Can my sister afford this apartment?
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Anonymous
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Just graduated from college (so she's almost 23) and got a job offer in her field - exactly what she was looking for - $49k salary. Problem is, it's in Rockville and she is currently at my parents house (in South Riding). So, really really FAR.
She has friends in Ballston who need a roommate in a 3br next to the metro. Very convenient, would just have to metro up to Rockville (job is next to station) so that solves the commuting issue. It's $1100 mo + about $100 in utilities. She has a car paid for (parents said they would keep insurance for awhile) - cell is on their plan, too. I think it's doable if she budgets right. Can anyone else think this through for me? I don't want to steer her wrong. |
Anonymous
| Ballston to Rockville? On Metro? Given how reliable Metro is these days that sounds like a nightmare. |
Anonymous
| She should move closer to Rockville/Gaithersburg. Cheaper. |
Anonymous
| Its very tight. Why not just move to rockville. $1200 for an shared apartment with 3 people seems high. |
Anonymous
Plus, cost. |
Anonymous
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Track closures will make Metro a nightmare to use - they;ve already released the map. Plus, Ballston all the way to Metro Center for a change and then on to Rockville- that will take way too long.
Just search group housing options, something decent closer to work should come up. |
Anonymous
yep, way to high. plus cost of the metro. Rockville room for rent for example: probably close to $0 commute cost https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/roo/5590959137.html |
Anonymous
| I did it on a similar salary but I had literally no other expenses. I would never pay $1100 for a shared room so far from work though. She should live closer to Rockville for sure. |
Anonymous
Not sure about now but its not a great section of town. I went looking at a house when we were buying and a police officer seeing I was looking for something offered to help. His help was to tell me to keep driving and look for a different area. |
Anonymous
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Ballston to Rockville sounds like a nightmare. I go from Capitol Hill to White Flint and it takes me an hour which includes 20 minutes of walking. It's not too bad but here's the thing - I'm going into Metro Center from the east side of the city during morning rush hour and I can always get a seat. But the orange line on the west side of the city is infamous for being so crowded in the morning that sometimes you can't even get on the train.
She should look for a place in Rockville. My daughter was able to get a small room near the metro in a friend's house for $450 plus utilities. Your sister may not find anything that cheap but it's going to be a whole lot easier than trying to take the orange line into the city during rush hour. |
Anonymous
| Dear God - both the orange and red line. She's destined for a delay a day. Plus the cost to ride the metro. No way I would rent for that much with the cost and headache of metro. She's better off looking closer to her work and banking/investing the savings. The only way I would consider living with the friend is if the rent was 1/4 what the rent is near her work. |
Anonymous
| driving would be no better than metro and then she would have to pay for parking. Rule #1 in the metro DC area - live near work. |
Anonymous
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My fellow DCUmers, please put yourself back in the mindset of a recent college grad. She wants to live with her friends in Ballston. Go out to happy hours. Go to the Clarendon Ballroom or wherever the kids go nowadays. Meet boys and make poor decisions after the Clarendon Ballroom or wherever the kids go nowadays closes. When you are 23, social life/boys are the priority. Not a short commute to work.
I remember looking at apartments in that area with friends in 2000ish when I was young, and it was $700ish/person for 3 of us, so I assume $1100 for 3 people in 2016 is a normal price. Yes, doing the quick mental math, her rent will be almost 1/2 of her take home pay, after taxes and deductions and retirement, but if she has no student loans or car payment, it is absolutely doable for a 23 year old. My only advice for her, other than to enjoy being young and living somewhere fun, is to drive to work. I would rather take the GW Parkway to 495 to 270 to Ballston than deal with metro. |
Anonymous
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The budgeting is doable. But the commute will be pretty bad and if the roommates work closer to home, she'll feel left out anyway.
She may consider renting a room in a group house along the Red Line in DC for a short term lease to meet new people (both at the house and out and about) and then try to form a new apartment situation in the Fall closer to work. |
Anonymous
| PP makes a good point about cost of Metro from Ballston. Your sister should factor in transportation costs for the places she's considering. |