SBF moving to Richmond (apartment complexes, leasing, car insurance)

[ljsrmissy]

Good afternoon all,

I will be attending VCU for my MSW this fall. I will be relocating from the Metro Detroit area. I wanted to know where are some nice areas for the single pre-professional/professional crowd. How is the singles scene? I currently reside in the suburbs of Detroit (20 miles outside of the city) now so I dont mind staying in a near by suburb of Richmond. How about some nice apartment complexes? Can someone tell me about the property tax that you have to pay on your car? I have never heard of that. Would I have to pay taxes on my car on top of car insurance? Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks!

[CNI]

I can help with the vehicle personal property tax (can't help with the singles questions).
Basically, based on the age, make, and model of your vehicle the local jurisdictions use the average trade-in value in the N.A.D.A. to assign an "assessed value" to your vehicle. [For ex, $3,500]
The present tax rate is $3.70 per $100 of assessed value. [Tax = $3,500/100 x $3.70 = $129.50]. This tax rate can vary from year to year (I think).
You will pay a decal fee - though many localities no longer actually provide the vehicle decal. The current fee is $23.
There is also the "Car Tax Relief". It varies from year to year. In 2008 it was 100% relief for qualified vehicles with a value of $1,000 or less; 58% relief on the 1st $20,000 for vehicles over $1,000.
In the example above you'd subtract 58% off of the $129.50 car tax for "Tax Relief" of $54.39.
So, $129.50 (tax) + $23 (decal) - $54.39 (relief) = $77.30 you would have to pay.

Not all vehicles qualify for "Tax Relief" (ex, those used for more than 50% business; those leased for which the leasing comany pays the taxes)

For more info, go to
Welcome to Department of Finance

And yes...the vehicle personal property tax is in addition to your car insurance.

[richmondpics]

I have a friend in the MSW program at VCU and she's been really pleased thus far.

[ljsrmissy]

Thanks CNI.

[ljsrmissy]

Im very exited.

[CNI]

Ljsrmissy, I was searching around for the term "Richmond" on city data & saw that you were investigating Nashville also.
I hope we can provide some helpful info to pull you this way.
Best of luck in your decision.

I remembered an article I read in the Richmond newspaper about a networking initiative for young Richmond professionals. Here are some links:
1) www.hyperichmond.com/
2) hyperichmond.ning.com/
30 Professionals jazzed about joining HYPE - Richmond, Virginia, Business News and Financial Information - inRich.com

Also, once (if) you get to VCU I'm sure you'll meet many people.

A summer music concert series is "Fridays At Sunset". Here is a link:
FAS 2008

There are nighclubs in Richmond. But (based on my own personal convictions) I mostly advise avoiding nightclubs in most cities. I'm sure you know what I mean.

[traveling_in_the_sun]

I just made the move to Richmond from Toledo, OH. Not too far from where you're at.

As far as apartment complexes go, there are a ton in Richmond! I'm mostly familiar with the ones in the West End since that's the area of town I will be working in. You definitely need to come check out the city and all of the apartments. There are tons of complexes that are all very nice.

I've also heard The Fan District (right by VCU) is a great place for young adults to live. There are a lot of restaurants and bars down there. They also have places for rent. The only thing about the Fan District is you want to make sure you get in a safe area. I've heard there tends to be a lot of property damage down there.

Good luck deciding! Let us know if you have any more questions

[ljsrmissy]

Thanks Guys!! I will be visiting Richmond in less than 2 weeks! Im exited!