Buying a House

To get a house in this area for 350 you're going to be pretty far out, and probably a townhouse not a single family.

Going West, Sterling, Ashburn, Leesburg is the direction I'd recommend. I hate I95. Keep going to Hamilton, Lovettsville or West-by-God-Virginia and you can get a house.

This area hit bottom last year and prices are starting to shoot back up again. Cheaper houses close in are having bidding wars. It's still sane away from DC but the deals that were around last year are mostly gone. Good research though and you can still find some. Not sure what will happen in the fall when the silver line opens up...

KJYO is a decent airport and the SFRA stuff is more annoying than an actual hindrance.

If you're serious, what I did was take the Real estate salesman course and get your license. It's 60 hours of incredibly boring pabulum, a couple tests, and about $1,500. to get an active license. You'll get your money back on the purchase, but more importantly, you'll know about the market and process which will save you a bunch of headaches.
 
denverpilot said:
Why not? They're still printing fake money by the metric ton. The number is meaningless without something to reference it against.
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I suppose there's some logic to that. If/when we fiat our currency, he might see huge gains. At least in terms of USD... :D
 
Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

I ended up finally solving it with her. We came to the conclusion to just wait a while and try not to bring up the subject for a while. It'll be good for both of us because she and I are in two different places right now. To be honest, I was worried more that I'd lose her because we disagree. That helped me win some brownie points.

Anyway, on a much brighter note, I haven't posted in a while because I've been working my new jerb. I'm so happy with my new position. Even though my commute is about an hour each way and I make less money, it's sooooo much better than my old position.

PS I'll PM you two Fairfax County fellas once I get some free time to get a beer or fly or something. Or just ask about housing.
 
Don't buy a house because your wife wants to play grown up. If kids are coming, the only thing that matters is the school district. <- you have no idea how true that is until it is too late. Selling and moving to shop schools will bring lots of pain. Owning one house is a bad deal, if you can own a bunch of them it works out OK. Home ownership is an outdated concept used to be owning land meant freedom now owning a house means you are enslaved to the school district and town gov't. The things you need a permit for on property you own in civilized states will blow a free man's mind. Latest one I discovered is a yard sale permit, costs $10.
 
Just because you are approved for a certain amount doesn't mean you have to max out to that limit. Figure out what you can afford. Leave a comfortable margin in the monthly budget and then look for something at the edge of a developing area. Getting adjacent to urban areas undergoing "gentrification" can be a great long term move. If you are handy at all look for something that can be renovated a step at a time. Study, study,study. Good Luck.
 
My daughter and her husband (both contractors for NASA) bought a house for about $300K in the Kemp Mill section of Montgomery County. Nice cute older house.

My house in central Fairfax County cost me $275K about 20 years ago. At one point they were selling for $750K in one day in my neighborhood. I think they're in the mid-$600's now.
 
You said you work for the goverment. How likely is it in your agency that you have to move to a field site for a couple of years in order to advance your career ?

I think its a good time to make a move on real estate, it looks like I will put in an offer on something within the next week. But unless you know that you will be in a certain location for a while, it would be unwise to tie yourself in until you have to (iow until your first child reaches about age 4 :D).
 
To the OP was this a PCS for either of you? In my agency we have up to two years after a move to avail ourselves of the portion of the PCS program which covers a home purchase. That doesn't change the numbers for you as to how much you can afford per month but it does reduce some costs and makes the rent vs buy equation quite different.
 
Not sure what a PCS is...

I'm super handy, so a bit of a fixer-upper is not a bad thing.

My department won't be moving anywhere soon, and if they do, it'll be like last time where they just move to a different building on the other side of town.
 
HerrGruyere said:
Not sure what a PCS is...

I'm super handy, so a bit of a fixer-upper is not a bad thing.

My department won't be moving anywhere soon, and if they do, it'll be like last time where they just move to a different building on the other side of town.
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Permanent change of station. Relocated for your federal job.
 
HerrGruyere said:
My department won't be moving anywhere soon, and if they do, it'll be like last time where they just move to a different building on the other side of town.
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Where you live, 'the other side of town' is a 2hr drive during morning rush.
 
Dare I say it - this IS an aviation board and you ARE a pilot. Go over to College Park and get your secret decoder ring. Then move WAY out and fly yourself in once a week.
 
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