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We found a house!
We spent last Wednesday through Saturday in the Washington D.C. area househunting.
As I've mentioned before, I've gotten a job with the Census Bureau in D.C. A major step before we could definitively set a timetable for moving back East was finding a place to live. To this end, Donna and I flew to Baltimore BWI on a redeye Tuesday night with the intent to spend the rest of the week looking at places.
We'd already eliminated apartments as an option. The major reason for that is that Donna's dad George is 87 years old; he lives alone, but we are responsible for a big part of his care - we drive him around to do his shopping, do his laundry, etc. He's been gradually declining the past couple of years ever since an accident where he was found unconscious on the street after fainting during a walk. Leaving him alone in CA without much of a support network to look out for him just isn't an option, so we needed to find a place big enough for us and him, as well as allowing our two cats. So, apartments were out. Therefore, we were looking mostly at rental houses. Our plan is to rent for a year or so, use the time to get a feel for the neighborhoods around Washington, then hopefully buy. The real estate market there is flattening out, so it should be a buyers market pretty soon.
Ideally, we were hoping to find a place where Donna's dad could have his own space, one that didn't require him to manage a lot of steps, and had a bathroom which was at least somewhat accessible for someone with his limited mobility. I also wanted a place with a reasonable commute to the Census, which eliminated a lot of the places in Virginia and north of D.C. proper. Donna wanted a place with central air and more kitchen space. So, those were our requirements.
We arrived Wednesday morning, feeling very worn after flying all night. Unfortunately our hotel said nothing would be available until 3 PM, so we collected the rental car, ate breakfast, and drove around looking at some houses we were considering. That was useful, since even from the outside we could see some places were either too small, or the community didn't look that great. It also started raining around midday, so we were able to see places in less than pristine conditions.
We spent Thursday morning looking at places in Crofton and Bowie, MD, but nothing was really close to what we needed. So we drove a half-hour south to Waldorf, MD, where we'd found a number of candidate houses via realtor.com and other websites. We were especially interested in two: both were split-foyer design, which would allow some privacy between Donna's dad's space and ours, and both are in cul-de-sacs. One was built in 1983, the other in 1967. The '83 one looked more modern and had more trees around it, but had the look that it hadn't been maintained much & had traces that looked like termite damage.
The '67 one was the one we finally settled on. I've put a picture of the front of the house here. It has the advantage of never having been rented before, so the owners have kept it maintained and kept the windows and kitchen updated. The bottom level has a small bedroom, bathroom, and living area for George, a patio that opens out onto a wooden deck with a bench, and a garage that he can use to get outside without climbing any stairs. The top level has three bedrooms, bathroom, living room, dining room, and a kitchen. Its really pretty nice, and fits all of our requirements.
We also really liked Waldorf as a community. The place is sprouting developments and shopping centers, but the county is being careful to preserve a lot of green space and woodlands so it still looks much more rural than most places near D.C. It reminds me a bit of Dublin, OH, near Columbus. Yet, its still within a half-hour drive to the Census, and there's a bus from the park-and-ride there that drops off right at the federal center where I'd be working.
In all, it looks like a good choice, and a big load off our worries.
We still need to work out all the logistics of moving our stuff, our cats, our car, George's stuff, George, and us back East. At times, it reminds me of the old move-two-chickens-and-a-fox-across-a-river riddle. As it stands, we're probably going to drive the car with the cats in the back seat first, then send the movers back with the household goods, and finally move George. Quite a lot to work out, but we've got a few weeks to work it all out.
A few other quick notes:
* The country around Frederick, MD and Leesburg, VA is just incredible. Farmland as far as the eye can see, rolling hills alternating with deep woodlands, lots of streams. We had a very nice drive back from Frederick Friday morning through this country. My only regret is that I didn't realize we were so close to Harper's Ferry, which is one place I really want to see for its Civil War significance.
* Our hotel was in Rockville, MD, and just having to fight through the traffic congestion for a few days was enough to convince us that that area was out. I also have to say that D.C. drivers are pretty bad: not only are they aggressive, but unlike L.A., they're also rude. My friend Tony, who's lived in the area for years, said that he's learned not to use his turn signal because drivers will accelerate to close up any gap that might be there if they think you're merging in. We saw that a number of times while out there - Not Good. We also saw a number of drunk drivers weaving in and out of traffic at 70+ MPH coming back to the hotel Friday night, also Not Good. I think we're going to be very glad to be living in a lower-traffic-density area than closer to Washington proper.
* We visited Arlington National Cemetery Friday afternoon, since Donna's uncle is buried there and we wanted to find his grave site. The visitor's center is well-organized, so we were able to make it there and back without problems. One fact that cannot be overlooked is that at any time in Arlington, one can hear the crack of a rifle salute over the hills. There's a lot of funerals for Iraqi casualties there these days, we saw one procession go by as we were walking. Whatever "side" one is on in the Iraq debate, you can't help but be moved by the solemnity of the occasion and the quiet dignity of the place.
As I've mentioned before, I've gotten a job with the Census Bureau in D.C. A major step before we could definitively set a timetable for moving back East was finding a place to live. To this end, Donna and I flew to Baltimore BWI on a redeye Tuesday night with the intent to spend the rest of the week looking at places.
We'd already eliminated apartments as an option. The major reason for that is that Donna's dad George is 87 years old; he lives alone, but we are responsible for a big part of his care - we drive him around to do his shopping, do his laundry, etc. He's been gradually declining the past couple of years ever since an accident where he was found unconscious on the street after fainting during a walk. Leaving him alone in CA without much of a support network to look out for him just isn't an option, so we needed to find a place big enough for us and him, as well as allowing our two cats. So, apartments were out. Therefore, we were looking mostly at rental houses. Our plan is to rent for a year or so, use the time to get a feel for the neighborhoods around Washington, then hopefully buy. The real estate market there is flattening out, so it should be a buyers market pretty soon.
Ideally, we were hoping to find a place where Donna's dad could have his own space, one that didn't require him to manage a lot of steps, and had a bathroom which was at least somewhat accessible for someone with his limited mobility. I also wanted a place with a reasonable commute to the Census, which eliminated a lot of the places in Virginia and north of D.C. proper. Donna wanted a place with central air and more kitchen space. So, those were our requirements.
We arrived Wednesday morning, feeling very worn after flying all night. Unfortunately our hotel said nothing would be available until 3 PM, so we collected the rental car, ate breakfast, and drove around looking at some houses we were considering. That was useful, since even from the outside we could see some places were either too small, or the community didn't look that great. It also started raining around midday, so we were able to see places in less than pristine conditions.
We spent Thursday morning looking at places in Crofton and Bowie, MD, but nothing was really close to what we needed. So we drove a half-hour south to Waldorf, MD, where we'd found a number of candidate houses via realtor.com and other websites. We were especially interested in two: both were split-foyer design, which would allow some privacy between Donna's dad's space and ours, and both are in cul-de-sacs. One was built in 1983, the other in 1967. The '83 one looked more modern and had more trees around it, but had the look that it hadn't been maintained much & had traces that looked like termite damage.
The '67 one was the one we finally settled on. I've put a picture of the front of the house here. It has the advantage of never having been rented before, so the owners have kept it maintained and kept the windows and kitchen updated. The bottom level has a small bedroom, bathroom, and living area for George, a patio that opens out onto a wooden deck with a bench, and a garage that he can use to get outside without climbing any stairs. The top level has three bedrooms, bathroom, living room, dining room, and a kitchen. Its really pretty nice, and fits all of our requirements.
We also really liked Waldorf as a community. The place is sprouting developments and shopping centers, but the county is being careful to preserve a lot of green space and woodlands so it still looks much more rural than most places near D.C. It reminds me a bit of Dublin, OH, near Columbus. Yet, its still within a half-hour drive to the Census, and there's a bus from the park-and-ride there that drops off right at the federal center where I'd be working.
In all, it looks like a good choice, and a big load off our worries.
We still need to work out all the logistics of moving our stuff, our cats, our car, George's stuff, George, and us back East. At times, it reminds me of the old move-two-chickens-and-a-fox-across-a-river riddle. As it stands, we're probably going to drive the car with the cats in the back seat first, then send the movers back with the household goods, and finally move George. Quite a lot to work out, but we've got a few weeks to work it all out.
A few other quick notes:
* The country around Frederick, MD and Leesburg, VA is just incredible. Farmland as far as the eye can see, rolling hills alternating with deep woodlands, lots of streams. We had a very nice drive back from Frederick Friday morning through this country. My only regret is that I didn't realize we were so close to Harper's Ferry, which is one place I really want to see for its Civil War significance.
* Our hotel was in Rockville, MD, and just having to fight through the traffic congestion for a few days was enough to convince us that that area was out. I also have to say that D.C. drivers are pretty bad: not only are they aggressive, but unlike L.A., they're also rude. My friend Tony, who's lived in the area for years, said that he's learned not to use his turn signal because drivers will accelerate to close up any gap that might be there if they think you're merging in. We saw that a number of times while out there - Not Good. We also saw a number of drunk drivers weaving in and out of traffic at 70+ MPH coming back to the hotel Friday night, also Not Good. I think we're going to be very glad to be living in a lower-traffic-density area than closer to Washington proper.
* We visited Arlington National Cemetery Friday afternoon, since Donna's uncle is buried there and we wanted to find his grave site. The visitor's center is well-organized, so we were able to make it there and back without problems. One fact that cannot be overlooked is that at any time in Arlington, one can hear the crack of a rifle salute over the hills. There's a lot of funerals for Iraqi casualties there these days, we saw one procession go by as we were walking. Whatever "side" one is on in the Iraq debate, you can't help but be moved by the solemnity of the occasion and the quiet dignity of the place.