We currently live in Fairfax and have worked in Arlington, downtown DC and Alexandria. Previously at one time we lived in Woodbridge when I was in the military and assigned to Fort Belvoir. With today s traffic and the time lost traveling to/from work, yes owning a nice home is a priority for everyone but I would recommend your home selection based upon good neigborhoods within reasonable distance to your job center, good schools with high SAT scores, and also not too far from family friends etc. Best of Luck!
I used to live in Eastern Fairfax County and I always considered Stafford County as too far from Washington.However, you are closer to Fredericksburg. They have some nice neighborhoods in Stafford County. Lots of things to do in Fredericksburg. I would recommend Stafford County if you want to be away from it all.
VA is by far the best place to live in..