OP here. This is all super helpful. Thank you!!

You all bring up some really useful issues. I know our list is impossible, so we've each been trying to rank our priorities and see how they might mesh. Housing decisions here are so hard and balancing the financial vs. lifestyle vs. thinking about the long term, is particularly tricky.

We drove out to Cheverly, Hyattsville, and Silver Spring yesterday, followed by Fort Hunt and south of the beltway Alexandria. (We used a lot of gas!)

We didn't like Cheverly, liked the arts district of Hyattsville--but are apprehensive about PG county--and were just sort of confused by where to look in Silver Spring, not to mention it took us an hour to get to Silver Spring from Dupont in the middle of the day on Saturday.

Fort Hunt wasn't quite right for us (except that we accidentally drove through Belle Haven or something like that, which was lovely and totally out of our price range right now).

Today we are going out to Shirlington, Falls Church, and will drive through Pimmit Hills as well. Keep the suggestions coming, I love it. We know Clarendon well. I like the "low-rise" idea. A condo would be fine with me as long as it doesn't have high fees.

We have friends who love Brookland and I think with the CUA big building project that's going to be a great area, but DH doesn't love it.

Our plan is to identify 2-3 potential neighborhoods that we like and can afford and get a reasonable sense of our needs as a couple and family, then have the baby and stay here for about a year. Then, in 6mo to a year, as we know everything will be harder with a baby, we'll do a targeted search and be able to move quickly.

As for the driving/metro issue, he's not too good for public transportation, he just has a very high stress job and for him having the quiet time in the car seems to help him transition to and from work. We all have our differences. I find driving much more stressful. I can't believe GW charges professors $250 for parking!! They make so little! His parking is cheap and is useful to have when going into the city on weekends and such, so that's probably non-negotiable.

As for schools, I need to do a lot more research. $1500 a month doesn't sound like that much to me, factoring in that when child goes to school, I'll go back to work full-time. I'm also comfortable with the idea that this home would be for the next 5-8 years, and presumably then we could move to a better public school district. But then again, who knows what will happen with the housing market--so many variables. And surely it's easier to sell in a better school district.

Our goal is to find a home that we can afford on DH's salary alone and not have to sell our other properties. I also need to do some research on taxes. I know VA is cheaper, but wonder by how much.

Being a grown up is hard! And I know being a mom is going to be even harder!!!

thank you!

I am not sure how the commutes are in VA from the North or South, but due West: the cut-off for 30 minutes is Falls Church.

The metro ride from Vienna to Foggy Bottom is about 30 min. The car ride could be significantly more, depending on traffic (assuming your husband cannot use HOV). If you live very close to the Vienna metro (say about 1 mile), the total commute could be in the order of 40 min. But the problem is that you won't find many renovated/new townhouses near the metro in that price range.

Agree with the others that finding all your criteria together might be a bit... optimistic. (And fwiw, some of your wishes, like new construction, are simply exchanging predictable problems for unpredictable ones.)

After you have a come-to-Whomever talk with your husband, you might want to look into some of the garden condos on Arlington's Orange Line. Colonial Village, Barton Place and the like might give you some of the "house" feeling you want without the time or cost of the real thing. We lived in that neighborhood with young children and my commute to Foggy Bottom was a true 30 minutes door-to-desk. Time is more valuable than space when you have a baby.

You and DH need to get very, very realistic about your wants/needs and your budget.

1. You are NOT going to find a home for under $400K that meets all your criteria.
2. Montessori preschool can cost up to $18000/year at the more well-known ones in NW DC. Can you afford an additional $1500/month?
3. DH will not see his child during the weekday if you live far out with his work schedule.
4. Parking in FB, unless subsidized, is expensive--especially if you want to save for a home. GWU subsidized parking is about $250/mo.
5. If you cannot handle renovations/home repair, consider a condo within walking distance of FB/metro:

http://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/3001-Veazey-Ter-NW-20008/unit-908/home/40273571

http://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/4740-Connecticut-Ave-NW-20008/unit-1005/home/9977149

Both are close to Chevy Chase, Franklin, and Auguste Montessori schools. The one on Connecticut also feeds into Murch, which is considered one of the best public elementary schools in DC--which will buy you a few years. The one on Veazey has parking, but feeds into Hearst, which is not as highly regarded as Murch.

the paper from yesterday had a listing for new condos near capital hill that seemed somewhat resonably priced. They also profiled a neighborhood next door to brookland.

would a newer condo in falls church work for you?

Brookland is at least 30 minutes in to FB if you drive. There is still a big crime issue and the schools aren't very good.
Lots of gentrifiers who want you to join them or buy their house from them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And there's also Brookland.

+1. Brookland is the best DC neighborhood for the money.

Anonymous wrote:Also something to keep in mind, OP, is the amount of time it takes to keep up a SFH with a yard, snow shoveling, etc. as compared to a condo where you do ZIP.

Totally agree. Then factor in a Saturday when it rains, and you can't cut the grass that day but might get to it on Tuesday at 7 pm and eat dinner later, etc.

Springfield can get you to foggy bottom in 30 minutes IF you use the HOV lanes (your husband can with his current hours).

Also something to keep in mind, OP, is the amount of time it takes to keep up a SFH with a yard, snow shoveling, etc. as compared to a condo where you do ZIP. We made a similar move last year (when expecting #2 though) and while the extra room/yard/etc. are nice, man are they a lot of work. And if DH is gonna be spending lots of time in commute, he'll feel even less like getting up earlier to shovel that driveway before leaving, or spending all day Saturday cleaning gutters and raking leaves...DH and I often think back fondly to those days when we'd say "what do you wannna do this weekend?" instead of "okay who's mowing and who's hauling to the dump?" A SFH is a huge lifestyle change from condo-city living.

I'm going to give a plug to my 'hood, Pimmit Hills. Bad things first: it will be smallish and possibly unrenovated. The neighborhood is not uniformly wealthy or manicured. On the positive side, you'll have outdoor space, you'll be able to walk to parks and (good) school, Tysons East metro is coming, and your commute time will be under 40 minutes to FB if you take I-66 after 9 am or as an HOV. That's the last affordable neighborhood left inside the beltway. When you get richer, you can expand your house.

Houses of 3 br, 1 bath on a quarter acre of land become available fairly regularly. They do tend to go quickly so be prepared to move fast. I recommend just driving around one weekend to see if you are comfortable with the feel of the place.

Your budget is very low for an old unrenovated home anywhere in Virginia. New townhouse is 450,000 in Ashburn to give you an idea. I think you should look into renting a home or townhouse in Silver Spring, keep saving so you can have 20%+ and also to wait to see what the housing market does.

I used to get to downtown DC from Merrifield (near vienna metro) in 35 minutes IF I left home by 6:40. Anytime after 7:00, it took 55-70 minutes or more. Metro was about 45 minutes each way. If I left work at 4:30, I could get home in maybe 40 minutes, but at 5:00, it was over an hour. So 30 minute commute is probably only realistic from close-in Fairfax if he leaves EARLY. There are townhouses under $350K that are close to Vienna metro, but not SFH. Shirlington would be an easy commute, or many other parts of South Arlington, and there are some cute townhouses there.

consider not moving until your DC is 1. first, if you move somewhere that's not walkable to anything while your home with your baby for a year, you'll feel isolated. the dupont area is a great place to be home with a baby bc/ you can just walk out the door and walk to so many things, run errands, get groceries, go to starbucks, music together classes, etc. it would be a real pain to have to get a baby into a car seat every time you want to go anywhere. plus, if you are in a one floor place with an elevator, that is so much easier with a baby then a three floor townhouse where you're always forgetting something an another floor, or dragging the stroller up your front steps or whatever. also - if you can, really try to find a place with good schools - you might not want to have to deal with privates and those costs down the road, esp if you decide to have a second child.

Anonymous wrote:And there's also Brookland.

+1. Brookland is the best DC neighborhood for the money.