Fairfax/Vienna to Courthouse/Clarendon (Richmond, Arlington: apartment complex, leases, crime rates)

[ActuarialChef]

Hi all,

-I currently live with my boyfriend and a roommate in a 1280 sqft 2bd/2ba <.5 mi from Vienna metro (Dwell Vienna Metro Apartments). Our roommate will possibly be moving out come December, so we've got to decide if we want to stay in our current apartment complex (which would require moving to a 1bd/1ba) or if we want to move into the city further.

-The three of us pay a total of ~$2500/month which includes parking for 2 cars, $50 pet rent for our small dog (just under 30lb), Water/Sewer/Trash, and "community electric".

-I work by Farragut N/W and my boyfriend will be working by Brookland (Washington Hospital Center). We will both be 25 by the time we move and we're not really party-ers. We do like to go out, but we also like our peace and quiet.

-You could say our dog is picky, but I just call him a suburban dog: he will not pee or poop on the sidewalk and needs to sniff around the grass for a good 15 minutes before he'll poop. We walk him 3 short and 2 long walks per day, so having grassy areas nearby is essential. I don't want to have to walk 10 blocks to get to an area where he'll finally START to sniff.

-Our budget is ~$2100, to include rent, pet rent, parking for 1 car, water/sewer/trash, etc.

-Must be within walking distance of the metro. As in, .75 mi or less.

-I do not want to live in an outdated apartment. Must have laundry in-unit, central heating & A/C (i.e. no window units, no dry baseboard heating, no management-controlled heat and a/c), and a modern (although not necessarily luxury) kitchen.

-A studio apartment will not work well for us. Definitely need a 1 bedroom, unless said studio has a sufficiently separated living/sleeping area. Also, >700 sq ft is preferred.
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With that being said, we'd like to move inward to the Court House metro station area. By my calculations, this will cut 40 minutes off each of our daily trips to work (in addition to cutting some metro costs). The difference in rent prices (from what I've seen so far) between these areas is just about made up by the amount that we would save on the metro each month. Add to that the time that we would gain, and I think Court House is a winner.

Can anyone provide any advice about the surrounding areas? Cost of things like groceries and gas in Arlington/22201 compared to Fairfax/22031? Are there any considerations that I'm missing??

Thank you very much, I appreciate any responses.

Oh also - here are a few places that I've found that we would be considering as far as apartments go. Anyone have experience at any of these places (good or bad)? Any others that meet my criteria above that we should consider?
~Archstone Courthouse Plaza
~Vista on Courthouse
~The Prime at Arlington Courthouse
~The Palatine

[PK12]

You should be able to find a relatively new or refurbished 1 BR apartment for about $1,700 - $1,800 within easy walking distance of a metro station.

I doubt groceries will run you much different in Arlington than in Fairfax.

For cheap gas, the HESS station on Wilson Blvd between Virginia Square and Clarendon is your friend.

I have had friends live in both Archstone Courthouse Plaza and the Prime. Both are pretty nice, esp the Archstone since it is smack in the middle of Courthouse Plaza so you have restaurants, barber shop, convenience store, AMC theaters right at your doorstep. Not to mention the Courthouse Metro, literally at your doorstep!

[ActuarialChef]

Originally Posted by PK12

You should be able to find a relatively new or refurbished 1 BR apartment for about $1,700 - $1,800 within easy walking distance of a metro station.

I doubt groceries will run you much different in Arlington than in Fairfax.

For cheap gas, the HESS station on Wilson Blvd between Virginia Square and Clarendon is your friend.

I have had friends live in both Archstone Courthouse Plaza and the Prime. Both are pretty nice, esp the Archstone since it is smack in the middle of Courthouse Plaza so you have restaurants, barber shop, convenience store, AMC theaters right at your doorstep. Not to mention the Courthouse Metro, literally at your doorstep!

Do you have any particular suggestions? The places I listed all start at $1950, which is the top-of-the-top of my budget. Do you think rent prices will decrease considerably between now and December (as in, the $1950 units decreasing down around/below $1800), or are there units now that might rent for those prices?

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by ActuarialChef

Do you think rent prices will decrease considerably between now and December (as in, the $1950 units decreasing down around/below $1800), or are there units now that might rent for those prices?

No, the units will not drop in price. The places you have listed are all luxury apartments along the orange line and that's what they cost. If you want cheaper ($<1500) there are places along Columbia Pike (south) or further north in Arlington where you can bus to the Pentagon Metro.

You might find something in Crystal/Pentagon City as they are marginally cheaper than Courthouse.

Any reason you are against living in DC since you both work there? Higher tax rates?

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by boyd888

You might find something in Crystal/Pentagon City as they are marginally cheaper than Courthouse.

I do not believe this is true, for comparable properties. People sometimes make that claim here but almost never link to evidence (although maybe some of the evidence cannot be linked). When I look online, I see similar prices for comparable properties. Both locations are on metro lines and are close to different parts of the District (e.g., Clarendon/Courthouse is closer to NW DC; Pentagon City/CC is closer to Capitol Hill), which are among the main things that drive housing costs here.

I think that the main issue is that Clarendon and Courthouse tend to have newer properties and the high rises there tend not to be as large as those on both sides of Rt 1 in PC/CC (or Rosslyn). So making apples-to-apples comparisons is somewhat difficult.

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by ACWhite

I do not believe this is true, for comparable properties. People sometimes make that claim here but almost never link to evidence (although maybe some of the evidence cannot be linked).

Archstone Crystal Place is $1800 for 675 sq ft
Archstone Pentagon City is $1900 for 672 sq ft
Archstone Courthouse Plaza is $2000 for 674 sq ft

Equity Apartments lists these as two year leases and they are comparable properties.

Like I said, "marginally" cheaper. $200 a month is still $2400 a year saved to live by Crystal City instead of Courthouse.

[PK12]

Originally Posted by ActuarialChef

Do you have any particular suggestions? The places I listed all start at $1950, which is the top-of-the-top of my budget. Do you think rent prices will decrease considerably between now and December (as in, the $1950 units decreasing down around/below $1800), or are there units now that might rent for those prices?

Unfortunately off the top of my head I do not. These are places where I've had friends and acquaintances live.

When I lived in Ballston I was at Richmond Square, which was perfectly located right by the Ballston metro, reasonable rents, and would've been a great recommendation, had it not been for the abysmal management situation at the apartment community. People's experiences always vary though, so you could potentially look into it.


Crystal City could also work if you are not looking for a thriving party scene in your neighborhood, but still want access to a few decent restaurants and bars and convenient Blue/Yellow line Metro access.

[ActuarialChef]

Originally Posted by boyd888

No, the units will not drop in price. The places you have listed are all luxury apartments along the orange line and that's what they cost. If you want cheaper ($<1500) there are places along Columbia Pike (south) or further north in Arlington where you can bus to the Pentagon Metro.

You might find something in Crystal/Pentagon City as they are marginally cheaper than Courthouse.

Any reason you are against living in DC since you both work there? Higher tax rates?

The main reason is that I personally do not like city living. I'm not crazy about the noise level, and our dog needs a good amount of grass to enjoy life. He gets very depressed if he doesn't have places to sniff and run around. I have yet to find any area in a decent part of DC that has ample grassy areas.

[stateofnature]

ActuarialChef, I think you are overrating how urban DC is and underrating how urban Clarendon and Court House are. If Clarendon/Court House/Crystal City have enough grassy areas for you, then I don't see why, say, Cleveland Park, Van Ness or Tenleytown in DC wouldn't have enough for you. DC west of Rock Creek Park certainly has more grass than the concrete monstrosity that is Crystal City, and probably just as much if not more than Clarendon/Court House. It's pretty dang suburban actually when you get away from the main drags like Connecticut Ave or Wisconsin Ave.

Also, Cleveland Park/Van Ness/Tenleytown/Friendship Heights have LOWER noise levels than at least Clarendon because they are not major nightlife destinations while Clarendon is full of former frat boys and sorority girls partying into the wee hours.

Also, you mentioned one of you works in Brookland. Why not Brookland itself? It's in the city but has plenty of lawns and grass. I would consider it more suburban in feel than Clarendon, Court House, or Crystal City. It definitely has higher crime rates than Northern Virginia, I won't deny that, but the crime situation there has drastically improved in recent years and I know several professional people who have lived there and done fine.

I'm just saying that if you don't like city living you should consider that Clarendon/Court House/Crystal City actually MORE RESEMBLE city living than many neighborhoods in the city proper, but those DC neighborhoods are a) about the same price for rent, or in the case of Brookland, cheaper and b) just as short if not better commute to downtown.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by ActuarialChef

The main reason is that I personally do not like city living. I'm not crazy about the noise level, and our dog needs a good amount of grass to enjoy life. He gets very depressed if he doesn't have places to sniff and run around. I have yet to find any area in a decent part of DC that has ample grassy areas.

By all means make the most important financial choice of your life based on your dogs emotional state.

1) There are plenty of parts of DC where it is single family homes. In fact the majority of DC is single family homes with yards, its one of the least dense cities in the world. Essentially head north or south from downtown areas and eventually you will find lots of single family homes.

2) Its called a dog park. When you live in a city you supplement what you might lose in terms of suburban square footage and on property elements like a massive back yard, with the fact that if you walk across the street you get an even bigger nice park. The city is your kitchen, the city is your living room, the city is your yard. Your home is where you sleep.

I know to one who might not be sync'd with how urban living is that sounds insane and bit like a vagrant, but that's what living in a city means. If in your core thats not the way you feel, then I would suggest sticking with the burbs where you can get the same things but on your own property instead.