Is Reston a good location for us?

[Anonymous]

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Reston/11210-Lagoon-Ln-20191/home/9341561?utm_source=myredfin&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recommendations_update&riftinfo=ZXY9ZW1haWwmbD0yODI4ODQ3NiZwPWxpc3RpbmdfdXBkYXRlc19yZWNvbW1lbmRhdGlvbnMmYT1jbGljayZzPXJlY29tbWVuZGF0aW9ucyZ0PWltYWdlJmVtYWlsX2lkPTI4Mjg4NDc2XzE1OTI0MDMwMzZfNiZ1cGRhdGVfdHlwZT0xJmxpbHJfc2NvcmU9MC4zOTIxJmxpc3RpbmdfaWQ9MTIwNTg0NDkyJnByb3BlcnR5X2lkPTkzNDE1NjEmcG9zaXRpb25fbnVtYmVyPTA=

Sorry for the bad link. It is 1.4 miles from the metro but it is on the bike/walking path. You could bike most of the year.

[Anonymous]

OP - that's a healthy budget for Reston. You should easily be able to find something. We moved to Reston a couple of years ago and absolutely love it. It's a great community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rule of thumb: if you find yourself saying, we are considering Reston .... take a deep breath, pull back, and think further about things.

What an incredibly bitchy thing to say.

Not really, Reston sucks. They will either realize that from reading this board or after living there. We are trying to spare them that pain. With a $1M budget there are literally a million better places to live in Northern Virginia than Rest Home VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rule of thumb: if you find yourself saying, we are considering Reston .... take a deep breath, pull back, and think further about things.

What an incredibly bitchy thing to say.

Not really, Reston sucks. They will either realize that from reading this board or after living there. We are trying to spare them that pain. With a $1M budget there are literally a million better places to live in Northern Virginia than Rest Home VA.

Most of the people here actually love Reston but it sucks if you have to commute too far but that is applicable anywhere

[Anonymous]

You do not want to deal with the Reston homeowners association. Period. They claim that its intention is to keep the unique character of Reston, but they make everyone’s lives a living hell. You can’t cut down a damaged tree. You have to wait months to fix a dangerous deck, and they will disapprove your plans. They have special inspections and requirements when you want to get your home ready to sell. I’m on an HOA board elsewhere so it’s not like I hate all HOAs, but the people’s republic of Reston is the worst thing ever.

The commute will suck, too. Live near the Vienna metro for the person with the Tyson’s job, and only when you are comfortable with the DC person getting back on Metro. The last time commenting between Reston and Arlington/DC was remotely pleasant was in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I I were to bike to Reston metro from the south side, is there a place to lock the bike? I know that there is a bike room but it seems to be on the north side?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have lived in Reston 23 years. Moved from NW DC so we were experienced city dwellers.. Love it here. Very walkable. Love the paths and lakes. Raised my son here. He went to Hughes and South Lakes. Schools are fine. Don’t read into test scores. That is reflective of the wide diversity.

That said, I commuted downtown for one year and wanted to kill myself. The commute was indeed soul sucking. I also hated the job too so that may have had some impact on my misery. But the commute was not a short one. Now I work in Reston and am home hours earlier.

How did you commute? How many times per week? If you were able to walk to Reston metro, would that have helped?

pP. I sometimes drove and sometimes took Metro. I live about one mile from Metro so I drove to station those days. Living walking distance wouldn’t have changed the 45 minute train ride. I commuted five days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have lived in Reston 23 years. Moved from NW DC so we were experienced city dwellers.. Love it here. Very walkable. Love the paths and lakes. Raised my son here. He went to Hughes and South Lakes. Schools are fine. Don’t read into test scores. That is reflective of the wide diversity.

That said, I commuted downtown for one year and wanted to kill myself. The commute was indeed soul sucking. I also hated the job too so that may have had some impact on my misery. But the commute was not a short one. Now I work in Reston and am home hours earlier.

How did you commute? How many times per week? If you were able to walk to Reston metro, would that have helped?

pP. I sometimes drove and sometimes took Metro. I live about one mile from Metro so I drove to station those days. Living walking distance wouldn’t have changed the 45 minute train ride. I commuted five days a week.

I don't mind a 45 minute train ride. I read or play games and it goes by fast. But driving and parking at the metro station, or walking to the car and driving home, is the bigger hassle in my opinion. I'd much rather have a calm 10 minute walk. Living within a mile of the metro station is a huge amenity.

[Anonymous]

Honest inquiry: what’s the attachment to Reston? Schooling is changing and you might get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Would you look inside DC? There are so many great properties under $1 mil and your commute to metro center would be a dream

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honest inquiry: what’s the attachment to Reston? Schooling is changing and you might get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Would you look inside DC? There are so many great properties under $1 mil and your commute to metro center would be a dream

OP here, we really love the walking and biking trails, the greeneries and the lake in Reston. Also, we tried to look for homes within our budget and couldn’t find things that we really like while we can get a brand new home or a home on the lake here. DH will like work nearby in the future and I might be able to telecommute more. Just trying to think through if it’s worth it. The main concern is my commute, of course. (Right now I plan to bike to the metro which seem like it will be 5 min)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honest inquiry: what’s the attachment to Reston? Schooling is changing and you might get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Would you look inside DC? There are so many great properties under $1 mil and your commute to metro center would be a dream

Where in DC would you suggest ? My DH will likely work in Tyson’s or align tech corridor around silver line

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest inquiry: what’s the attachment to Reston? Schooling is changing and you might get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Would you look inside DC? There are so many great properties under $1 mil and your commute to metro center would be a dream

OP here, we really love the walking and biking trails, the greeneries and the lake in Reston. Also, we tried to look for homes within our budget and couldn’t find things that we really like while we can get a brand new home or a home on the lake here. DH will like work nearby in the future and I might be able to telecommute more. Just trying to think through if it’s worth it. The main concern is my commute, of course. (Right now I plan to bike to the metro which seem like it will be 5 min)

I was also wondering this. I live in Arlington but I've heard wonderful things from people living in Reston and it sounds lovely, so I truly am not pulling an Arlington snob move because I would live there or kings park west if my commute was different! But the commute when you have that budget is surprising. So I was reading through trying to figure out why Reston if you have such a high budget (my budget was much lower and I'm in a SFH in arlington due to commute being in dc). Anyway, this is a helpful clarification, though I'm still not convinced you can't find what you'd like closer in. For example this townhome seems really similar to the one you posted (minus lake so maybe that's a big factor, but there is a huge trailhead right below this that leads to alll the trails, decent creeks) https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1021-N-Kensington-St-22205/home/101388752

But if you're going to be able to telework more and prefer a quieter area, then I can totally see that because closer in has a more urban feel. I guess I'm just not sure you have to make your commute that much harder to get what you want in terms of newer townhome. But maybe the other factors are playing a bigger role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest inquiry: what’s the attachment to Reston? Schooling is changing and you might get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Would you look inside DC? There are so many great properties under $1 mil and your commute to metro center would be a dream

Where in DC would you suggest ? My DH will likely work in Tyson’s or align tech corridor around silver line

I actually wouldn't live in DC if you commute to Tyson's, unless it's someplace on the western leg of the Orange/Silver Line like Foggy Bottom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest inquiry: what’s the attachment to Reston? Schooling is changing and you might get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Would you look inside DC? There are so many great properties under $1 mil and your commute to metro center would be a dream

OP here, we really love the walking and biking trails, the greeneries and the lake in Reston. Also, we tried to look for homes within our budget and couldn’t find things that we really like while we can get a brand new home or a home on the lake here. DH will like work nearby in the future and I might be able to telecommute more. Just trying to think through if it’s worth it. The main concern is my commute, of course. (Right now I plan to bike to the metro which seem like it will be 5 min)

I was also wondering this. I live in Arlington but I've heard wonderful things from people living in Reston and it sounds lovely, so I truly am not pulling an Arlington snob move because I would live there or kings park west if my commute was different! But the commute when you have that budget is surprising. So I was reading through trying to figure out why Reston if you have such a high budget (my budget was much lower and I'm in a SFH in arlington due to commute being in dc). Anyway, this is a helpful clarification, though I'm still not convinced you can't find what you'd like closer in. For example this townhome seems really similar to the one you posted (minus lake so maybe that's a big factor, but there is a huge trailhead right below this that leads to alll the trails, decent creeks) https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1021-N-Kensington-St-22205/home/101388752

But if you're going to be able to telework more and prefer a quieter area, then I can totally see that because closer in has a more urban feel. I guess I'm just not sure you have to make your commute that much harder to get what you want in terms of newer townhome. But maybe the other factors are playing a bigger role.

That TH is lovely and I know that they usually go quickly went they are in the market. Westover is a very nice area. With the same budget we can get almost 3,000 sq-feet brand new place with a large loft and I can make the first floor a multi-generation Suite with small kitchen in case our parents plan to come and stay a while (I know it’s atypical). It’s just specific requirements that will make our lives much more pleasurable with the more space. It seem like for this budget, we can get around 2,000 - 2,300 sq-feet townhome in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

OP - would something like this work for you?

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Reston/1109-Water-Pointe-Ln-20194/home/9123747