Moving to Northern Virginia with 2 kids - need recommendations on good elementary schools (Burke: houses, neighborhoods)

[EHAS2003]

My husband is starting a job at the end of August and my daughter will be starting kindergarten. Any recommendations on neighborhoods to live in with houses around 400-450K with good elementary? Will be coming down soon to look at areas? Any recommendations?

[Flamingo13]

Read through all the posts that mention the area you're husband would be working in/near - you don't say - this is a huge state.

[stpickrell]

where is your husband's job?? Do you want new construction, a TH, a single-family home??

We can't help you without more details.

[EHAS2003]

Thank you. His job is in DC. The immediate suburbs outside of DC seem a bit pricey for us so we would like to look a bit further out in VA. We are coming from NYC so a 1-1.5 hour commute is nothing for us. Ideally we'd like a one famiy home in a neighborhood with kids. Doesn't have to be new constructions. A few recommendation to us have been Falls Church and Herndon.

[dtraintonowhere]

This:

Originally Posted by EHAS2003

Thank you. His job is in DC. The immediate suburbs outside of DC seem a bit pricey for us so we would like to look a bit further out in VA.

This:

Originally Posted by EHAS2003

A few recommendation to us have been Falls Church and Herndon.

And this:

Originally Posted by EHAS2003

Any recommendations on neighborhoods to live in with houses around 400-450K with good elementary?

Do not compute. Falls Church is going to run you at least $650K. For $400-450K you're going to be lucky to get a TH.

[hilsmom]

To be 100% honest, less than $450K for a SFH with well regarded schools is going to be hard to come by within Fairfax County. That was our price range 2 years ago, and the pickings were slim then. Prices have risen about $50-75K in the neighborhoods we were targeting at that point. If you could go up to $500K-ish, I can recommend a couple neighborhoods where we were looking.

You might have better luck in Loudoun or Prince William?

Or you can look at TH's, and more options do open up.

I know, it sucks. Darn high cost area. Could you consider MD? Just curious.

[ArtyGuy]

You should consider looking at Woodbridge in the Lake Ridge area. I think you can find something in your price range with access to good schools (Westridge Elementary, Old Bridge Elementary come to mind).

For commuting, there are several options but maybe the most cost efficient is to slug from either Horner Road or Tackets Mill. For info on slug, click here. Slug-Lines.com - Slugging and Slug Lines Information For Washington DC

The other options to commute are
1) Omni bus
2) VRE
3) drive to Franconia metro station and metro in from there
4) bite the bullet and brave I-95 without using the HOV lane, which can be an absolute nightmare.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by EHAS2003

We are coming from NYC so a 1-1.5 hour commute is nothing for us.

If you are REALLY ok with this, I would recommend Ashburn or South Riding. But, please note your commute would be mostly driving. Many people commuting to NYC use public transportation, which makes it more tolerable. Public transportation from Loudoun and western Fairfax is currently (somewhat) limited.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by dtraintonowhere

Do not compute. Falls Church is going to run you at least $650K. For $400-450K you're going to be lucky to get a TH.

This is true in Falls Church City, or the part of Falls Church that feeds into McLean High School. But there are less expensive parts in Fairfax County. Zip code 22042 for instance. I did a search and got some houses in the 400-450 price range. All are under contract, and anything that comes in the market will go very quickly, but that price range could find something there. The catch is those schools are less desirable than the other parts of Falls Church, but they still aren't bad by most people's standards. This area can be very snobby towards schools though.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by FCNova

This is true in Falls Church City, or the part of Falls Church that feeds into McLean High School. But there are less expensive parts in Fairfax County. Zip code 22042 for instance. I did a search and got some houses in the 400-450 price range. All are under contract, and anything that comes in the market will go very quickly, but that price range could find something there. The catch is those schools are less desirable than the other parts of Falls Church, but they still aren't bad by most people's standards. This area can be very snobby towards schools though.

^This.

Would also consider Herndon, already on OP's list, Burke and West Springfield, where you can - with some diligence - find decent houses for $450K or less in areas with good schools.