How in the hell can a family afford to live in Northern VA/DC???

[Squatch]

The Army is moving me to work a Pentagon job, so my wife and I are in the process of trying to find a home. We currently own a 1700 sf home on 1/4 acre of land near Norfolk that we bought 2 years ago for $200,000. It's a nice little home and we're actually under budget on our mortgage payments.

I am in panic mode looking at homes in Northern Virginia seeing as how even modest townhomes are in the $500,000's and my housing stipend will be only a couple hundred more dollars a month more than what I'm getting now.

The best solution I can come up with is to live near Fredericksburg/Stafford and take the train to work...1-and-a-half hours each way and an additional $350 a month.

Anybody have any ideas?

[alarimer]

1. West Virginia maybe?

My sister and brother in law lived in W.VA. while he worked in Maryland. Probably a two hour commute. They had a small house near Inwood that cost about $75K. It was very tiny though.

I would say you are probably in for a very long commute, unfortunately.

[LostinVA]

2. Fredericksburg is probably your best bet -- NOVA is insane

I would love to get a job in DC -- lots of great library jobs, but there's no way I could even afford rent there.

[ContraBass Black]

3. By having moved in 20 years ago.