Housing under $200K?? Is it possible?? (Newport News, Hampton: for sale, foreclosures, house prices)

[The Village Idiot]

My wife and I spent a couple of years in Hampton Roads before moving back to my hometown. Now, about a year later, we are starting to miss the friends we left behind and the variety of things to do in HR. We are just starting to talk about the possibility of moving back in a year or two, but here is the catch: we are probably limited to the $160,000-$200,000 price range for housing (depending on what kind of job I can find). Can we find a decent place in a safe neighborhood for this price, or am I crazy for even thinking that could be possible?

We are looking for:

Preferably a house with at least a small yard, although a well-maintained townhouse in a nice neighborhood would be okay if there were at least a park nearby for the kids.

Decent schools. They don't have to be the best in the state, but we'd at least like to live in an area with relatively safe schools that are at least OK.

Basically, we just want to live in an area that is fairly safe, well-maintained, and a good place to raise a family. We like neighborhoods like Hilton Village that are generally pleasant places to just walk around in the evenings.

We'd prefer a place on the peninsula rather than the southside. I'd also be willing to live in the Smithfield or Gloucester areas and commute to Hampton or Newport News. What is the traffic like on the James River Bridge and Coleman Bridge? How do they compare to the tunnels during rush hour? We'd also be willing to live as far west as Williamsburg.

At this point, Smithfield is probably one of my top choices, but I'm not sure if we can get decent housing there for under $200,000. I'd appreciate it if anyone can tell me if this is even possible, and if there are some other areas that have what we're looking for. I just want to know if this is something we should even consider, or if we'd be wasting our time thinking about it. Thanks!

[damian]

under 200,000 is a stretch anywhere on the Peninsula including shadier areas on NN and Hampton. You might find housing in NN along Hilton, Hidenwood areas, but even then under 200,000 is a stretch. The Coleman and James River Bridges are tolerable during rush hour, but an occasional break down will cause those bridges to back up

[sheldonteam]

there are currently 27 properties in Smithfield for sale under 200k

[MrAllGood]

I want to say that there are some townhouses going up in Northern Suffolk off of shoulder's hill road for that price range....not positive about that, though...


....guess I missed the part about wanting to stay on the peninsula...but it is close by...

[bigredg]

I looked at quite a few homes under 200k (with a garage) ... it would be difficult to find one with all the requirements you have. Hilton was def. more that 200k, there were a few in Wythe that were 2 BR. under that price (140-180) but they were small.

In general most on the penn. that were in that price range were what i would consider "run down"; but that was last summer. You may be able to find some deals now.

[The Village Idiot]

Thanks for the replies.

The Coleman and James River Bridges are tolerable during rush hour, but an occasional break down will cause those bridges to back up

As long as they're not as bad as the HRBT, I can live with it.

there are currently 27 properties in Smithfield for sale under 200k

That's promising. As I mentioned, Smithfield is probably my #1 choice.

I want to say that there are some townhouses going up in Northern Suffolk off of shoulder's hill road for that price range....not positive about that, though...


....guess I missed the part about wanting to stay on the peninsula...but it is close by...

It doesn't have to be on the peninsula. We just prefer the peninsula, Smithfield, and/or Gloucester to the southside. Northern Suffolk would be OK, too.

In general most on the penn. that were in that price range were what i would consider "run down"; but that was last summer. You may be able to find some deals now.

I should have also mentioned that I'm willing to do some work on a house if I can get a good deal in a safe neighborhood. I don't want to have to completely gut a house or anything like that, but I can do smaller repairs like refinishing floors and replacing light fixtures.

I guess I'll keep looking and see what I can find. If I can find a job that pays more than I'm making now, that will allow us to increase our housing budget. If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to reply.

[Spazkat9696]

Look for foreclosures they are usually a good deal if you can get one. Our agent found us one at the beach 165000$ 2 story 3 bed 2 bad privacy fenced yard in a good neighborhood with in walking distance to a park. Just ask your agent to look for foreclosures. You get more for your money.

[Ibginnie]

Originally Posted by The Village Idiot

Thanks for the replies.


As long as they're not as bad as the HRBT, I can live with it.


That's promising. As I mentioned, Smithfield is probably my #1 choice.


It doesn't have to be on the peninsula. We just prefer the peninsula, Smithfield, and/or Gloucester to the southside. Northern Suffolk would be OK, too.


I should have also mentioned that I'm willing to do some work on a house if I can get a good deal in a safe neighborhood. I don't want to have to completely gut a house or anything like that, but I can do smaller repairs like refinishing floors and replacing light fixtures.

I guess I'll keep looking and see what I can find. If I can find a job that pays more than I'm making now, that will allow us to increase our housing budget. If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to reply.

Gloucester is very doable!

[Mr Williamsburg]

I just sold a brand new 2000 sq foot home in Gloucester in a great neighborhood for less than $210k. They are currently sold out. There is a slight chance that some will become available in the near future. There were a few priced under $200k. There is another community being developed on the east side of Williamsburg that may end up in that price range as well. There are a few 3 bedroom town homes in York County below $200k. How many bedrooms do you need ?

[The Village Idiot]

We'll be looking for a 3BR. We are just now beginning to think about this, so it will be at least a few months before we decide for sure what we're going to do. With the uncertain economy, who knows what house prices will be like then? If we decide to move, I'll still have to find a job, so it could easily be a year from now before we are ready to make an offer on a house.

We will be coming down to the area to visit friends on Memorial Day weekend, and we plan on looking at a few areas we're unfamiliar with to see what they're like. I have stumbled across a few home listings in our price range posted on the internet, but I'd like to see what these houses actually look like in real life.