even Loudoun counties.
Also many rental in Lorton in PW county.
LOOk at Military rentals ... militarybyowner
just remember to factor in your commute time. we are a govt family as well and my kids rarely seeing my husband during the week. (our choice since we choose to live in Leesburg and commute to Tysons) If you are support etc... and have set 9-5 hours then it not so bad. But if you are like my husband, and can't leave right at 5-6 because of some crisis (everything here is a crisis!!) then yourhours might be like his...6:30-7am to 7-7:30 pm.
I'd agree that Gainesville and Lorton are good options also. They are coming from different pasts, but both are headed in a strongly positive direction going forward. I'd also again heartily agree with the emphasis on the commute. After the type of housing that's appropriate and affordable, the nature of the commute should be the #1 priority. Nothing will ruin your life faster than a nightmare commute, and too many people just don't pay enough attention to it. There is of course a Metro station underneath the Pentagon and tons of bus routes leave from there, and you can connect to Metro fairly easily off either VRE line, so the makings of something at least doable do seem to be there. Keep in mind that VRE doesn't really run all day long. It's essentially a rush-hour only service. See the schedules here: VRE Train Schedules Renting for a year will be a fine plan. By then you'll know whether wherever you are will work long-term, and if not, you'll have many new and good ideas about what would...
Thanks, All! We’ll take a good, hard look at the Gainesville / Nokesville / Haymarket / Lorton areas in addition to Stafford. I’m originally from the Bay Area (Sunnyvale, CA) and we’ve been here in the Midwest for 10 years after relocating from Richmond, VA, so I’ve got an idea as to what we are getting into. I’m fairly certain that utilizing public transportation as much as possible is a good alternative to making the commute individually, and am prepared for a ballpark one-hour commute. Now if our house here will only sell (*quickly)!
Thanks again!
~Josh
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Good input – THANKS!
