Trying to buy in the Norfolk Area (Virginia Beach, Chesapeake: real estate, renting)

[ccgb33]

Hi everybody -


So my husband and I ( we are two men, yeehaw!) are moving to the Norfolk / Hampton Roads area this fall due to my line of work. We are both originally from Louisiana but have been living in HOuston, TX the past few years. Without being too specific, but to give you guys an idea of our demographic : I'm a white millenial who is graduate school educated and works in healthcare, and my husband is a white gen x post certified ex cop, who likes property management. I guess he's a daddy? We are your typical Louisiana French/Irish. We have two Great Pyrenees/Labs, a couple of cats, and are generally private, normal every-day functioning citizens. Kids are on the table in the next decade. We consider ourselves non-judgemental and generally progressive. No rap sheets, no crazy quirks, and we have a Subaru. We do Costco, Sams, Whole Foods, and whatever else. We enjoy grocery shopping sometimes. Is that weird? I guess we're a stereotype.

So our budget is approximately 450,000 to find a home. I have absolutely zero knowledge about the area, the commute, the traffic, tolls, the crime, or anything else I've forgotten short of just googling and poring over reddit and city-data. In this current market, our budget does not allow us to get as much as we would like, so I am having to be creative in my searching. I am concerned with the investment we make in certain areas - to cut a long story short we are both originally from New Orleans so we are very familiar with, for lack of a better word, the hood. And all that comes with it. I am particularly familiar with it because I grew up poor - think food stamps and domestic violence and random crackheads at 2am walking in the middle of the street.

I would like to avoid the hood.

Our bucket list is a yard/lot that's bigger than a shoebox for our dogs and for our privacy, and something either completely new or something old that's been redone responsibly (hvac, wiring, plumbing, kitchen, bathrooms, whatever). I also put a high value on the price of quietness. People not driving by shaking my house with their bass or their little V6's. I would also like a house that's at least around 2000sqft or so. We are also concerned about school districts and livability of neighborhoods due to resale value - Virginia is nice I'm sure, but we most likely will not stay longer than 6 years or so. Unless it just blows our socks off!

I will be commuting to the Naval Hospital, and I'm open to about an hour's commute 1 way if necessary to get what we want. I have been in touch with a couple of realtors, and have been poring over Realtor/Zillow for days now. I like the idea of Smithfield, although I am unsure about commute. Hampton looks okay too, but I know nothing about the neighborhoods there. We found some Portsmouth houses in Port Norfolk that were great, but apparently that's the hood judging from previous posts.

I'm basically just at a loss, it's making me want to give up. I was hoping you guys could give me some information commute wise and neighborhood wise.

A couple of the houses I have been looking at are here:

Smithfield:
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...0_M52739-17093

Hampton (Wythe? How do you pronounce that?):
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...1_M66975-87681

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...1_M67353-79688

Portsmouth (Port Norfolk?):
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7_M61455-35237

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7_M62964-28187


I just want to live somewhere safe and nice. I am concerned about working with realtors because I don't know them from adam - I need candid opinions and facts. Any assistance or guidance anybody could offer would be well appreciated - I also need recommendations for good southern food. And pizza. My husband's favorite food is pizza. It's the 80's version of the chicken nugget kid we millenials grew up with. It's totally annoying.


Looking forward to hearing back!


C

[hbcu]

Coming from Houston? Lol

Not sure where you live in Houston but if you let me know what area your in now it'll be easy to offer a comparison

Until you respond there's no comparison if your coming from the suburbs of Houston -

[ccgb33]

Originally Posted by hbcu

Coming from Houston? Lol

Not sure where you live in Houston but if you let me know what area your in now it'll be easy to offer a comparison

Until you respond there's no comparison if your coming from the suburbs of Houston -

Hey HBCU -


So we live in Pearland currently. We actually have just been renting here the past two years because we knew we would be moving soon. It's basically suburbia - lots of master planned/gated/cookie cutter communities. Is it where we would have bought if we purchased in Houston? I don't know the answer to that. I guess we would have because we can get a house out here with at least .25 acreage without being 500k+.



I was on the phone with a realtor today and I was told that traffic to Hampton is horrible through the tunnel - but I'm used to Houston traffic so I am unsure how it compares. I told the realtor I was open to up to an hour commute for a good area.

[thatdurncat13]

Wythe

like whiff but t-h instead of f-f

[hbcu]

Originally Posted by ccgb33

Hey HBCU -


So we live in Pearland currently. We actually have just been renting here the past two years because we knew we would be moving soon. It's basically suburbia - lots of master planned/gated/cookie cutter communities. Is it where we would have bought if we purchased in Houston? I don't know the answer to that. I guess we would have because we can get a house out here with at least .25 acreage without being 500k+.



I was on the phone with a realtor today and I was told that traffic to Hampton is horrible through the tunnel - but I'm used to Houston traffic so I am unsure how it compares. I told the realtor I was open to up to an hour commute for a good area.

Pearland is comparable to Virginia Beach or Chesapeake - on the south side of the tunnel

I've done the tunnel traffic - it can be rough - imagine 610 at the galleria but 24 hours as the bridge can be shut down any time - they are expanding it though

Most people if they go north prefer Williamsburg - it's higher elevation and more trees and a rural feel

Only thing out there is your not going to get what you pay in houston - that's the bad part - a 2300 sq ft house is way higher

[ccgb33]

Originally Posted by thatdurncat13

Wythe

like whiff but t-h instead of f-f

Thanks. I've been calling it "Why-th" haha

Originally Posted by hbcu

Pearland is comparable to Virginia Beach or Chesapeake - on the south side of the tunnel

I've done the tunnel traffic - it can be rough - imagine 610 at the galleria but 24 hours as the bridge can be shut down any time - they are expanding it though

Most people if they go north prefer Williamsburg - it's higher elevation and more trees and a rural feel

Only thing out there is your not going to get what you pay in houston - that's the bad part - a 2300 sq ft house is way higher

I appreciate the analogy. What's the consensus about the Cape Charles area? I did some google kung fu on it and it seems ok.

[Babe_Ruth]

Originally Posted by ccgb33

I appreciate the analogy. What's the consensus about the Cape Charles area? I did some google kung fu on it and it seems ok.

That would be a ridiculous commute.. you'd have to go back and forth across the Bay Bridge Tunnel every day to get to the hospital.

Hampton Roads' tunnel traffic in general can be uniquely bad, because there usually aren't alternate routes.. where even in larger metros, there are more alternate (surface street) routes. So many vital bridge and tunnel crossings in Hampton Roads, that any accidents & delays are uniquely brutal.. and I'm saying this as a former resident of LA

[Dthraco]

You definitely do not want to commute through one of the tunnels. Your budget is do-able in Virginia Beach and in decent neighborhoods. There are a couple really good youtuber real estate agents in the area that have great knowledge and video’s about the different neighborhoods. Sam Sansalone and Living in Costal Virginia are the two channels that seem to have the best info/channels. Redfin has the most accurate data that is updated quickly so you don’t get interested in something that is already in contract.

Tons of really cool stuff to do here and lot’s of places to explore, like D.C., are only a few hours drive away.

[YorktownGal]

Originally Posted by Dthraco

Tons of really cool stuff to do here and lot’s of places to explore, like D.C., are only a few hours drive away.

Lot to see in the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg. There is George Washington's Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, James Monroes's Oak Hill and James Madison's Montpelier.

There is an Amtrak train from Newport News to DC. If you make reservations a month or more in advance, it's significantly cheaper. The price goes up the closer to the day. Take Amtrak to DC and then it's is a hop and skip to Reagan Airport. You can also take the train all the way up to New York City or Boston.

Coming from NYC, I'm amazed at how much there is to do down here! I'm never bored.

Good luck!

[summers19]

Are you set on a SFH or would you consider a condo with a yard?