Portsmouth: Neighborhoods to avoid? (Norfolk, Chesapeake: middle-class, real estate, condo)

[Griffin8r]

My wife and I are looking to move into the tidewater area. She runs an erotics and swimwear business, so proximity to strip bars is actually a plus, not a minus; I work remotely, so I'm not too concerned about employment markets; and my son lives with his mother, so schools aren't an issue either. We're both under 45, have both been suffocating in the vacuumn that is the Lynchburg area for too long, and are dying for some city life (I grew up near Boston, she in Bricktown, NJ)

Our major concern is finding a good bargain (<$100K) house in at least an ok neighborhood (borderline is fine, shoot-em-ups in the front yard is not) - and our searches on the MLS's in the area have yielded many more hits in Portsmouth than any of the other localities - and, as an added bonus, there are a fair number of clubs in the town, which puts our market a lot closer to us.

I've been to Norfolk a few times, although the last time was probably 7 years ago, and I really only saw the Ghent area, which I know to be pretty expensive and hoity-toity...

So.....

With all that in mind, what thoughts can you offer about Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport, etc, that I need to know before we head in there?

[shellytc]

Griffen, my recommendation would be to run some police crime reports on the area's you are interested in. Homes priced under 100k tend to be in some crime ridden areas. That being said though, there are some redevelopements in Portsmouth in the low 100's that could be intestesting for you if you can go that high.

Shelly

[Griffin8r]

Originally Posted by shellytc

Griffen, my recommendation would be to run some police crime reports on the area's you are interested in. Homes priced under 100k tend to be in some crime ridden areas. That being said though, there are some redevelopements in Portsmouth in the low 100's that could be intestesting for you if you can go that high.

Shelly

Now, see, they said the same thing here in Lynchburg - anything under ($XX,000) was going to be in crack-town/crime-ridden neighborhoods.

I bought a house in the supposed "ghetto" price range in a fair neighborhood, predominantly black but certainly not "ghetto" and certainly not "crime ridden", one block off Rivermont Avenue, which is one of the nicer hysteric *ahem* historic district designations in the city.

BTW - I bought my house 5 years ago. It's appreciated quite nicely, and while I've spent some very small and well-placed money improving it, most of that appreciation was the overall neighborhood going up - lot of reno happening nearby, good people moving in, people like me looking for more house than their money would get them in a less colorful neighborhood.

So, in short, I don't believe that every inexpensive house is in a ghetto - often times it's a matter of what your definition of "ghetto" is.

People who live their entire lives in gated communities where everyone in the neighborhood is a doctor or a lawyer and security guards keep the gangbangers out (or pretend to, as the case may be) have a dramatically different idea of "ghetto" than I do, because I've lived amongst the "commoners" all my life.

[Erma]

I'd choose oceana for that type of business vice portsmouth, you will have alot of military doing business there.

[shellytc]

Now Griffen, I didn't say anything about a Ghetto did I? I am very careful not use such incendiary names. I just said that homes in that price range "tend" to be in a more crime prone area than others. But what is acceptable is truly up to the individual. My "line in the sand" for crime may be completely different than your line in the sand. That is why I hate to answer the kind of question you posed. It is strictly personal. Please check the reports and see if it is anything that bothers YOU!!!

And that being said, if you continue to read my post, you will see that I mentioned some redevelopment going on that may just intrigue you. In the low 100's. apparently you didn't want to read that far....

Have a nice day,

shelly

[Griffin8r]

Originally Posted by shellytc

Now Griffen, I didn't say anything about a Ghetto did I? I am very careful not use such incendiary names. I just said that homes in that price range "tend" to be in a more crime prone area than others. But what is acceptable is truly up to the individual. My "line in the sand" for crime may be completely different than your line in the sand. That is why I hate to answer the kind of question you posed. It is strictly personal. Please check the reports and see if it is anything that bothers YOU!!!

Well now, a little touchy, aren't we?

I asked an honest question, and I defined my terms. I understand that you're a real estate agent, and being a real estate agent you're not allowed to say "this or that neighborhood's sucks" - because you'll lose your license if you do.

Doesn't mean you couldn't point at some lower-middle-class neighborhoods where the values are depressed but the people are still decent and there's not a car-jacking or a shooting every other night, or crack dealers and junkies on every streetcorner.

There's "mixed neighborhoods" and then there's "ghetto".

I stated that I had a level of tolerance for mixed neighborhoods, but that I'd prefer to avoid front row seats for the local gang wars. I figured that was enough info - apparently it wasn't.

And that being said, if you continue to read my post, you will see that I mentioned some redevelopment going on that may just intrigue you. In the low 100's. apparently you didn't want to read that far....

I read that far, and no, they don't intrigue me, because that is outside my acceptable range. I'm not swaggering into the H/R area with a boatload of money looking to spend up on a house. My current mortgage (4.125 fixed) is $335 a month. "Low 100's" would triple that number, since I can't get the first-time homebuyer grant package that made that insanely low number possible, and the credit market right now is tighter than a drum.

And furthermore, with the number of REO's sitting on the market right now gathering dust, there has to be some banks hurting for cash looking to make a deal.

FWIW, on a cursory MLS search I found 175 houses at least 3br, 1.5ba 1000 sq ft for less than $100,000 in the tidewater area. Most of them were in Newport News and Portsmouth. A good number of them I could tell by the photo (or lack thereof) that they were in pretty rotten neighborhoods - or they were just plain wrecked by an angry former owner.

So, with all hostility behind us, is there anyone who can offer further assistance in this quandry?

[Griffin8r]

Originally Posted by Erma

I'd choose oceana for that type of business vice portsmouth, you will have alot of military doing business there.

I will investigate this further. Thanks for the tip.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Griffin8r

My wife and I are looking to move into the tidewater area. She runs an erotics and swimwear business, so proximity to strip bars is actually a plus, not a minus; I work remotely, so I'm not too concerned about employment markets; and my son lives with his mother, so schools aren't an issue either. We're both under 45, have both been suffocating in the vacuumn that is the Lynchburg area for too long, and are dying for some city life (I grew up near Boston, she in Bricktown, NJ)

Our major concern is finding a good bargain (<$100K) house in at least an ok neighborhood (borderline is fine, shoot-em-ups in the front yard is not) - and our searches on the MLS's in the area have yielded many more hits in Portsmouth than any of the other localities - and, as an added bonus, there are a fair number of clubs in the town, which puts our market a lot closer to us.

I've been to Norfolk a few times, although the last time was probably 7 years ago, and I really only saw the Ghent area, which I know to be pretty expensive and hoity-toity...

So.....

With all that in mind, what thoughts can you offer about Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport, etc, that I need to know before we head in there?

Have you considered Hampton? Out of the 7 cities, Hampton probably has the cheapest housing out of all them. Most hampton neighborhoods are decent (moreso North of Mercury Blvd.)

[stacylee926]

While I am usually the first to defend Portsmouth, as far as your wife's business goes, the Oceana area of VA Beach just might be a good thought. Also Hampton near Langley. There is an area of Portsmouth that comes to mind though, it is off George Washington Hwy - there is at least one topless bar. It is near the Naval Shipyard area I think.

I tend to suggest the Churchland area of Portsmouth due to the lower cost of housing and the proximity to all of HR. Either way, your wife probably has a good chance of making her business successful in this area.

[rtandc]

Norfolk may be another place to look at if you think targeting military might be a way to go.....you will find a number of neighborhoods thoughout Norfolk where a single family home can be found for around or under that 100K...Just a few neighborhoods off the top of my head would be Fairmont Park, Park Place, Huntersville and several places around the Norview area of the city...I am sure there will be many many more if you do a property seach of Norfolk....As far as the Va Bch I dont think you would have much luck finding a single family home in that price range, you would have to look more toward the condo/townhouse type properties