Anyone live near Washington, DC?

[soccerchick]

Thanks for the replies!! He would work a couple of blocks away from the Mall. It is supposed to have flexible hours and telecommuting, though, or we wouldn't even be considering it.

Our dd is 13, boys are 5. We definately need good schools! Dd is on the swim team, boys aren't old enough to really be into anything yet. Any idea for how long the commute would be living farther out in some of the towns mentioned? DBIL commutes from Leesburg to near verizon Center - takes car to Herndon, rides bus to Metro. Metro to office. 1.5 hours.
We both currently commute over 50 miles each way to work, but it only takes us an hour to drive. I am sure it wouldn't be like that out there!

I work in IT, have a business degree.

Are there lots of parks with bike paths in the area? That is one thing we love doing as a family. Some areas have more - Arlington BOS is very anti-car, so it seems like ther are more trails there, the W&OD trail goes through much of NoVa

What are the summers like? Is it humid? YES Coming from Michigan, we don't do well in heat! I really won't miss the winters, though.

Oh, can anyone give me a ballpark figure of what latchkey and summer daycare costs there?

Parts of Arlington would be ideal for both commute and schools. Good and bad side of the housing market is that Arlington is one of the few places where prices have held steady in this economy, so it'll be expensive, but will likely hold resale value. Parts of Fairfax are nice. Most of Loudoun is nice (I live there!), but a commute downtown would be long. Property values have gone down, making it more affordable. The price slide seems to have leveled off, at least what I see in the towns around me.DH commutes to Arlington, but at off hours so it is good.

I would avoid Prince William Co. since you'd be stuck with I- 95.

 

[PlutoPony]

I would avoid Prince William Co. since you'd be stuck with I- 95.

Double check your map I-66 goes thru a good chunk of northern PW County (that's the area we live in) as well as I-95.... It's a big county! I-66 is 8 lane out to the 234 bypass, and they're working on widening it out to Route 29 right now.

 

[PlutoPony]

What is the personal property tax? You have to pay taxes every year on your car or just when you buy it?

Car tax (i.e. personal property) is paid every year and is actually due next month. I think your % number is right, haven't checked it lately - I just write the check and the amount is less each year (as the car depreciates) so I'm happy . Can't think of any other odd taxes but there are probably some out there.

 

[soccerchick]

Double check your map I-66 goes thru a good chunk of northern PW County (that's the area we live in) as well as I-95.... It's a big county! I-66 is 8 lane out to the 234 bypass, and they're working on widening it out to Route 29 right now.

Is that any better? 66 is the reason we didn't move to Centreville.

 

[PlutoPony]

Is that any better? 66 is the reason we didn't move to Centreville.

IMO yes, much better. As I mentioned I-66 is 8 lane out to us, one lane is HOV during rush hours up to the Beltway. Plus western PW County has been on a road building kick for the past few years (thank goodness) so you can actually get around pretty well now. My husband's commute of 6 miles (in PWC but not on any interstates) started out at 15 minutes when we moved here 10 years ago, got up to 40 minutes and is now back to 15 minutes or less.

 

[bluesaturn]

If you are going to look into Maryland, try Calvert or Anne Arundel counties. They are about an hour commute into DC, which is relatively typical in the area. They are decent, safe areas with good schools, and the cost of living may be less shocking than NOVA. Unfortunately I can't fill you in on home prices because I don't own a home but hopefully a Marylander can jump in. And just so you know, you want to avoid Prince Georges county (which is right outside DC) as it's difficult to find a safe area and the schools are not good.

 

[DisBride2007]

I can't offer any advice about DC (although I DC and would move there in a second if I could) but I just wanted to offer a suggestion about selling your house in Michigan. (I'm from there, and my parents just sold their house there, and it wasn't easy.) First, if your DH is getting transferred or recruited for a position, see if you can include their paying for any part of your selling process as part of the negotiation process. Sometimes companies will pay for your Realtor, or even buy your house from you (and then sell it themselves). Second, if you do put your house on the market, it's probably better to price it lower than the comps and sell it quickly, rather than have it sit on the market for months while prices continue to drop.

Anyway good luck with your research!

 

[StephMK]

I can't resist throwing out a recommendation for Burke Centre. I think it's burkecentre.org. 10 mins to the Beltway, good schools, great neighborhood for families. 5 pools, membership for the season is $100 incl. all of them, bike/walking trails all throughout the neighborhood, wooded, several ponds, tons of families & kids.

Burke Racquet & Swim is in the middle & has a competitive swim team. Lots of housing types, SFH, townhouses, condos, range of prices. 5 minutes from Burke Lake w/5 miles trail around it, mini golf, fishing. Mall is 20 min away w/lots of shopping there. Lots of sports for kids there and DH's cousin plays hockey as did his son so it's there somewhere.

It is a PUD so you can't change your house w/o getting it approved but at least you know your neighbor won't have a purple door and junker in the front yard.

 

[mjkacmom]

I can't offer any advice about DC (although I DC and would move there in a second if I could) but I just wanted to offer a suggestion about selling your house in Michigan. (I'm from there, and my parents just sold their house there, and it wasn't easy.) First, if your DH is getting transferred or recruited for a position, see if you can include their paying for any part of your selling process as part of the negotiation process. Sometimes companies will pay for your Realtor, or even buy your house from you (and then sell it themselves). Second, if you do put your house on the market, it's probably better to price it lower than the comps and sell it quickly, rather than have it sit on the market for months while prices continue to drop.

Anyway good luck with your research!

Totally agree here - my SIL moved from Michigan to Ohio a few years ago, and they're still renting out the Michigan house, because they can't sell it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I live in Montgomery County in MD. There are some very good schools here, but the prices of housing are fairly high (though much lower than a year ago). I like it better than VA mainly because the traffic seems to be much lighter (that's relative, mind you).

I have to agree with you punkin!

The traffic is definitely better going into the city from Montgomery County, especially when taking the metro. The traffic is horrible going into the city from Va.

 

[clutter]

I have to agree with you punkin!

The traffic is definitely better going into the city from Montgomery County, especially when taking the metro. The traffic is horrible going into the city from Va.

Not if you live along I-66 and have a Prius!!

My 24 mile commute takes 50 minutes (worst case except for an accident) in the morning, and as little as 25 minutes in the evening, if I can time it right. I can beat home some of the guys that live in the city.

Seriously, metro DC has high housing costs and tough (and expensive) commutes, but it has so many amenities that make it such a great place to live!!

 

[DizkneeDenna]

I know alot of other Diser's will disagree with me, but I just thought you should have another opinion from someone who is trying VERY hard to get out of this area.

Hubby and I moved to Arlington 5 years ago....we do love it up here but it is just too expensive. We were under the wrong assumption that it was just housing that was off the charts, once you got somewhere to live then everything else would be normal. NOT....

Everything is move expensive in Northern Virginia....food, gas, movies, clothes, restaurants, taxes, insurance. Now this is just our perspective, but we only make just over 100K between the two of us. We both believe that you need TWO salary's in the 100K range to make it up here....to get ahead.

To be fair we were not in a position to live an hour away and commute, because of personal/health reasons that was not an option for us, so we had to move close in. So honestly I don't know what things are like out in the suburbs of DC....maybe they are cheaper but I don't think by much.

I will tell you about our AHAH moment....we were at DisneyWorld (one of the most expensive resorts in the world!) and we were paying for lunch....and said to each other oh that's not so bad....and then it hit us....we were living everyday in an area that had resort prices! That's when we agreed we need to get out of here!

So, I just wanted to give you another perspective, make sure you research all financial aspects of moving to the DC area. If you do decide that you can truly afford to live here I know you will love it!

Good Luck!

 

[musical2]

I work in Washington DC and I live in Odenton, MD. This is a small community in Anne Arundel County. We have decent schools and from here you can either drive in or take the train. The MARC train stops in Odenton. We love it here. The home prices are decent. It is a relatively safe area. Also, if you are IT there are many opportunities in the Baltimore/Washington International Airport technology corridor. There are many IT companies here. Northrup Grumman and General Dynamics are a couple of the big names here. Many smaller companies.

 

[punkin]

I know alot of other Diser's will disagree with me, but I just thought you should have another opinion from someone who is trying VERY hard to get out of this area.

Hubby and I moved to Arlington 5 years ago....we do love it up here but it is just too expensive. We were under the wrong assumption that it was just housing that was off the charts, once you got somewhere to live then everything else would be normal. NOT....

Everything is move expensive in Northern Virginia....food, gas, movies, clothes, restaurants, taxes, insurance. Now this is just our perspective, but we only make just over 100K between the two of us. We both believe that you need TWO salary's in the 100K range to make it up here....to get ahead.

To be fair we were not in a position to live an hour away and commute, because of personal/health reasons that was not an option for us, so we had to move close in. So honestly I don't know what things are like out in the suburbs of DC....maybe they are cheaper but I don't think by much.

I will tell you about our AHAH moment....we were at DisneyWorld (one of the most expensive resorts in the world!) and we were paying for lunch....and said to each other oh that's not so bad....and then it hit us....we were living everyday in an area that had resort prices! That's when we agreed we need to get out of here!

So, I just wanted to give you another perspective, make sure you research all financial aspects of moving to the DC area. If you do decide that you can truly afford to live here I know you will love it!

Good Luck!

It is rather an expensive area. I live just outside the beltway so we are very close in (DH's commute is less than half hour usually) and you are right about prices. However, there are ways to make do. There are cheap Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants; Korean grocery stores; other hole in the wall places (see Cheap Eats from Washingtonian magazine). As was mentioned by a pp, $100K household income is a bare minimum to be comfortable in this area. If you can afford WDW, then you are comfortable, right?

BTW, I don't like it much here either. I've wanted to go home for the entire 6 years we've been here.

 

[mama2girls]

I have been in Fairfax County for 30 years and currently live in Centreville. Lots of change over the years, but still love the area.

Im in Centreville too!!! What a small world! Where is C'ville do you live? We are in Sully Station 2. Love seeing neighbors on here!!

 

[PrincessDadx2]

Everything is move expensive in Northern Virginia....food, gas, movies, clothes, restaurants, taxes, insurance. Now this is just our perspective, but we only make just over 100K between the two of us. We both believe that you need TWO salary's in the 100K range to make it up here....to get ahead.

I will tell you about our AHAH moment....we were at DisneyWorld (one of the most expensive resorts in the world!) and we were paying for lunch....and said to each other oh that's not so bad....and then it hit us....we were living everyday in an area that had resort prices! That's when we agreed we need to get out of here!

You must have expensive taste in food We rarely pay more than $60 including tip for sit down dinner for a family of 4 and usually in the $40-$50 range eating out on a weekly basis. In WDW we rarely pay less than $100 including tip with no alcohol.

For other things I believe it is truly cheaper than other large cities or you learn coping mechanisms.

Food - I buy mostly at Costco and sales at grocery stores. Lots of grocery competition and I have an extra freezer, refrig, and pantry to stock up on sales. Buy on sale and store and it is really cheap. I pay ~ $3.25 for a gallon of milk and am amazed by people who say they pay $4 or $5 per gallon in other places.

Gas - Gas in relatively cheap in VA due to lower taxes. Right now around my house is $3.53 a gallon and I can get .10 - .20 cheaper if I go to Prince William County. My dad is still paying ~ $4 in NY. Costco credit card gives another 3% discount

Movies - These are expensive so we only go 1 or 2x per year. You can buy bulk tickets at Costco for $6.50 a ticket.

Clothes - Extremely cheap. You can buy anything 50% + off at Potomac Mills. Also lots of great clothes at thrift stores, consignment stores, and yard sales. Outfitted all the kids in Gymboree clothes for ~ $1 an outfit. Lots of wealthy busy people = great yard sales.

Restaurants - Lots of good ethnic restaurants that are cheap cheap cheap.

Taxes - Va is consistently in the lower half of taxes for the country. Considering the services you get it is a bargain. We have top class schools, police, fire, etc. You do have to pay for trash. Only bad thing is roads which are a state expense NOVA pays out a lot more to the state than it receives from the state. My property tax is $4,000/yr for a $450,000 value and it would probably be 2-3x that in NY/NJ. There is the property/car tax, but currently there is 60% relief so the impact is limited unless you are always buying new cars.

Insurance - Maybe Arlington is higher due to the more urban environment. I pay $1,000 a year for full coverage on 2 cars which I think is reasonable. Homeowners is only $650 a year which is a bargain compared to places like Florida.

You also have to find the deals. I know a place in Hamilton that sells returns from Costco. Got a 42" Panasonic HDTV for $875 last year instead of $1,400 list. I must admit I am not the bargain hunter I was, but my salary is no longer $32,000 either When I developed my habits my mortgage was 60% of my take home pay after my DW left the work force, so I learned to live cheap.

 

[Halle]

Would love names of imexpemsive but nice restaurants in the Arlington area. Our DS and his bride live there ina teeny condo that cost them $460,000. They make about 100,000 between the two theem. We think they're crazy.

 

[3DisneyGals&1Grumpy]

Oh, can anyone give me a ballpark figure of what latchkey and summer daycare costs there?

Hi! I am in FairFax County as well. I moved here a little over a year ago from Houston and it definitely was a huge budget adjustment for my family but we do love it here. The area has so much to offer and the schools are excellent.

There are a lot of good child care options here but they are very sought after. SAC which is FC Public School After School Care program fills up fast and ALWAYS has a waiting list. My neighbor got her daughter on the list in June before last year's school started and it was mid March before a slot opened. That seems to be the normal wait time at my school. They do have summer SAC which may not be at your school choice(they combine schools). I am not sure about the school year but the summer program was a sliding scale based on your salary. The highest price was around $93 dollars per child per week. They do not offer this program the last two weeks of summer before school starts.

Fairfax County REC Parks offer tons of different types of summer camps. The prices vary a little bit based on the activity. To give you an example, Art Camp from 9:00-3:00 was $250 for one week. Extended care is extra and fills up fast.

Babysitters are around $10 per hour ...more for college age kids

Hope this helps!

 

[punkin]

Would love names of imexpemsive but nice restaurants in the Arlington area. Our DS and his bride live there ina teeny condo that cost them $460,000. They make about 100,000 between the two theem. We think they're crazy.

Take a look here. It is the entire DC are, not just Arlington, but elsewhere n the website they have a search by location feature too.

 

[dcfromva]

Taxes, taxes, taxes....!
Personal property tax in Fairfax Co is 4.57% of vehicle assessed value minus 68.5% for car tax relief. It is an annual bill due Oct 5th of each year (unless the 5th is a Sat or Sun).

After they did all the math, mine came out to be about 1.43% of the assessed vehicle value.

I'm glad it is reduced, but it was one tax they said they were going to phase out and they could never quite bring themselves to do it. I always worry they will phase out the car tax relief, instead, and we will have to back to paying the full bill.

The vehicle registration is Passenger - 4,000 lbs or less $38.75 (per year)
Drivers' License $4.00 (per year-normally, your Virginia driver's license is valid for 8 years and expires on your birthday.)

Real Estate Tax (Fairfax Co)- $0.92 per $100 of assessed value

State income tax
2 percent on the first $3,000 of taxable income.
3 percent on taxable income between $3,001 and $5,000.
5 percent on taxable income between $5,001 and $17,000.
5.75 percent on taxable income of $17,001 and above.

sales tax:
The tax rate is generally 5% of the cost price (4% for VA and 1% for Fairfax co).
The rate on sales of food for home consumption is 2.5%.

Gasoline tax: Virginia's share - 2%--one of the solutions the legislature proposed for the road funding was increasing the gas tax. It wasn't well received--so nothing was decided.

Virginia sales tax holidays: One coming up on Oct 10-13 for Energy Star and WaterSense Qualified Products!