Moving to Alexandria Area -- Suggestions Please!

The Rose Hill/Franconia part of Alexandria is one of the most affordable parts of the town. The previous poster is right -- Alexandria is huge. There is Alexandria Fairfax County which is the bigger one, and where 22310 is, and there is also the adjacent City of Alexandria, also called Old Town (22314, , 22301, 22305) which has its own school district. On the whole, the schools are better in Fairfax County, but you may like the atmosphere in Old Town better. It is older, quainter and MUCH more expensive. But great restaurants and shops. The good thing is that 22310 is pretty centrally located for both the county and the city. For example, I live in 22308 (google map the area) and it would take me about 20 minutes in morning traffic to get to 22310. We chose this area for the affordable large houses, big yards, 3 great elementary schools, and an excellent middle school, all within walking distance. I would say that Rose Hill is a neighborhood that has either original home-owners or young people who have recently bought these houses. Franconia has a lot of big townhouses (3 bedrooms), but not a lot of yardspace. Also check Springfield which is a little less expensive and still within 30 mins of Rose Hill. Now remember that DC area has some of the worst traffic in the nation, so driving 1 hour each way doesn't faze a lot of people. I also have a wonderful real estate agent, and I would be happy to give you her info. And I agree that greatschools.net is a REALLY good place to start. Because while there are some very good schools around, there are also some that aren't terrific. Good luck and welcome to town!!

One more thing -- there is a great website where you can start a home search -- it is called www.homesdatabase.com. You can search by zipcode, see the house on the map, pictures, etc. I find it to be the best site for the DC metro area.

There's a HUGE selection of places to live in VA...questions are:

WHERE is your husband working?
How long does he want to commute?
Does he want to have public transportation access?

Search greatschools.net to get an idea of the schools in the area.

If your husband is working at the Pentagon - you have MANY options open to you for housing. We live in Reston, VA - my husband takes public transportation to work every day....loves it!!

Our market is good - two homes in my neighborhood sold for asking price ($555K) in 24 hours. We have our share of short-sales as well.

With 3 boys - there is no way I would consider a condo - too small in my opinion....Not sure what you are looking to spend either....there are many options available.

I just looked at a rental with my GF on Friday - really nice 4 bedroom with an attached garage in Reston, bus stop is right at the end of the street and the elementary school is at the end of the street as well....rental for $2100 per month...

Any way - inbox me and let me know what you are looking to spend and where your husband will be working. I have a VERY good friend who is a real estate agent that I can hook you up with as well.

CONGRATS!!

Hi M.! I live in Fairfax, very near Burke, VA. Our area code is 22032 if you want to look at a map. The area you're mentioning is near Kingstowne, which is a nice area. We like to go to the restaurants there. It takes us about 20 minutes to get there from our house (but that's not rush hour) We LOVE where we live. Somehow we found a little pocket in Fairfax County where there are a ton of stay at home moms, or moms like me who are pretty much stay at home (but my kids are in 1st and 4th grades, so I substitute teach in their school) Our neighborhood is as "Leave it to Beaver" as you can get. There are tons of parents at the bus stop in the morning and afternoons - I know if something happens and I can't get there someone will notice and get my kids! We just have a great community. I don't know what your price range is, but I think houses in my neighborhood go for $450,000-$550,00 with about 2000 sq feet (maybe a bit less)

Anyway, I've lived all over the area (Annandale, Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax!) since 1994. So far, I'm happiest where we are right now. I'd be happy to talk to you if you'd like. Feel free to private message me. I also have a close friend who is in real estate.

Good luck!
K.

Dear M.,
welcome to the rat race of DC metro area. LoL.
You've got great responses. We live on the cusp of Burke,West Springfield, we technically live in Annandale. There is also the Springfield area, 22152,22153, where you can get good deals on townhomes and SFH. This area though is expensive and yes lots of traffic BUT a great area to raise kids, so many things to do, tons of history etc. My e-mail is ____@____.com or message me. Are you a SAHM? Oh a great real estate group is the Nellis Group, with offices in Burke and Alexandria. They are a wonderful Christian family real estate group.
Are you getting to drive to look at areas and homes or is it mostly online searching?
When you move here, let me know I know of a great plagroup and MOPS(mother of preschoolers) group where you can get connected and meet other moms etc.
Good Luck and KIT
pammy

Welcome to the area! I live in Falls Church. My advice to you is to rent for a while - don't buy right away. Not only does it give you a chance to really scope out the area (traffic, parks, schools, etc.) but the DC market is has been all over the place - up and down - so you're likely to over pay at this point. Many (including friends of mine) are upside down on their mortgages or heading to short sale/foreclosure, but it just takes a while for the banks to process these things... We have been closly watching the market for the couple of years so that we can jump in, but most of the houses in this area (that you can grow into) are well above $500K and/or require some work. I've seen prices actually go up on houses that have been sitting on the market for months - don't know what kind of trickery is going on to make people think this is a "hot market" but I don't trust it. take a look at franklymls.com. Anyway, there are lots of single family houses for rent. For prespective, we currently rent a fantastic 4 br/4 ba TH in F.C. for $1900/month where are neighbors are selling for $550K. Good lluck!!