ISO family-friendly NOVA neighborhood for California family (Arlington, Burke: transplants, rental)

[CAtoDCtransplants]

My husband has accepted a job in DC and we're moving there from Los Angeles in less than a month. (A little crazy, I know.) We're a family with two young children looking for a great place to live within an hour commute of the Dupont Circle metro stop. (Willing to drive to metro station.) We want to rent for a year with a $2,100- $2,500 budget and hopefully buy a house in the $500,000 range in the same school district within a year or two. The trick-- we need to find the place next week. We love Leesburg, but it's just too far out. Any ideas for family friendly neighborhood within reasonable distance to schools, hospital, and stores? Would Falls Church fit the bill? We're also considering Burke (may be too remote), Springfield (we've heard some parts are "sketchy", but don't know which parts they are), Arlington or Vienna (too expensive to buy?). Any suggestions would be most welcome, including ideas for getting a feel for neighborhoods from 3,000 miles away!

[NovaOne]

$500k homes are going to be small & old, or pretty far out. Even newer larger town homes that are closer in will be higher than $500k. I recommend that you rent somewhere close for now, but don't try to nail down where you'll buy until you've had a year to get a feel for the area. Vienna is a good choice given its relative close proximity to two existing metro stations. It also has a good neighborhood feel, and you can probably find a decent sized home to rent for $2500 a month.

After a year in the area, you should have a pretty good idea of where you want to live.

[CAtoDCtransplants]

NovaOne- Thanks for the feedback. I grew up in Virginia, but haven't lived there in twenty years so I know the neighborhoods are radically different from the way I remember them. I liked Vienna way back when, but you never know how things will change.

[luv2write79]

We recently moved back from SC and chose Woodbridge (Lake Ridge) for the shorter commute to Arlington for my husband (and for me eventually!). We love it here! We're in Westridge, and the neighborhood is beautiful, the pool is great, my kids love all of the nature at the lake, and Lake Ridge Park is right around the corner. All shopping is down the street about ten minutes (including Wegman's!), and the schools are excellent here. We also wanted to live in the same school district for when we buy so we don't have to change the kids' school, so I understand that concern. I'm not sure what your husband's work schedule is, but my husband works irregular hours and it takes him 20-30 minutes to get to work in downtown Arlington. There are also commuter options here for the 9-5ers. We are renting a townhouse for around $1800, but there are SFHs around here in your price range to rent. You will definitely get more bang for your buck a bit further out from Springfield and other closer points. Good luck in your search!

[stpickrell]

If the job is in DC, then you should also consider Maryland.

In VA, you can get a decent enough 60s/70s rambler/split-foyer for under $500 in Fairfax City ... I'd look in and around Rockville in Maryland, though.

[luv2write79]

I forgot to mention: my kids will walk to school, which is two TH rows away, and we got into our rental fairly quickly (with a lot of paperwork!). If you go through a property management company to rent, it takes 2-5 days to get approval on an application, and there's no guarantee you'll be chosen. If you rent privately through Craigslist or militarybyowner.com, you'll have a faster turnaround (and cheaper prices!).

[Fallout Zone]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

If the job is in DC, then you should also consider Maryland.

In VA, you can get a decent enough 60s/70s rambler/split-foyer for under $500 in Fairfax City ... I'd look in and around Rockville in Maryland, though.

With the job location on the Red line, MD does make more sense unless there are external reasons for wanting to be in VA. Dupont to Vienna is 40 min on Metro on a good day.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by CAtoDCtransplants

My husband has accepted a job in DC and we're moving there from Los Angeles in less than a month. (A little crazy, I know.) We're a family with two young children looking for a great place to live within an hour commute of the Dupont Circle metro stop. (Willing to drive to metro station.) We want to rent for a year with a $2,100- $2,500 budget and hopefully buy a house in the $500,000 range in the same school district within a year or two........

I am from San Diego.
You should read this thread as it is quite recent.
Good Luck, you will probably need to adjust your rent or your travel time

[URL="https://www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/1857917-moving-southern-california-virginia.html"]https://www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/1857917-moving-southern-california-virginia.html[/URL]

[irvine]

Originally Posted by Fallout Zone

With the job location on the Red line, MD does make more sense unless there are external reasons for wanting to be in VA. Dupont to Vienna is 40 min on Metro on a good day.

Depending on where the job is in Dupont, the walk from the Orange Line stations, Farragut West or Foggy Bottom could be around 5 minutes. There may be no need to transfer to the red line.

[lmhouse]

I know you mentioned Leesburg is too far but I would suggest taking a look at Lovettsville, VA or Brunswick, MD. Both locations are within minutes to the Marc train which will take your hubby to DC (savings on gas!) We have 4 young children (two in elem. school and two toddlers) and we have scoured Loudoun Co and Fairfax Co for a home in our $500k budget for the past year (my hubby works in Falls Church). This budget won't buy much house in the Nova area but we found a great neighborhood in Lovettsville with new homes priced under $440 and in Brunswick they are even cheaper with great schools. You'll find that a lot of people have a commute of 45 min - over 1 hour when travelling to work in DC.