Considering moving to northern VA ...

[Dakota731]

Any suggestions where is the best place (safety, good schools) and any other tips you may have. We need to be in one of the following counties: Fairfax, Loudon or Prince William so any neighborhoods you can recommend or personal experiences are appreciated!

 

[havaneselover]

Is there a job to commute to? Fairfax would be my first choice for schools, but it's pricey and the traffic is brutal.

 

[PlutoPony]

You need to look around and decide what your priorities are - commute, schools, costs, etc
How much do you want to spend on housing, do you want SF home or condo/TH, what age are kids, how long do you plan on staying, and most importantly where will you be working.....
There are literally thousands of housing communities in those counties with a lot of similarities
Give us a little more info and we can make some general suggestions.
I've lived in Prince William since late 90's and my son went thru schools here, currently in a VA state U

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Commute and budget need to be closely examined.

We lived in Centreville and worked in Chantilly...........we were barely able to afford a single family home.

 

[scrapquitler]

First priority would be budget and commute. My brother was offered a job transfer to the Herndon area, along with what seemed like a big raise. When he looked into it more, even with an hour or more commute the higher housing prices (and we live in CT, which isn't cheap) would have eaten up his entire 'big raise'. He stayed in CT.

 

[havaneselover]

First priority would be budget and commute. My brother was offered a job transfer to the Herndon area, along with what seemed like a big raise. When he looked into it more, even with an hour or more commute the higher housing prices (and we live in CT, which isn't cheap) would have eaten up his entire 'big raise'. He stayed in CT.

Yep. Purchasing power is important to understand. I left Northern Virginia in 2002 and never looked back. It's a tough place to live unless you're wealthy.

If I had to move back, I'd look in Springfield, Reston, or Loudon County.

 

[DVC96]

We've been in nova a long time. We've been in Prince William County for 20+ years. You can pm me if you have any specific questions.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I lived in Centreville and worked on Capitol Hill years ago. The commute took about 3 hours a day round trip. I usually took a bus to the Metro stop, then hopped on the Metro. Those Metro rides add up! DH and I decided commutes were too long and real estate prices were too high, so we moved to Richmond, Va. At the time I took a $2000 pay cut for the lower cost of living adjustment. It was so worth it as that extra $2000 would not have helped us buy a house in NoVa.

Many of my friends who still live in NoVa live in Loudon County.

 

[havaneselover]

I lived in Centreville and worked on Capitol Hill years ago. The commute took about 3 hours a day round trip. I usually took a bus to the Metro stop, the hopped on the Metro. Those Metro rides add up! DH and I decided commutes were too long and real estate prices were too high, so we moved to Richmond, Va. At the time I took a $2000 pay cut for the lower cost of living adjustment. It was so worth it as that extra $2000 would not have helped us buy a house in NoVa.

Many of my friends who still live in NoVa live in Loudon County.

We moved from Tysons to Richmond. I'd make a lot more in DC/Northern Virginia but the traffic and housing prices just made it a tough place to live.

 

[StephMK]

I grew up there and would add parts of Burke, Fairfax, or Chantilly to the lists mentioned, depending on where you might work and home prices. We left in 2006 and while I miss the East Coast, we have no plans to move back to that area. I don't know how familiar you are with the area or your work situation. Traffic is horrendous and rush hour lasts much longer than you might expect. Plan to pay quite a bit for housing in a nice area.

 

[bdcp]

We live in Loudoun and work in Fairfax (Chantilly). Traffic is heavy in all three counties. I grew up in MD and have lived here in Loudoun for 21 years. Yes, it's pricey, but incomes are higher as is the standard of living. I mean, I have family who live in TX who can buy a large home for $200-250K at most which you can't do here, but there median salaries are lower meaning they have no more spending power than we do. Personally, I would pick either Fairfax or Loudoun. Housing is more expensive, but it also tends to be worth more over time. Schools are also better in Fairfax and Loudoun. Both of our sons live and work in NoVA and own townhomes. Yes, most people start with condos or townhomes. I never understood why people thought they "have to start" with a single family home, like it was an entitlement.

One thing to remember is that the unemployment rate here is very low, lower than the national average so to a lot of people that is worth the cost and commute times. DH and I live 12 miles from work and our commute to work is about 35 minutes. Our commute home is more like 25-30, but it's worth it to not have to deal with I-66, I-95, etc.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Having knowledge of the area, housing will be your biggest expense (followed by childcare or private school if you use either). A decent slightly older townhome (space similar to a single family home - 1500 - 2200 ft) will run between $350K-$600K in the Northern Virginia counties (the farther from DC or public transpo - Metro/VRE - the cheaper you can get them). Single family homes of the same size will run an additional $100K-$400K on top of those prices (depending on age, location, and condition), for between $475K-$1M.

Many single income families live in townhomes and these communities are more family-oriented than you'd usually expect.

My recommendation if you are coming from far away - rent the 1st year and see how your commute shapes up, how you tolerate the traffic, and what you'd like to be close to...and then buy.

 

[DVCcurious]

My brother in law's family lived in Springfield and now live in Fairfax Station. It's a nice place and the schools are good. Since "expensive" is relative I can't comment on that. We live in NYC and to us house prices in Northern Virginia are dirt cheap. Brooklyn and Queens are well over $1,000 per foot in the nice areas (2,000 sq foot home= $2 million). Manhattan would be pushing $1,500 per foot in the desirable areas (2,000 sq foot home = $3 million). My brother in law has a 3,000 sq foot house in Fairfax Station which is probably worth about $1 million. So like I said, that's dirt cheap to us.

One thing about buying real estate in northern virginia is this: It's "recession-proof". Check out the stats after the housing "bust". There was no bust in Northern Virginia. House prices dropped like 10-15% max. That's nothing compared to....well everywhere else in the country. As long as the federal government is in D.C. house prices in Northern VA will be ever increasing.

The only downside I'm aware of is that my brother-in-law is saying that it's impossible to get into University of Virginia. He says they only take the top 2 or 3 kids per high school. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get into other "flagship" state universities in other states so I don't know if that is normal. But it is something to be aware of: just because you live in VA doesn't mean your kids will go to UVA or even VA Tech.

 

[havaneselover]

I'd definitely find a purchasing power calculator.

Other considerations which may or may not matter. Loudon is the most conservative of the three counties you mentioned. And one thing I love about Virginia in general is the options we have for public universities. I use schooldigger for school research but greatschools is good too and the Virginia Department of Education has a nice website.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

My husband is from Sterling, in Loudoun County. His brother and family live in Falls Church. We lived in Leesburg before-kids. I loved it there, but we could not afford to stay there on one income once our son was born.
DH has had a couple of job scares where he has had to consider moving back up to NoVA to stay employed. For us to afford any type of single-family home, we would have to look into moving back to Leesburg, while he takes the Metro from Reston into D.C. That would make for a very long day for him, and our quality of life would definitely go downhill.

 

[bdcp]

The only downside I'm aware of is that my brother-in-law is saying that it's impossible to get into University of Virginia. He says they only take the top 2 or 3 kids per high school. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get into other "flagship" state universities in other states so I don't know if that is normal. But it is something to be aware of: just because you live in VA doesn't mean your kids will go to UVA or even VA Tech.

UVA is not the only good state school in VA. There are several. Also, I know quite a few people who would argue that Va Tech is the flagship school. My oldest DS went to UVA (class of 2006) and yes, he would have been in the top 2-3 students in the local HS but he went to Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology, where 1/4 of his class got into UVA. That said, VA Tech, JMU, ODU, George Mason, William and Mary, VMI, etc. are all good 4 year universities. While we love UVA and our son did too it's not the be all end all university in the state.

Something else to consider is that salaries are higher, which means 401K's will have higher balances, etc so when retirement age comes, that gives you more buying power if you relocate for retirement.

 

[KarenAylwood]

UVA is not the only good state school in VA. There are several. Also, I know quite a few people who would argue that Va Tech is the flagship school. My oldest DS went to UVA (class of 2006) and yes, he would have been in the top 2-3 students in the local HS but he went to Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology, where 1/4 of his class got into UVA. That said, VA Tech, JMU, ODU, George Mason, William and Mary, VMI, etc. are all good 4 year universities. While we love UVA and our son did too it's not the be all end all university in the state.

Something else to consider is that salaries are higher, which means 401K's will have higher balances, etc so when retirement age comes, that gives you more buying power if you relocate for retirement.

Totally agree as someone who went to a VA school (out of state at the time mind you). It was easier for me to get into UVA than the school I went to, but yes, for in state it's tough to get into but not the end all be all. I grew up in NY where the state schools left much to be desired (went to UAlbany for a summer to get some pre-reqs done). We're in VA and won't be leaving- I went to college and never looked back. I am excited that my child(ren) will have such a great bunch of state schools to choose from (and cross my fingers they won't leave VA!!).

DH grew up his whole life in Oakton/Centreville- Fairfax schools are great. His parents still live there and his brothers and their families are in NOVA too and I've always said I'd never move there. The cost and the traffic are just too much in my opinion. Mostly the traffic. We could make enough to live OK (not as comfortably as we are here) but my sanity couldn't take it. I have a hard time dealing with our few trips to see family each year! They all live there for a reason though- there's a place for everyone I guess. However, my IL's own their own business and work close to home, and one BIL works for them. They moved there in the 80's when Centreville was much much more rural. The other BIL and his fam are closer to DC and the schools aren't all that good, prices are high (they spent $620K on a 1800 sq ft fixer ranch built in 1952) and traffic is crazy but they commute at different times than most- he super early in the am (military) and she's a nurse and works crazy hours. If it weren't for his position and transfer within the military they wouldn't be there. DH had always mentioned moving back but then when we'd visit he would always say "I don't know what I was thinking! It's so different than when I grew up here!!" Yes, schools are still great but it's so much more populated.

You'll make more money and that will increase your retirement balances if you want to relocate later as bdcp said above. Another positive. However, I wanted to be in a forever home when we were looking at moving - I would never consider NOVA "forever" for the above mentioned reasons. But I'm also not one that's always wanted to move to Florida in retirement either

 

[havaneselover]

UVA is not the only good state school in VA. There are several. Also, I know quite a few people who would argue that Va Tech is the flagship school. My oldest DS went to UVA (class of 2006) and yes, he would have been in the top 2-3 students in the local HS but he went to Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology, where 1/4 of his class got into UVA. That said, VA Tech, JMU, ODU, George Mason, William and Mary, VMI, etc. are all good 4 year universities. While we love UVA and our son did too it's not the be all end all university in the state.

Something else to consider is that salaries are higher, which means 401K's will have higher balances, etc so when retirement age comes, that gives you more buying power if you relocate for retirement.

I'm not sure who claims that VA Tech is the flagship school except for VA Tech alumni. It's got a 70% acceptance rate. UVa is consistently ranked one of the top public universities. That's never been the case for Tech. As far as the number of students accepted per high school, there are about 3,000 in state undergrads per class and 322 public high schools. So 2-3 per high school is way off even when you consider the regional governor's high schools.

But I completely agree--lots of good options. That's why I have 4 years of tuition prepaid for both my children.

 

[Dakota731]

We will be renting for awhile which should help with commute and traffic. Are there any areas to avoid crime-wise?

We've been in Prince William County for 20+ years.

Which schools would you recommend there? We prefer a suburban area (we are not big city people) however we want to at least be close to shopping etc.

 

[clutter]

We will be renting for awhile which should help with commute and traffic. Are there any areas to avoid crime-wise? Which schools would you recommend there? We prefer a suburban area (we are not big city people) however we want to at least be close to shopping etc.

Where are you commuting to? There are a few places to avoid crime-wise, but you can usually tell by housing prices, lol. And again - budget. Do you want to rent an apartment or a house?

(p.s. UVA seems to have increased the number of kids accepted, at least last year. Va Tech took a lot of kids last year, as did JMU and GMU.)