Moving to Arlington from Toronto (Alexandria, Burke: health insurance, chapel, mortgage)

[Nli]

Hi:

My husband just accepted a job offer in Arlington. We are in Toronto now. We are looking to buy a house and are getting very overwhelmed. Help please!

A little background: we have 2 kids, aged 3 and 1. Hubby will be making a little over 100K and I won't have a job (will be looking though). We can put a $250K down payment.

The areas that we have been looking at are Burke and Fairfax. They seem to be within 30 mins commute to Arlington. But the houses are older and pretty expensive.

Are there other areas that we could look at for a reasonable commute to Arlington? Or any other recommendations? We are also looking to be close to a good elementary school.

Thanks!

[VRE332]

OK I know Toronto very well. If you like Scarborough or areas close to the ETR, then down in the DC area you'd like Loudoun County, specifically Aldie, South Riding VA, Ashburn VA. Start there. Also there's a bus that commutes down to the DC area as well.

[gomason]

Most of the new houses are in the far-out suburbs like Ashburn, Haymarket, and Stafford. You'll get a much better deal on the house but it will take you 90 minutes to get to work.

It's a sacrifice a lot of people have to make around here. Having a reasonable commute means you probably won't be in your dream house.

[Nli]

Ok. I've been looking around for a week now. Just want to confirm there is no such thing as new and affordable houses with short commute. (And here I am complaining about my 40 mins commute in Toronto...)

We'd like to have a short commute, 30 mins or so. Hubby's work is right off courthouse metro station. We are considering Fairfax, Burke and Reston. From the map, they are about the same distance to Arlington. But how is real travel time with traffic? I understand the area is well known for traffic jams. And how do these areas compare against each other, any major differences?

One more question, how is Chantilly? The houses there seem to be a little cheaper and distance is around 20 miles as well. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

[Middlin]

Miles don't mean much, but a rough estimate is 2-3 times the mileage so a 20 mile commute is 40 + minutes. Living very close to the metro is very pricey as well.

If a shorter commute is the priority, I would take a look in South Arlington and Falls Church

Highly recommend he take metro and not drive. There is a trip planner on this site. Basically anything on the orange or silver line is going to be the quickest trip. "Fairfax" is quite large so even a short distance miles wise could be very time consuming to get to Vienna metro stop.

Metro - Rail - Maps - Rail/Google Map?

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Nli

Ok. I've been looking around for a week now. Just want to confirm there is no such thing as new and affordable houses with short commute. (And here I am complaining about my 40 mins commute in Toronto...)

Correct, you will not find something new, afforable, and close.

It is said often on this board that, when dealing with NoVA housing, there are three important things:

1) Distance to DC/ jobs

2) Cost

3) Size and age of home

You get to pick which two are most important to you, and you will compromise greatly on the 3rd. You don't get all three.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by Nli

Ok. I've been looking around for a week now. Just want to confirm there is no such thing as new and affordable houses with short commute. (And here I am complaining about my 40 mins commute in Toronto...)

We'd like to have a short commute, 30 mins or so. Hubby's work is right off courthouse metro station. We are considering Fairfax, Burke and Reston. From the map, they are about the same distance to Arlington. But how is real travel time with traffic? I understand the area is well known for traffic jams. And how do these areas compare against each other, any major differences?

One more question, how is Chantilly? The houses there seem to be a little cheaper and distance is around 20 miles as well. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Generally, you can take the time Google Maps says it takes without traffic and double that to get the rush hour time. My commute is 30 minutes, for example, whereas it's usually about a 15 minute drive without traffic.

Reston would be the easiest commute. Probably would be about 40-45 minute during rush hour. The catch, however, is that your husband would have to pay $7 roundtrip a day use the toll highway. On the other hand, the Dulles Toll Road is the least congested highway in Northern Virginia during rush hour because it is not free. Burke and Fairfax would both be about 45 minutes (Burke slightly worse).

All areas have excellent schools. Reston definitely has the most retail and shopping. Many of the best restaurants in Northern Virginia are in the Reston Town Center. Fairfax isn't too far behind. Burke is the most far behind but it's not too far from cool areas like Merrifield and Fairfax Corner.

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by Nli

We'd like to have a short commute, 30 mins or so. Hubby's work is right off courthouse metro station. We are considering Fairfax, Burke and Reston.

You are not going to get a 30 minute commute from Reston to Court House unless you are doing it outside of the normal commuting hours. I66 is HOV2 inbound during AM commute and outbound during PM commute. If you go before HOV hours you will definitely have a 30 minute commute - that means getting off I66 before 6:30 AM. The best bet to commute from Reston to Court House is via Metro. The train ride takes 31 minutes - so if you live very close to the Reston station you could have a 40-45 minute commute.

Here are a few properties to look at that are very close to the Reston station.

Detached Homes
2214 WAKEROBIN LN, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8535623 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2123 OWLS COVE LN, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8493773 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2075 COBBLESTONE LN, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8497101 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com


Waterfront Townhouses
11216 LAGOON LN, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8533468 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2269 CEDAR COVE CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8448113 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
11173 LAKE CHAPEL LN, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8528464 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com


Townhouses
2255 CEDAR COVE CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8501707 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2027 SWANS NECK WAY, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8499162 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
1950 LAKEPORT WAY, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX8544960 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com

I live very near these houses and can answer any questions you have.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of the neighborhood.
https://www.city-data.com/forum/north...uth-lakes.html

Here is a map that shows all the amenities offered by Reston - 15 pools and 50 miles of trails!
Reston Association - Interactive Map Guide

[Carlingtonian]

Making just over $100K, his take-home pay (assuming 10% going to savings) after taxes and health insurance will be about $5000/month.

Mortgage on a $600K house, including monthly escrow for taxes and homeowner's insurance, will be around $3300/month, maybe less, at current interest rates.

I think you can find something for that price well within 30 minutes of Arlington, if you don't need a huge house (which you shouldn't given that you have two small children) or a garage. South Arlington (generally more affordable than N. Arlington but with less sought-after schools) is one option, as is the Baileys Crossroads area of Falls Church and Alexandria (west of 395 and south of Seminary Road).

Looking at a real-estate listing site, here are a few suggestions, all in N. Arlington, all with 3 BR, and all under $650K asking price:

988 N Roosevelt St Falls Church, VA 22046--outstanding schools, rare attached garage, curb appeal is meh, but if it were cute and charming, it would cost 100K more. (This is the very fringe of FC, near the border with N. Arlington. Very desirable area.)

5932 3rd St N Arl VA 22203--also good schools, similar to above house--very near Ashlawn Elementary.

4721 Wilson Blvd, 22203--on a busy road, but if you're heavy sleepers and don't need to back out of your driveway during rush hour (which will be impossible), it's a steal. Close to Metro.

[Middlin]

Love how you tell the OP what she needs as well as assuming a lot of financial goals/obligations.