Chesapeake Area Rentability (vs. Norfolk) (sales, renters, house)

[mdcahisc]

My husband and I are expected to be transfered to Norfolk Naval Base this summer. We are concentrating our housing search in two very disparate areas:

-Norfolk (Larchmont or Ghent)
-Chesapeake (Unless the commute to the Naval Base is horrendous)

I love city living, but in case these areas don't fit our needs, I want to have options in the 'burbs.

Having never been to Norfolk, I want to have lots of options when we arrive to begin our house search. We intend to buy, but as my husband is in the Navy we (tentatively) plan to rent our home in the future. One of the reasons I was drawn to the Larchmont/Ghent areas is that the properties there seem to be renting well. How do homes in the Chesapeake area fare in this department? I have been looking at homes in the Hickory and Great Bridge school districts if that helps.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Also, what specific neighborhoods in Chesapeake are worth looking at? We don't have kids, but I want to be in good school districts for resale/potential future kids.

[chesapeakesim]

So if you decide on Chesapeake, are you looking to buy or rent? It looks like you mentioned renting, but then you said you want to be in a good school district for resale/potential future kids. If renting, it doesn't matter what school district you are in. If buying, Great Bridge, Hickory, and Grassfield are the best. The rest are (to put it nicely), not the best. Norfolk schools are even worse.

Do you know how long you plan to be here and what price range you are looking at? If you will be moving in 3 years, I would not bother with buying. You will almost certainly lose money when you go to sell. If you plan on staying for more than say 7 years then you might be ok. There are a lot of people renting their house now as they can not get the prices of 2006/2007 and refuse to drop them. So you will have options.

[mdcahisc]

We intend to buy and then rent out the home after my husband is transfered. That will likely be within 3 years of arriving.

Is Larchmont Elementary a decent school? I've found a few adorable homes in that district.

[Logan_LCS]

Larchmond and Ghent are pretty much in the same area, close to ODU, also Ghent used to be part of "Park Place" one of the worst areas in Norfolk. Ghent and Park Place are side by side. Larchmont isn't too far away. Very close to the base but is it worth it? Traffic right there gets pretty bad just to turn the corner to get to the base. I would recommend Chesapeake, the further south you go the better if you're trying to buy a home, also if you're trying to rent a home as well. For the extra 20 minutes I'd say living in Chesapeake is worth it.

[mwz26]

I just moved to Larchmont and I think its a very nice area. There are a lot of well to do families around and I feel very safe. As for the schools, I dont know the answer to that yet. I wouldn't be excitied about sending my kid to public schools in Norfolk or Ches.I dont think traffic is bad at all. I drive to Ft. Eustis everyday and its really not that bad. Depends what you're used to.

[stacylee926]

If you have the option, I would suggest a short term rental first so you have PLENTY of time to drive around and research the areas you might like. Chesapeake suburbs has a totally different feel than Ghent. Personally, I would not want to raise my children in Ghent - I just like the idea of a nice yard, grocery store around the corner - stuff you find in the suburbs. Ghent is more trendy and a great place for 20 something's, so it might suit you in the beginning, but as a 'family' you might like other areas better... or not !

Then again, I think you implied that in 3 years you would be renting the home and moving away again, so the family part is not a big deal.

I just think it is best to get a feel for the area before you buy. This area has many many different types of neighborhoods. Remember that if you come in summer, we are a heavy with tourists, but they slowly fade away in Sept.

[telemonster]

Friends and myself rented home from someone who did something similar. It was pretty horrible. The navy guy got transferred away and it was nearly impossible to get things repaired.

[capricornmoon]

I too will be moving to this area in the next few months. I visited it recently and it was different than I had expected. I agree, if you do not visit first, a short term rental may be preferred to scope out other areas.What sounded and looked great on the internet were not as appealing in person..just my opinion.

[Hips Mcgee]

You want Ghent. Or Larchment. Now is a great time to get into those areas because once, eventually....hopefully....the economy turns around and once house sales start going you'll get a great return for those 2 options. In this economy now renters are the people that are doing well and with Ghent you'll never run out of potential renters. Ghent (and Larchmont) are connected to good schools. Maury High is a great school that does offer a lot to its students. Thats a lot coming from a comet. Two Universities and a VERY good community college. Norfolk has, in my opinion, more to offer and is just more unique. Close to everything. Check out O'Sullivans Wharf on colley, they remodled and it looks great and the food is still awesome.

[Hatcher]

Love the Ghent area! Check out the area around Colley like the below poster said, it's a great area and tons of fun. Lots to do and see!