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Hi, I will be relocating back to the DMV area within 2 months. Ideally, I would like to buy. However, I know that may not feasible. My short list of criteria is I need to be close by transportation to commute to McPherson Sq., whether that is via a bus close by to a metro station. My budget is $450k (yes, I know). I really don’t want to pay over $400 in HOA fees. I would love to buy a single family, haha. I prefer a townhouse over a condo. And a safe area. Recommendations are appreciated!
A 90 minute to 2 hour commute to/from home might not be the best course of action. Consider a condo instead. Smaller buildings minus a load of amenities can offer condo fees around $200 a month but bear in mind the cost of homeowners insurance and often utilities like gas/water are included in those $400+ condo fees.
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My commute from Herndon via Reston-Wiehle Metro would be an hour door to door to McPherson's Square (as it stands I'm an hour and 15 from my stop Judiciary Square since I have to transfer to the red line), but $450k is not going to get you much in Herndon or in a decent neighborhood. Maybe a small townhouse in a rougher part of town. I can't imagine you getting much closer than that on your budget though. Sterling might have some decent options in that price range, but Ashburn as suggested above would be a huge stretch.
Would need to be in a borderline area and an older unit. Also not near a Metro stop (which complicates commuting a lot to McPherson Sq which is easily reached by Metro but messy by car). The NW part of Alexandria bordering Arlington can have older 2 bedroom condos with around 1000 sq ft in your price range (but honestly the nicer, well-maintained ones tend to be over 500), but one would need to look at bus routes there. The reason this area is fairly affordable is that the housing is universally older, amenities are somewhat lacking typically and transit commutes aren't that easily managed.
You can get 500-600 sq ft studio and 1 bedroom condos in your price range all over the area, but obviously that's very small. I suspect most people owning them are renting them out to kids too.
OP, one option you might check out is Burke in desirable Fairfax County, VA. You can commute via the VRE train out of Burke to L'Enfant Plaza in DC and transfer for a quick ride on Metro to McPherson Square, all within an hour. There are several townhouse options under budget currently on the market. https://www.trulia.com/for_sale/38.7...0_price/13_zm/
There's also Central Arlington off of I-395 around Shirlington which is a popular area for professionals and offers varying MetroBus options to/from MetroRail stations often with express options. https://www.trulia.com/for_sale/2057...0_price/13_zm/
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