STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Andrea Julia · Coach

Washington DC

lynnie · Chanel

are you completely opposed to the idea of a roommate? My friend has the SWEETEST apt. in adams morgan (pretty fun place for going out, day and night)- literally...five buildings up from all these really cool bars on the main drag, but you can't hear anything at her place. its SO nice, there are chandeliers and stuff in the lobby but in a shabby chic/falling apart castle kind of way. She's paying $880 a month, including utilitities i think. her room is huge- like 10 ft. by 20 ft. and two closets. we looked in the dupont circle area- $800 would buy you a shoebox with a roommate. I think you can live in a really nice place for $1000 a month, in a nice area of the city, with a roommate. By yourself.. you should probably look outside of dc a little- maybe arlington, Va? i know some girls on the board live near there.

Andrea Julia · Coach

I've been flip-flopping on the roommate issue. On one hand, I would just rather have my own place. My job will be based out of my home and I will have a lot of job-related stuff I need to keep there. Also, I will be very busy with work and I'm pretty laid back about cleaning and decorating, so I might be worried I would end up with someone who was obsessively neat or always wanting to paint or redecorate in some way. However, I would go crazy if someone was dirty, although I think that is something I would be able to tell on the first visit to the apartment. I would also be worried about someone having their boyfriend sleep over all the time. Then I wouldn't be able to hang out in pajamas or sweats.

On the other hand, I don't know anyone in DC and maybe having a roommate, even if just for the first year, would be a good way to meet people. Then, if I hated it, I could use my bonus to trade up for something better.

The last time I traveled to DC, a co-worker told my friend and me we should go out in Adams Morgan. We really wanted to, but she got sent home early so I never got to go. I am going again at the end of December and maybe I can can visit the area. He compared it to the village in NYC. It sounds like it would be a cool place to live.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Karina · Chanel

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/apa/114502612.html

hope this helps.

i'm so proud of you, i hope everything works out for you :)

lynnie · Chanel

Andrea Julia wrote:

I've been flip-flopping on the roommate issue. On one hand, I would just rather have my own place. My job will be based out of my home and I will have a lot of job-related stuff I need to keep there. Also, I will be very busy with work and I'm pretty laid back about cleaning and decorating, so I might be worried I would end up with someone who was obsessively neat or always wanting to paint or redecorate in some way. However, I would go crazy if someone was dirty, although I think that is something I would be able to tell on the first visit to the apartment. I would also be worried about someone having their boyfriend sleep over all the time. Then I wouldn't be able to hang out in pajamas or sweats. On the other hand, I don't know anyone in DC and maybe having a roommate, even if just for the first year, would be a good way to meet people. Then, if I hated it, I could use my bonus to trade up for something better. The last time I traveled to DC, a co-worker told my friend and me we should go out in Adams Morgan. We really wanted to, but she got sent home early so I never got to go. I am going again at the end of December and maybe I can can visit the area. He compared it to the village in NYC. It sounds like it would be a cool place to live. Thanks for your suggestions.

if you're not dead-set against it- i think you should try to find a roommate. my friend just used craigslist. i think $1000/mo will buy you a nice place, and you can keep your eyes open for good roommate matches. some people are more chill than others- the dupont circle apt. offerred my friend a desk and whatever area she needed in the living room because it was so vast (but the bedroom was pretty tiny so...) if you are upfront about it and look around- i'm sure you can find a room that is pretty large as well as a cool roommie that will share some living room space. i felt the same way about my move to nyc- i didn't know anyone (well, i do, my bf and a few aquaintances) so i wanted a roommate. i like it for now- its nice not always coming home to an empty apartment- espec. during the transition stage. just try to find a cool one! also- you could try posting your own ad on craigslist- that you would like to live with someone but these are your requirements. a few people responded when i did that. i think it would be best to save up your money during your first year and if you don't love your place, to trade up like you said, once you know what you can afford and what the area offers. Between having a place outside of the city to yourself or living in a cool area with a roommate- i would pick the cool area. though i hear arlington is pretty cool- i still think it is probably pretty expensive. you could also look into georgetown in dc- its a very pretty area with lots of shopping and trees. i wandered around some of the streets up from M street (main street with urban outfitters, sephora, etc) like on N and P street- and the brownstones there are gorgeous.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

You can def. find something for around $1,000 but you'll have to look pretty hard and there's a good chance it might be a studio. But I have a friend who has a nice place in Ballston (cute area about 15 minutes by train from the DuPont area) who pays about $800 for a one bedroom and we just got a new place that is a little over 1,000 but is huge and has a fireplace.

If you want more details, or if you want me to keep an eye/ear out for anything send me a PM and let me know what kind of features you would be looking for. I actually love apartment shopping so I wouldn't mind at all!

Bastet · Kate Spade

I live in Northern VA and work in DC. I know that there are a few apartment complexes off the Van Ness Metro Station in the city that are $1000 or less. Most are studios. If you think you can do $1100, that's how much a friend of mine pays for her one bedroom apt. in the city. All the apartments around Van Ness are walkable to the Metro.

If you don't want a roommate, I'd recommend looking in Virginia in addition to DC. Ballston and Virginia Square are both nice areas with metro stops. There are lots of places there that are walkable to the metro and affordable if you get a studio or a 1 br. The downside is that it takes longer to get into the city when you want to go out. I live by the very end of one of the metro lines in VA and it takes me about 40 mins to get to Adams Morgan, a little less to get to Georgetown. Thankfully, the Metro stops running at about 3am on weekends.

I found my place using this website:

http://www.apartments.com/WashingtonD.C.

Another good one is http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/DC-Washington.html to read about what people think of the various apartment complexes.

I don't know how helpful I can be living in DC proper, but feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Northern VA.

jj · Kate Spade

Hey! Congrats on the job!! I have owned, not rented in DC for many years, so I'm out of the rental market loop, but I can answer your insurance question. Depending on where you live, your insurance will be higher because of car theft and whether you park it on the street or in a garage. So, that makes car insurance in DC is more expensive than Virginia and Maryland.

When I moved here, I didn't know a soul, so I moved in into a two bedroom apartment with another girl. Her roommate left to become a flight attendant, so I took over the remaining 6 monthes on her lease, just enough to get me acclimated. It was so great - my roommate was fun with a cool group of friends to go out with. But, I also worked on the hill in a very young, social environment so I met TONS of people that way.

I completely understand your working from home situation, but you may be cut off socially if you're not going to an office everyday. So, just my two cents!!

Let me know if you want the scoop on any neighborhoods - I have lived all over and I also have friends in Clarendon, Ballston, Shirlington (Virginia), Chevy Chase and Bethesda (Maryland).

Andrea Julia · Coach

ILoveChoo wrote:

You can def. find something for around $1,000 but you'll have to look pretty hard and there's a good chance it might be a studio. But I have a friend who has a nice place in Ballston (cute area about 15 minutes by train from the DuPont area) who pays about $800 for a one bedroom and we just got a new place that is a little over 1,000 but is huge and has a fireplace. If you want more details, or if you want me to keep an eye/ear out for anything send me a PM and let me know what kind of features you would be looking for. I actually love apartment shopping so I wouldn't mind at all!

Thanks! That's so nice! I don't want to burden you since I'm not ready to move just yet-the process can take a few months.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

Andrea Julia wrote:

ILoveChoo wrote:
You can def. find something for around $1,000 but you'll have to look pretty hard and there's a good chance it might be a studio. But I have a friend who has a nice place in Ballston (cute area about 15 minutes by train from the DuPont area) who pays about $800 for a one bedroom and we just got a new place that is a little over 1,000 but is huge and has a fireplace. If you want more details, or if you want me to keep an eye/ear out for anything send me a PM and let me know what kind of features you would be looking for. I actually love apartment shopping so I wouldn't mind at all!
Thanks! That's so nice! I don't want to burden you since I'm not ready to move just yet-the process can take a few months.

well, let me know if you want help when you get closer to that time. It's seriously not a burden at all- I'd enjoy it!

mikacat · Coach

My sister moved to DC 6 months ago and rents a place for $950/month. She works on the Hill, doesn't have a car and rides the Metro or walks to work. Her place is near Union Station and she lives in a basement apartment. It is about 700 square feet but has a fireplace, a big bedroom and a walk-in closet and is better than I thought it would be. There are several windows and it is newly renovated. I think she said the houses in her neighborhood sell for $500K (this blows my mind). I think she could have gotten more room outside of the city but it was important to her to live in DC b/c of her job.

I got the offer for the job in DC but my husband is still looking -- i hope we get to move there--it is such a fun place.

Andrea Julia · Coach

mikacat wrote:

My sister moved to DC 6 months ago and rents a place for $950/month. She works on the Hill, doesn't have a car and rides the Metro or walks to work. Her place is near Union Station and she lives in a basement apartment. It is about 700 square feet but has a fireplace, a big bedroom and a walk-in closet and is better than I thought it would be. There are several windows and it is newly renovated. I think she said the houses in her neighborhood sell for $500K (this blows my mind). I think she could have gotten more room outside of the city but it was important to her to live in DC b/c of her job. I got the offer for the job in DC but my husband is still looking -- i hope we get to move there--it is such a fun place.

Congrats on the job offer! Maybe we will get to be new DC-ers together.

Thanks everyone for the information! I feel a little less worried about moving to that area now. I was kind of wondering if I was making the right choice picking this area since you can only interview for one sales position at a time.

One more question for now: a lot of you mention the metro as a way to get around. How hard would it be to get around in a car and is it hard to park it? I would need to drive for work.

jj · Kate Spade

Andrea Julia wrote:

One more question for now: a lot of you mention the metro as a way to get around. How hard would it be to get around in a car and is it hard to park it? I would need to drive for work.

It's really easy to get around by car. My DH works from home, but is always out meeting with clients and dropping off materials to them. There are parking garages and lots everywhere. The only thing I WOULDN'T want to do is commute in to DC from VA or MD every day during rush hour and sit in traffic.