[MotoTiller]

Ok I have a company looking at me for a position in Virginia, Alexandria I believe it to be.
Question is - how bad / high is the cost of living there?
I grew up in Va but I was just a kid and didn't have to worry about any financial stuff.

On a bad year I average 50K here in Texas in a good year that can exceed 80K and I live comfortably with either.

So how much does it take to be comfortable there?

Thanks

 

[bx-459]

...when I was in the VA, MD area over the summer gas was ~$3.20+ in both of those areas... rents or mortage in MD is crazy expensive and I'm sure the VA area is very similar but check with Bikepilot, Burncycle and a few others that are from that area...

Hopefully they are offering you toward the high end of your needs, good luck...

 

[deltl1ks]

Bx you where in VA over the Summer and di not sent our a TLZ get together :rant

Or

Did I miss it. :banghead

Come and hire me please. I'll drive up to Alexandria for 50K or more.

I might have to learn few things but I like challenges.

I live two hrs South of Alexandria.

If you live on the outskirts it might not be that bad.

 

[bx-459]

Del, I was in Bethesda MD for a week visiting family and we took a one day shopping trip to the mall in Tysons corner... far too much traveling in too short a time (when I come back on home leave:banghead)...

 

[MotoTiller]

Sorry Del, this will be an engineering postition and I'll mostly be doing TDY assignments so I may just be living out of a hotel for a while.
At the moment I will be the only one making the move and the family will stay here in Texas, then we'll figure things out from there.
Of course that's if I take the offer, but I haven't received it yet so there's a little bit of time left, maybe a very little though as I got a call today and they asked how soon I could be on site - then asked if 2 weeks would be enough time.
Hopefully their desperation puts a few more dollars in my pocket should I decide to make the move.

 

[BikePilot]

If you want a SFH within a half hour of Alexandria and in a decent hood plan on ~$500k+ at a minimum (and that won't get much).

Garage TH's go for ~$400k+

Other than housing, cost of living (fuel, utilities, taxes etc) isn't too bad.

If you don't mind an hour commute you can get a smallish, but very decent house for $320k or so in the Stafford area or a huge place for $500k.

I'd stay out of prince william county, esp if you have kids, although its a bit closer and cheeper than stafford in general.

Apartments in nice areas in Arlington/Alexandria rent for $1500+ a month, but its common to have room mates etc if its just you. Its very hard to find a hotel in Alexandria for under $150 a night or so. An hour south you can get them for $50 a night.

BTW I currently live in Stafford and work in Alexandria.

 

[BurnCycle]

Josh nailed it.

 

[1eviltwin]

Josh said it best but the home market is slowing down alot around here..There are some really good prices and deals starting to pop up..But i would steer clear of living in nova unless u have a huge bank roll..only thing is dealing with commute from stafford or spotsylvania..depending on ur hours u could look forward to siting in traffic for atleast and hour to hour and a half both ways daily..But if u ride ur bike daily u can get on hov and be pretty much clear both ways...

oh and Josh i believe i saw u at Navy Federal yesterday on rt610

 

[BikePilot]

I bet that was me. I stopped by about 10 till 6 picking up a cert check for a new-to-me suzuki:thumbup


BTW I've been seeing someone on a purple and silver TLR in stafford lately, any idea who it is?


Moto, I live ok in stafford on a little less than 50K (I have a 250k mortage) - not a lot of spending money left over though. If you can put a lot down on a more expensive house closer in, that would be the way to go and you could still live ok on 50k provided you didn't have any huge payments other than the house.

 

[1eviltwin]

No i havent seen it i have seen a few more yellow and black ones around in north stafford area and also a green tls with full body work on it..

yup i believe it was u ..u parked in the middle of 2 spaces..i was going into that new italian resturant that is next to navy fed around that time..

Are u adding another dirt bike??

u may wanna check www.homedatabase.com and select counties in northern VA and see what there is availible to get an idea of the prices to live here..hope that helps

 

[TWALK]

If you're looking to rent, getting a roommate is the best plan. My fiance and I rent a 1200 sq. ft. apartment in Herndon, and it is $1350 / mo. It's a really nice place. If you're looking to work in the Alexandria area, and don't want much of a commute check out http://www.archstoneapartments.com/Search_Results.htm?state=VA&market=98 The community is Archstone -Kingstown (may be listed as Alexandria/Kingstowne) They have competetive lease rates, and the apartments are stylish and recently renovated. But, you can expect to pay for a ONE bedroom what I pay for a 2 bedroom with 400 more sq. feet. Herndon is not a bad location, you can ride the Dulles Toll Rd to the beltway, and from there it's 20 minutes to Alexandria. My woman does it every day. Her commute is 30-45 minutes each way. Gas prices are around $225 at the rip-off stations, and you can get gas for $197 down in Manassas (only 10 minute ride for me). Utilities are pretty universal, and getting a place with a fireplace provides a nice $avings in the winter. If you're going to rent, keep checking back with the places you are interested in because the market value fluctuates every day, and translates directly to the lease rate. Good luck with your move

 

[BikePilot]

No i havent seen it i have seen a few more yellow and black ones around in north stafford area and also a green tls with full body work on it..

yup i believe it was u ..u parked in the middle of 2 spaces..i was going into that new italian resturant that is next to navy fed around that time..

Are u adding another dirt bike??

u may wanna check www.homedatabase.com and select counties in northern VA and see what there is availible to get an idea of the prices to live here..hope that helps

That was probably me, I pulled through, parked in middle of one space and the space behind me (and between me and NFCU) was empty. Dark green TLS, dirty and a bit rashed up. I was wearing all black kevlar gear with a black/silver/white lid and white gloves.

I think Mr. Purple TLR lives in Aquia Harbor, but not totally sure. Saw him turn into that area.

 

[1eviltwin]

Yup it was u , but i thought u had a carbon fiber lid that is what threw me off.Cans sound good what happend to them?they look like they been a fire..Plus i was being yelled at for being on my cell and the woman and her little girl was waiting outside for me..They where hungry bla bla..

 

[BikePilot]

The cans came off a big that was crashed and caught on fire, look like crap but work well (full akro system). No CF lid for me.

 

[1eviltwin]

they sounded great :thumbup(i so miss that sound) im not much on looks all go no show here..

 

[tlrucrazy]

If you want a SFH within a half hour of Alexandria and in a decent hood plan on ~$500k+ at a minimum (and that won't get much).

Garage TH's go for ~$400k+

Other than housing, cost of living (fuel, utilities, taxes etc) isn't too bad.

If you don't mind an hour commute you can get a smallish, but very decent house for $320k or so in the Stafford area or a huge place for $500k.

I'd stay out of prince william county, esp if you have kids, although its a bit closer and cheeper than stafford in general.

Apartments in nice areas in Arlington/Alexandria rent for $1500+ a month, but its common to have room mates etc if its just you. Its very hard to find a hotel in Alexandria for under $150 a night or so. An hour south you can get them for $50 a night.

BTW I currently live in Stafford and work in Alexandria.

:stupid

Traffic from stafford is horrible though.

Another option would be to move to Maryland which in the southern areas tend to be cheaper. 400,000 can get you a nice SFH in MD with the same commute but less traffic IMHO. I'm in MD just east of DC and I commute to Alexandria in about 45 min each way. The only draw back is the bridge can be a nightmare at times.

 

[MotoTiller]

Wow, thanks for the replies guys. I was expecting mortgage rates to be at least 100% more than here but it's nice to hear that I can live comfortably on 50K after I get established but I'm aiming a bit higher. They're gonna have to offer at least 90K to get me out of Texas. At least that's what I keep telling myself, but the truth is I want to go home again - I've been gone for about 25 years, so if the offer a little over 80K I'll more than likely take it.

Also thanks for the links :thumbup

 

[BikePilot]

Cool. Just as an example of cost of living - gas is 1.99 right now, my water/sewer bill is usually 20 bucks a month and my electric bill is usually 65-175 depending on how much use the AC or heater gets (all electric, no gas here - quite common in NoVA). Main items to worry about are the mortage and commute time. I suspect that with whatever equity you have now, plus what you expect to make you'll have no problem finding something you can afford in alexandria or fairfax with minimal commute.

have fun:thumbup

 

[MotoTiller]

Thanks Josh.
Question - you said to stay away from Prince William. Is there alot of crime there or something else?
I lived in Woodbridge for a few years and that's kind of where I was hoping to relocate to.
Found some sweet homes in the 550K-750K range there but they seem to exceed my needs - but I'd rather buy than rent and I'll never go back to an apartment - haven't lived in one since 1992.
Thanks.

 

[BikePilot]

There are nice parts of PWC, but there are a lot of not-so-nice parts. Everyone I know there complains a lot about local governance and quality of the schools. A large number of my neighboors moved here because of how bad it was getting where they lived in PWC. The troubled areas are mostly Dale City and surrounding area. The Lorton/Occaquan/Lake Ridge areas have become quite mid-upper class lately.

I looked at a few homes in PWC before I bought mine here, could have had a bigger house a half hour closer to work for the same money, but I would have been the only white guy in the hood and wouldn't have been too comfortable with my wife home alone. Here locks are optional and my wife is happy going walking any time. Its really a matter of preference, but I really don't care for areas that are even semi-high crime.

Perhaps saying to avoid PWC all together would be a bit much, how about be very carefull about the specific area in PWC you might end up and if you have kids that will be in the public education system look into that as well.

I really really like the Fairfax Station and Clifton areas - they are pricy but super nice and clean. Locks totally not needed (seriously, our back door didn't even have a lock when we lived in Fairfax Station). Also most of the lots west of Ox road are really big - 5 acers is the norm (protected water shed or something). Most of them are over a mill now, but some are still not so bad. You might look at places around Sandy Run park (van thompson road - zip 22039) for semi-affordable big-lot homes. The other side of Ox road (rt 123) is also quite nice, just smaller lots. Also usually close to a mill, but vary a lot depending on age etc. "Cross Point" is a nice, but price subdivision.

this place
http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1067262668
is in an older subdivision that borders cross point. Its about 15 minutes from GMU and downtown fairfax, 5 minutes from a new golf course, lots of parks near by (at least 3 in a 10 minute drive).

Oh, also be aware that there are a lot of huge, fancy cheep houses around Ripon Landing - reason being they are built around a sewer treatment facility and surrounded by sorta bad areas. Stinks in the summeruke


I don't know much about the areas west of alexandria (herndon, loudon etc). Burn could fill you in if your interested, but that's probably not quite right for you unless your working on the far west corner of Alexandria as the commute would suck.