Talk to anyone who has been in the area for a day or two, and I’m sure the topic of traffic will come up. How long it took to drive to work or the tie up on the beltway for no other reason than heavy volume.
It is the smart people who factor that in when looking for a home to buy. And the reality is that paying an extra $250k may just save your sanity… okay, your way-of-life. It is simple to calculate if you have been a commuter for any period of time on I66 or I495 because you have to leave home before sunrise to beat the volume problems, and pray that WTOP hasn’t missed reporting on an afternoon slowdown before you adjust to Plan B.
Those smart people have a job, and then strategize over the routes to work. With this plan in place, it is time to consider communities and available homes for sale. In the long-run you will have time to see your kids, coach that team, hit a bucket of balls, or simply enjoy your life.
One client moved to McLean to give better access to family in Potomac. Yeah, they paid a lot of money but have extra hours in their day… priceless. Another moved to Vienna to be close to the W&OD bike trail so he could ride his bike to work in Ballston… brilliant.
It needs to be part of your plan if you ever plan to live happily in Northern Virginia.
Related articles
