Reply to Dream Job! Now what....?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=DCFan]Hello future friends and neighbors, I'm one interview away from landing my dream job in the Tyson's Corner/Falls Church area and, being cautiously optimistic, I'm looking at the logistics of relocating from the west coast.  I think I need some help though, primarily on real estate/traffic/ground-rules for the area.  I'm coming in from Northern California but I'm still hitting a bit of sticker shock, no surprise.  I'm doing wayyyy too much research (zillow.com, city-data.com, dcurbanmom.com, etc.) but there's only so much that the Internet can tell you from +2,000 miles away.  I am very interested in your input on where the good/bad,  viable/impossible places are and perhaps helping me tamp down my initial expectations (though, hopefully, not tooooo much?  :roll:  )

Criteria:

1) Travel time - The same as everyone, I guess.  I'm trying to stay 30-40 miles from the workplace but the real goal is less than an hour commute (which currently means driving, I'm still looking into the public transit options)
2) A house (vs. condo, townhouse, apartment) - While it is just me (single, 45 yr old, no family/kids, not dating), I'm not terribly interested in sharing a wall with neighbors (spoiled, maybe, have been living in standalone houses for 20 yrs... and there's all this furniture...)
3) Re-sale value (eventually) - I'd like to buy something large enough to have solid resale value in 5-10 years (when either I'm done or I'm moving up but otherwise, 10 yrs is a tad arbitrary).  Area plays a key role so I've been looking at schools, price trends, etc.
4) Neighborhood - Should be nice enough for family (nieces/nephews) to come visit and feel safe, close enough for anyone that wants to visit DC to stay, etc.

Limitations:
Not too many, I hope....

1) I'm targeting 400-500K price range, may drift a tad higher but I think the 800K+ is out of my range, so I'm okay with looking at a greater distance (If it is cost vs. distance, cost wins because I don't want to get up to my eyeballs in debt)

Current areas I've been looking at (and would like your thoughts on, please)

1) Bowie, MD - Lots of great new house options but I'm told the area is not as safe as I would like.  The commute may be a bit long as well?
2) Bethesda,MD - Smaller houses within the price point, can't tell about the neighborhoods.   Traffic may be okay though?
3) Gainesville/Centreville, VA - Similar to Bowie in the houses, maybe a better area but I can't tell whether traffic is an issue...
4) Ashburn/Broadlands/Sterling - May be beyond my price range and again, traffic stories seem to be bipoler: no problem vs. nightmare-every-day.  Still, looks like the best option so far?

In general, my sense is that anything inside the beltway is too expensive (for a standalone), the northwest areas are too expensive, as are the south west areas.  The eastern sides are affordable but they may not be okay traffic/area wise?

Okay, enough rambling.  If I've left key things out, please remind me and I will fill in the blanks as quickly as possible.

Thank you all in advance for whatever help/insights you can offer. I should know in the next 45 days whether I've put the cart before the horse but.... if not, I'll have to be ready to act quickly.

[/quote]

I know you said you want SFH (single family homes) but if you willing to budget on that, I would consider Reston. I think you would love it. YOu can get a really nice condo (about 1200 sq/ft, 3bd/2bath), garden style, for under 400k. Great trails, great community with access to the pools and tennis courts (many), great town center and bustling for families and also single people like you because of all the happy hours. It is VERY close to Tysons/FC and it also has a metro stop so you could do your commute on peak of rush hour in 30 min or less.

If you could swing into the 600's, you may be able to get a SFH.

[/quote]

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