HELP - Moving to DC and KNOW N O T H I N G
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Anonymous
| I am moving away from Capitol Hill, and am devistated and sad. I love it here, and have two kids about the same age as OP. Try to rent on the Hill! The younger grades in public/charter schools are good, and there are adorable cooperative preschools. When we first moved, our HHI wasn't much more, and we were able to buy a house. I'm sure you can find a rental (try Yamhill Realtors). Find the right neighborhood and you will never want to leave. |
csabdalla
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Okay folks, I'm from Detroit. Here, we live in a GORGEOUS neighborhood with homes 3000 sq ft + that have Terrazzo tiles, leaded glass windows, plaster and woodwork that you will never find anymore and they go for under $250K, these days. BUT people pay through the nose for taxes $14 K - $25 K and all the neighborhood kids are in elite private schools because DPS is not an option. I DO NOT expect to have these perks in DC.
My DH and I will be working for a specific fed agency, so I am assuming the location will be DC proper. I am guessing at the salary, it may very well be more than that. I would love to rent a house with a yard, and my husband and I don't want to commute more than 30 min if at all possible since we have young kids and I don't want them in aftercare until 6 pm. I am thinking rental around $2500, although that sounds crazy to my Detroit ears where a fantastic 2000 sq ft home might rent in the $1500 range. SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT'S UP WITH YOUR PRESCHOOL SYSTEM DOWN THERE. Everyone keeps writing that I need to get on that now. I haven't had to really deal with that because my kids attend private school together and there is always an Early School with pre - K. Wish list Great schools short commute a yard pedestrian community |
Anonymous
| you definitely don't want to be in DC or MD, and I don't think you can afford Arlington or Old Town. Thus you will need to look at parts of Falls Church, the town of Vienna, and Reston. Good luck. |
Anonymous
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You might want to consider a townhouse in King Farm in Rockville. Although the commute will be over 30 minutes, probably not by much. You would be in a walkable community, walking distance to Shady Grove metro, and College Gardens Elementary has a good rep. For example:
http://homes.longandfoster.com/Real-Estate/PropertyDetails.aspx?mlsCompanyID=2&mlsNumber=MC7645741 Or this one, which is close to Rockville Town Center: http://homes.longandfoster.com/Real-Estate/PropertyDetails.aspx?mlsCompanyID=2&mlsNumber=MC7650767 |
Anonymous
| Preschool admissions are competitive, just as private school admissions are competitive. Preschools will be taking applications this fall for entry NEXT fall (yep, just like college admissions). A full day preschool can run you depending on where and which one it is, anywhere from $7500 to close to $20,000 a year. That does not include after care, and if you do not have a kid in pre-K, but a younger year, then the school day is about a half day and there is no after or before care (although the overall price is lower). This is distinct from a daycare, which can provide full day coverage. If you are going to an agency, you may be able to get into a daycare. I would look into that first. Many of teh good federal agency day cares are just as strong as preschools, if not stronger. Otherwise, the good daycares that are not for fed employees have crazy wait lists. Private schools do unfortunately run $25,000 to $30,000 per year for elementary school. Admissions can be very competitive, depending on the school (on the order of 600 applications for 20 spots). We applied to 6 schools and our child was accepted at 1, which was fortunately one of our highest ranked choices. As you say is true in Detroit, very few people in DC send their kids to public school if they have a choice 9some do choose it and supplement outside of school for extra academics and extracurriculars). Coming from Detroit, DC is going to seem extremely crazy. It is a high stress, high work hours, too many people with too much money area. You should really look at the good public school in North Arlington, McLean, Fairfax and Montgomery County. Any decent public elementary in DC is going to have the rental prices to go with it. An inexpensive 3,000 square foot house zoned for an elementary school that is considered good in DC would list for sale for over $1 million and go up from there depending on the neighborhood, and rent for a house with a yard would start at $5,000 a month in the least expensive of those areas. There are some really nice townhouse areas of MoCo that are close in and that have good schools. I know less about VA except that I have friends with kids in the North Arlington schools that are very happy with the schools, and they could send their kids anywhere. |
Anonymous
| Not PP, but just wanted to say that finding daycare/preschool for a 3 yo is not nearly as difficult as finding infant care. You should be able to find a center that has full-day coverage that incorporates a preschool component for part of the day (i.e., not a traditional morning-only preschool). |
csabdalla
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Honestly folks, after what I have read so far on simply the cost of housing and rental for anything decent if I had half a brain I would stay in Detroit with a big house, in ground pool, and private school money if I wasn't desperate to escape my DH's family. They're good folks but really demanding and it's all about them ALL THE TIME and I need to pull us out of here before I go kazoo.
Thank you all for the wonderful advice and directions. I must admit I am really shell shocked by the prices I am seeing. One person wrote that there are preschools that the fed agencies provide....can anyone speak on that? I know we have one up here at the Army Tank Command where my father worked. Heard it was great. |
Anonymous
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http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104494
Info on child care at Federal agencies. They can also have long waitlists, so if there is one where you'll be working (or other federal buildings nearby) get on the waitlist now. It is likely easier with a preschooler than an infant though. |
Anonymous
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Yes iif you had half a brain you would suck it up with the inlaws. Daycare is more than the cost of college and housing is outrageous have a small rental 45 min outside the city, a basic track town house and it rents in seconds on craigs list for $2200.
Are you aware DC is one of the most expensive cities in the nation? Your wish list on your income is a pipedream. |
Anonymous
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In DC, it's sport to freak new people out. You'll be fine. I was TERRIFIED to move here (from Denver) because of all the nasty things I heard, and it's not nearly as crazy as people say. You can rent a nice townhouse close-in for $2500. Def check out militarybyowner.com. People seem to really like Silver Spring, so maybe check that out. We're in Alexandria City, where, like DC, there are elementary schools that are fine, but many people who can afford it go private after that. I like it here a lot.
We do hope to go back West, but honestly whenever I go back there, I'm struck by how much more family friendly it is here. There's so much to do. Regarding preschools, I think the people who say how competitive they are might be in very rich neighborhoods or something. I've never seen 3 and 4 year olds aimlessly wandering the streets with nowhere to go, even though it's apparently impossible to get in anywhere. |
Anonymous
| PP you are in alexandria BIG DIFFERENCE in the school situation. The OP wants good schools (not really ACTY past elementary). Preschoolers don't roam because there's something called hear start. Not available to the middle class. I'm sorry, any rental 2200 and below are DUMPS close in. I've BTDT, real rat holes. |
Anonymous
Your complete wish list is somewhat unrealistic for under $2500, unless you're prepared to call TC Williams (Alexandria City) or Wakefield (South Arlington) "great." Plus I understand Alexandria City has a habit of trying to reassign you to Jefferson Houston and Mount Vernon (the two lowest-scoring/highest-poverty elementary schools in the system.) If you're okay with Annandale or south Falls Church, you might be able to find something to your liking (especially in terms of house space) -- the further you are from ageing garden apartment complexes, the better. OTOH, you might lose something of the pedestrian community. You can use greatschools to find out free-reduced lunch stats, test scores, and racial makeups of the schools. Most school systems have an "enter an address and find your school assignments" webpage. Alexandria City and South Arlington are hit or miss with regard to neighborhoods, some are just fine (e.g. around 23rd Street South near Crystal City) and others aren't really that great (the duplexes around Glebe/395.) |
Anonymous
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OP, are you open to Catholic school? Tuition is a bit more reasonable. I live in Capitol Hill and love it. I rent a rowhouse. I don't have a yard (not one that kids can play in, anyway) but there are tons of public parks within close walking distance in this area, and it's a great place for your kids to meet other kids and for you to meet your neighbors. If you're going to move to the city, LIVE in the city! You won't regret it. Look in the Eastern Market area and try to get inbounds for Brent Elementary, or look at St Peters School if you are Catholic. Capitol Hill Day School (private) is also a wonderful school, but tuition might be a bit more than you are looking for.
Capitol Hill is great. Wonderful community feel, several Metro stations, shops, restaurants, walkable, very family friendly. Check out John C Formant or Yarmouth realty. Both have tons of rentals on the Hill. I'm also a former Detroiter, by the way, so welcome! 
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Anonymous
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Also, you when you hear people on this forum talk about this "preschools" most are talking about expensive hard-to-get-in preschools. I send my 3 year old to a daycare/preschool and there was not a huge wait list. So, you can certainly find "daycare" that I feel can be just as good as preschools, without that much trouble. But, it is expensive that's for sure. My son's daycare costs $1300/month, but it full day.
I live in Falls Church, near the metro. It's a fantastic place to live and you could probably find something to rent in your price range. Excellent schools and a new daycare just opened up a couple of months ago. I don't know much about it, except it's close to my pediatrician's office! Good luck and welcome! |
Anonymous
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OP, you should see if you can find out exactly where you and your husband will be working. Some of the federal agencies have offices outside of DC, which would make a huge difference in your commute.
Also you need to prioritize your wish list -- is home with yard more important to you than short commute, for example? At your price range there will be trade offs. |