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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
NOVA commutes
DH and I are seriously thinking about buying a SFH house next year - we want to buy a house that we can stay in for at least 10 years, ideally 30+ years. I wanted to buy in a particular area, but we really can't afford it. Do any of you commute to the city from somewhat far out in Nova? I'm thinking Reston, Herndon, Oak Hill, Fairfax, the outer areas of Oakton. (Not Centerville, Clifton, or Lessburg - I know that's crazy far)
How bad is it? Do you have to leave really early? How long is your commute?
Frankly, if we have to buy a home that comes with a hellish commute, I would rather keep renting and saving to buy a home in an area that's closer in.
TIA!
Re: NOVA commutes
Yeah, I was going to suggest our neck of the woods too - N. Springfield. The houses are reasonable, the neighborhood nice. Though the commute is an hour for me. I don't know what it would be like from the other places you mentioned. I take a different route depending on the day, but the bus service from here is reliable. Bus to Pentagon and train to Federal Triangle where I work.
We bought at the absolute worst time (Jan. 2007) and so we're underwater on our mortgage - however - that means the houses are very reasonable priced for all you buyers out there! We are "stuck" here because of the underwater situation, but we're fine with it because this is at least a 10+ year house for us. We're in a rambler built in the 50's.
there are a few of us on here who live "that far" out (I live in Oak Hill, off Reston Parkway, near Lawyer's Road). I commute to DC every day and have for 20 years -- so it's definitely do-able. That said, I am in a carpool and 5 years ago I bought a hybrid so I can travel solo on the Toll Road and I-66 (caveat - if you buy a hybrid now, the HOV exception no longer works for one person in the car).
My office is on the west side of the White House -- so I'm pretty much through the E St tunnel and there... from Herndon/Reston, its usually 45 mins in the AM (we meet at Herndon/Monroe lot at 7am). I leave work at 4:30, and I'm back in Herndon at 5-5:15. If you work on the east side of the WH, you'd have to take Constitution or go up to H Street and across town that way, which obviously would add time.
With the Metro coming in in a few years, the tolls will rise, and the Metro rate will be about $5 each way -- I think; I haven't heard recent projections -- so I have no idea if that's commensurate with fares to other areas.
Closer in means higher prices and sometimes smaller homes or lots. My own feeling is that I bought a house I liked okay, in a neighborhood I liked a lot, and work is what I do -- not where I live. That's a different trade off for everyone. (I have no intention of moving in the next 10 years, minimum.)
"What is a week-end?"
That doesn't sound too bad. I wouldn't mind Springfield but DH works in Tysons and we have family in Vienna, so I think it makes more sense to stay in the Fairfax area. But I could be wrong - I'm not from this area originally. I'm still trying to get a feel for the area.
hee, hee--those house's built in North Springfield in the '50s? My grandparents were the original owners of one--back when the trees met over the 2 lane Braddock Road and everyone he worked with in Arlington wondered why he was moving out to the cow fields in the middle of nowhere. (and before the Beltway was imagined)
We lived there when I was in high school--and it's a neighborhood I'd look in. The houses are built well and they actually have real yards. But it's been ~2 decades since I lived there, so I can't comment on the commute now.
You work in DC (or Arlington) right? My office is in Herndon and although I'm coming from even further out, I can tell you you don't want to be commuting to DC from there. And DH takes the train into DC from Manassas, it takes him ~1 hour 20-40 minutes each way, but that is still better than driving.
We live in Manassas also. Neither of us work in DC, but DH works in Herndon and has a long commute to there because there's no public transportation. Many people who commute into DC from Manassas/Centreville/Woodbridge take the VRE. It's a long commute, but better than driving, and Manassas has free parking next to the VRE station (I don't know about other towns). I really feel like our quality of life is so much better here than it would be closer to DC. Even if one of us got a job in the district, I think we would stay in Prince William for that reason.
We live in the Fair Oaks area of Fairfax. When I commuted downtown (Farragut West), it was 75 minutes minimum. West Ox, 50, 66, park and ride from Vienna, get off at Farragut West (of course, I walked 5 blocks so it would have been closer to 60 minutes without that walk had my office been closer to the Metro stop... I was closer to Dupont but didn't want to switch to Red). I left my house at 6:45 and got in by 8:00.
Now I work in Tysons (where your husband is, yes?) and I still leave at 6:45 and can get in by 7:30, though lately it's been longer. More like 50 minutes. That's West Ox, 50, 66, and to avoid the Beltway I get off at Nutley then take 29 to Cedar Ln. to Gallows into Tysons. I don't know how early your husband's hours are, but the earlier the better for Tysons as I'm sure you already know! I leave at 4:30, and that's the key: to be out of Tysons before 5:00. I take the same way home to avoid the Beltway.
GL!
Scout
Chocolate Blog!
Wow, thank you for all the input. I'm surprised the commute from N. Springfield to Tysons isn't so bad - I didn't think that would be an option.
Wherever and whenever we buy, it sounds like I need to become an early bird!
Oddly enough, we're hoping to move to Manassas in the next few years--we live out in Warren County now. And I'm dreading the commute from there to Herndon. Right now, DH has an hour commute to get to the Manassas VRE station (but he likes the train part of the commute). My commute time wont change, it will just go from averaging 70 mph the bulk of the way to stop and go traffic.
I am a Reston girl. I leave pretty early and get to DC within a hour. I agree with the PP that said West side DC is much quicker. Also, note that Metro will be in Reston in a year or two so that is another commuting option along with the buses. I suggest doing a trial from different locations you are looking at commuting from on a day like Tuesday or Wed. Sounds silly but with flex days traffic is much better on Monday and Friday's. I agree that North Springfield or Tysons may be a good location. Anything past Springfield is gridlock in the morning.
Good luck!!!
My DH and I live in Herndon and I commute to DC often. If you leave before 7am it isn't that bad (about 40 min). The construction going on in Tysons is making the toll road worse than normal, but it will be nice when the Metro is finished. It will also be a nice future selling feature to be close to the metro.
If I am working in DC I normally go to the park and ride in Herndon. There are buses there that take you to west falls church metro and run every 7 minutes. I used to live in Fair lakes and I would take my commute from herndon any day over commuting on 66. The times where the traffic is really bad on the toll road (about 7:15-9am) feels a lot shorter than 66 ( I felt 66 was always backed up!). In the afternoon coming back home I rarely hit bad traffic on the toll road.
Good luck!!