Unanticipated Move to DMV - we have 7 y/o and need school advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will need to rent for the first year. Commute I would prefer no more than 30 min commute to work. For rent we are thinking $3500-4000.

What do you need that 4000/month to get you? A 3 bedroom? Do you need a yard? Pets? How many vehicles will you be bringing, and are you ok with street parking-even if you can't always find a spot right near your home?

[Anonymous]

are you moving here for 1 year? or are you moving here 'permanently"? If you are here for a year, I would rent an apt downtown as close to your office as possible, don't worry to much about schools, and plan to get all you can out of DC- spend lots of time on the weekends at museums, at the zoo, etc.
If you are relocating here indefinitely- I would post the metro stop that is closest to where your office will be. A 30 minute commute is probably not very realistic if you are working downtown, unless you can drive in really off hours (e.g. working 6am-2:30pm). Where in DC your office is matters a lot in assessing commute- e.g. working on capital hill vs k street. It also matters if you get parking. You can actually get to the hill fairly quickly from alexandria in a car, but most people don't have parking available. K street is much more accessible from Arlington.
Expect major sticker shock coming from the midwest. Expect to live in something smaller and older and feel like you are paying way to much.
There are lots of good schools and nice communities available around the DMV- I think you have good options- but commute matters a lot.
commuting via metro can be a very good option if your office is right on the metro- but getting to/ from, and on off metro takes time. eg from west falls church metro to federal triangle is a 26 minute ride on the metro, and West Falls Church is the closest in metro station to have a significant amount of parking. You will pay a significant premium to live in easy walking distance of a metro station. Its worth it to avoid switching metro lines if possible.
What is important to you in a community? Do you like to walk to parks, restaurants, shopping etc? Or do you generally get in your car to go anywhere?

[Anonymous]

this house is in FCC_ its walking distance to West Falls Church metro- its small- Falls Church City has an outstanding school system- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/601-N-Oak-St-Falls-Church-VA-22046/12227881_zpid/

just to give you a sense of what your money is likely to get you- and I suspect FCC, which is quite close in, is still going to leave you with a commute of over 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Try Arlington and pocket the money saved on DC’s 11% income tax rate.

[Anonymous]

I would look inbounds for Ross, Garrison or Seaton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will need to rent for the first year. Commute I would prefer no more than 30 min commute to work. For rent we are thinking $3500-4000.

Ok, that is a tight budget, but here are some options on the Maryland side:

If an apartment works for you, check out the Topaz House in Bethesda, MD. It is an older high rise, with a fair number of families. It is in the Bethesda Elementary district. Although the school is less than a mile away, the bus picks up at the front door, because of crossing major streets to get to school. This building is two blocks from the metro and pet friendly, roof top pool, across the street from an excellent gym.

If you are looking for a house, look in central Silver Spring for houses to rent. Zip codes 20910 and 20901. Houses for rent go quickly. Silver Spring is more affordable than some of the areas and has a lot of midwesterners. We get to know our neighbors, have block parties, aren’t pretentious. It is an area with lots of federal workers and college professors.

[Anonymous]

Where specifically in DC are you working? It makes a big difference in trying to find a 30 min commute. Also, when you say you do not mind driving, do you have a sense of the time and parking and possible toll costs involved in that?

[Anonymous]

Talk to your new coworkers and see where they live so you know the commute considerations for your specific location. It varies a ton across DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will need to rent for the first year. Commute I would prefer no more than 30 min commute to work. For rent we are thinking $3500-4000.

Ok, that is a tight budget, but here are some options on the Maryland side:

If an apartment works for you, check out the Topaz House in Bethesda, MD. It is an older high rise, with a fair number of families. It is in the Bethesda Elementary district. Although the school is less than a mile away, the bus picks up at the front door, because of crossing major streets to get to school. This building is two blocks from the metro and pet friendly, roof top pool, across the street from an excellent gym.

If you are looking for a house, look in central Silver Spring for houses to rent. Zip codes 20910 and 20901. Houses for rent go quickly. Silver Spring is more affordable than some of the areas and has a lot of midwesterners. We get to know our neighbors, have block parties, aren’t pretentious. It is an area with lots of federal workers and college professors.

Nooooooooooo. Stick to Falls Chuch. MCPS is super dysfunctional right now. Hell, for the past 15 years. Falls Church is your ticket

[Anonymous]

I would look in the area of Capitol Hill but in bounds for Maury, Brent, Watkins or Payne Elementary.
The Hill is a beautiful area and walkable to many metros, restaurants, parks and the National Mall.
There are several local rental agencies but they don’t always know the boundary lines so do you own research.
I found hotpads to be a reliable site with actual up to date prices. I also recommend you negotiate!
Keep in mind that in many of the row houses you will need to pay water, gas, electric and internet which could run you another $300-$500 per month

[Anonymous]

You'll want private in DC, if you want to live in nearby find McLean, Bethesda or North Arlington Yorktown. The rest are too far or disappointing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will need to rent for the first year. Commute I would prefer no more than 30 min commute to work. For rent we are thinking $3500-4000.

Ok, that is a tight budget, but here are some options on the Maryland side:

If an apartment works for you, check out the Topaz House in Bethesda, MD. It is an older high rise, with a fair number of families. It is in the Bethesda Elementary district. Although the school is less than a mile away, the bus picks up at the front door, because of crossing major streets to get to school. This building is two blocks from the metro and pet friendly, roof top pool, across the street from an excellent gym.

If you are looking for a house, look in central Silver Spring for houses to rent. Zip codes 20910 and 20901. Houses for rent go quickly. Silver Spring is more affordable than some of the areas and has a lot of midwesterners. We get to know our neighbors, have block parties, aren’t pretentious. It is an area with lots of federal workers and college professors.

Nooooooooooo. Stick to Falls Chuch. MCPS is super dysfunctional right now. Hell, for the past 15 years. Falls Church is your ticket

OP, there is lots of this school trashing on DCUM. You can ignore a lot of it until you get down to specific schools in a county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You'll want private in DC, if you want to live in nearby find McLean, Bethesda or North Arlington Yorktown. The rest are too far or disappointing

Not true about private in DC
Especially in elementary

[Anonymous]

You could rent a 3br condo in northwest DC and have access to the best public elementary schools in the area (small class sizes, teacher aides in every class). But you won’t be getting a large place at that budget, so that’s the trade off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will need to rent for the first year. Commute I would prefer no more than 30 min commute to work. For rent we are thinking $3500-4000.

Ok, that is a tight budget, but here are some options on the Maryland side:

If an apartment works for you, check out the Topaz House in Bethesda, MD. It is an older high rise, with a fair number of families. It is in the Bethesda Elementary district. Although the school is less than a mile away, the bus picks up at the front door, because of crossing major streets to get to school. This building is two blocks from the metro and pet friendly, roof top pool, across the street from an excellent gym.

If you are looking for a house, look in central Silver Spring for houses to rent. Zip codes 20910 and 20901. Houses for rent go quickly. Silver Spring is more affordable than some of the areas and has a lot of midwesterners. We get to know our neighbors, have block parties, aren’t pretentious. It is an area with lots of federal workers and college professors.

Nooooooooooo. Stick to Falls Chuch. MCPS is super dysfunctional right now. Hell, for the past 15 years. Falls Church is your ticket

Agree. MCPS has been ruined by woke democrats. The same type of extremists control FCPS, but they have only just begun to destroy a system built up for years.