Relocating to VA/MD from DC

[Anonymous]

Where do you work in NW DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mclean, Arlington , fcc.

Not with that budget, no shade, I rent in Arlington

Agree; McLean is out of OP’s price range.

And MD to DC is an easier commute than VA to DC.

[Anonymous]

Your college admissions prospects coming out of Jackson-Reed are probably higher than any school in the burbs that you can afford to buy into. But if you insist, then cross MD off the list completely and focus on VA. The colleges are a lot better.

[Anonymous]

Buy a condo in Parkside by Grosvenor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to commute to DC everyday? We ended up in Vienna and it has been nice but if I had to do it over again I would have bought in Loudoun county, further out. That’s too far if you need to commute daily to DC. Reston is a good place to start looking with your budget.

OP here. Yes, commute to DC everyday + traveling to other states as well every week for work. thank you for the suggestions.

How long is your commute now, OP? How long of a commute would you tolerate? Do your kids have sports and activities you need to get them to? Is it possible you might change jobs?

I was going to say don’t do this, but then I thought about it a little. I am a single mom with kids who are MS and HS. I work from home. If I had to start going to the office, my kids would be fine getting to and from school on their own, and are quite comfortable being at home without me in our very safe neighborhood. They can even hang out with friends and ride bikes places, and I trust them to not get into trouble or do bad things when I am not around. That said, it would be pretty hard to get them to and from sports practices without me around.

So, while part of me thinks it would be a nightmare, it really depends on you and your kids. We really do love our home and our neighborhood and it was worth the years I did have to spend commuting.

My commute now is 20mins in traffic, 8 mins no traffic. Office is on Red line, so I was thinking instead of driving, I could just do the red line if possible. I can also perhaps sustain a 35-45min drive. Both kids do have sports and activities currently (Soccer, tennis and other activities) I would not want to change my job since I m doing well. Kids are getting into MS now..so thought of getting a place to call home after years of renting.

I live and work in Arlington on a teacher’s schedule and getting to activities (rec) and having enough time in the day is difficult. Are you sure you can manage that with an added commute?

[Anonymous]

+1 to commuter buses. Some of them are amazing and increase the possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Single mom in DC (who long ago considered moving but decided to stay): one kid graduated Jackson-Reed & is now happily in 1st-choice college; kid 2 is happily at Walls. Are you sure you need to move? Could you stay put or buy a 3-BR condo? When looking at high schools, you might try to get a sense of how many other single parents you might find in their friend group. Do the kids want to move? Good luck whatever you decide!

[Anonymous]

Can you make 2bdrms in DC work? There’s a nice-looking 2 bdrm in McClean gardens in the JR border coming on the market this week for $545k. I would not want to take on that commute from Reston to NWDC with 2 middle school kids with activities as a single parent. Or I’d keep watching McClean Gardens and see if something larger comes up if I could get in there. We live right near there and have lots of friends who live in the community and really like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you make 2bdrms in DC work? There’s a nice-looking 2 bdrm in McClean gardens in the JR border coming on the market this week for $545k. I would not want to take on that commute from Reston to NWDC with 2 middle school kids with activities as a single parent. Or I’d keep watching McClean Gardens and see if something larger comes up if I could get in there. We live right near there and have lots of friends who live in the community and really like it.

We are currently living in a 2-bed, 2-bath condo. After considering all the responses, I’m starting to wonder if it might be better to wait until the kids reach high school before pursuing this dream of buying a home. But again, every month, when I pay over $3500 in rent, I can’t help but feel that this money could be going toward a mortgage payment instead.