Northern Virginia Traffic Makes Me Nuts!

Six p.m. tonight I had to meet a nice family at a home in South Riding. I was 10 minutes late. I forgot about the traffic issues on Rt 50 at that time of day! Last week I had to meet a lovely couple in Falls Church and it took me well over an hour to get there from Reston. Is traffic getting worse or did I just forget? I usually work from home and show a lot of homes on weekends, when there isn’t too much traffic. I have to say, it’s been a real eye opening experience being out at rush hour recently. There sure are a lot of cars on the road around Northern Virginia. According to the Texas institute of transportation, commuters in the D.C. area waste the second most amount of time sitting in their cars fighting traffic. What is the only area in the U.S. with worse traffic? You guessed it! Los Angeles, California.  

When initially speaking with buyers, I ask the questions “In which area do you work?” and “What kind of commuting time are you okay with?” Many people realize that the farther out from Washington DC that you travel, the larger house you can get for your money. If they don’t know that initially, they find it out pretty quickly after I’ve sent them some home listings. It’s interesting... some buyer’s I’ve worked with opted to purchase a home in Ashburn, Bristow, Purcellville, and Gainesville knowing their commute time would be over an hour on a good day. They deal with it by listening to books on tape or their favorite music. Many other buyers purchase properties near metro stops, the beltway or the toll road. Just last week I helped a young couple purchase their first home, new home construction, right by the Vienna metro. They are thrilled to get to go “carless” and plan to metro into work together each morning. Sounds good to me! It’s convenient, less stressful fighting traffic and they save gas money to boot! I understand both ways of thinking. Both lifestyles are great lifestyles, just different. 

Stuck in traffic in Northern Virginia like thousands of other commuters? Let’s make it a safer and more pleasurable experience… Aggressive driving and road rage happens when crowded roads, rushing, and impatience cause one driver to react angrily to another driver. To avoid aggressive driving and road rage situations: Allow plenty of time to reach your destination. Don’t cut off other drivers. Don’t text, shave or put on makeup and drive at the same time. Use your horn sparingly. Don’t tailgate or make rude gestures to other drivers. The left lane is the fast lane. I know it can be frustrating to be stuck in this traffic! We’re all in this together, so put on some of your favorite tunes, drive safe and have a great day!  

Ellen Moyer, RE/MAX Allegiance
www.ellenmoyer.com