Thinking of moving to VA Beach area (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: houses, theater)

[lovelei3]

Hi.. can we revive this thread? I am now considering a return to VA and instead of moving back to NOVA, I'd like to settle in the VA Beach area. I want to buy a townhouse and am wondering what has the job market and the real estate market been like. I moved to FL to be near the beach, but now that I'm ready to buy something, I'd like to head back to VA.
What should I worry about? Are the crime horror stories just that? Is VB a safe bet for a single woman?

[chesapeakesim]

I guess the first question would be why would you want to come back to VA to buy? Is it cause you don't like Florida, have family in VA, etc.? Florida home prices have cratered for the most part so you would get a much better deal down there. Prices here have gone done some, but not like other areas. My Mom has a friend down in Naples whose villa units went from like $340K down to $160K. And these are brand new units with lots of upgrades in a nice community with a pool (not a community pool, but a private pool with the villa). $160K here will get you the ghetto.

So RE is still overpriced IMO. The job market seems to be a little better than other parts of the country, but many of the jobs are below average in pay compared to the rest of the country and the lack of a major corporate presence limits the jobs with good possibilities of advancement. What field are you in, that will probably make a big difference.

Crime here is actually pretty low for a big city, although you still want to be careful about where you live. You always hear a lot of stories on the news about crimes that occured, but statistical wise it is low.

As far as being a single women, you will love that part. With the military here, there are more guys than you can imagine. Go to any bar/club/singles place and the ratios will be heavily in your favor.

[cityboi757]

Virginia Beach is probably the safest big city in the country. Stihl Inc. Amerigroup Corp. Dollar Tree, Norfolk Southern, Smithfield Corp. Maersk Corp. are all fortune 1000 companies based in the metro. 3 being fortune 500. I wonuldn't call that a lack of a corporate prescence.

[lovelei3]

I appreciate your replies... Yes, My thought to relocate is because my family is in Fairfax and I just feel too far away. Yet, I want to be near the beach... so my thought is VA Beach is an excellent compromise.

I have been scouring real estate and job ads... definitely there is much to absorb.

The singles market sounds nice...but, my first chores would be to find a home and a job.

Feel free to toss any advice that might be useful... what is the northwest VAB area like? I have noticed some nice, inexpensive townhouses for sale up there..

Ciao!

[telemonster]

You have to give us a neighborhood.

cityboi - I have friends that have worked for some of those places you mentioned. The salaries were below par. Heck, Norfolk Southern 1099'ed my friend because "their shareholders don't like more employees." They got a bargain with him, but he was young. Total rip off. Another friend is at Dollar Tree. Another ex-coworker found out what kind of salary he was making with his 6 year degree for them and I think he decided to change fields, it was so disappointing. 1/3rd of what he was making at Ford.

Norfolk Southern only occupies like 12 floors of their building. Rest is BofA. NS's main ops are elsewhere.

Not sure about Smithfield, maybe she could be a knocker?

Amerigroup might have money and pay well. I don't know. I only know one person that worked there, and he doesn't anymore. Never asked him about it.

Sounds like she is moving here to buy a house. I'd come to the area and rent or something and take your time looking. Buying is a big decision. Buy the wrong thing, and your stuck with it. Options being to walk away and take a mark on your credit or sell it but bring a check to closing to pay the money.

A friend is looking at houses. I've tried to convince him it's not a good idea but I can only do so much. Then when I start laying down the info the others that recently bought are like eeek.

OHHH I hope your not thinking about that $8k rebate nonsense? Yes, it's supposed to end in November. The National Association of Realtors (Slime) are working as we speak to get it extended, but they don't want that known too much because they want sales now. There is also some jabber about it going to $15K in the future. I'm against it, it's socialism (but you don't see people picketing about it).

[citydweller]

This area is not like Fairfax though. Just left there this weekend. There are tons of single upwardly mobile professionals there and VB is a bit different. I am not bashing it but it is different.

[lovelei3]

Thanks for the tip, Telemonster... regarding renting before buying. I don't qualify for the rebate so that is not an issue for me. I'll keep my eyes open in the meantime.

[lovelei3]

Just a few more questions... at the risk of sounding politically incorrect: what would be the areas to avoid in the VB and possibly Newport News. I have noticed quite a few affordable townhome communities and just wondered if there was a reason some neighborhoods have so many homes for sale...

[telemonster]

It's pretty easy to figure out. $$$$$$$. The higher priced areas are better because there are less poor people. The problem comes if the richer area is next to a poor area and you get poor people stealing stuff from the rich.

Lower class versus higher class.

I hear ya on the silly house credit. I don't think I qualify either, don't care cause I wouldn't buy the overpriced crap in the area. But the rumors are the Realtors are pushing for $15K next time around, and not just first time home buyers, and allowing more people access to it. This country is wrecked. Instead of letting markets settle to normal and becoming productive, the stupid leaders and their enablers / handlers are pushing as hard as they can to just absolutely destroy it by getting more and more unworthy people loaded up with so much debt. It's just insane, and sad.

But yes, the market here is crap. It went up over 100% in 4 or 5 years, salaries didn't, and now jobs are starting to hurt a bit.

One of the higher paying places, Joint Forces Command, the story is when Lockheed won the contract they offered all the existing employees their jobs back, minus 25% of their salary. How's that for supporting rapidly rising home prices.

[Mrbooe]

I don't know about most that read these comments, but I hear a lot of people complaining about this city without context. I live in Los Angeles. I drive the city for a living. Traffic? Please. Enough said.

Crime? Come on. When I first moved to LA I drove a cab to get into this horribly overpriced market. I drove through downtown LA at night, Compton, Watts, all through the valley. I have seen crime. I have defended myself from it. Yet now, I never see it. Don't like crime? Stay out of those areas. I live in LA now and never see it cause I stay away from it. Just depends on the person and where they go. If you are intelligent, you will never see it. Don't say they bring it to you cause you haven't had a home invasion, so don't use that tired propaganda line. And please don't even mention Television Infotainment (News) as your source for crime. They get paid by advertisers to bring in the most viewers to see products on the commercials. That is the only purpose for the "news" show in the first place. Why do you hear about the things that make you scared? Cause it sells. Fear sells and business is good. Stop watching the news and then you won't be scared and posting how crime ridden a low crime city is.

Real Estate High? Psssst... $300K won't buy you a garage in the Vine Avenue Boy's neighborhood (a real gang my friends). You have no real estate woes in Virginia Beach.

Wages are low everywhere. Try getting a job out here in this competition without the most advanced degrees and you'll be sharing a bench with the other homeless in Santa Monica in a month. Go back to school. I did, and it made all the difference.

I am planning on moving my family to the area you are complaining so much about and I will be laughing all the way. I have done much research (read all the opinions on many forums but then listened more to actual statistics) on the place and we visited. There are good and bad things people say about their cities no matter where you are. Perspective and context are what makes them true or not.

For all those who don't like it,... move.

Maybe this is a little harsh, but I have probably read way too many posts at once and am just irritated. Nothing against anyone personally, just irritated. I was hoping to find actual information on the city and people who like living there with a few mixed in that don't. What I have been reading is a bunch of people that should just move and very few people (though some) giving helpful things about actually living there.

If someone actually enjoys life, doesn't think "The Man" is out to get them and likes living in the Virginia Beach area, I would appreciate a little from the non-negative side.