Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say 5-6k do you mean that's your budget for monthly rent or that your budget to buy is 500-600k?

Arlington is good. Alexandria can be a very mixed bag. It's probably my last choice of school districts in the NoVa area.

Stafford to DC is going to be brutal. That's not an exaggeration. Absolutely brutal. 95 S locks up between DC and Fredericksburg during commuting hours. A Friday commute could easily take 2, 2.5 hours. Alexandria/Arlington are not at all halfway for the Stafford person. Not even close. That gives them a (on a good day) 90 minute commute whereas you're inside the beltway. Perhaps try looking at Woodbridge which is a bit more reasonable for the Stafford spouse. Both of you will have a commute, but it won't be torturous for one and negligible for the other.

The Stafford person is reverse commuting so it will not be as bad as you say.

Yes it will.

Not sure how you come up with those places as halfway points.

Depending on your budget, I'd look for something in Arlington or Alexandria (either city of or Alexandria, FFX) as close to 395 as you can get. Something near Clarendon would work, as you are close to DC and the other spouse would have a reverse commute to Stafford.

You could also consider something in Springfield for less money than Arlington (and better schools than most of Alexandria) - metro should be a straight shot to most parts of DC, and it's even closer to Stafford.

What a nightmare. Someone needs to be to telework or something.

yeah, this is not an ideal situation at all. I'd get out of your head that whole Ffx is best thing b/c it's not true at all. Ffx county is HUGE and while you may hear good things about, say, Langley or McLean HS, that same will not hold true for a different Ffx county HS or elementary or middle. Arl Co schools are overall pretty good - it's a small county and people may argue that NArl is "better" than SArl, but I don't necessarily buy that in every situation. Budget-wise, Arl and close in Ffx will cost a lot more than further out.

OP -- look into the commuter buses from Stafford. That way you aren't driving and it's a pretty regular schedule. That might work if you want to live in Stafford so that one of you can be close to the schools. Sometimes it's just as short or shorter to use those commuter buses than it is to metro into DC from the end of the blue line.

I am not sure why you both would want long/bad commutes? Living in Fairfax/Springfield/Lorton/Burke would easily be 45-60 minutes commute to downtown DC. Plus the same for stafford. And that is on a normal traffic day. Add bad weather or holidays or something else (hello, metro shutdown) and it could easily be longer. What are you going to do for childcare? are either of you working an AWS?

I would stay close to one job- one good commute, one bad commute. Or get new jobs.

Where are you moving from? Please keep in mine traffic will be brutal and can shut down with flurries. A long commute, even a reverse commute, can be stressful and impossible if traffic is at a standstill because we got 5 flakes of snow. This is a real issue when you need to get home to children. We moved because I couldn't handle my 45 min commute turning into 1.5-2 hours during these situations.

You're looking for a rental? SFH or TH?

Where in DC will you be working? Near which Metro stop(s)?

Very close to Metro:
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/5487148876.html

If you want more space, but still an easy commute (car or bus are probably best bets to DC, car to Stafford):
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/5513390493.html

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I heard Fairfax County is the best. So, what are the surrounding areas that would land me in a Fairfax County school? Would I have to live right in Fairfax?

Fairfax is too freaking far for the Stafford spouse. That's nuts. And no not all of Fairfax is great. It's a huge county.

What does your husband think of having a 90 minute commute?

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I heard Fairfax County is the best. So, what are the surrounding areas that would land me in a Fairfax County school? Would I have to live right in Fairfax?

Fairfax County is a HUGE county, OP. I don't know where you "heard" that Fairfax County is "the best." The best what? Schools? Uh, no. Depends on where in Fairfax County. And the areas that are located in proximity to Stafford are probably less "best" than up near McLean or Oakton, where you'd never want to live because of proximity.

You also need to understand that Stafford County is still like 35 miles away from most parts of Fairfax County. You've got Prince William County in between. Look on a map.

OP here. I heard Fairfax County is the best. So, what are the surrounding areas that would land me in a Fairfax County school? Would I have to live right in Fairfax?

Many of these posts are confusing and I don't think everyone knows what they're talking about. Commute to Stafford on the VRE? You can't reverse commute on the VRE.

My spouse and I did something similar - I worked in DC and he worked at Quantico. We live in West Springfield. He probably had the shorter, more consistent commute. It was far (mileage-wise), but it was usually traffic-free. The big problems he had were traffic on base and sometimes on 95 in the afternoon/evening.

I would slug downtown and that was the fastest option for me. There are many slug lots in Springfield, in addition to the Metro, express buses to the Pentagon, and the VRE.

Schools are great in West Springfield. I would just recommend choosing neighborhoods carefully based on commuting routes. If you pick something close to the Fairfax County Parkway and 95/395, that will save you a lot of time.

I would not move as far at as Woodbridge. The schools are not as good and it's not necessary for the Stafford commuter. Woodbridge will make the commute a lot longer for the DC person and just shorten the mileage for the Stafford commuter. Traffic/time is more of a concern for the one commuting into DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

While midpoint may sound good--you need to also consider emergency situations. One of you needs to be within a short time distance from the kids--unless you have other support/family here in the area. Just something to consider.

This! If neither of you can switch jobs, then I'd look close to the DC job b/c the reverse commute is less painful. Don't try for halfway. One of you needs to be closer to home.

OTOH, there are many more options for commuting WITHIN the city than in Stafford. It'd be far cheaper and OP would get a bigger/nicer house to live in Stafford and commute to DC. Just playing devil's advocate. OP needs to have some serious bank to live super close in to DC and minimize her commute.

Anonymous wrote:OP,

While midpoint may sound good--you need to also consider emergency situations. One of you needs to be within a short time distance from the kids--unless you have other support/family here in the area. Just something to consider.

This! If neither of you can switch jobs, then I'd look close to the DC job b/c the reverse commute is less painful. Don't try for halfway. One of you needs to be closer to home.