<p>S (who just graduated from college) has a new job 5 minutes from Dulles airport. Does anyone have suggestions as to which neighborhoods he should look at for housing? Also, suggestions on renting furnished or unfurnished? He is single, with no GF; in college he always lived with a room mate, so has never lived alone. We are not very familiar with the area.</p>
<p>I live about 10 minutes from Dulles Airport in Potomac Falls in Loudoun County, VA. The areas near the airport would be: Sterling, Ashburn, Potomac Falls, Herndon, Reston, and Leesburg.</p>
<p>Not too far from Dulles in Sterling is the Dulles Towne Center Mall. There are quite a few condo/apartment communities there. The commute to Dulles airport would be very easy. </p>
<p>A more upscale community located about 15-20 minutes from Dulles is Reston. There is a great “town center” with shops, restaurants, and a vibrant night life.</p>
<p>Commutes from Ashburn/Leesburg would be longer due to traffic. Ashburn and Leesburg also have a lot of condo/apartments. </p>
<p>The other direction from the airport is Herndon/Centreville. The traffic is sometimes worse going in that direction along Rt. 28 getting to/from the airport than going from Sterling/Potomac Falls. </p>
<p>I don’t know about the availability of furnished rentals. I’m sure they exist.</p>
<p>Has he checked out Craig’s List at all?</p>
<p>If you have any other questions, please post and I will be glad to answer.</p>
<p>You should check out the forums at city-data.com. They have sections for different parts of all 50 states, it’s very active, and this kind of thread is their specialty. Might help you get a variety of suggestions and perspectives.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone–appreciate these suggestions as I really have only been to DC three times in my life, and only as a tourist. Really have very little knowledge of the area at all. Would love all other thoughts and suggestions as well. We have NOT started our search, as we just recently found out where his workplace will be.</p>
<p>If he is looking for a “downtown” kind of place, I would also recommend Reston Town Center. Might be kind of pricey though. Living in Reston he can get access to all the pools and tennis courts for like $20 a summer.</p>
<p>There are some apartment complexes near Fairfax Corner also.</p>
<p>There is stuff on craigslist in that area also… Chantilly, Centreville, etc</p>
<p>Reston Town Center is going to be pricey for a new grad, as will Fairfax Corner. Chantilly & Centreville will put him down 28 which can be a virtual parking lot at points during the day. Traffic around the Metro area is bad, but I wouldn’t choose that route on purpose.
Check out the areas in Loudon mentioned above (Ashburn, etc.). There are going to be more things going on for young people. It puts you close to Reston, Tysons, and not a bad drive to the district on the weekends.
I would urge him to make the drive at various times during the day/week before he commits to a lease. Living just two miles from an on-ramp may seem like no time at all to get where you are going. That two miles at 6:30am could amount to 45min. Also make sure he pays attention to where the HOV lane restrictions are (66 & 95), or toll roads. Living off the Greenway or Dulles toll road can add a decent chunk of change to your monthly expenses. Just things to keep in mind when he’s thinking about a location.</p>
<p>The advantage to a furnished rental is that often you can get shorter lease terms. Obviously the disadvantage is the price is going to be a great deal more. If you are a professional that’s relocating and has no time to furnish your apartment and can’t do without the creature comforts then it’s a good way to go. I think it’s a huge splurge for a recent college grad. Unless your student has been living really well, an empty apartment is going to be nicer than the dorm they came from 
There are great places to pick up furniture near there (quality weekend stores, big box, good outlets), so it really won’t be hard to furnish something if he’s willing to spend a bit of effort.</p>
<p>S will be earning a pretty good wage (especially for a single person) and is coming from LA, where rents are pretty high. His college apartments were a lot nicer than those I lived in back in the day. He’s pretty flexible about whether to rent furnished or pick things up at IKEA and Craigslist. He would prefer to buy & bring his own bed. He also has a desk he plans to move (employer will pay to ship his furnishings).</p>
<p>Good tip about checking out the traffic before committing to a lease. I guess he/we could stay at some hotel for a week while he decides what he wants?</p>
<p>There are several extended stay furnished places that would be good for a few weeks or even a month. If his budget allows for this, it would give him valuable time to test the waters as far as the areas he is interested in and check the traffic patterns.</p>
<p>None of these may be areas he wants to live, however they are all a decent starting point (the first two are most likely closest) of a short term place to stay.</p>
<p>This is right off of rt 50 & rt 28 not far from the airport:
[Washington</a>, DC - Dulles Airport - Chantilly, Overview - Extended Stay America](<a href=“http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/property/Extended-Stay-America-Washington,-DC-Dulles-Airport-Chantilly-hotel.html]Washington”>http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/property/Extended-Stay-America-Washington,-DC-Dulles-Airport-Chantilly-hotel.html)</p>
<p>This is technically Sterling, but it’s off rt 28 near Dulles Town Center:
[Sterling</a> Virginia Hotels: Suburban Extended Stay Hotel near Washington Dulles](<a href=“http://www.suburbanhotels.com/hotel-sterling-virginia-VA486]Sterling”>http://www.suburbanhotels.com/hotel-sterling-virginia-VA486)</p>
<p>This is in the west side of Fairfax (Fair Oaks) near some great restaurants:
[Homestead</a> Studio Suites Hotels - Fairfax, VA Hotel](<a href=“http://www.homesteadhotels.com/hotels/washington-d-c-fairfax-fair-oaks.html]Homestead”>http://www.homesteadhotels.com/hotels/washington-d-c-fairfax-fair-oaks.html)</p>
<p>Have him go online to check out his local area Alumni association.
Those contacts may prove invaluable for local insights and social connections.
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<p>Has he considered a shared rental?</p>
<p>My son recently moved into a house in a trendy Arlington neighborhood where we cannot afford to purchase. His friend found the rental on Craig’s List.</p>
<p>Every time I have driven in the area near Dulles I have been amazed at how bad the traffic is on the main roads. I doubt there are many “bad” areas near the airport so I would focus on living as close to the job as possible.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for these great ideas! He 's still adjusting to the transition from being a student to joining the workforce and moving across the country. Good idea for him to check out the alumni association and consider a shared rental. So many options–I’ve alerted him to this thread and we’ll discuss it as he is ready.</p>
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I’ve been to both of these places and they seemed nice to me.</p>
<p>A bit of a drive, but Arlington in the Metro orange line area is full of recent grads. He’d be doing a reverse commute on the Dulles Toll Road.</p>