Moving to DC for a job with two kids, learn me quick

I already have a thread going but I wanted to make it more direct.

I have a job offer in DC and I am waiting on the start date. If the prelim offer is correct I need to be there by January 26th. Not much time to plan a move with the kiddos.

I am on Great Schools and Neighborhood Scout. I need some place relatively safe for the family with decent schools. I will be at the USPTO in Alexandria.

Bethesda and Alexandria have been suggested but honestly I can't find a place I can really afford. I found a place in Falls Church I want to call about.

Any helpful comments would be much appreciated, and once again...I GOT A JOB!!!

I think Volvoclearinghouse is in Falls Church area.

Congrats on the job!

I don't know much about DC- but I know I flew into Dulles to buy Myiuki, an I bought wheels from Failboat in Potomac Falls, and it seemed like a really nice area..... and was about 10min from Dulles.

Schools in the area should be pretty good. Probably have about a 30 min commute down RT 7 to work.

Top notch schools in northern Virginia. Born and raised in VA. I'm actually here in DC for the holidays and new years.

Datsun1500 wrote: My brother in law just got a job at the pto as well. If you find yourself working with Ben Lebron, he's a good guy

has he started yet? If so was he an engineer?

Sine_Qua_Non wrote: I think Volvoclearinghouse is in Falls Church area.

I swear I think the house catey corner to his is up for rent. I will PM him

In reply to Sine_Qua_Non: I think he's up in Carroll County MD now

Yup he is in Maryland now. Drats

Everything I find that is reasonable and close, has a Great Schools rating in the red. Below state average test scores across the board. scary

Anything 4/10 and up is going to be okay on greatschools.com where in Falls Church? Have a realtor.com link?

Congratulations and yes, embrace the expense!

EDIT: BOOM! You're welcome: an easy 10 min drive , or 15 min bike ride to your work.

5625 Ridge View Dr, Alexandria, VA 22310 For Rent: $2,000/mo Beds: 3, Baths: 4.0, Sqft: 1,938 Townhouse http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/51920473_zpid/

fifty wrote: Anything 4/10 and up is going to be okay on greatschools.com where in Falls Church? Have a realtor.com link? Congratulations and yes, embrace the expense!

Criagslist on this one

My kids current schools are both 9/10 and winners of DOE Presidential Blue Ribbons for Education and my youngest kids got a food award from the First Lady. Honestly his food would rival some restaurants, it really is very good. I don't mind eating lunch with him at all and he chows down all the time (which is odd for him, little picky eater.)

Flight Service wrote:

fifty wrote: Anything 4/10 and up is going to be okay on greatschools.com where in Falls Church? Have a realtor.com link? Congratulations and yes, embrace the expense!

Criagslist on this one

Great area: commuting might be a small hassle. The house is probably pretty rough (and small) at that price - ask for pictures.

Did you see my ninja edit above?

Flight Service wrote:

fifty wrote: Anything 4/10 and up is going to be okay on greatschools.com where in Falls Church? Have a realtor.com link? Congratulations and yes, embrace the expense!

Criagslist on this one My kids current schools are both 9/10 and winners of DOE Presidential Blue Ribbons for Education and my youngest kids got a food award from the First Lady. Honestly his food would rival some restaurants, it really is very good. I don't mind eating lunch with him at all and he chows down all the time (which is odd for him, little picky eater.)

Respectfully, I think the Great Schools scores can be taken with a grain of salt. We moved from an Arkansas 9 to a Virginia 7 and the Virginia academic standards and quality of education are much higher. I question their methodology. There are also a high number of immigrant kids from non- English speaking backgrounds in many urban DC schools who "drag the average down" on the standardized tests I assume they are scoring from.

And I visit with a client on Cherri Drive, which is 2 streets over from the Storm Drive address in your CL ad. You would fall into the Falls Church school district IIRC which are universally excellent. There's 2 strip malls about a 1/2 mile from that house with a Trader Joes, Starbucks, Whole Foods etc

In reply to fifty:

I did, the house is very small, about the size of the townhome you listed. There is another place, I think, in the same block there.

I am hoping to get in the $1700 range. That way I am on one pay check for rent and another for bills, at least for the first 6 months. (USPTO gives raises after 6 months for performance)

In reply to fifty:

Great Schools can only be compared in state. Their methodology states that one. Parents comments are also very valuable.

8325 Stationhouse Ct, Lorton, VA 22079 For Rent: $1,795/mo Beds: 3, Baths: 2.5, Sqft: 1,732 Townhouse http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/51973182_zpid/

Datsun1500 wrote:

Flight Service wrote:

Datsun1500 wrote: My brother in law just got a job at the pto as well. If you find yourself working with Ben Lebron, he's a good guy

has he started yet? If so was he an engineer?

He started in Nov. No idea what he does though. He's new to the family and doesnt talk much yet.

You should take him to an autocross

Fairfax seems to be a very nice place with great schools and occupancy available at a price point we are looking at.

Anyone know anything about the commute?

Fairfax is a large geographic area. The Western edge borders Chantilly, maybe a hellish hour long commute for you. The closest edge to your job is prob an easy 15-20 min drive.

I live near Clifton/Centreville out in western Fairfax. The only good option is to take Fairfax Co. Pkwy down to where I work in Franconia/Kingstowne which is west of where you'll be going. That takes 40 minutes on a good day. It's not too horrible, but when it rains, snows or there's an accident can get pretty bad. There's no way I'd live to the south-west and commute to Alexandria. There's just way too many cars and not enough routes going that way.

I'm not familiar with the schools, but I'd consider living in Franconia (where I work). It's the end of the blue Metro line which runs right past the USPTO, so worst case you could catch a bus/walk to the Metro and take a short train ride to work.

Any route that allows you to avoid 66 is good. Fairfax county parkway usually moves well in comparison but runs more southeast than east. (Talking rush hours here). If you must use 66, once you hit 495 you are usually in the clear. Might hit some congestion as you get to Alexandria running the outer loop of 495. Really depends in what time of day. If you can report to work earlier than 8 every day, commute won't be as bad

As for cars you'll have annual safety inspections and biannual emissions testing in northern va.

Fairfax county is nice, I don't live there but drive all over the northern va and dc area for work

Flight Service wrote: Fairfax seems to be a very nice place with great schools and occupancy available at a price point we are looking at. Anyone know anything about the commute?

New Orleans

Area: 350.2 sq miles (907 km²)

Covington, LA

Area: 8 sq miles (21 km²)

Fairfax County VA

Area: 407 sq miles (1,054 km²)

Fairfax City, VA (A wholly separate city within the borders of Fairfax County, yes ignorant)

Area: 6.3 sq miles (16.32 km²)

Don't want to blow up your dreams but you are moving to a new part of the country from the southern gulf small town city to one of the largest sprawling high cost metro centers in the country. As we found with one recent hire from Alabama. He just couldn't make it work once he got to this area and quit. He was making much more than he did in Alabama but the cost of living here isn't comparable. Everyone seems to think all Federal Employees are big salary fat cats. But that is only after you get up to the higher levels or live far from Metro DC! Like someone else posted, there are couples that can pull in $250k a year and struggle to live near work and afford a good private school if not going public.

Double think your plan to move here. Your decision is to change your entire life for your family, not just a job. It can work... My family has rented our entire time here to keep our kids in good schools. It means added expenses in moving costs and for a time I commuted 1.5 hours each way. Luckily I have a job within 45 minutes commute. Which is GREAT considering some. I have family that leave the house taking public transit at 5am and don't get back home until 6-7pm. In the long run you can build your stability here to the level you want.

On the positive side, I have a friend that lucked into the former rental home and he and his wife have turned it into a great home within 5 miles of the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. One of them has a 50 minute average metro rail commute, you can read a lot of books in that time. It is doable. I hope you can find the right home. I suggest you focus on Springfield or renting an apartment until you can figure out your best choice of where to settle in.

In reply to Advan046:

and you do what?

Yeah I knew about the Fairfax County vs Fairfax City thing. When I said Fairfax, I was intending city. I know that whole area is Fairfax County.

Cool how New Orleans and DC are very similar in size. (Covington is just a suburb with a really long entrance way), but DC has a much higher population density, (Almost Double) Scary thing is

My salary wasn't the bees knees here. My cost of insurance at my last company almost covers the COL difference. Insane how screwed I was getting at my last company. Worst I have ever had and the most I had ever spent. So much for the open market. My cost of living for what we are looking for is comparable, with the exception of buying a house. I will never, ever, just move somewhere and buy again. Finances aside it will take us two years minimum to even decide if that is something we will want to do. At 2 years I will be eligible for telecommuting plus I will not be making the mistake we made in TN. Another post and lost alot of money.

Other than the plethora of GRMers in the vicinity, my wife has a metric ton of special needs community there she is in contact with. It is looking like a job for me and her moving to a very concentrated area of advocacy she does. In the end I think she is coming out on top. Which honestly, would be the best situation for all involved. I just want to work, she needs a win.

Also, I have come to find out I have 3 family members and 1 old friend from high school that will be about 5 miles from where I am looking moving and /or working, so some support built in.

We have found a few places that meet the school/budget requirements. But as you eluded too, I am looking at a 45+ minute commute via Metro. I don't mind it. My time in Nashville saw to that. Everything was 45 minutes. Southern cities have zero urban planning and the sprawl to prove it. Try Houston, the skyline looks like two separate cities. I don't mind the train. I became very fond of mass transit rail in Japan. I am already thinking of selling my X3 and just sticking to the wife's appliance for the next 2 years.

Thank you for the warning. Seriously, you put some great data up there.

Keep the suggestions coming.

Good luck. I have an aunt in Alexandria who is a GS-15 and her husband manages a law firm. They live in a smaller house than mine that cost 5 times as much and are broke all the time.

Their biggest problem is kid expenses. Two in private schools costs something like 75K a year plus extracurriculars.