Advice on location for early retirement in Nova (Richmond, Arlington: real estate, apartments)

[mr_blue12]

Hello everyone. Although I have been reading this forum for a while, this is only my second message, so bear with me if I don't get all the "protocols" just right this time in terms of information needed to get good answers from you guys.

I've seen a lot of messages about families wanting info about where to move in NoVa. My situation is a little different. I'm thinking of moving up to the DC area for early retirement. So I don't need any info on good schools or commuting problems. I have no kids and a vibrant social life is not tops in my agenda. I don't mind the small town feeling (like Leesburg) nor the suburbia lifestyle (Reston is right now my top pick).

I just want a nice quiet place to retire, where I'll be mostly a "homebody". A place where taxes are not the highest and there are local access to walkways and good, affordable restaurants. I don't need close access to a big mall since I don't frequent them that much. My favorite stores to go to are Barnes & Noble, Borders, Best Buy, and the occasional used bookstore/used CDmusic store, a nice movieplex and a good local coffee shop (or Starbucks, I don't care for Panera). What can I say? I am your cliched insufferable yuppie, living by myself. I'm moving to the DC area to be closer to more cultural events, better access to a large international airport for traveling than we have here in Kentucky, and be closer to the coast.

I am looking for a 1 or 2 BR. Condo/TH as I am not a lover of yard work. My (hopeful) limit to spend on a condo is 200K. Although it is a bit soon for the actual move, it would be nice to lock in a good price on a condo before real estate prices start to skyrocket again (and it gives me time to get all the info I need). I have seen a few places that fit my bill on Zillow and Trulia. I went to Nova a couple months ago, and the places that seemed the best so far, were Reston, Ashburn, and Sterling. Arlington is too close to DC, too expensive, and not enough of an open-space feeling. McLean or Alexandria are way out of my budget. Leesburg looked Ok but it is kinda isolated in the NW corner of the area. Herndon, south of the Dulles Toll looked OK, but not to the north of it where I imediately felt I had landed in South America (where I spent 4 not-very-enjoyable years and would prefer to stay away from a potential repeat of that situation). No, I am not a racist ( I have good friends from India, Japan, UK, France, Argentina, Ecuador, etc. and I am a foreigner myself, from western europe).

I don't know much about other places like Oakton, Burke, Centreville, Gainesville, Montclair, Woodbridge, and even all the way down to Fredericksburg. I don't know if Vienna or Fairfax could fit my budget either. My other choice is Richmond but that is for another Thread.

So for a single, early to mid-fifties, no kids, bicycle-riding, frugal living-and-spending, not too concerned with dating anymore, who likes to get on a plane to see western europe (occasionally, as in once every 2 years or so), likes good restaurants but not the stuffy and expensive kind; what is in your opinion the best place to retire in the NoVa area?

And I'm really not as pretentious as I sound here.

[normie]

I'm not sure how it works with your budget, but a little condo along one of Reston's lakes or near the Town center would be great for a retiree. The views of the laks from those condos are all pretty nice. There's a lot of stores/restaurants within easy walking distance, and plenty of retirees live in Reston (the town was founded in the early 1960s and many original homeowners are still there).

I live in Cascades. There are several nice retirement complexes here, if you're looking for that. Cascades is a little quieter, more spread out, and you'll want to drive to most places. I walk to the stores, but most retirees I know here tend to drive more than I do. Cascades has an excellent library and senior center complex. You're still close to Reston and DC, yet it feels like you're worlds apart. If this idea appeals to you, you would probably also like some of the areas around Leesburg and Ashburn. I happen to like my neighborhood because it's along the Potomac and between two regional parks, but not everyone is into the outdoors as much as I am.

Thinking outside the box, I think Winchester could be a great town for a retiree. The one down side would be you'd have to drive about 75 minutes to get to Dulles, but if you're only flying 1-2 times a year it's not that bad.

[ChristineVA]

I know several people who spent their working lives up closer to DC in Fairfax County, yet retired in Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg has a lot of the shopping and restaurants you desire, yet has very affordable housing for a retiree. It is close enough to the DC area that you can make a day trip up to DC to attend cultural events, sightsee, etc.

The drawback is that you would be living off the I-95 corridor which has some of the worst traffic ever. So the days that you did want to get into DC, you would definitely have to time it around rush hours.

If you plan on going into town often (once a week or so) then I would not recommend it.

[Margery]

There are 2 locations in Sterling that would meet most of your needs and are under $200,000. McFadden Square in Cascades is walking distance to a large library, the senior center, and a small shopping center with restaurants, a grocery, doctor's offices, and other shops. These condos were built in 2007 and all I have seen are in very good condition.

The other is Westwick Court, in the Countryside section of Sterling, built in 1987 but completely redone in the last 5-6 years when it was converted to condos from apartments. Also very nice inside. Located adjacent to a shopping center with grocery, restaurants, doctor's offices, all within walking distance. There is also a Borders book store and a movie theater you can walk to.

Both of these are in low traffic areas suitable to walking or biking, and very close to Route 28 and Dulles Airport. There is also some public transportation available. You can find some listings in both communities on homesdatabase.com. You do not have to be 55+ for either of these communities.

[JfromReston]

Here is the a nice property in the South Lakes area of Reston. Great trail access and less than 1 mile to shopping & dining. Sorry I could not hit a perfect home run - it breaks your budget. I have a friend who used to live in this model in this complex. One bedroom is upstairs and the other is downstairs (can double as a den).

11269 SILENTWOOD LN, RESTON, VA 20191 - HomesDatabase

[claremarie]

"who likes to get on a plane to see western europe (occasionally, as in once every 2 years or so)"

It seems to me that you could meet most of your needs in a less expensive and more laid-back community -- say, a college town -- than in northern Virginia. It doesn't make much sense to squeeze yourself into a $200K condo in the DC area just so you can get to the airport every other year. With the money you save, you could travel to DC on a regular basis, stay for a week in a lovely hotel, and walk to the cultural attractions. The big-box retailers can be found anywhere. Have you considered Chapel Hill or the Raleigh/Durham area?

[marie5v]

You might go and take a look at Heritage Hunt in Gainesville. It meets all your requirements, plus has very nice amenities on site. My mother lives there and loves it. It's attractive, has lots of walking paths, a golf course, active clubs and clubhouse, fitness center, and so on. Also convenient (to drive, not walk) to the types of stores you mentioned. Not a bad drive into central nova, either - my mom drives a prius, so she can use the HOV lanes on the main road in, and never has a problem with traffic going to my home and back in Fairfax. Even without the HOV lane, it's not usually a bad trip except during especially heavy rush hours.

[DC Oldtimer]

I second the recommendation of Fredericksburg. After more than three decades in the DC area, my husband and I are moving to a community not far from there. Taxes are quite a bit lower, yet you have access to all the amenities of a big city.

We have been making the trek back and forth between our NOVA home and the new house for a month or so now. The key to managing the traffic issue is avoiding the peak hours. I am looking forward to the change.

To get a sense of what your money will buy there (i.e. a helluva lot more than it will buy in NOVA), go to www.franklymls.com. In the search box put FB7417792. This will bring up a luxury condo for 234K. It's been on the market for almost a year, so who knows, they might take 200. Now obviously the paint colors could use changing, but otherwise it looks really nice, and has a great walk score (72).

The real estate agent who sold us our new home is a lifetime resident of Fredericksburg. He only sells in the community where we bought, but if you are interested in the area, I'd be happy to send him an email and ask for recommended neighborhoods/condo buildings. Just send me a PM.

[hiker45]

We live in Springfield. We go to the Fair Lakes area a lot because that is where our daughter and her family live, and we think it is wonderful. Fair Oaks Mall is nice with good restaurants, Fairfax Corner is great, Pomodoros and Tonys both have fantastic pizza, and the whole place looks great.

We visit Fredericksburg a lot, and we were just there yesterday. The downtown area is wonderful to walk around and we discovered an interesting used book store. Hyperion is a very nice coffee shop.

However, when you get out of the old part of the city, it is not so great. The traffic along Route 1 is horrible. I think you would have to do a lot of research to find a good place to live.

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by claremarie

"who likes to get on a plane to see western europe (occasionally, as in once every 2 years or so)"

It seems to me that you could meet most of your needs in a less expensive and more laid-back community -- say, a college town -- than in northern Virginia. It doesn't make much sense to squeeze yourself into a $200K condo in the DC area just so you can get to the airport every other year. With the money you save, you could travel to DC on a regular basis, stay for a week in a lovely hotel, and walk to the cultural attractions. The big-box retailers can be found anywhere. Have you considered Chapel Hill or the Raleigh/Durham area?

I second this suggestion. If you are now in Kentucky, what about Bloomington, IN? It's a great small town; IU has an excellent music school with lots of concerts, and it's only a little over an hour to catch an international flight or other events in Indianapolis. Your $200K will not go nearly as far in the DC area.