Moving to Little Creek Amphib base. (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: apartments, for rent, crime) - Hampton Roads area - (VA) -Chesapeake - Hampton - Newport News - Norfolk - Portsmouth - Suffolk - Virginia Beach - City-Data Forum

Aisysmom · 09-24-2007, 09:51 AM

Hi all!

We're moving back to VA (we've missed it!) and we're looking for an apartment or home to rent within the BHA restrictions around Little Creek Amphib base. We'd like to start our daughter in the same school that she would attend when we eventually move on base, since she will be starting in the middle of the year and she is very upset about the move. I don't want to upset her more by making her move schools AGAIN.

Any advice would be great. We've looked at purchasing a house, but WHOA nelly the prices are pretty high.

We have a three and seven yr old, a boy and a girl, and just need a two bedroom as they currently share and love sharing their room.

I've tried doing several searches and really can't pinpoint where I need to be. I'd prefer to be in Va beach, but I know that Little Creek seems to be on the border of Norfolk and VA Beach. Are Norfolk schools comprable to VA beach schools?

Also, we've never lived on base before, but I'm a SAHM and would to remain so, so living on base seems our best course of action $$$ wise. How is it? We get mixed reports about living on base.

TIA!

Mr Williamsburg · 09-24-2007, 03:19 PM

Most of the military families I have sold homes to far preferred to live off base. They were usually able to afford a home they liked using their BAH. Occassionally and depending on rank they would pay a little more than their allowance but felt it was definitely worth it. If you tell me his rank I can suggest neighborhoods based on that amount.

shellytc · 09-24-2007, 04:37 PM

for Little Creek, check out the Bayside area. Also around Northhampton Blvd, there are some nice neighborhoods up that way. Check out thoroughgood elementary, and then see the neighborhoods that feed into that elementary school. If you have any questions, just ask, we are happy to help.

shelly

Aisysmom · 09-25-2007, 11:06 AM

He is an e-6 hopefully to be an e-7 within a year of moving there.

We're really not prepared to purchase a home. It's a big step, and we're not sure if one... we can afford it, and we don't have anything to put down right now and two, if we want to stay there after his time is up there again, and three, we kind of like having someone come and fix stuff if it's broken. LOL Especially for me, if he's deployed and I need something done.

shellytc · 09-25-2007, 01:28 PM

Hi aisysmom, best of luck to your husband on getting his rank promotion!! My father retired an E-9 master chief. We lived in Navy Housing and also in our own home... depending on the duty station. I also know about those long deployments : )

You should check out both renting and home ownership. The only way to know if it is right for you, is to do some research. First, if you aren't a member of Navy Federal Credit Union, go become one. You can open an account for as little as $25. They have some great loans for active duty that act like a VA no money down loan, but do not actually use your VA eligibilty. So not having money down is not a big deal. Also, in this market, you can get a lot of sellers to pay your closing costs.

by looking at both options, you will be able to really choose the right neighborhood and schools for children. If you have any questions, feel free to dirct message me.

shelly

Mr Williamsburg · 09-25-2007, 01:44 PM

I totally understand. As an FYI using your BAH you could buy something for around $180,000. In this market sellers will usually pay part of closing costs. The lender can pay a portion as well with a VA loan. You could buy a home with as little as $1000 out of pocket. There are a few homes for rent in Lakeview Shores and townhomes for rent in Thoroughood and Lake Smith Terrace for $1300-$1400 monthly + utilities. Your BAH is $1355 at e-6 rate increasing to $1442 at e-7 rate. All are within a few minutes of the base.

surfergirl79 · 01-26-2008, 01:17 AM

I wouldn't live on base at Little Creek - the housing is not very nice. Most military in the area prefer to live off-base. I would look for places to live on or near Shore Drive, but go down closer to the Virginia Beach side and not Norfolk. The area of Norfolk near Little Creek isn't the best, plus the public schools are better in Virginia Beach. My father is retired military and works at Little Creek, and he lives off of Great Neck Road so he has a great drive to work along Shore Drive and never has to get on the highway or deal with traffic. There are some nice neighborhoods off of Shore Drive that can be affordable - you are going to have to do some good searching or get a realtor. Plenty of places to rent, too, including single family homes.

JMOthanks · 02-17-2009, 06:05 AM

Well, I guess you haven't really looked at base housing mostly around Little Creek. It took my family 14 months to get into Navy Housing and since we are not planning to stay in the area. Navy Housing is ideal....My advice is to look into it. Oh they tore ALL the housing down on the base.

The schools for Shalton Circle and Sandpiper are excellent. My children go to Hermitage and it is a wonderful school. The area around here is expensive unless you want your kids to go to Bayside Elementary which is NOT that good of a school.

I know a family that moved out and got a place on Pleasure House Road which is part of the Hermitage Elementary school area and they are paying 1200 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment with NO yard or storage. Let's say they wish they didn't do it. Before we moved into Navy Housing we lived in some apartments in the Lynnhaven area and it was horrible. Not only was Holland the worst school in the area. The Lynnhaven area in general was awful between the crime and the road construction.

If you want a nice place and your spouse is being stationed at Little Creek. Look into Norfolk...around Roosevelt, Azalea Gardens or even Bayview.

Check out Great Schools and check out the schools in the area and take a look at Navy Housing if you are not planning to stay in the area. We love our townhouse. We have a huge 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 baths, garage, new appliances in the kitchen, a yard, and a great and SAFE play area for the kids. Outside you will NOT get a deal like this unless you want to play over 2000.00 a month for rent.

Here is the Great Schools website:

Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

If you don't take any of my advice...Check out the website for the schools. It has NOT failed me..

Good luck with your move.

xGrendelx · 02-18-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMOthanks

Well, I guess you haven't really looked at base housing mostly around Little Creek. It took my family 14 months to get into Navy Housing and since we are not planning to stay in the area. Navy Housing is ideal....My advice is to look into it. Oh they tore ALL the housing down on the base.

The schools for Shalton Circle and Sandpiper are excellent. My children go to Hermitage and it is a wonderful school. The area around here is expensive unless you want your kids to go to Bayside Elementary which is NOT that good of a school.

I know a family that moved out and got a place on Pleasure House Road which is part of the Hermitage Elementary school area and they are paying 1200 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment with NO yard or storage. Let's say they wish they didn't do it. Before we moved into Navy Housing we lived in some apartments in the Lynnhaven area and it was horrible. Not only was Holland the worst school in the area. The Lynnhaven area in general was awful between the crime and the road construction.

If you want a nice place and your spouse is being stationed at Little Creek. Look into Norfolk...around Roosevelt, Azalea Gardens or even Bayview.

Check out Great Schools and check out the schools in the area and take a look at Navy Housing if you are not planning to stay in the area. We love our townhouse. We have a huge 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 baths, garage, new appliances in the kitchen, a yard, and a great and SAFE play area for the kids. Outside you will NOT get a deal like this unless you want to play over 2000.00 a month for rent.

Here is the Great Schools website:

Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

If you don't take any of my advice...Check out the website for the schools. It has NOT failed me..

Good luck with your move.

Maybe it's gotten better, but over the past 2 years or so, Sandpiper Crescent, Port Lyautey, and Gela Point have all been a bit crime ridden. I live in this area and have had first hand experience with those neighborhoods (all base housing, too). The hotels across from Gela Point, on Shore Dr, were both robbed within a month of each other, and at the same time many cars were broken into in my neighborhood (Lake Shores). The Cash Advance in Lake Shores Plaza was robbed this summer and the fugitive hid in my neighborhood. Cops were everywhere and they even had the helicopter circling around for awhile. The Sprint store (which used to be a JB's strip club) was robbed not too long ago, too. And a man was shot and killed in Gela Point a few months back over a drug deal, I believe. Also, the Food Lion in Lake Shores Plaza has recently had a problem with graffiti. I've seen them repainting the back of the building a few times. Also, according to an employee of the Jade Garden in Lake Shores Plaza, homeless have been living behind the shopping center and "really freaking her out." Those were her words, not mine.

The first time I started to notice the crime in those neighborhoods was about 2 years ago when my friend's bike was stolen while he ate at the Taco Bell in Lake Shores Plaza. We knew who the guy was who took it, and we found out he lived in Port Lyautey so we drove over there to get it back, and we got there to find a crowd of 30-40 guys getting ready to fight another group at one of the parks in Sandpiper Crescent. We had unknowingly got stuck between these two "gangs" because the guy who took the bike took it because he needed transportation to the fight, apparently. Needless to say, we didn't get the bike back that night, haha. That's the only dangerous thing I've been a part of involving the area, but I have been approached by random people asking for drugs, or wanting to sell me some, on more than one occasion.

JuliaKucharczyk · 02-18-2009, 08:52 PM

I went to Bayside Middle (my older brother went to Bayside High) and neither are very safe but I do have to say they have some great higher learning programs. I lived on base before, but in Great Lakes, IL. and it wasn't bad. I know when my dad was in the Navy there were long waiting lists to get into the base housing. Little Creek was a little run down when we were stationed there 8 years ago, but I know alot of bases are going through renovations.