CITY PEOPLE: Relocating soon... How do I own multiple cars in/near NoVa?

[e30jake]

So I graduated and have a pretty kick ass job lined up coaching soccer starting in January or so. I'll be primarily working in Fairfax and Northern Virginia, but doing some driving to Front Royal and parts of Maryland as well. As awesome as the job is, the pay is nothing to write home about. $1000 a month for rent is the absolute highest that I even might be able to swing.

I currently live in Harrisonburg VA and I lived at home in college so I could do more car stuff. I currently have 5 cars and a bike. Space was never an issue. Obviously I can't take all 5 with me, but I would love to be able to find a place to take 2 cars and the bike. Are there any types of places I should look for that could accommodate this? So far my only solution has been to look further out (where I'm not completely opposed to living, I'll be working in evenings so commuting in when everyone else is leaving) but living near DC would be a huge plus for me. How do people live with project cars and multiple vehicles in congested areas? Any tips for areas, types of apartments (thinking basements) or even leads to people who may need roommates would be great.


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[roguetoaster]

First, I do hope you have a second job, or some other source of income, as $1000 a month after taxes is pretty much the same as not having a job in the DC Metro.

As to housing, I believe you will want to look at room in houses/townhouses that have all utilities included (that means internet too!). This route served me very well out of school, and allowed me to save rapidly. Housing that you go for should take up no more than half of your take home pay. Also remember that some homeowners who rent a room in a house that they live in might be amenable to letting you do some sort of work for them in lieu of part of the rent. The housing situation you end up in will likely determine how many cars you can have with you.

I'm a Marylander, so I cannot speak to actual conditions in NoVA, but I doubt it's much different from MD as a whole, so the further you are from places people want to be the less expensive housing should be. This approach will undoubtedly stick you in traffic quite a bit, and it's brutal should you be traveling at the wrong times of day. On the traffic front, it's often worth it to wait for traffic to clear (if you didn't beat it in the first place) rather than slogging through. Google also has/had a usual traffic conditions at certain times of day/days which can be useful to understand traffic patterns locally.

Good luck recent graduate.

[e30jake]

Thanks for the response. Clarified a few things in the original post. $1000 is the most I could do for rent, not what I'll be making. That would be rough. Traffic is not quite as big a deal for me since my commute is essentially backwards


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[TobyB]

...but then, DC traffic is sorta ass- backwards, anyway. I remember getting stuck
at 10:30 pm because Congress had just let out...

t

[tim88325is]

This is meant to help not be a bummer but I would aggressively check out the living arrangements given your budget as soon as possible.

Just had a friend accept a job for $80k a year west of Baltimore, which was a big step up in pay compared to what he was making in SE PA. Thought he and his wife would be living large so they sold the house.

But once he realized the cost of housing was so drastically higher in the different region, he had to totally back out of the new job, beg to get his old job back, and quickly find a place to live with their dogs.

Not exactly the same as you but they had "requirements" of getting a place with yard for their dogs, similar to needing space for cars and such.

[roguetoaster]

Thanks for the response. Clarified a few things in the original post. $1000 is the most I could do for rent, not what I'll be making. That would be rough. Traffic is not quite as big a deal for me since my commute is essentially backwards


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That's an important correction!

1k should net you a reasonable basement apt, just be aware that many houses/townhomes have the washer/dryer in the basement, so you'd have people strolling in and out of your living space regularly. In any case, I'd avoid actual apartments as all sub-1k units suck tremendously, and sharing an apt is probably a waste of money, also parking is awful. Be sure to ask the potential landlords about parking, and don't even consider places that aren't car friendly.

I had a feeling that your hours might be odd, but don't forget that people live all over the region/work elsewhere, and that a problem on one side of the road slows traffic down on the other side on a regular basis.

[HEIS83]

craigslist is your friend. look for a single family home with a garage that is looking for roommates. did this for years thru my 20s and rent was much cheaper than living on my own. Should give you plenty of space for the bikes/cars if you are willing to take the smaller room for garage space. the sacrifices we make.

[bumada]

I rent an apartment with my girlfriend in Fairfax. I specifically searched for complexes that had garages that I could rent and luckily found a unit with an attached garage. I also had to swoon the apartment manager to let me buy a parking pass for another car since their policy doesn't allow apartments with garages to also use the parking lots. Also note, the apartment is well over $1000/month but splitting it with the girlfriend makes it better.

The closer you live to DC, the harder it will be to bring multiple cars. I used to rent a house in falls church with a lot of roommates. We all had cars and I had 2 cars and no driveway. We pretty much filled up the whole street just by ourselves and I'm pretty sure the neighbors were pumped when we finally moved out. Be aware that some neighborhoods by the metro in falls church require city parking permits to prevent commuters from parking in the street and these will all cost money.

Renting a storage unit for a vehicle is approximately $300/month. The best bet is to do what I did. Find a house with a few people, if it has a driveway/garage, perfect. If not, you'll have to litter the streets with your vehicles.

[e30jake]

Really appreciate the tips. It was extremely helpful. Found a place that was perfect. I'll be renting a room in a retired frat house that's been renovated a little by the guy who's been living there. 3 other roommates, private bedroom. Detached garage where they work on their Mini Coopers, wooded off from the road, plenty of parking. And pretty damn affordable. Looks like I'll be moving up just east of centreville in October. If anyone is in the area and wants to grab a beer or something, send me a pm


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[bumada]

We are trying to plan a meet soon. Check the mid Atlantic section. It's kind of dead but once I finish my car I'll bring up the idea again and see who is up for it. Welcome to the area. You're not too far from from me

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[Kershaw]

About 45 minutes from you, there's a meet every Friday at the 495/95 interchange Starbucks.