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My husband, myself and our 5 month old are moving to D.C. We are moving from L.A. and do not know what area to start looking in to purchase a home. We need our dollar to stretch - so commuting is not a problem. Preferably we would like to use the transit system. We are open to MD or VA. We just need low crime and good schools. Night life does not factor into this decision. So small towns are welcome. We noticed our dollar went pretty far in Manassas and Dale City/Woodbridge. Any thoughts on those areas or other suggestions in MD? Thanks.
My husband, myself and our 5 month old are moving to D.C. We are moving from L.A. and do not know what area to start looking in to purchase a home. We need our dollar to stretch - so commuting is not a problem. Preferably we would like to use the transit system. We are open to MD or VA. We just need low crime and good schools. Night life does not factor into this decision. So small towns are welcome. We noticed our dollar went pretty far in Manassas and Dale City/Woodbridge. Any thoughts on those areas or other suggestions in MD? Thanks.
First things first--where exactly will you be working?
The commute from Manassas to DC during rush hour can range from 1 to 2 hours. Of course 2 hours on extreme traffic days. The commute from Woodbridge is better, but the schools in that area aren't the best.
I you don't mind the extra commute time, look into Gainesville, Haymarket, and Bristow - all just a few miles west of Manassas on I-66 in NoVa. They have some awesome communities - including several gated communities. The area also has some very good schools. Nice shopping centers and many more to come in the next couple of years.
A few awesome gated communities:
Lake Manassas in Gainesville
Dominion Valley in Haymarket
Piedmont in Haymarket
Homes in the above communities are half the price of what they used to be. I've seen homes nowadays in the 500k range that used to go over 1 million a couple of years ago.
There are a ton of other really nice communities in the Gainsville, Haymarket, and Bristow area in NoVa. Price have really taken a hit because of the real estate market and also gas prices. The new trend is to live closer in and not far away, so that's another reason for the lower cost.
The area mentioned has a bus route that goes to Vienna Metro during peak hours. If you have a hybrid vehicle, you can ride the carpool lanes to DC. That save a lot of time.
Going back to woodbridge, I wouldn't recommend it if you have kids. One nice thing with the woodbridge area is you can slug or pick up slugs and ride the the HOV lanes on I-95 and I-395. Slugging is when you catch a ride with a total stranger for free. Or you can pick up strangers. The purpose of it is to get on the carpool lanes. There are several spots or pickup/dropoff locations for slugging. You can literally make it to DC from Woodbridge in 15 minutes with this method. It's also very safe.
What is your price range? How long are you willing to commute?
Thanks. We would like to spend no more than 1.5 hours each way. And we would like to spend about 250k. My husband will actually be working in Arlington. JP1. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to help us. We will look into these areas.
With their budget, they can't afford a SFH in those neighborhoods. Sorry.
I agree.
Your best bet is going to be other communities (non-gated) in the Gainesville, Haymarket, and Bristow areas. You can still get a SFH, but on a much smaller scale.
Also look at Dale City, Dumfries, Garrisonville, and Fredericksburg on the I-95 corrider. My favorite would be Fredericksburg, but unfortunately it's the farthest from Arlington. Commute wise, you have the VRE (VA Rail Express), and slugging.
I'm sure there are many places in Maryland, but I'm not as familiar with Mayland as I am with VA.
Do you want to buy or rent? If you're going to be in the area longer term, I think it's a good time to buy. The market looks like it's starting to bottom out, but with today's economy you never know. Good thing is the DC metro economy is usually not as affected by recession as other areas across the country.
I would have to disagree with the comment about Woodbridge not being a great place to live and the schools are not great. First of all, let me clear things up and say that alot of the schools are School of Excellence ones which are given to top schools in the state. Secondly, do to resources/funding, obviously Fairfax, Woodbridge schools tend to not be as financially supported as the other schools in this regard. That doesn't mean squat though. A school is as much as you put into it. Good luck.
I would look at renting a place along the Orange line. Vienna is nice and you might be able to get a TH.
As someone else has already stated $250k is not going to get you a SFH in a safe area with good schools. (since you only have a 5mo old I really wouldn't worry about schools)
Yes there are houses probably now avail in manassas for around 250k but not the areas you would probably want to live. Same for woodbridge area. Lake ridge is a nice area in woodbridge, but I think housing is going to be a bit of a strech for you.
Things to keep in mind...
1) your baby is changing so fast at this stage do you really want your husband commuting 1.5-2 hours EACH way everyday? Leave home at 5-6am to beat the worse traffic and getting home around 7-8pm dog tired etc... IT's Streesful.
2) your military so you are either on 2-3 year duty... the housing market is still bad and there is NO guarntee you will be able to sell it for what you paid in that time.
4)Home ownership cost more than just the mortgage...esp for 250k in this area...older house in need of repairs, general maintentce, yard work, RE taxes, etc
3)with a young baby look for places that you can easily get around with a stroller to shop or go to the park etc... and get on the metro to go to the zoo etc... Take advantage of all DC has to offer.
I would seriously consider renting closer to Arlington and SAVING money so when you PCS next you will have a nice downpayment AND the housing market that is not so uncertin.
just my advice.
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