Moving to a new city is like solving a puzzle. When the many pieces come out of the box, they’re all jumbled. All those pieces need to get organized and put together in order to enjoy the big picture.
What’s the big picture when moving to a new city?
When relocating to a new city (such as moving to Fairfax County VA), a mom envisions a happy family; kids go to the right school, parents go to work and come back in time for dinner, and ideally, they all get to enjoy their dream home.
5 steps to finding your dream home in Fairfax County VA
1. Identify the characteristics of your dream home
Are public schools important to you? How big of a house do you want? Would you like a yard? How about considering other options such as commuting, shopping, amenities, etc.?
2. If public schools are a key piece of your search, the next step is to research Fairfax County Schools for the kids
Do you want to compare school rankings? Or are you looking for a specific academic, sports, or arts program?
3. Once you find some Fairfax schools that meet your criteria, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the different areas
What landmarks or interesting places exist in those areas? How urban or suburban are each of these areas? How close are these areas to the new job?
4. When you start considering how you’ll get to work, a key piece of the puzzle is locating the available means of transportation
Is the Metro (subway) close by? Are there buses going to the nearest Metro stop? Or is it better to drive?
5. Now that you have a good idea of the areas and the Fairfax County schools, it’s time to find homes for sale in Fairfax VA that meet your criteria
It’s easy to find homes for sale by area. But how will you find homes by Fairfax school district?
Isn’t finding homes what real estate agents are for?
Real estate agents can help you find your dream home, but it’s best for you to know what your dream home looks like and where it needs to be so that you can communicate it clearly.
Ellen’s relocation puzzle
Ellen was being transferred to Fairfax Virginia. Ellen had to organize the move for her family.
First, she identified the characteristics of her dream home: Three bedrooms, two baths and a large yard. It had to be in a good school district and at most within 45 minutes from work.
Next, she looked into school options and realized that most Fairfax County Public Schools were highly ranked – so she focused on finding schools which offered a French-language immersion program.
The schools that met her criteria were in 3 distinct areas. She researched those areas and found one that she liked the most because of its proximity to public transportation. And so, she narrowed down her search to one Fairfax school district.
Finally, she was ready to find homes for sale in her desired Fairfax school district.
Follow the 5 steps to moving to Fairfax County VA
- Identify the main characteristics of your dream home
- Research Fairfax County Schools
- Familiarize yourself with the areas
- Locate transportation
- Find homes for sale in Fairfax VA that meet your criteria
And you will succeed in solving your own relocation puzzle. 
Next step
Read the next article and learn Why move to Fairfax County VA?
Everybody is welcome to find a home by school boundary. A school boundary
is simply a geographical area, just like a zip code or a postal city.
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