On average, it's cheaper to buy in Maryland (property taxes and state income taxes are cheaper too): http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the_cost_of_buying_revisited/5281

OP here. Thank you. I will be looking into all of these. the main reason I am looking at VA over MD is that I have heard the taxes are much higher in MD. We haven't ruled it out though.

I think you could definitely find an older, maintained SFH in S. Reston. Also, check out the Fox Mill Estates neighborhood in Oak Hill/Herndon. You could take the bus to West Falls Church from the park and ride until the metro is ready next year.

Many people in Vienna think the commute to DC is long. I would try to get inside the beltway if you can although my neighbors like the Vienna metro since you can get a seat more easily there. There are plenty of fixer upper homes all over the DC area in that price range. Not sure why you have ruled out MD over VA. Fairfax City comes to mind for outside the beltway and houses in zip code 22043 for inside the beltway. There are plenty of other areas too. Wait till later in the summer when the prices come down more.

also forgot to mention that parts of Springfield (that feed into Orange Hunt and West Springfield HS or Lake Braddock)... you can get a Single Family home for that amount. Not a huge house, but older neighborhoods and very family friendly. There are commuter buses that run to the pentagon.

How about the Kingstowne/Franconia/Island Creek part of Alexandria (Ffx Cnty). You can get a townhouse for that amount and you are close to metro/slugging to the city (free commuting). A lot closer than Leesburg and a townhouse there.

Also, to the PP who mentioned Chantilly, ... what but does your DH take and where does it go? I'm always on the look out for commuter busing options and my DH works on the western side of Ffx Cnty, so it could be an option for us.

They may not even end up funding the metro west of Dulles, so I wouldn't count on that.

$450K will not get you anything decent even in Reston IMHO. You are looking at a townhouse in Loudoun. You could get a pretty nice one in Cascades or Lowes Island in the eastern part of the county and take the Loudoun Connector bus into DC. Leesburg just adds another eight or so more miles and tons more headaches to the commute. My SIL does the bus every day to her fed job and has not had any problems.

Housing is the biggest expense in this area and I often feel sorry for those who move here from other parts of the country.

Check out Alexandria (the City, not the Fairfax part). Five Metro stations in town, and six different WMATA express buses to Pentagon and Rosslyn metro stations. The schools in the east half of the City are in all but one case (Jefferson Houston) very good, although some parents who don't want diverse, City schools condemn the ACPS system, unjustly in my view.

Do not think a Leesburg to Rosslyn commute will ever not be horrible. What's your tolerance for commute time? Because we've got the absolute worst here. Keep in mind that you cannot commute on 66 inside the beltway at all unless you are either in a hybrid or HOV-2.

You can get an older SFH in Reston for that. A friend just sold one in that range that has been well-maintained on 1/2 acre. And yes, metro will be out to Wiehle in another year or so.

Check out Centreville. My husband takes the bus right near our house and there are also three commuter lots where you can walk/drive to and catch a bus to Vienna Metro.

We've successfully lived here for five years with one car. The $450,000 won't get you a McMansion here, but there will be places available.

Might be able to find something in Reston. The Wiehle Ave metro is in next year's phase.

one job in DC or two different jobs? is the job(s) near the VRE stations?

Phase 1 of the Dulles metro will be done in 2013...it will be another few years until its all the way out to the airport. Try the 22043 area. You can get a sfh for under 500k there, and it's part of the phase 1 metro project (Tyson's corner area)

We would like to find a good neighborhood/community with great public schools in VA. However our budget is only $450K. Commuting to DC - preferably by Metro, not car. Any ideas? Kind of looking at Leesburg, but the commute looks awful right now. But the new Dulles Metrorail should help with that, right? Isn't it set to be completed next year?