If you had $450k to spend, wanted a decent commute to Metro Center, good public schools, suburbs,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks, we should not be leading the OP astray. There is no place -- NO place -- in Reston, Fairfax City, and thereabouts that will get her DH to Union Station in 45 minutes.

That's certainly true. There are addresses INSIDE the District from which her DH can't get to Union Station in 45 minutes - during rush hour. Unless you've got a very short trek to a metro stop, the only reliable thing I can tell you about your commute is that 45 minutes won't get you very far during peak hours! BTW, DC is an extended rush hour city. Morning typically is from 6 to 9:30 with the peak from 7:30 to 9 and afternoon is from 3 to 7 with the peak from 4:30 to 6:30. Welcome to Washington.

[Anonymous]

Ok-some of these posts are getting crazy. I have lived in Fairfax, Vienna, Alexandria, Mt. Pleasant in DC, University Park in PG County, and now Chevy Chase in MD. I much prefer MD to Va eventhough it is my home state. I did not like living in Fairfax or Vienna-traffic is crazy around the towns and the commute stinks. I also just don't like the overall feel. Alexandria is nice but the houses there are really expensive. I lived in an apartment there.

I really liked University Park (UP) in PG County-not to be confused with College Park. They have nice houes there in your range-ok hold your breath ladies-it has its own police force which is diverse and they are nice! I could walk to the metro in 15 minutes, they had a free shuttle to the metro also and the commute was 30 minutes. I also went to Greenbelt alot and really liked it as well. I always felt safe and there were alot of community events. The elementary school in UP is great but the middle and high school for the area are OK. Some send their kids there and others go the private school route. Real sense of community in both places.

I love Chevy Chase as well-we bought a fixer upper there. The houses are much more expensive though and the school are greats. We needed more space and just got a great deal on a fixer upper from a family friend estate sale.

Good luck to you in your search.

[Anonymous]

Woodmoor neighborhood of Silver Spring. You can get a nice little Cape Cod for $375,000-475,000 there. Great value for your money. Montgomery Knolls and Pinecrest Elementary.

[Anonymous]

I might buy a townhouse in Fairlington in Arlington. Decent public school system, several pools and parks. There are buses that go downtown and to the Pentagon metro stop.

Otherwise I would buy a fixer-up house somewhere in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Also recently moved from NYC. We moved to Del Ray - a neighborhood in the city of alexandria. We love it. Neighborhood feel, very close to city. Only issue is schools -- some are bad. But, there are some that are ok (maury, george mason)
I work at right next to union station too. Commute is great. It varies depending on time of day. If I leave at 7:30 am I get in at 7:55. But if I leave at 8, it takes 35 minutes instead of 25. Coming home I leave at 5 and get home at 5:45 or sometimes a few minutes earlier. You can also take the metro from Braddock rd or king street, and that takes 40 minutes door to door, including a change of lines to get to union station.
Really, we love Del Ray. And I am a new yorker born and bred.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Northern Virginia is def more liberal than the rest of the state, comparable to MD.

City of Falls Church is 2 square miles with its own very small school system, maybe 125 kids in each grade. Results in a tight community, you know everybody after a while. Two metro stations, East and West Falls Church, both just outside city boundaries, but walkable to many (City-run bus loops to stations if too far to walk) W&O bike path runs through, lots of bike commuters. Pretty decent drive into DC, too. Walk to farmers market, library, community center, nice parks. No public pool, several community pool clubs nearby. There is a large range of houses, talk to a realtor, you might find something.

There is a very large area of Fairfax County with a Falls Church mailing address, home prices vary depending on high school boundaries. Look at homes with a Falls Church mailing address, feeding into McLean High school. Some are walkable to West Falls Church Metro. Also convenient location for driving.

[Anonymous]

Olney/Brookeville, MD is a very family friendly area with great schools (check out Greenwood elementary) and reasonably priced homes (big homes with nice yards can be found in your price range). It is north of Silver Spring, but the commute isn't bad if you leave early (which most of us do -- all of my neighbors work in DC like me). You can drive to Glenmont Metro and be at Union Station in 45 minutes (drive + metro). I drive all the way downtown by the White House and it usually takes me one hour door to door.

[Anonymous]

The reality is, at $450K in this area, you are going to have to deal with either a not so great commute or not so great schools. You are not going to find a decent commute AND good schools at that price. (unless you buy a total fixer upper)

[Anonymous]

Or unless you buy a condo, though that's not such a generous budget even for a condo in DC. It seems like it ought to be for the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Well, there's thishttp://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/870-Arlington-Mill-Drive-North_Arlington_VA_22205_1102122786
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/870-Arlington-Mill-Drive-North_Arlington_VA_22205_1102122786

which puts you in Arlington, near a pool, near public transportation, and near a small neighborhood school. I suspect, though, that this is a definite fixer.

[Anonymous]

If you could spend a little more (say 525k) you could buy in the Rosemary Hills area of Silver Spring or Parkwood in Kensington.

But I agree that for 450k you are going to either have not great schools or not great commute. If you are only concerned about elementary, though, you could live in Silver Spring in the Woodlin school district or the Oakland Terrace school district (great schools) and walk to the FGlen metro. But I know people express concern about the high school (though, frankly, I don't know if that is actually well-founded).