Help with relocating from SC for a job in Norfolk (Virginia Beach: oceanfront, townhouse)

[Spogoh]

I was offered a job in Norfolk, VA. My husband and I are originally from Bowie, MD and currently live in Columbia, SC. I have questions about where to look for houses. We'd be moving in May/June, and looking to buy between Sept-Nov 08. Hopefully we can find a nice (newer) single family home under 240,000 or so. We're not really looking to live IN Norfolk. We are looking for the suburbs, with decent schools, things to do, a grocery store, target, and a church within 10 miles-- that sort of thing. As of now, we have no kids. I've been told to live on the side of the tunnel you're going to work on How is traffic (compared to D.C?)

I just need feedback about where to look and what to keep in mind. I DON'T need people telling me don't move here, because I pretty much am.

[bmd69]

I was there this weekend and found homes really high in price. My daughter-in-law has a four year old home in Suffolk, Va. They paid $300k. 2,400" house with a two car garage and 1/3 acre if that.

[LibertyCedar]

If you are working in Norfolk you should consider portions of Virginia Beach such as Kempsville, Pembroke or Thoroughgood areas. In Chesapeake look in the Greenbrier area. You may find difficulty with your target price of 240k however. There are some wonderful townhouse options in Hampton Roads. If schools are anywhere in your future plans be very careful in Norfolk. I was priced out of Va Beach and bought in Norfolk 5 years ago. My son rides the bus 50 minutes to get to a decent elementary school. This is not ideal. Unfortunately I focused on the price of my new house and not the local school district. Now if you can afford private school then there are great options! Regarding food stores, Walmart, Target, Home Depot & churches... they are everywhere in Norfolk and Virginia Beach and also around Greenbrier. For commuting reasons working in Norfolk & living in Portsmouth or Hampton, Newport News would be challenging. My husband commutes from Norfolk to Portsmouth and he is at his wits end because of the daily tunnel traffic. Note that Hampton Roads has a huge military community and traffic will ebb & flow around the bases & shipyards. I would say the morning and afternoon rush hour traffic is comparable to DC but not as bad as NY metro.

[The Village Idiot]

I have to agree with LibertyCedar's post. You will definitely want to live on the same "side" of the tunnel where you work, unless your commute is during an odd time of day. You might be able to get by with it if you work during a late shift, for instance. The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel connects Hampton and Norfolk, and generally begins getting backed up at around 3:00 pm. I think this is due to a shift change at the Naval Base or something. The Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel connects Newport News and Suffolk/Portsmouth/Chesapeake. It usually isn't as bad as the HRBT, but wouldn't be much help if you're commuting to Norfolk. Anyway, if you don't mind an extra hour or so of stop and go traffic every evening, you could live on the Peninsula (Newport News and Hampton) and commute through the tunnel to Norfolk every day. Otherwise, you will want to live on the Southside (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, or Chesapeake).

The cost of housing is relatively expensive in the area, unfortunately. My wife and I ended up having to move away last year in order to buy a house. We really couldn't afford anything in the Hampton Roads area. You'll have a better chance to find something decent because it looks like you can afford to pay more than we could, but your options will still be somewhat limited. If you can find something in Chesapeake, that may be your best option, but I'd recommend avoiding the northern part of Chesapeake near Norfolk and Portsmouth. The Greenbrier and Great Bridge areas are nice but again it's hard to find housing at an affordable price. You might also want to look at parts of Virginia Beach, as LibertyCedar suggested. A lot of people assume that Virginia Beach is just along the oceanfront, but the city actually consists of an entire county. You can be 10-15 miles from the beach and still be in Virginia Beach. The areas away from the beach are typically less expensive, as would be expected. Kempsville might work for you, and would be closer to Norfolk. We didn't have kids when we lived in the area so I don't know a whole lot about the schools, but I'm sure other people can give you more information. Good luck!

[shellytc]

spogoh, with the interest rates so low, you may be better off trying to buy this spring. Just wanted you to think about that. I love my clients to get the best deal : )

If I were you, I would look in the following areas: ocean lakes; Lake Placid; Pembroke Manor; and if you are open to townhomes, that opens up areas a little more. Maybe kemps lake.

You can find homes under 250k in nice neighborhoods, you just might need some help to get it done.

Shelly