Virginia vs Maryland?

[Anonymous]

We rent a 3-br 3.5 bath TH in Gaithersburg near Kentlands for less than $2,000. Our sacrifice is lengthy commute, this is what our budget can afford. Gaithersburg west of 270 is nice (look for homes near Kentlands, zoned for Quince Orchard HS), the elementary and middle schools in that pyramid are very good. Not the best in Montgomery County by GS scores but we are pleased with our experience. Plenty of amenities nearby, parks, Gaithersburg city recreation has good programs for kids at a reasonable cost, and so on. I commute downtown via Shady Grove metro and it's 1 hr 10 - 1 hr 20 min each way, door to door, depending on how bad traffic is getting to Shady Grove (I drive 5 miles) or how bad Metro delays are. If you are willing to trade the commute, and/or have flexible work hours, this is a nice community.

[Anonymous]

Annandale VA North of 236

[Anonymous]

Bethesda-friendship heights

[Anonymous]

Taxes really vary per person and per city but are not a huge factor in general, especially since you are not paying property taxes. For example, Montgomery county, md taxes are higher but schools are generally good while city of Alexandria, va taxes are higher too but middle and high schools are bad.

School quality vs commute vs affordability tend to be the big factors in this area. I posted friendship heights because it's on the metro red line (very convenient), has great schools, and has large, family friendly apartment buildings. Newer buildings in the city have very small apartments (2 bedrooms under 1000sf!).

Another place to look with large family style apartments is cathedral/Woolley park/mass Ave heights in NW DC if you are willing to drive/bus-it's a very quick commute. D.C. Taxes are comparable to Montgomery county.

Your budget is a bit low, if you can increase to 2400 you will find a lot more nice places and even some single family homes in good school districts like Bethesda.

One other area I can think of with big apartments, good schools, and good commute is the grovesnor area of Rockville.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Akirah00 wrote:Yes, they sure can.

My question remains, with regards to property taxes (car), commute, and state taxes is VA any better than MD?

I can't speak to property taxes, but your commute will be substantially better from MD than from VA at your price point. If you had unlimited $$$ to spend, I'd recommend Virginia but close-in Maryland is more affordable than close-in Virginia, which matters a lot in terms of commuting hours.

I disagree. It's easier to get to the Reagan building from south Arlington than Maryland. Coming from Silver Spring (and let's face it, she's not going to get downtown SS on that budget) you have to cut through the whole District to get to work. That is a long ride down Georgia/16th St/etc. And you can definitely afford 3-bedrooms in south Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda-friendship heights

I rented at Friendship Heights six years ago and paid $2400 for a 1 BR + Den. I'm hard pressed to imagine OP finding something in her price range.

[Anonymous]

Check out the Americana Centre in Rockville. It's an older condo building but you can rent a 2 bed/bath for around $2,000. Walk to metro, Rockville Town Center, farmer's market, and good schools (Richard Montgomery cluster).

[Anonymous]

This is what you need, OP. You will love the community. Lots of events and a pool. Walk to elem. school.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/51971503_zpid/7_days/38.74918,-77.152798,38.730167,-77.182753_rect/14_zm/1_fr/

[Anonymous]

This is a cute neighborhood; commute will probably be an hour:

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/house,condo,apartment_duplex,mobile,townhouse_type/37304664_zpid/3-_beds/39.038436,-77.003539,39.009964,-77.041476_rect/14_zm/

[Akirah00]

Anonymous wrote:Downdown Bethesd! There are an apartment complex at Bradley Blvd near Arlinton Rd. I believe it is county owned ans has income limit. It feeds to Bethesda ES and BCC HS. Not should which MS because a new MS just opened in the cluster. Redline Metro to Reagan Building.[/quot

Uuummm, thanks, but I don't qualify based on income limits.

[Akirah00]

Anonymous wrote:OP if you are moving from Central Florida with a housing budget of 2,000 a month, it is going to be difficult on many levels. It's not just finding a decent place to live (which is feasible) but the cost of living is so much higher in DC than in Central Florida. Taxes are higher, food prices are higher, gas prices are higher, everything adds up. It's one thing to tolerate moving to a smaller or lesser place if your stay is only for three years before moving onward, but living in the DC area is going to be expensive, one way or another. Please keep this in mind because you may eventually realize that staying in Central Florida might be the smarter choice for your family.

Like many people in your income bracket and housing budget range, you are going to have to make substantial tradeoffs between housing and a commute. Most people end up accepting a longer commute in exchange for better housing with better schools. Many people on this forum abhor commutes but many suck it up and make it work. If working at Reagan you may want to consider taking the MARC train to Union from the southern Baltimore suburbs in Howard County and then the metro to Reagan. You'll probably find it'll add maybe another 20-30 minutes to your commute versus driving or taking the metro from a closer in suburb. The advantage of the MARC is that you aren't driving (or only driving to the MARC station) which changes the commute equation quite a bit.

Love this advice and appreciate the perspective. I am willing to make the commute. Unfortunately, I don't have a choice on the move.

[Anonymous]

Akirah00 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP if you are moving from Central Florida with a housing budget of 2,000 a month, it is going to be difficult on many levels. It's not just finding a decent place to live (which is feasible) but the cost of living is so much higher in DC than in Central Florida. Taxes are higher, food prices are higher, gas prices are higher, everything adds up. It's one thing to tolerate moving to a smaller or lesser place if your stay is only for three years before moving onward, but living in the DC area is going to be expensive, one way or another. Please keep this in mind because you may eventually realize that staying in Central Florida might be the smarter choice for your family.

Like many people in your income bracket and housing budget range, you are going to have to make substantial tradeoffs between housing and a commute. Most people end up accepting a longer commute in exchange for better housing with better schools. Many people on this forum abhor commutes but many suck it up and make it work. If working at Reagan you may want to consider taking the MARC train to Union from the southern Baltimore suburbs in Howard County and then the metro to Reagan. You'll probably find it'll add maybe another 20-30 minutes to your commute versus driving or taking the metro from a closer in suburb. The advantage of the MARC is that you aren't driving (or only driving to the MARC station) which changes the commute equation quite a bit.

Love this advice and appreciate the perspective. I am willing to make the commute. Unfortunately, I don't have a choice on the move.

OP, recognize that DCUM skews higher income (eg, $300k/year is pretty low on this forum) so some of the advice you’re getting is from people who’ve never considered living in a middle class suburb. You’ll find $2k/month is adequate for a decent townhouse in a pleasant neighborhood. You’ll be fine. In fact, while you haven’t said your household income, it’s probably pretty average for this area. You’ll make it work and I think you’ll like it. Don’t let this board scare you off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Akirah00 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP if you are moving from Central Florida with a housing budget of 2,000 a month, it is going to be difficult on many levels. It's not just finding a decent place to live (which is feasible) but the cost of living is so much higher in DC than in Central Florida. Taxes are higher, food prices are higher, gas prices are higher, everything adds up. It's one thing to tolerate moving to a smaller or lesser place if your stay is only for three years before moving onward, but living in the DC area is going to be expensive, one way or another. Please keep this in mind because you may eventually realize that staying in Central Florida might be the smarter choice for your family.

Like many people in your income bracket and housing budget range, you are going to have to make substantial tradeoffs between housing and a commute. Most people end up accepting a longer commute in exchange for better housing with better schools. Many people on this forum abhor commutes but many suck it up and make it work. If working at Reagan you may want to consider taking the MARC train to Union from the southern Baltimore suburbs in Howard County and then the metro to Reagan. You'll probably find it'll add maybe another 20-30 minutes to your commute versus driving or taking the metro from a closer in suburb. The advantage of the MARC is that you aren't driving (or only driving to the MARC station) which changes the commute equation quite a bit.

Love this advice and appreciate the perspective. I am willing to make the commute. Unfortunately, I don't have a choice on the move.

OP, recognize that DCUM skews higher income (eg, $300k/year is pretty low on this forum) so some of the advice you’re getting is from people who’ve never considered living in a middle class suburb. You’ll find $2k/month is adequate for a decent townhouse in a pleasant neighborhood. You’ll be fine. In fact, while you haven’t said your household income, it’s probably pretty average for this area. You’ll make it work and I think you’ll like it. Don’t let this board scare you off.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your perspective and needed it. I have been looking at a few places and have found "reasonable" places in Lorton, Lake Ridge-Woodbridge areas. I have been told to expand to Manassas (Bristow) as well. Please keep the suggestions coming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a cute neighborhood; commute will probably be an hour:

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/house,condo,apartment_duplex,mobile,townhouse_type/37304664_zpid/3-_beds/39.038436,-77.003539,39.009964,-77.041476_rect/14_zm/

Thanks!!! I will take a look

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what you need, OP. You will love the community. Lots of events and a pool. Walk to elem. school.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/51971503_zpid/7_days/38.74918,-77.152798,38.730167,-77.182753_rect/14_zm/1_fr/

I have heard violence in Alexandria is pretty high. How is this particular area?