Oakton vs. Vienna

[Anonymous]

My husband and I are unfortunately going to have to bite the bullet and move out a little further to the suburbs because we just can't seem to find anything in our price range, combined with the space we need in the Arlington area. We currently live in a townhouse in Arlington but we are going to have to sell our place in the next 6 months because we will be expecting our 2nd child soon -I work part time in DC but my husband works in the Dulles area so we are trying to find something in the middle in the 500,000-650,000 price range. Does anyone have insight on either Oakton or Vienna or anywhere else for that matter that would be a good in between location for the both of us. I should also note that we have gone back and forth on whether to move a little further out because we both love Arlington, the sub-communities, walkability and convenience to DC but we have been looking for so long and nothing seems to be coming through for us.

thanks

[Anonymous]

I think Oakton is better. I grew up in Oakton.

[Anonymous]

I prefer Vienna (love Oakton too, though). I also work part-time in DC and my husband works in Reston. We live off Lawyers Rd, between 123 and Hunter Mill, so we are very close to Oakton but still in Vienna (but not inside the town limit).

Vienna has a nice downtown area and I think that gives it a better sense of community. Lots of annual events like Viva Vienna, the Halloween Parade, Oktoberfest, that draw tons of people. There's also a greater variety of housing so you'll find something in your price range.

Oakton is smaller and does not have a "downtown." The lots tend to be larger, so it's more spread out. There are lots of beautiful homes, but I think on the whole the prices are a bit higher than in Vienna. Not that this is a big deal, but Oakton does not have a recreational sports program, so the kids play VYI for soccer, basketball, etc, and Vienna Little League.

Both are accessible to Fairfax, Reston, Tysons, the Toll Rd, 495, 66, etc. How will you be commuting into DC? The drive is a bear, so you may want to be close enough to drive & park at the Vienna or Dunn Loring metro station.

All of the schools are good, some better than others, but do your own research. We decided to stay in the Madison HS pyramid & limited our home search accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Lots of homes in Oakton are on septic tank and not sewer.

[Anonymous]

We live in Vienna, about a mile away from the metro, and are very happy with the choice to buy a house here. (I work in DC, and the commute has gotten worse but is still quite manageable). By the way, we could have bought in Arlington, but the better schools and bigger yard in Vienna swayed us this way.) I also like Oakton, but the commute to DC can be more difficult depending on exactly where you are...

[Anonymous]

I prefer Vienna. Easier to get chores done without spending all day in the car.

[Anonymous]

I prefer the lots in Oakton- more private and Great Falls like- but if you work in DC it will add time to your commute. Vienna has its pluses and minuses (listed before).

[Anonymous]

I think it will be hard to find something nice and move in ready in that price range. We are looking to move too and I am looking at houses in Vienna and Oakton and in that price range I am consistently seeing kitchens that need to be ripped out and redone or poor curb appeal, one car garage, etc. all smaller and less desirable than my house which is less than a mile outside of Fairfax City. Maybe I will see you at an open house

[Anonymous]

Oakton is super expensive, isn't it?

[Anonymous]

I live in Oakton, and I have lived in Vienna before. Oakton is cheaper to live in then Vienna (if you compare the same type of house and lot size). Oakton just appears to be more expensive because there tend to be larger houses there then in Vienna.

I like both areas. Oakton is woodsy and private, but within a 5 min. drive you are at restaurants, malls, etc. Vienna has the metro there and is closer to shopping, etc. then Oakton but the lots tend to be smaller then in Oakton. Oakton almost feels like an extension of Vienna because it's pretty normal here to be involved in all of the Vienna events that someone listed above.

I agree that you will have to find an older, probably not updated house, that was our situation. The plus side of this is that you can slowly change the house to how you want it, and you won't have as high of a mortgage then if you buy a place that is "turn-key ready". The downside is that it takes time.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We're in Fairfax, but feed into the Oakton HS pyramid. You might want to look just outside of Oakton and into Fairfax with your price range. We're in a large house with quarter of an acre of land. Although it can be a hike to the metro, it's quite managable if your schedule is flexible and part-time, like yours.

[Anonymous]

The thing about Fairfax, as PP points out, is that it's not close to the metro. OP, even if you work part-time, you may find that arranging your schedule to do a couple of full days (rather than more shorter days) works best with the need to commute into DC. I'm the PP who lives in Vienna & works PT in DC. At one point I was working a couple of full days and, in an effort to squeeze in more hours but still have time at home, I was working a 4 or 5 hr day one day. When I realized I was still spending 2 hrs commuting to work 4 hrs and still essentially taking up most of my day, I decided trying to work a half-day wasn't worth it.

If you're driving all the way in, a shortened work day can be great, esp. in the afternoon b/c if you're able to leave really early you can get out of the city pretty quickly. However, if you're taking metro, you may find it takes even longer during non-rush hour as you have to wait longer for a train. And in the morning, you most likely have to come in during morning rush - if you come in later, you have issues with parking (Metro parking is full by late morning, and most of the lots downtown are full too, unless you have a reserved parking space at your office.) I'd spend some time figuring out how you're going to commute (car or metro), how long it will take you from various locations, etc. because it really is a big factor, even if you work PT.

[Anonymous]

Depends on your location in Fairfax. There's a reason the station is called "Vienna/Fairfax".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on your location in Fairfax. There's a reason the station is called "Vienna/Fairfax". [/quote

PP is right. The homes with Fairfax address that feed to Oakton are VERY close to the metro. I'd say they're walking distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on your location in Fairfax. There's a reason the station is called "Vienna/Fairfax".

Really? I could have sworn it has always been called Vienna (the metro stop). I guess I haven't been on the metro awhile. The townhouses within walking distance to the metro have either a Vienna address or an Oakton address.