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GOUGE Northern VA Housing Info

othromas

othromas

AEDO livin’ the dream
pilot
I recently received verbals to Northern VA (Chantilly) in the spring of 2017 and wanted to see if anyone here has insight into the area with regards to rentals. Looks like traffic is the real deal there. Trulia has a commute time heat map that's been invaluable to narrow my focus. So far it looks like we can either get a small condo/townhome in Reston, a typical SFH in Chantilly/Centreville, or a much larger SFH out towards Haymarket. However, it'd be invaluable to hear what others who've been up here have to say. I have also heard recently that I-66 is going to be undergoing significant construction, which will change the traffic patterns, so I'm avoiding it as a result. If there are other infrastructure changes or significant events like that happening in the next several years, I'd like to know to plan ahead. Thanks!
 
What do you want to live in? Do you have family? Do you care if you are close to the city or a night life or just want a nice pace in the burbs? All that and more will help narrow down where some good places are to live.

You are a little luckier that you are in Chantilly, the commute to and from there is nowhere near as bad as to downtown. Reston may be a little far and trafficky though if you are looking for a shorter commute. Chantilly, Fairfax and Burke are all decent options with commutes likely 20 minutes or less from most places in those areas. On the west side South Riding might be an option, very nice homes and a big brand new community.

In addition to Trulia I found Redfin to be a good resource for just looking at what was available and at what price.
 
Nice place in the 'burbs is fine for me - I have a family with a 4 year old boy and a baby on the way in February so I don't care much about nightlife. I'd prefer a house but a well designed townhouse would be fine too if it had a garage but I can get over that. I can deal with a 30 min commute or less; same as what I had in Whidbey going to and from A-town.

We've been looking at S. Riding and there aren't any rentals in our price range. I'm trying to keep the rental + utility cost under BAH ($3.1k). Either they don't exist or I'm too early.

I'll check out Redfin. You know anything about the I-66 construction or anything else going on with infrastructure in the area?
 
othromas said:
Nice place in the 'burbs is fine for me - I have a family with a 4 year old boy and a baby on the way in February so I don't care much about nightlife. I'd prefer a house but a well designed townhouse would be fine too if it had a garage but I can get over that. I can deal with a 30 min commute or less; same as what I had in Whidbey going to and from A-town.
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Schoolsmight be a bit of a factor then, Fairfax and London both have good schools and especially where I mentioned. Centreville, Sterling and Herndon are other places to look, lots of townhouses in Herndon.

othromas said:
We've been looking at S. Riding and there aren't any rentals in our price range. I'm trying to keep the rental + utility cost under BAH ($3.1k). Either they don't exist or I'm too early..
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Fairfax and Burke are decent locales that should have some rentals. The further out you go the cheaper it'll be and the housing will be cheaper too, I'm a little surprised at South Riding but given that the rental market isn't huge for the places you described I guess it isn't too big a surprise.

There is a place for rent down the street from me, , it is only about 10 miles from there and 20 mins with no traffic, I can PM you the info if you want. I'll also ask a buddy who works there now if they have anything posted on their internal board. I'll also ask him where folks generally live.

othromas said:
We'veI'll check out Redfin. You know anything about the I-66 construction or anything else going on with infrastructure in the area?
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Military by Owner is another good place to look too. As for 66 I try and avoid it altogether, the construction shouldn't have too much of an impact but it is a parking lot already. Avoiding 66 shouldn't be too hard working in Chantilly but you will have some traffic no matter where you live. But at least with Chantilly you have a lot of options most others don't.
 
In the same boat. Headed to DC (Pentagon tour) in Feb. Will post separately to see if anyone has a rental they need to unload. Looking in Alexandria. Any other cool neighborhoods for a Dual-Mil No Kid couple? We require a garage (for the LCDR mobile). Would like a place with a decent walk score (to shops/restaurants/bars/coffee). Thanks.
 
FlyFastNow said:
In the same boat. Headed to DC (Pentagon tour) in Feb. Will post separately to see if anyone has a rental they need to unload. Looking in Alexandria. Any other cool neighborhoods for a Dual-Mil No Kid couple? We require a garage (for the LCDR mobile). Would like a place with a decent walk score (to shops/restaurants/bars/coffee). Thanks.
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Old Town Alexandria, though you might have trouble finding a place with a garage. Any place within walking distance to Metro is gouge.
 
Fester is right about garages, the closer in the fewer options to put a vehicle. I would also suggest looking at northern Arlington, Clarendon and Courthouse specifically, but parking is even worse there with some places charging a couple of hundred a month for one.
 
I live near Lee and Glebe in Arlington. The homes fit your needs but may be a little above $3000 a month. About 15-20 minutes to the Pentagon if you take 66 (HOV). Longer if you take Washington Bvld. May be worth a look
 
Flash said:
Fester is right about garages, the closer in the fewer options to put a vehicle. I would also suggest looking at northern Arlington, Clarendon and Courthouse specifically, but parking is even worse there with some places charging a couple of hundred a month for one.
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It seems like my desire to be "walkable" and out of the suburbs is not compatible with my husband's need for a garage... Are Arlington, Clarendon and Courthouse suburby or walkable to cute areas?
 
Rosalyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston are all areas in Arlington. They aren't real municipalities, just names. They consist of a very congested part of Northern VA. Lots of high rise apartment buildings and town homes. Together they resemble (at least to me) a medium sized city anywhere else in the country. They are walkable, mostly upscale chain retail and very good restaurants, but I wouldn't call it "cute". I think the best bet for what you are looking for would be the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria.
 
Cross post from your other thread:
There's no such thing as an easy commute in DC. If I was a DINK in DC Old Town would be the top of my list. Not sure how the area around Eastern Market is to live in but sure was nice to stroll around. I'd also look at the Silver Spring area. Silver spring is close to Sligo Creek which is nice if your husband wants a place to run and dig. If you want funky/hippy you can always look at Takoma Park. These areas are a bit more residential...so lots of 1940s craftsmans with sidewalks and small yards. Most will have some sort of detached garage. My uncle lived in Silver Spring for ages and had a blacksmith shop in his garage.
 
FlyFastNow said:
It seems like my desire to be "walkable" and out of the suburbs is not compatible with my husband's need for a garage... Are Arlington, Clarendon and Courthouse suburby or walkable to cute areas?
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Suburby? No, very urban with a few pockets of suburban neighborhoods scattered around but those are likely even out of a dual-mil family.

Del Ray is not a bad suggestion from what little I know about it. Reston Towne Center and Fairfax City aren't bad either has a mix of a downtown and houses/townhouses near both, Reston is closer to the Metro though.

I would visit a few of these places to get a feel for them before pulling the trigger on a place.
 
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