You may have trouble finding a rental that's available with lots of notice before you move. Houses may be a bit different but, in my experience, things become available a few weeks, not months, before you're ready to move. You may want to consider a corporate rental for a couple weeks when you move to the States and then find the longer term rental, open bank accounts, etc. then.

HSBC has some branches here (including in Georgetown), so maybe if they are local in your home country that would make things easier.

Can you open a bank account wothout an adress in the US.

Anonymous wrote:This is a very nice home, I have been inside.

http://www.homes.com/listing/165681567/2396_Hurst_St_FALLS_CHURCH_VA_22043

LOL, that home has been for rent and for sale FOR YEARS

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thanks for all the comments and advice.

They probably will want a check, but you probably can get a bank to prepare a cashiers check for you. There may be some benefits to opening a $ account when you're here, anyhow. (This is a lot easier than in Europe - minimum balances requirements are small).

Can you please expand on that? I am coming to DC for 5 days this month to look for a house. If I open a bank account, I assume I will have to transfer funds from Europe before the bank can prepare a cashiers check, don't I? And such a transfer takes a few days to arrive. Or should I be opening a bank account before travelling? Is it possible at all?

Thank you

Call the bank ahead of time. (I have no personal preference, but I do recall, at the time, that Bank of America was appealing because it was in a consortium with Deutsche, Barclays, BNP-Paribas and a couple others that let you use all their ATMs fee-free). You need some cash to open an account and I definitely recall that you couldn't do it over the phone from overseas. BUt the minimum balances were not a lot - like, a hundred dollars or so. So, you might be, relatively easily, able to open an account while you're here with a small balance, withdrawn from an ATM and then transfer a larger balance, using a wire transfer, when you're ready to put down a deposit. I used XE.com for international wire transfers and liked them, though it's been a couple years now.

I suspect your spouse's colleagues at the new office could speak to some of this, too, though.

OP again. Thanks for all the comments and advice.

They probably will want a check, but you probably can get a bank to prepare a cashiers check for you. There may be some benefits to opening a $ account when you're here, anyhow. (This is a lot easier than in Europe - minimum balances requirements are small).

Can you please expand on that? I am coming to DC for 5 days this month to look for a house. If I open a bank account, I assume I will have to transfer funds from Europe before the bank can prepare a cashiers check, don't I? And such a transfer takes a few days to arrive. Or should I be opening a bank account before travelling? Is it possible at all?

Thank you

I would definitely add 20015 (CC, where I live and where a couple of friends who sent both their kids to WIS live)

agree with PPs who said to avoid Capitol Hill - that could take you 45 minutes to get to school in traffic.

Ideally, it would be good to be in Georgetown, Burleith or Glover Park to be walking distance from school and also close to Foggy Bottom. There are also a lot of preschools in that area for your two year old. In those areas you will have a row house - probably with a patio and not a yard. But there are lots of parks around to take the kids too. You may also have to settle for 3 bedrooms.

If you want a single-family home with a yard that's still a relatively short drive, I'd try the Palisades. Cleveland Park or American University Park.

The zip codes to search are 20007, 20008 and 20016.

Good luck. Welcome to Washington.

Anonymous wrote:WIS is in Cleveland park neighborhood, also near Woodley Park/Zoo to the east and AU Park area on the west. Capital Hill is a whole 30 minute drive away with tons of traffic lights and through 3 different office districts (cap hill, downtown, dupont).

No, that's the middle and high school. OP's child is 5, so he will go to the elementary school, located in Georgetown. I would never rent in Eastern Market, Capitol Hill or east of Dupont if I had to drive each morning to Georgetown during rush hour traffic, it would be a nightmare