Moving to DC area. Need help! (hardwood floors, apartments, rentals)

[Mrsannab17]

Hello there. I am sure this thread gets posted all the time but I need your guys help. My husband and I are relocating from San Diego to the DC area for a job. We are looking to move into a place by mid to late February of this year. So coming up quick. We are wondering what are the good areas and bad areas. Places to for sure stay away from. Mainly planning on living in MD or VA not DC. Places close to the Metro because that will be his way to work everyday. He is hoping to not be on the metro that long so preferably about 30 min but willing to be open to it. We are in the process of starting a family as well. I do not think we will be living in this area for long enough where we need to worry about good schools. We also have 3 small dogs. Harmless. Potty trained. Under 25 pounds. One of them is paralyzed and wears diapers all the time so she won't be an issue. We have been very open and honest about telling the properties we are interested in that we have 3 dogs so they are aware of this. We have been using the Zillow app to find places. So here is what we are looking for:

-Min 3 bed/3 bath
-Hoping to not spend over $2k/month
-Commuting to DC area so will need to be close to Metro
-Want a good-amazing neighborhood. (i want to feel safe walking around especially when we have kids)
-Hoping for 1500 sq ft min
-Need a fenced back yard with some grass
-Hardwood floors in common areas
-Dog friendly
-Quiet safe neighborhood
-We aren't really big on the nightlife/party/hipster scene
-Washer/dryer in unit.
-The more bedrooms and bath and (basements) we can get for our money the better.
-Prefer off street/garage parking

-Areas/properties we have saved on zillow so far: Heather mist drive (Severn), Hurstbourne rd (Columbia), Mcdaniel Drive (Purcellville), Misty meadow ter (Germantown) Autumn hill way (gaithersburg), white rocks ct (pasadena), knoll mist ln (gaithersburg), walnut cove cir (germantown), linden ct (herndon), ashley ter (sterling), brondebury park ter (sterling), clear night ter (ashburn), comer sq (sterling), lindsey ln (manassas park), linden dale rd (woodbridge), geraldine ct (woodbridge), and kaye rd (woodbridge).


I have heard bad things about woodbridge and manassas park. and that cops are a-holes in fairfax. does anyone have any other tips or advice?


Yes, I know I'm asking for a lot and I'm probably giving you too much info on what exactly we are looking for but I want to be exact. Don't be too harsh on me. Im new to all of this and trying not to freak out lol. I know this is a lot of writing and a long post. But please from another helping person to another help me out here.

Thanks

[LakeLifePA]

I can only speak to your Sterling, Purcellville and Herndon properties, and I will say that many areas in Sterling are not that bad but some are sketchy at best. With that said, I like Sterling and the conveniences that if offers, but you are looking at anywhere from a 45 minute to an hour and 15 minute commute depending on when your commuter heads out and comes home. Nothing close to 30 minutes there. For your price range, you will not likely to be able to find anything in the 30 minute range.

Purcellville is a lovely area with fantastic neighborhoods, but the commute would easily start at an hour and a half and be horrific by most standards. I would avoid that area for sanity's sake.

My wife and I love Herndon. It has its areas to be avoided as well, but overall it's nicer than Sterling. There are two zip codes in Herndon, and the 20170 area is older and more established with mature trees and older neighborhoods that are wonderfully spaced out. The 20171 area tends to be lower income apartments and town homes that are spaced very tightly. The commute times would be similar to Sterling from Herndon if not a tad bit closer. I leave the house at 7:20 in the morning and get to Old Town Alexandria by 8:05 on most days. I go to the gym after work to avoid the heavy evening commute and leave around 6:45 pm and get home around 7:30 pm on most days. Riding the Silver Line via Metro and the Wiehle-Reston Metro Station would take me over an hour and a half by the time I got to the Metro, parked, walked, transferred from the Silver Line to the Blue line and walk to work, so I rarely use it.

I don't know all that much about Woodbridge, but I can tell you the commute would be not be friendly. Certainly nothing close to 30 minutes.

Another limiting factor you'll have is with three dogs. Landlords in this area are not keen on that amount of animals. When my wife first moved to Herndon, she had a terrible time finding a place that would take two dogs along with a ferret.

I've never thought the cops where any different in Fairfax County than anywhere else. Keep in mind that 80 MPH and above along with anything 20 MPH over the posted speed limit is reckless driving here. There's a thread on it that may be worth reading if you have a minute.

[North Beach Person]

You might get better response if you'd also post on the Maryland and Virginia boards.

[stateofnature]

By commuting "DC area" do you mean DC the city itself? Because around these parts "DC area" usually refers to the metropolitan area as a whole including DC, Virginia and Maryland.

But assuming you mean commuting to DC proper... wow I'm sorry but I think your expectations on the expense of this area are way off-base. This is approximately the third-most expensive area in the country right behind NYC and San Francisco. $2k gets you a nice ONE BEDROOM near a Metro stop. It might also get you a two bedroom with two bathrooms farther from a Metro stop where you would have to first take a bus or drive to the Metro, meaning your commute would be lengthy. A 3 br/3 ba for $2k is pretty unlikely unless you go over an hour commute from DC... and even then I'm not sure it's possible except maybe in high-crime areas.

Also be advised you are posting in the forum for the DC the city proper. There are separate forums for the suburbs, which is where you will get better help since that's where you want to end up.

//www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/
//www.city-data.com/forum/washi...urbs-maryland/

[Mrsannab17]

Originally Posted by Robert20170

I can only speak to your Sterling and Purcellville properties, and I will say that many areas in Sterling are not that bad but some are sketchy at best. With that said, I like Sterling and the conveniences that if offers, but you are looking at anywhere from a 45 minute to an hour and 15 minute commute depending on when your commuter heads out and comes home. Nothing close to 30 minutes there. For your price range, you will not likely to be able to find anything in the 30 minute range.

Purcellville is a lovely area with fantastic neighborhoods, but the commute would easily start at an hour and a half and be horrific by most standards. I would avoid that area for sanity's sake.

Another limiting factor you'll have is with three dogs. Landlords in this area are not keen on that amount of animals. When my wife first moved to Herndon, she had a terrible time finding a place that would take two dogs along with a ferret.

based off of the streets i listed in sterling how are those areas? thanks for replying

[LakeLifePA]

Originally Posted by Mrsannab17

based off of the streets i listed in sterling how are those areas? thanks for replying

I have only lived in Herndon for a year and a half and don't know the area well enough to give you a street by street comparison. I hope you're able to visit and check the areas out beforehand.

By the way, I edited my post extensively after you quoted it, so you might want to check it again. Also, I know an amazing realtor in the area that I would be happy to refer you to. They aren't allowed to discourage you from areas due to certain attributes, but he will be happy to assist in your search and give a lot of helpful advice. He's happy to work with rentals.

[stateofnature]

Originally Posted by Mrsannab17

hello there. i have posted in all 3 areas to figure out the best areas. everyone has different opinions so wanted to get the best views from all sides. i know the pricing seems unrealistic but we have been able to find A LOT of places within the strict specs. Thats why i listed the streets and city to get your guys options and the length of metro time and crime rate.

You don't say where you will be commuting to so hard to tell you what the Metro times will be. I can tell you that if the job is in DC, the majority of places you list like Severna Park, Columbia, Sterling, Gaithersburg, etc. are all over an hour commute one way under normal working hours. But the exact times will vary based on where exactly in DC the job is and when you would need to be at work.

[Mrsannab17]

Originally Posted by stateofnature

You don't say where you will be commuting to so hard to tell you what the Metro times will be. I can tell you that if the job is in DC, the majority of places you list like Severna Park, Columbia, Sterling, Gaithersburg, etc. are all over an hour commute one way under normal working hours. But the exact times will vary based on where exactly in DC the job is and when you would need to be at work.

the location in DC would be near the judiciary junction metro station

[akorosdc]

If he wants to get to the Judiciary Square metro then I'd look more at Maryland, perhaps around Silver Spring. To shorten the commute you want to minimize your transfers, so look for places along the red line.

Another option would be to look in Virginia on the yellow line (Alexandria), he can walk from the Gallery Place metro station. For your budget you're likely looking at something where you'll need to drive or bus to the metro, which adds time significantly. I lived in Alexandria near the Fairlington area and thought it was nice, but my commute easily took an hour (bus to the Pentagon metro, metro to Gallery Place or Union Station) even though to drive it during non-rush times would take about 15-20 minutes.

[Mrsannab17]

i printed out the metro map but it seems like most the places we like in our price range are near german town/ gaithersburg. how are those areas? they seem to be relatively close to the shady grove red line?