Job in Alexandria (Burke, Annandale, Franconia: for sale, real estate market, rent)

[bangorme]

I'm thinking about taking a job in Alexandria, but am suffering some sticker shock (moving from Maine). Could anyone give me some possible areas where I could buy a townhouse (250 to 350K) and have a reasonable commute.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

bangorme

[dullnboring]

Sad to say that generally townhomes within a reasonable commute generally start at around 350K. Condos generally run from 250K-350K and they are plentiful in Alexandria and you may want to check some of them out. There may be a handful of exceptions where you can find townhomes in the 300-350K range. There are two communities that I know of in Springfield, called Newington Forest and Cardinal Forest where modest townhomes go for around 330K. I know nothing of these communities though in terms of whether or not they're desirable areas to live in. This would put you in a roughly 30 minute commute to Alexandria, less if you take the Metro. I think that the Springfield/Franconia region is a good place to look within a reasonable commute, and depending upon what you view as "reasonable", maybe branch that search out towards Annandale, Burke, Newington and the city of Falls Church. I would steer clear of the Route 1 corridor, which is the areas south of Alexandria around Route 1 in Fairfax County (Hybla Valley, Mount Vernon, etc. most of which have Alexandria postal codes).

[Chi2Midlands]

Quite frankly I would rent for a while as the real estate market cools and prices stabilize. They are not in free-fall, but if you wait a year (or a few), you could end up with a better deal.

If you must buy, you will likely only be able to afford a condo in Alexandria. I doubt you can find a decent townhome for anything less than 400k in Alexandria. If you can move out towards the Fairfax County areas south and west of Alexandria, you may be able to find a townhome for 350k or so. I would recommend the Kingstowne/Van Dorn/Franconia Rd. area, which is not far from the Franconia/Springfield Metro station at the end of the Blue Line. I don't know if schools are a concern, but if so, I would steer more towards the West Springfield/Burke area then - they have the best schools within a reasonable commute of Alexandria.

[rubytue]

I live very near Newington Forest (mentioned above). There are 4 townhomes for sale on my street. A 2 level, 2 bedroom/1 or 1.5 bath, 940 sq ft can be had for about $300k, if not well under (they have been on the market awhile and I know at leas 2 are sitting empty). Try 22079 for a zip code in a major MLS system. My husband works in Old Town Alexandria and it takes him about 20 minutes to get to work (sometimes more).

I think its a very nice neighborhood. We have a brand new school nearby, and the big excitement is that Lorton just got a Shoppers Food Warehouse and a Quiznos. We are up and coming - LOL. There is a bus that goes from here to the Metro or the Pentagon, and the VRE station is under 5 minutes away. Springfield Metro is about 10 minutes, and Potomac Mills is 10-20 (depending on traffic on 95). Oh, and next year we will have the brand new Lorton Arts Center. I took a pre-contruction tour awhile back, and it looks to be very, very cool.