Curious about NoVa suburbs!

[spleuchan]

I know you want your nest, but I would definately recommend renting for a year or two. That way you have time to check out various areas and also to settle into a job. You probably wouldn't want to settle on a house then either have a long commute or have to miss out on a job opportunity that would be good for you (or your boyfriend). I also wouldn't worry too much about schools yet. You aren't married yet, so assuming you did get married in a year or two, then have kids a year or two after that, your kids wouldn't start kindergarted for 7-10 years. In 7-10 years, you'll likely be thinking of/already bought another house for a variety of reasons, such as want a bigger house, one closer to your work, etc. I wouldn't pick a house that goes to a terrible elementary school, but I wouldn't worry that it has to be the best yet.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by spleuchan

I know you want your nest, but I would definately recommend renting for a year or two. That way you have time to check out various areas and also to settle into a job.

I have to agree with spleuchan. Since you're not familiar with the area AND you do not have jobs, it does not make sense (to me at least) to find a permanent/semi-permanent place right now.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by jerseyborninDC

What we are looking for;
Walkable area. I'm from a small town where you could walk everywhere, and it was residential around a small downtown with a few shops. I couldn't live somewhere that sprawled out with strip malls and McMansion developments...

. . . Short-ish commute. I know the DC commutes can be horrendous depending on where you live, but I'd prefer to stick close by. At most a 20-30 minute commute is acceptable. The commute from my town to Center City, Philly was only 10 minutes hahah I have high standards . . . .

Honestly, just looking for a stable, safe-feeling, comfortable suburb that is walkable and has a 'small-town' feel. I keep hearing how no DC suburbs have that feel, but hey, I figured I'd put it out there.

Hmmm, have you visited the possible towns you're looking at? Not sure what clarifies as "small, walkable" areas but there are very few in NOVA that compares to the Philly area--mainly because most of NOVA is new building. DelRay has also been mentioned. And that's probably the only one I can think of that also offers the short commute you desire. There's a small old townish part of Fairfax City as well as Vienna, but the bigger place is Leesburg which is a much longer commute. Although Reston has been mentioned, the walkable area is basically a large Town Ctr -- quite nice for movies and dining but not a "small town feel". And it's newish and everything else around it is newish.

Have you considered areas of Washington, DC? And I realize you are already looking in Maryland. You mentioned house criteria but not square footage or age. If you prefer an older home, you might find something that may need a little work but at least you can design it to your specifications. Good luck with everything!

[kevin347]

Originally Posted by spleuchan

I know you want your nest, but I would definately recommend renting for a year or two. That way you have time to check out various areas and also to settle into a job. You probably wouldn't want to settle on a house then either have a long commute or have to miss out on a job opportunity that would be good for you (or your boyfriend). I also wouldn't worry too much about schools yet. You aren't married yet, so assuming you did get married in a year or two, then have kids a year or two after that, your kids wouldn't start kindergarted for 7-10 years. In 7-10 years, you'll likely be thinking of/already bought another house for a variety of reasons, such as want a bigger house, one closer to your work, etc. I wouldn't pick a house that goes to a terrible elementary school, but I wouldn't worry that it has to be the best yet.

I completely agree on this but my question is how much weighting should you give to schools in this situation when you dont have kids and they will go to school in 7-10 years and want to buy a home? Because the person who is going to buy from you when you try to sell is going to look at the school ratings etc, right? Reason I asked is I am in similar situation(no kids yet) and looking for a house and some of the areas where I looked up the school ratings were 2 or 3 star out of 5, although they fall in my price range, so should I really pass up on those places?

Thanks

[michgc]

You should check out Town of Vienna. I think you would like it. I'm from PA and visit NJ frequently, so I "get" the small town thing. There's not much like it here, unfortunately. I think Town of Vienna comes pretty close and has a lot of strong points - good schools, small-town feel, relatively close in, has a Metro stop, is centrally located in the DC area, is relatively affordable (and has a lot of starter-size homes). Hope this helps. I've lived here for 11 years and love it!

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by kevin347

I completely agree on this but my question is how much weighting should you give to schools in this situation when you dont have kids and they will go to school in 7-10 years and want to buy a home? Because the person who is going to buy from you when you try to sell is going to look at the school ratings etc, right? Reason I asked is I am in similar situation(no kids yet) and looking for a house and some of the areas where I looked up the school ratings were 2 or 3 star out of 5, although they fall in my price range, so should I really pass up on those places?

Thanks

I don't think you should pass them up. It depends what else the area has going for it. Are there public transportation options, walkability, night life, activities, etc? What is attracting you to the area (other than price?) If those are things that will still be there in 7-10 years when you try to sell the house, then new buyers will likely still find value in those same things.

[spleuchan]

Originally Posted by kevin347

I completely agree on this but my question is how much weighting should you give to schools in this situation when you dont have kids and they will go to school in 7-10 years and want to buy a home? Because the person who is going to buy from you when you try to sell is going to look at the school ratings etc, right? Reason I asked is I am in similar situation(no kids yet) and looking for a house and some of the areas where I looked up the school ratings were 2 or 3 star out of 5, although they fall in my price range, so should I really pass up on those places?

Thanks

In my opinion its all a guessing game. I bought a house a little over a year ago and the elementary school was rated a 4 out of 5. On the same website, it is a 2 out of 5. I don't think the elementary school is any worse than it was a year ago. These ratings fluctuate from year to year. I think you really just have to look at the area and decide whether or not you think that will still be a good area when you go to sell. If you like the house and area and don't have a reason to think it will go down hill soon, I would get it.

[RamblingMan]

Originally Posted by kevin347

I completely agree on this but my question is how much weighting should you give to schools in this situation when you dont have kids and they will go to school in 7-10 years and want to buy a home? Because the person who is going to buy from you when you try to sell is going to look at the school ratings etc, right? Reason I asked is I am in similar situation(no kids yet) and looking for a house and some of the areas where I looked up the school ratings were 2 or 3 star out of 5, although they fall in my price range, so should I really pass up on those places?

Thanks

Basically, I agree with Spleuchan and CaliTerp07. All other things being equal, it is good to be in a strong school district, but if you don't personally need schools, there's generally no compelling reason to pay a premium for them. Yes, good schools will help resale value and ease of sale, but if the school system is weak, that should be reflected in a lower price to begin with.

The other thing I'd add, though is that you should consider the linkage between school and type of housing. If you're buying an efficiency or a one-bedroom apartment, your target audience isn't likely to have kids and probably won't care about the schools. If you're talking about a 4 bedroom SFH, the people who are likely to buy will probably care very much about schools.