Moving to Loudoun County -- looking for advice (Arlington, Alexandria: condo, how much)

[southeastcurious]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I (mid/late 30s professionals) are planning to move from California (Bay Area) to the Washington DC area to be closer to family. We've done pretty extensive research online and narrowed our search to Loudoun County. The key reasons are primarily budget (the homes we like in McLean / Great Falls / Falls Church etc are out of our budget) and lifestyle (all else equal, we prefer to be on the edge of the metro area).

While we are set on buying in Loudoun County, we'd really appreciate your guidance on communities and neighborhoods to consider. For context, we are looking to purchase a SFH with 4+ beds, ideally with at least a quarter acre lot, newer build or updated, ideally around 4000 sq.ft., and ideally in a (gated) community. The latter is not a must but a nice to have as we are hoping to meet people / make new friends that way. While we don't have children yet, we are planning to have them soon. My wife works in healthcare and I work in tech. She will look to practice at local hospitals / clinics and can make her own schedule. I will either work fully remotely if I stay at my current company or transition to a hybrid role where I'd commute 2-3 days a week, likely to DC or Tysons. Our budget is $1-1.5M.

We visited Leesburg the other day and saw some homes to get a feel for the area. We liked the River Creek community and we liked homes in Selma Estates (though there didn't seem to be much of a community feel to the area).

Given the above, do you have any communities or areas you would suggest for us to consider? Anything major we are missing? Any advice would be super appreciated. Thanks!

[NOVAmtneer82]

There are some new single family home developments also going in more on the southern end of the county (Aldie area) named Hartland and Willowsford that might be worth taking a look as well. The only issue with that part of the county is that the road infrastructure, namely Route 50 is a bit behind that of Route 7 on the north-end in terms of keeping up with development. That being said had several friends who work hybrid schedules in Tysons and Reston that have moved to those communities from Arlington and Falls Church as their families expanded and absolutely love it. Existing communities that are largely built-out in that area but should have re-sale options are South Riding and Stone Ridge- both have several thousand homes each within their boundaries.

[ozzyngcsu]

I would checkout Willowsford and Hartland like the other person mentioned. Also check out the Haymarket area on Western Prince William county, Dominion Valley and Piedmont are nice.

[Annandale_Man]

Originally Posted by southeastcurious

Hello everyone,

My wife and I (mid/late 30s professionals) are planning to move from California (Bay Area) to the Washington DC area to be closer to family. We've done pretty extensive research online and narrowed our search to Loudoun County. The key reasons are primarily budget (the homes we like in McLean / Great Falls / Falls Church etc are out of our budget) and lifestyle (all else equal, we prefer to be on the edge of the metro area).

While we are set on buying in Loudoun County, we'd really appreciate your guidance on communities and neighborhoods to consider. For context, we are looking to purchase a SFH with 4+ beds, ideally with at least a quarter acre lot, newer build or updated, ideally around 4000 sq.ft., and ideally in a (gated) community. The latter is not a must but a nice to have as we are hoping to meet people / make new friends that way. While we don't have children yet, we are planning to have them soon. My wife works in healthcare and I work in tech. She will look to practice at local hospitals / clinics and can make her own schedule. I will either work fully remotely if I stay at my current company or transition to a hybrid role where I'd commute 2-3 days a week, likely to DC or Tysons. Our budget is $1-1.5M.

We visited Leesburg the other day and saw some homes to get a feel for the area. We liked the River Creek community and we liked homes in Selma Estates (though there didn't seem to be much of a community feel to the area).

Given the above, do you have any communities or areas you would suggest for us to consider? Anything major we are missing? Any advice would be super appreciated. Thanks!

Ashburn or South Riding

[Middlin]

Keep in mind that miles mean nothing here in terms of commute times. Even if you commute 2-3 days a week, it can get brutal and very expensive depending on your mode of transportation.

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by Middlin

Keep in mind that miles mean nothing here in terms of commute times. Even if you commute 2-3 days a week, it can get brutal and very expensive depending on your mode of transportation.

Exactly - it could take 10-15 mins. to go 6 miles or more than 1 hr.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

Exactly - it could take 10-15 mins. to go 6 miles or more than 1 hr.

This is a very fair point. Traffic is every bit as bad as it was before COVID if not even worse because fewer are using public transportation. Especially on Tuesdays- Thursdays when most people are back in the office.

Add in depending on where you are commuting from in Loudoun, toll roads will likely be a fact of life if you want to save time on commuting. This is why we've always chosen to stay in Arlington living in a smaller home. I acknowledge this is not an option for everyone, it is just something to keep in mind when settling on Loudoun and commuting towards the Beltway.

[ecko_complex24]

Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82

This is a very fair point. Traffic is every bit as bad as it was before COVID if not even worse because fewer are using public transportation. Especially on Tuesdays- Thursdays when most people are back in the office.

Add in depending on where you are commuting from in Loudoun, toll roads will likely be a fact of life if you want to save time on commuting. This is why we've always chosen to stay in Arlington living in a smaller home. I acknowledge this is not an option for everyone, it is just something to keep in mind when settling on Loudoun and commuting towards the Beltway.

It’s clearly an option for the poster in question though. It just depends on how much they prefer space over convenience to their possible work locations.

When my wife and I were looking to buy a place, we literally couldn’t afford anything in Arlington that wasn’t a condo(that typically have higher condo fees). We ended up getting a house in Loudoun. Fortunately I haven’t had to work outside the county the entire time we’ve been here. I couldn’t imagine commuting to DC from Loudoun.

[NOVAmtneer82]

No I get it - and wasn't trying to come across as 'Arlington is better than XX.' In fact my brother and his young family just moved out into the Aldie/ South Riding area from Silver Spring and love it. We've also spoken to a number of friends who love Loudoun but are surprised by how long the commute is towards the Beltway now versus a few years ago when the pandemic was going on.

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by NOVAmtneer82

No I get it - and wasn't trying to come across as 'Arlington is better than XX.' In fact my brother and his young family just moved out into the Aldie/ South Riding area from Silver Spring and love it. We've also spoken to a number of friends who love Loudoun but are surprised by how long the commute is towards the Beltway now versus a few years ago when the pandemic was going on.

Yep, Loudoun is nice and has tons of new developments and new shopping centers, etc. and $1M goes far there vs what you get for $1M inside the beltway. However, if you aren’t going to be spending most of your time in Reston, Ashburn or Herndon it is FAR from everything. My coworkers joke about it being in the sticks, for people who spend time in DC/Alexandria/Arlington it’s far.

Seeing the list of what the OP is looking for Loudoun will check off most of their list but just know it’s far out depending on where in NoVa you’re going.