What would you do? (Advice re: housing/schools)

[Anonymous]

I'm throwing this out to the group because I'm looking for other perspectives on my situation. Sorry it's a long post.

Current situation: I own a townhouse in Fairfax, just outside of Falls Church. I can easily manage the payments and I have equity. (So I could keep it or sell it - there's no urgency either way.) It's very close to metro and also close to 66, 495, 50 and 29 so my commuting options are numerous. That was a big part of my decision to buy there. That said, I commute to Verizon Center area via metro and it takes forever. If I drive to work, it can take even longer. (66 backs up even at random times.) My daughter is in daycare near my house and we like the daycare, though the traffic to get to it is HORRIBLE. Unless something changes, my daughter will eventually go to a high school that's near the bottom of the rankings for Fairfax county. I'm a single mom, so I only have to worry about my work commute and her school, not a spouse's work commute.

If the high school was a better one, I'd probably just stay where I am. I don't mind the location, I basically like my house and I love my mortgage payments. Recently I've gotten tired of commuting over 3 hours a day, though. In theory I live in a great location, but in practice, it's causing me stress. I live 12 miles from DC and daycare is not out of the way, so commuting shouldn't take up so much time.

I had never considered moving "South" before - I've always been a "North" girl. I moved from Northwest DC to North Arlington to Northeastern Fairfax. I've always been on the rte 66 corridor. I never even considered Alexandria, but I'm wondering if I should. It looks as if West Potomac and Hayfield high schools are considered "better" than our current high school, and there are some decent homes in those areas for decent prices. I could end up with a slightly better (single-family) house and a better school and maybe - just maybe - a shorter commute. (though I'd probably have to switch from metro to driving.)

Downsides: I'd have to learn a whole new area. I'd have to find my daughter a new daycare/preschool. And what if I hated commuting by car instead of by metro? And I know school rankings are subjective, and boundaries can change, so I should be careful about making big life decisions based on that. But I know a lot of people in DC area and this board do it - they spend an extra $500K to buy in this school district vs. that one. So I figure I'm not alone in considering this.

If you were in my situation, what would you do? Thanks in advance for your answers. (and if you're considering flaming me for whatever twisted reason you might have, please don't bother.)

[Anonymous]

Can you currently walk to the metro? If not, I would blame most of your long commute on that. If I were in your shoes, I'd look into the townhouses or homes within walking distance to the Vienna metro. The Vienna and Oakton schools are better than where you are, and the commute would be easier if you could walk to the metro - the orange line goes to metro center and you could walk from there to the Verizon Center. On the other hand, I'm not sure you should worry about the high school being bad if your daughter is young. I think you might want to keep her in the preschool where she is, and consider making a change when she is ready for K if you are not happy with the elementary school. High school is a long way off.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine that moving south would give you that much better a commute. 395/95 is certainly a nightmare at rush hour and I think the GW Parkway is pretty bad, too. IAlso, my personal feeling is that those areas "down there" are not as nice as the areas around 66. They always seem really crowded and trafficky. As for the schools, like the pp I would not really dismiss a school if your daughter is only in preschool. Things change a lot over time. Also, I am not sure what school you are talking about, but from your description maybe Stuart? While this school is certainly not the top of the Fairfax Co. schools, the fact is that every school in Fairfax Co. is great compared to most of the rest of the U.S. And in my opinion, they all have good programs to offer, assuming your daughter is motivated and wants to learn (can't really judge that yet though). I think if you are happy where you are and your mortgage payments are good, you should stay where you are and wait until your daughter is a little older to reassess. I would also suggest looking at moving closer in depending on your budget. There are townhouses in N. Arlington that are going in the $400,000s and I would think that is certainly true in City of Falls Church. So you might actually be able to afford something closer in than you think.

[Anonymous]

I don't know OP, even the "bad" schools in FFX Co. are still better than most. And, you're child could still excel there and go on to do great things. Can you stay put for now and re-evaluate in a few years given that she is not even in elementary? Just a suggestion.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My house is 1.4 miles from metro but I have to drive my daughter to daycare. I basically drive 3 miles to her daycare, then 3 miles to Dunn Loring metro. It's just insanely congested in my area, especially at night, so that 3 miles between metro and daycare sometimes takes 40 minutes. Before I had my daughter I would drive to metro or drive to work in 37 minutes. I can't do that anymore because I can't drop her off and get on the road early enough - East-bound traffic increases dramatically at 7:00 a.m.

We're in Falls Church high school boundary right now. I've never even considered moving "South" - maybe because I'm a bit of a snob - but when her father bought a house down in Alexandria, it made me realize how much more house I could get for my money there. But I do hate the idea of being stuck on 495 or 395 all the time. there's a lot of people very dependent on 395. And traffic there will likely get worse as BRAC becomes a reality.

In an ideal world, I'd live in Arlington, probably Clarendon or Ballston, or Yorktown area. I love the idea of being in a walkable area. But I can't find a townhouse that I could remotely afford, and a condo has fees and less space. If I stay out in Fairfax, I'll probably buy a townhouse in Oakton or try to find something in Woodson. But my commute would get even worse. I'm also considering Falls Church, which might be a good compromise - slightly closer-in, more expensive housing, but better schools. But some areas in Falls Church (not FC City proper) are as sketchy as some parts of Alexandria! And forget South Arlington - cute houses, good commute, bad schools.

Man, I love DC area, but housing prices/commuting are a constant issue! thanks so much for your thoughts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My house is 1.4 miles from metro but I have to drive my daughter to daycare. I basically drive 3 miles to her daycare, then 3 miles to Dunn Loring metro. It's just insanely congested in my area, especially at night, so that 3 miles between metro and daycare sometimes takes 40 minutes. Before I had my daughter I would drive to metro or drive to work in 37 minutes. I can't do that anymore because I can't drop her off and get on the road early enough - East-bound traffic increases dramatically at 7:00 a.m.

We're in Falls Church high school boundary right now. I've never even considered moving "South" - maybe because I'm a bit of a snob - but when her father bought a house down in Alexandria, it made me realize how much more house I could get for my money there. But I do hate the idea of being stuck on 495 or 395 all the time. there's a lot of people very dependent on 395. And traffic there will likely get worse as BRAC becomes a reality.

In an ideal world, I'd live in Arlington, probably Clarendon or Ballston, or Yorktown area. I love the idea of being in a walkable area. But I can't find a townhouse that I could remotely afford, and a condo has fees and less space. If I stay out in Fairfax, I'll probably buy a townhouse in Oakton or try to find something in Woodson. But my commute would get even worse. I'm also considering Falls Church, which might be a good compromise - slightly closer-in, more expensive housing, but better schools. But some areas in Falls Church (not FC City proper) are as sketchy as some parts of Alexandria! And forget South Arlington - cute houses, good commute, bad schools.

Man, I love DC area, but housing prices/commuting are a constant issue! thanks so much for your thoughts!

OP, I am sure you want the best for your daughter, but I think you are automatically eliminating some schools that are perfectly fine. The elementary schools in S. Arlington are certainly very good for the most part. Wakefield, the high school for most of S. Arlington, does have a more diverse (ethnically and socio-economically), but the school is certainly not "bad". Especially if you are comparing Wakefield to West Potomac and Hayfield - IMO they are pretty comparable. I believe there are also some parts of S. Arlington that feed into Washington-Lee which is also an excellent school. As for Falls Church, it, too is very good. No, it may not have the test scores of Yorktown or Langley because it, too, has a more diverse population with more non-English proficient students than either of those places, but it is a perfectly fine school with a lot to offer. And, not to slight West Potomac or Hayfield, but I really don't those schools are much better than Falls Church HS. Fact is, every HS in Fairfax County is pretty amazing compared to the rest of the country.

[Anonymous]

OP, I live very close to you. I know exactly what you mean about the traffic in this area at night. It can take an insane amount of time to go a short distance. I love this location and our elementary, not so much the MS and HS.

If it were me, in the interim, I would consider changing your child's daycare/preschool to one closer to your home or to the metro. That seems the easiest short term solution. There are several daycares that would be closer for you I think that have good reputations. You don't say how old she is, but there is Appletree, Child's Place, Cedar Lane Montessori, and others. There are also many in home daycares in this area.

[Anonymous]

If I were in your shoes, I'd look for another townhouse closer to a Metro station on the Orange line, if you can afford it.

the homes closest to the Vienna station feed into Madison or Oakton;

the homes closest to the Dunn Loring station feed into Marshall;

the homes closest to the West Falls Church station feed into McLean; and

the homes closest to the East Falls Church station either feed into George Mason (FC) or Yorktown (Arlington).

You'll reduce the commute to Verizon Center the closer in you are and won't be in the Falls Church HS district if that is a concern of yours. However, I think that, if you did more research, you'd find that some Falls Church parents and students like the school (it's the smallest school in the county, and some students get lost in the shuffle at big schools) quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

Wow - how did Alexandria get such a bad rap around here? I grew up in the Alex. part of FFX Co. and now live in Old Town. Quite frankly, it is a beautiful area with great schools. Not Langley great, but there are some advantages to not having to compete with such affluent children.

WP / MV, etc. are good schools. They are more diverse than others, but diversity is actually a GOOD thing.

Oh - the commute on the GW Parkway is usually fine and MUCH better than 66/495/395.

[Anonymous]

If I were you, I think I'd stay put, at least for now and save, save, save to possibly buy a different place later. I agree with 15:09, especially on her point about Falls Church High issue. I'd be more concerned about Jackson Middle school, in your shoes, but that concern is still a decade away. When it comes time for HS, if you stay where you are and decide that Falls Church isn't a good fit for your child, you may be able to pupil place into Marshall for the IB program, or some other nearby highschool. I certainly wouldn't go through the hassle of a move to get to Mount Vernon or even West Potomac, especially when your child is so young. If you were talking about moving into the McLean/Langley/Woodson/Yorktown/W-L boundaries when the time came for middle or high school, that might be worth the move (depending on your child's personality and needs), but the schools around Alexandria just aren't that much different than Falls Church High. The commute from the Mt Vernon area to Verizon Center isn't any better than you have now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow - how did Alexandria get such a bad rap around here? I grew up in the Alex. part of FFX Co. and now live in Old Town. Quite frankly, it is a beautiful area with great schools. Not Langley great, but there are some advantages to not having to compete with such affluent children.

WP / MV, etc. are good schools. They are more diverse than others, but diversity is actually a GOOD thing.

Oh - the commute on the GW Parkway is usually fine and MUCH better than 66/495/395.

PP, I am the one who mentioned the schools in that area, and I didn't mean to say that they were bad, because I don't think that they are. What I was trying to get at was that Wakefield in S. Arlington is just as good as those schools and that ALL of them are excellent schools. The OP had pretty much dismissed Wakefield, and in comparing all three (Wakefield, W. Potomac, and Hayfield), I think they are all pretty much on about the same level. They are all diverse, they all have students from different backgrounds, and they all have much to offer. So to dismiss Wakefield, but consider West Potomac and Hayfield did not make sense to me. That was my point, but I guess I didn't say it well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were you, I think I'd stay put, at least for now and save, save, save to possibly buy a different place later. I agree with 15:09, especially on her point about Falls Church High issue. I'd be more concerned about Jackson Middle school, in your shoes, but that concern is still a decade away. When it comes time for HS, if you stay where you are and decide that Falls Church isn't a good fit for your child, you may be able to pupil place into Marshall for the IB program, or some other nearby highschool. I certainly wouldn't go through the hassle of a move to get to Mount Vernon or even West Potomac, especially when your child is so young. If you were talking about moving into the McLean/Langley/Woodson/Yorktown/W-L boundaries when the time came for middle or high school, that might be worth the move (depending on your child's personality and needs), but the schools around Alexandria just aren't that much different than Falls Church High. The commute from the Mt Vernon area to Verizon Center isn't any better than you have now.

I totally agree with this.

[Anonymous]

I might be mistaken but I'm not reading that your area and schools are so bad I'm thinking it's your commute. Any chance you could look for a job closer to home or perhaps "down south" and then move? I'm a fed and live in the Alexandria section of FFX county (and like it!). I didn't think too much about jobs close to home until after I had my second kid and the commute was really starting to get to me. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be for a single mom. Once I started looking, I was surprised at home many federal jobs are in in the 'burbs. I ended up taking one that was a step back on the career ladder but it's totally been worth it since I have less responsibility, don't think about work when I'm home and have more flexibility to attend school related events during the day. Sometimes I even go to school for lunch with my DS. I'm still reveling in. Someday I'll get back on the career path but right this works out okay.

Any chance you could look for a different job?

[Anonymous]

If you are commuting to the Verizon Center there are good reasons to consider Alexandria. The drive up the GW is pretty quick, 395 is slow but you aren't on it very long, just crossing the river then you get off at the first exit to get to the verizon center. In terms of metro, you can take the yellow line from huntington (which is never as crowded as the orange line) and it is a straight shot to the verizon center, no changing lines and much faster than taking the train from dunn loring. I think your commute would vastly improve. As far as hs go, the above posters may be correct about say Hayfield and Falls Church HS being pretty comparable. But there are fantastic elementary schools in Alexandria, and you might want to wait on the high school issue and focus on quality of life/ commute for the time being.

[Anonymous]

How old is your daughter? Any chance on moving her to a daycare near where you work? This way you will eliminate the 40 minutes at the end of the day.

It might be more expensive but worth it in the long run.