Moving to NOVA from Chicago burbs and need alot of help!!!!! (Alexandria: apartment, for rent)

[mrwhale001a]

I will be taking a new job with a new company in alexandria soon and know little or nothing about the area other than it is very expensive to live. Not looking to live in alexandria at all, but what are the outskirts about. Towns like woodbridge, fredericksburg, leesburg, to name a few. Looking for a resonable 1 bedroom to rent until the mrs comes out. we still need to sell our home in chgo area. Thanks for all your help.

[HereinVA]

1. What do you consider "reasonable" in terms of rent? Can you afford $2,000? $1500? etc.
2. How long of a commute are you willing to put up with? To go along with that, what will your work hours be? If you can commute at non-traditional hours your commute won't be as long and you may be able to get away with a further out location...

[tgbwc]

As far as the three you mentioned, Leesburg and Fredericksburg would be the farthest out and quite a commute to Alexandria. What amount of time are you willing to spend commuting?

[robbobobbo]

And what amount of money are you willing to spend commuting?

People always seem to omit this factor when they get housing sticker shock and start looking further out - or are they all getting their commuting cost subsidized by their employer?

I'd say forget Fredericksburg, and especially forget Leesburg if the job is in Alexandria.

[marie5v]

If it's just the two of you and you are willing to rent, you could probably live in Alexandria. Before we had a baby we lived in Old Town, Alexandria and really loved it. We rented a small apartment and would probably have stayed there if we hadn't needed more space for the baby. Buying in Alexandria is expensive, but renting is much more affordable.

[jillabean]

More info is needed as other posters said, but just to throw it out there, you could also try Lorton. I work in Alexandria and am seriously considering it (I am house hunting too). I have a co-worker who lives in Lorton and says the commute isn't too bad if you time your driving right (around school schedules). There is also the VRE from Lorton.

[MacUser85]

I would strongly suggest you rent something in Alexandria while you wait for your home to see in Chicago and here is why:

1) It is hard to put a price on being close to your job - especially when it is a new job in a new area
2) Alexandria would give you a nice introduction into the DC area. You'd see Old Town, the river, the bike trails, be within 15 minutes of a Metro at all times that could take you into DC on weekends to experience the memorials, monuments, free museums and eclectic neighborhoods, etc.
3) As you live here and get used to Northern VA life, you can sit down and really assess your finances and what you can afford, etc.

I will just tell you that for me personally, the lost time in my life of a Leesburg-Alexandria or Fredericksburg-Alexandria commute would simply not be worth it for me. That is simply too much time in the car for many and when you are tired at the end of the day and want to come home and exercise and then eat dinner, such a commute is just too much. Plus in Alexandria, we have a place called Bugsy's Pizza which is the closest thing I can find to Chicago deep dish pizza .

Good luck in your move and welcome to the area!!!

[stpickrell]

Most of Alexandria is just fine for a single guy or childless couple unless you cannot afford the rent.

Old Town (east part of town) is generally pricier than the West End but is better for Metro and for the charm of Alexandria.

[popnet]

Look in the Landmark section Alexandria. Plenty of places for rent, about ten minutes to old town, and cheaper to rent as compared to old town.