Anyone in the DC/Baltimore area?

[tiggerlover]

DH is retiring from the military in January and he is currently job searching and he has been told that there are a lot of opportunities for his field (IT - Information Technologist) in the DC and Baltimore areas. I am looking for information about areas in VA and MD that are within the commuting area of DC and Baltimore, specifically homes and schools. I know DC can be very pricey, but I am hoping there are still decent areas out there where you can buy a decent house for $200-$250K.

 

[Blondie]

Can you be more specific in the area you want to live in? Fredericksburg has a good deal of people who live here, but work in DC, Crystal City, etc. due to the fact that housing is cheaper down here. New housing construction here starts in the low $400,000's, but you can find a nice 4 BR 2 1/2 bath existing home in your price range, but not many! Most start around $275 and go up from there, depending on the age and location of the house.

 

[Blondie]

Check out realtor.com.

Type in the town you might be interested in and the price range. It should give you an idea of what you are looking at.

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks Blondie, that is what I would like to do, go to realtor.com, but I am not familiar with the areas up in those parts and I am looking for anyone who knows to give me a starting point. We do not have any particular place in mind just looking to see if he should even persue jobs in DC and Baltimore based on the affordability of housing. Granted I hear the salary is higher in those parts then here by the beach so we could probably afford more house, but it is all speculation at this point.

 

[Olaf]

Tiggerlover, 250K won't go very far around here. Your average house, within a 45 minute commute, will run around 450K and up. Townhomes, about 100K less. I'm not exagerating. There are good job opportunities though--unemployment is very low.

 

[airforcewife]

Yep.

My dh is at Maxwell AFB here in Alabama for just 10 months and we just found our that 85% of the follow on jobs are Pentagon, so we are in the same boat. I 'm slightly luckier in that we both grew up in Lake Ridge Va. a suburb of DC.
A 4 bedroom in Stafford orarea is running in the 450's from what I've seen.

School wise Fairfax county schools were the best when I lived there, are they still?

Robyn

 

[Barb D]

I'm in MD, between DC and Baltimore. Even townhouses in our area are over $200,000, and even over $300,000, depending on the county.

I'm PMing you.

 

[disney1990]

Yes, housing in the Maryland/DC/Virginia areas can be very expensive. But there are areas that are in your price range. I have sent you a PM.

 

[tiggerlover]

Originally posted by Barb D
I'm in MD, between DC and Baltimore. Even townhouses in our area are over $200,000, and even over $300,000, depending on the county.

I'm PMing you.

I am glad I am researching ahead of time!

 

[kadaten]

tiggerlover We moved from there 2 years ago. Sadly, the housing is even worse than when we left.

We bought a 4BR/3.5ba townhouse in summer 1999 for $167,715. Sold it summer 2002 for $249,950....50% profit. The last one to sell in that development went for $375,000 in September.

That said, your income should be higher there (I know our BAH was...and it actually kept up!). If he's working for the FEDs he'll get locality pay, too. Keep that in mind.

We lived in Lake Ridge, VA, which is in Prince William County. We LOVED our neighborhood (a HUGE planned development...really a mini-town) and how close we were to DC, yet far enough away from most of the hassles. Lake Ridge has everything from small rental apts. to million-dollar homes, and everything in between. Schools are pretty good, although Fairfax county is rated higher. BUT, you'll pay at least $100,000 more for the same thing in Fairfax county just because it's closer and it's Fairfax. Our developement was on the river separating PW county from Fairfax....we could throw a rock and hit Fairfax, but we got our townhouse for $100K less.

"Reasonable commute" in that area means different things to different people. DH worked with some people who commuted 2 hours each way from WV. I kid you not. Out there they could afford land and mini-mansions for what we were paying for a townhouse, so they sucked it up and dealt with the commute. We weren't willing... One hour plus commutes are the norm. We were lucky...DH worked near Ft. Belvoir so he drove 16 miles to work (and at odd hours so he didn't have traffic very often), but school at Andrews twice a week ran him 38 miles each way.

We were exactly half-way between Ft. Belvoir and Quantico, so I used both commissaries, and just planned according to traffic flow. You'll still have benefits, so that's something to think about....not a deal breaker or maker, but nice to know.

Good luck on the job/house hunt!!!

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks for the information, Katie. This retirement thing is sooooo stressful, so many things to think about and consider!

 

[Tina]

$200 - 250k will only buy a small townhouse in Northern VA. A good friend of mine bought her rather large (3 level, finished basement) townhouse in a so-so neighborhood (near Manassas) a little more than a year ago for $229k. She is refinancing and her appraisal came back at $300k just last week.
I hope that you find what you are looking for. Unfortunately, your price range may drive you farther away from the jobs than you'd like. I'd wait and see what kind of salary offers your DH gets and then see if you can afford more house.

 

[Christine]

I live in Woodbridge, VA (right next to Lake Ridge) and with the price range you are looking at you will get a very small, older townhome or a condo. My mom has a 6 year old town house in Lake Ridge. It is 2400 square feet (including the basement) and has a garage. Guess what? It sells for over $400,000!!!! You might do better by looking in a neighborhood called Montclair. It is just as nice a Lake Ridge, the schools are excellent in that neighborhood, but because it is about 5-8 miles south, the houses run a little cheaper. I know some of the smaller, older homes there sell for the upper-200s. Stay away from Dale City (schools suck). You will find Fairfax to be staggeringly expensive.


Personally, I hate my commute from Woodbridge. I do not carpool so take it for what it's worth. I leave my house at 5:50 a.m. and do not get into my office until sometimes 7:30 (but mostly around 7:00-7:15). Public transportation is available but runs about $150 per month into the city (and more if you have to add the subway to that).

Good luck!

 

[airforcewife]

Christine

Which schools suck in Dale City? I went to Gar-Field High School and didn't think it sucked! I'm very interested to know what you didn't like about Dale City?

"Robyn (
Gar-Field class of 1990)

 

[kadaten]

I don't know about Christine, and schools weren't our reason, but we checked out Dale City first due to price but didn't like what we saw, so didn't "seriously" look there.

Since it's not an HOA neighborhood, it was very hit-or-miss. We had dear friends who lived there. Their back fence neighbor turned his entire back yard into a junk pile. Lots of areas weren't very well kept. Since we KNOW we're selling within a few years, we need something that will hold value, not something that can go down just because the people next door don't care anymore.

Some parts of Dale City are nice...specifically the newer areas (tiggerlover: It's all arranged alphabetically. The oldest stuff is all streets starting with A, B, or C....while the newest when we were there was R's, S's, and T's.) But I prefer the protections afforded by an HOA, so we stopped looking there. Just wasn't our thing.

That said, there are LOTS of people who live in Dale City, and like it, so it's worth checking out, at least! Prices are a little lower here than nearby areas.

 

[airforcewife]

Well I suppose that would be where you are. My parents still live there and they DO have a HOA. I know because my mom is president. She also used to put cones out on Dale Blvd at our subdivison (princedale) so cars would stop when the school bus was loading. they would just whiz by as kids got on the bus. She was always doing stuff like that! lol.

I guess it is hard to hear someone bash your hometown it is the only reason I can think of for my reaction. Sorry! I'm over it. It did look a little worn the last I was there, but I still think it's a great place to live. Close but not too close. ( and I do think you are right the Ash-Darby dale sections are showing age.

Robyn

 

[kadaten]

Originally posted by airforcewife
( and I do think you are right the Ash-Darby dale sections are showing age.

Friends were in Birchdale.
No HOA's when those were built, and you can't add them.

I hear what you're saying. hard to hear somone doesn't love what you do. But, that's what makes life so fun...the shear diversity. I just remember that what I like doesn't float everyone's boat, either! And aren't I glad...there'd be TOO much competition when I go to buy another house!

One HUGE plus to Dale City: Can't get any closer to Potomac Mills than that! Oh my GOSH how I miss that mall! We took a financial hit moving away from all the outlets in the area! For 3 years I almost never paid full price for anything! We *still* make an occasional trek up....IKEA just can't be replaced!!

 

[airforcewife]

Ah... Potmac Mills! built my freshman year of high school, right across the street from my high school. Fond memories there. My first jobs.. the movies and Jewelry Outlet. I think the only reason Gar-field has a fence is to keep kids from skipping school and going to the mall. ( well it was built a month or two after the mall was finished!)

Robyn

 

[Christine]

airforcewife:

I'm sure you have great memories of Gar-Field. But, things unfortunately change. Gar-Field and Potomac High Schools are THE worst in the county. I know several kids going to Gar-Field--good, nice kids doing well but have been unmotivated and beaten down by the constant fights, gangs, and classroom disruptions. Of course, you're going to find that in every high school but these two are the worst. Right now, the premier high schools in Prince William are Brenstville (Western), Osborn Park, Forest Park, Hylton, and then Woodbridge.

As for Dale City, I drive through there everyday and some of it is VERY rough. I have lived in Woodbridge for 10 years and the changes that have occurred in the area in the last 5 are major. I do agree that Princedale and the areas at the very end of Dale Blvd. have been well maintained and still look great.

 

[Olaf]

Yahoo Christine, you forgot Stonewall.