Need help in relocating - apartments/houses in Richmond (living, cost of living)

[belle80]

Hi,

Planning to shift apartment as the one we are currently in is (1/1 for >850) too expensive. Options are to move to a different one altogether or shift to a non-renovated one in the same complex. We aren't sure how different a non-renovated one could be from a renovated one, and currently there are no free ones here to have a look at before we confirm anything, there is hardly 80$ difference between that and the one we are currently in. Our ideal apartment would be one that is nice and much more affordable, safe, good service and has some quiet and charm about it. We aren't sure whether moving to an independent house would be a better idea (happened to drive thru' some suburbs and found those quite beautiful) or it's better to be in a community/complex, yet again the cost of living matters. We need to be in/near the city (to avoid lengthy drives to work, currently we are near W.Broad St) and prefer easy access to amenities (stores, grocery and the like). Asking for too much?
Too much in the wish-list already, appreciate some sincere thoughts/suggestions.
PS: Only a day to confirm this to our mgmt. Sorry about the last-minute SOS.

Thanks,
Belle