Why does Hampton Roads have millions of townhomes, apartments to rent? (Virginia Beach: apartment complexes, townhouses)

[Lindsey1151]

I dont understand why but there are townhomes on every corner in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads!

[citydweller]

Well, townhomes are usually less expensive than single homes and require less upkeep. Add in a transient population and retired folks and there ya go. Apartments and townhomes seem to be in high demand.

[Lindsey1151]

It seems like Virginia Beach is the capital of town homes!

[Patz0709]

Ah, the alternate capital of townhomes lies in DC.

[ClemsonRDUfan]

I agree there are a lot of dated town houses in VB..new ones are popping up everywhere in Raleigh too.

[Chewbeca]

Thats what happens in military towns. They tried to make housing that was affordable to the military. Most SFHs are not.

[bonnielisabeth]

Agree with Chewbeca...the Navy is the reason. Also, the SFH prices in hampton roads are too high for the salary level of most of the residents.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Lindsey1151

I dont understand why but there are townhomes on every corner in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads!

Most large cities are similiar, not sure about the confusion.

I've only been here since 2005, but I have a few theories. First off, this is an expensive place to buy into. Most people don't have 10 to 20% to put down, so they rent. Most people are not going to be here but for 5, 10 years max, due to military or other contract obligations, so they rent. A townhome is a way to have a house, but not really, an affordable alternative to the high-rises in most cities downtown areas that cost a million or more. So for, say, $300,000, you can get the feel of having lived in a home for the short time you're here, with some semblance of property, but can then move on when you're done with it for the next person.

But go to any large city and you'll see apartment complexes, townhouses, rowhouses, whatever.

Also, Virginia Beach is primarily a medium-density city, so townhomes give the illusion of density in some of the more suburban areas of the city.

There are NOT townhomes on every corner of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Hampton. Thank you very much. That is mainly a Virginia Beach and Chesapeake thing, and even in those cities, there are plenty of areas that do not have townhomes.

And you may see even more townhomes in the future if the affordability of this area is not addressed because a lot of people do not want to live in traditional mid-rise to high-rise housing, but want something that sort of feels like a regular home.

[randomlikeme]

Originally Posted by Lindsey1151

It seems like Virginia Beach is the capital of town homes!

How old are you?

Every time I read your posts, I think you're like 13.

[VA Yankee]

The glut of Town House style home exploded during the 80's and into the 90's, most were attractive, easily financed and poorly built. Military personnel especially found them attractive and the minimum lot upkeep was good for people who are gone so much. That said many buyers thought I can buy and house and make some money when I transfer in 3-5 years, what they found was when it was time to sell there was too much competition from other sellers and new construction which could offer more attractive rates for buyers. With no resale market owners had no recourse but to rent their units this pattern along with lax HOA/Community rules caused the average TH Community to become a town house slum in about 7 years. Maybe it has improved but it is doubtful, so many of those homes were poorly build and I doubt maintained as they should have been.