Planned communities in Suffolk (Virginia Beach, Hampton: HOA, new home, established neighborhood)

[AKNana]

We are considering purchasing a home in the Suffolk/ Western Branch area. Anybody live in one of the planned communities, like Harbor View or Governor's Pointe? They sure look nice in the websites, but what is it really like living there? We would like a place with a community pool, boat dock, not rabid golfers or anything but play occasionally. Would we feel out of place? Are there zillions of regulations about keeping your lawn mowed to 1 1/2 inches? Is there enough diversity to keep things interesting?

[stacylee926]

Govenor's Pointe is alot fancier than Harbor View in my opinion (GP is where Michael Vick is building a house). It is also a little further away from the highway and you will have to drive 20-25 min to get to a mall. Harbor View has mixed housing - SFH and TH. It is a larger community, a little older and convenient to shopping and 664.

They are both very nice areas - I love the whole Rt 17 corridor - it is slowly building up with shops, but still feels rural and quiet all the way to the James River Bridge.

Out of the 2, Govenor's Pointe will be much snootier than Harbor View. HV also has 2 new emergency room's (Sentara and Bon Securs) for convenience.

[AKNana]

Thanks, Stacy,
Seems like Harbor View may be a better fit. The home prices seem comparable between the two, but distance from amenities is definately a factor.
Anybody who lives in one of these communities out there care to comment?
Not to sidetrack my own thread, but isn't Michael Vick in prison?

[stacylee926]

LOL - yes he is in prison. He was building this big mansion (for his mother I believe) in Govenor's Point. It is still being built - I am sure he gave his mother the money to continue the process (before he went to jail).

As far as convenience goes, Harbor View is much closer to everything. Movie theatres, Walmart, Kohls, Bed Bath & Beyond, restaurants, banks everything. I live nearby, but not in that development. It is a safe, friendly area with a nice sense of community.

[AKNana]

Thanks again! Are there neighborhoods in that general area that are within walking distance to the amenities you mentioned? My dream is to live in a nice, quiet neighborhood, with a small yard and some privacy, yet be able to walk, within a mile or so, to a restaurant, coffee shop, bank, etc.

[Hokie]

We considered one briefly, but the rules were overwhelming. For example, there can be no cars parked on the street after 6:00 p.m. If you have visitors, somebody can be towed. Harbour View was the neighborhood as I recall. Also, privacy was a big concern in some of these neighborhoods. Some only allow iron wrought four foot fences. You have no privacy. Others did not allow any fences. It wasn't worth it to us to get the big new home and give up so many liberties. Be careful. You might not want it either.

[stacylee926]

Harbor View has all that - bank, coffee shop, restaurants. It is a big development though, and that shopping center may not be walkable. Most of Hampton Roads is not walkable . I will say this, Harbor View is a nicely laid out development and is pretty for walks around the neighborhood.

Definitely check out the HOA thing - that could be a deal breaker.

[AKNana]

Thanks, I'll see if I can get infor on the HOA. Are HOA with strict rules common in the area?

[stacylee926]

Originally Posted by AKNana

Thanks, I'll see if I can get infor on the HOA. Are HOA with strict rules common in the area?

I don't know about HOA's in this area. I live in a subdivision built in the early 60's so there is no HOA. My HOA in Northern Virginia was a bear though!
There are many nice established neighborhoods in Hampton Roads that do not have the HOA's. I imagine you will only find them in the newer subdivisions.

[Hokie]

We have considered moving to a newer and larger home, and we discovered that the vast majority of neighborhoods in Virginia Beach are run by HOAs.

Other than a little bit of Great Neck, King's Grant, and Lago Mar there are very very few not run by HOAs. The houses are older and our own in Kings Grant is far more updated than what we looked at. Lago Mar is nice but aging and far from the highway. The new part has an HOA, too, I hear.

If you know of any neighborhoods in the $450,000 to $600,000 range that don't have an HOA, please let me know where, but the notion that if you don't like them buy elsewhere is far from easily done. If you do know of any in that price range, I am very interested. Thanks!