Maryland, Virginia, or D.C?

[DaughterOfKali]

My friend just got a job in Washington D.C. but she's not sure about living right in the city.  She's considering nearby Maryland or Virginia.  She has two kids (11 & 13).

No pets, non smoking.

If you know the area and can recommend a town/State, please post it!  Also, if you have lived in a town/city that you think she should avoid, please post that, too.

She'll be looking for a short term rental (6 months) and then plans to buy.  If you know of a house/condo/apartment for rent, she'd also love the info on that.

Thanks!

Liz

[~Adorkable~]

i can recommend a few things in general.

she needs to figure out where her job is located,

how she plans of getting ther each day

and how much commutingtime she is willing to have.

the commute around here is overwhelming at time and in certain directions, it can be the deciding factor in life being great or totally frusterating.

next i can recommend that she gets great realtor that will help her look at rentals, the housing market here is intense to say the least. when i moved here 2 years ago it took me 6 full weeks of looking for a house as a full time 40-50 hour a week job to get a place to rent. the cost are very high and neighborhoods can change a huge amount from block to block.  it is so nice when someone has the tools to do a search in mere minutes with all your needs and then arrange for you to look at them all in one fun afternoon.

i just had to move again, so pissed. but i went back to the same lady and she actually found me a better place in just 4 days, i am in total shock, she knows the area soo well. totally a hoot to work with, charges the renter NOTHING. she can do the rental and the purchasing search

http://www.lyndihomes.com

tell her some crazy lady with twins sent you

[tiacait]

I totally agree with the above poster. Even if you work 5 miles away, that could still mean a 45 minute commute. Traffic is intense here. The metro is great, but generally housing costs are much greater when you live close to metro stops.

[DaughterOfKali]

I believe she told me that she just decided that she wants to live in Fairfax County.  She'll be taking the metro.  She got a local real estate agent yesterday.  

Of course, she would like to get opinions about towns/cities from other moms who live/have lived in the area.

Thanks!

Edited by DaughterOfKali - 10/6/12 at 6:29pm

[Notorious BIB]

I suggest she post on the DC Urban Moms forums. She'll get a TON of advice over there about schools, commuting, etc.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/forums/show/6.page

[DaughterOfKali]

Thanks everyone.  She chose Fairfax, Virginia.