Relocating to Roanoke ? (Charlottesville, Salem, Franklin: new home, YMCA, construction)

[Apple Annie]

Thank you Sean, the link worked fine and I've requested more information.

[eby918d]

My husband and I are leaving the military and are moving to the Roanoke area in early 2008. He's a West Point grad., and we've both served in the Army in numerous deployments. Enough of that! We're very excited to start again in Roanoke. What a beautiful place.

We are building a modular home, and are looking to buy land--3-5 acres. We have a toddler and will be interested in good school districts.

1) Any suggestions on affordable land for sale?

2) I've read the Roanoker's guide to the areas surrounding Roanoke. I'm looking for further feedback. It seems most of the white collar work, besides medicine, is headed out towards Botetourt. Am I right? I don't want him to commute too far for work. But I LOVE Bent Mtn. and the views there. Where is the best location for the least amount of money?

Thanks!

Elizabeth

[Ryleigh]

eby918d, My fiance (PaperTrail on this forum) and I are in a similar boat as you. No kids as of yet, but they'll be coming in the next few years. We're also looking for some land, maybe 5-10 acres. There are a couple of Roanoke threads floating around this forum that can give you more info. But in a nutshell, I think a lot of growth is happening in Botetourt County around Blue Ridge and Daleville (somebody back me up here -- those are Botetourt Co. towns, not Roanoke County, right?).

In our searches, we have narrowed down the following areas as our favorites regarding land prices, traffic, zoning for pets and home-based business, and proximity to and ease of getting downtown:
1. Rte. 311 area north of Salem, the Bennett Springs/Masons Cove area
2. Boones Mill, south of Roanoke
3. Bent Mountain area in Roanoke County, but not far up the mountain b/c that can be one wild ride in the winter, I'm sure!

As far as a place to work, I'd say downtown Roanoke is the best bet, but then again, I haven't had the same issues with finding a job as others have had. Maybe somebody else can pipe in there!

edited to add:
I just noticed your other post -- Wanted to say that I live in Virginia Beach and my fiance lives in Chesapeake right now. He's near the Battlefield area. When was the last time you were here to see it? The place has grown tremendously. Still, Chesapeake is one of the nicest places to live in Hampton Roads, in my opinion. But I'm ready to move "home" to Roanoke. I grew up in Collinsville, which is a pretty depressing town now. I claim Roanoke as home!

You mentioned nice gyms in Roanoke... do you happen to know of any good yoga places? I do "hot yoga" now and that is what I'll miss most about this area. I know Roanoke has a couple of yoga places, but I haven't heard of a hot yoga there.

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by eby918d

2) I've read the Roanoker's guide to the areas surrounding Roanoke. I'm looking for further feedback. It seems most of the white collar work, besides medicine, is headed out towards Botetourt. Am I right? I don't want him to commute too far for work. But I LOVE Bent Mtn. and the views there. Where is the best location for the least amount of money?

We look forward to your arrival!

Some white collar jobs have been created in Botetourt County but I don't think those are jobs that moved from Roanoke. Botetourt is the second fastest growing county in the Roanoke MSA (metro statistics area) at something like 5%. The fastest growing county is Franklin County, where I live, at about 8.5% since 2000.

Botetourt has been home to more rampant sprawl-type subdivisions but it's slowed recently. Botetourt County isn't where jobs are moving, truly. Suburban Roanoke simply extends into Botetourt County. White collar jobs are concentrated in Roanoke City Limits and extend westward into Roanoke County down 419 (Electric Rd). So if you like Bent Mountain (Route 221) it's ideally situated to be close to those white collar jobs. Boones Mill in Franklin County (where I live) has the same sort of vibe as the Bent Mountain area so you should tour here also.

If you're buying now the best location for the money is not Botetourt County. I just don't feel like it holds the sort of beauty that the Bent Mountain and Franklin County areas have. That's just my opinion. Everywhere I go in Botetourt County I'm assaulted by these ginormous high tension power lines and massive transformer stations. And the big developments in Botetourt County are of the style I really can't stomach. Lots and lots of spec homes that despite being large are virtually identical to eachother. To Botetourt Counties' credit though they've got large developments for blue collar working families that are done tastefully. It's the high end communities that just seem tacky to me. So, with that said, all these subdivisions have pushed up land values too high and in my opinion if you're paying that much you should enjoy more in-county amenities but instead Botetourt is sort of relying on Roanoke County and Roanoke City for those amenities, which I don't think is a sensible development plan.

Bent Mountain vs northern Franklin County is more what your tastes are. I like Boones Mill because I'm 20-25 minutes to downtown Roanoke (and North Cross School down Route 419 using a different route). And I'm 15 minutes from Rocky Mount, VA which has just a stupifying amount of amenities for a town of 5,000 people. Rocky Mount in 20 years will still be a small picturesque town, so if Roanoke city itself gets too hectic for casual trips to the cafe with friends, then Rocky Mount will have that and more for me. Bent Mountain, not so much. You basically have Roanoke just down the hill which turns urban almost instantly, and then you have Floyd like 40 minutes down Route 221. But that might work perfectly for your lifestyle.

You'll get your best bang for your buck in the Boones Mill area, no question. In two years it may begin to equalize. Raw land is appreciating here at about 15% per anuum.

Sean

[eby918d]

Originally Posted by Ryleigh

eby918d, My fiance (PaperTrail on this forum) and I are in a similar boat as you. No kids as of yet, but they'll be coming in the next few years. We're also looking for some land, maybe 5-10 acres. There are a couple of Roanoke threads floating around this forum that can give you more info. But in a nutshell, I think a lot of growth is happening in Botetourt County around Blue Ridge and Daleville (somebody back me up here -- those are Botetourt Co. towns, not Roanoke County, right?).

In our searches, we have narrowed down the following areas as our favorites regarding land prices, traffic, zoning for pets and home-based business, and proximity to and ease of getting downtown:
1. Rte. 311 area north of Salem, the Bennett Springs/Masons Cove area
2. Boones Mill, south of Roanoke
3. Bent Mountain area in Roanoke County, but not far up the mountain b/c that can be one wild ride in the winter, I'm sure!

As far as a place to work, I'd say downtown Roanoke is the best bet, but then again, I haven't had the same issues with finding a job as others have had. Maybe somebody else can pipe in there!

edited to add:
I just noticed your other post -- Wanted to say that I live in Virginia Beach and my fiance lives in Chesapeake right now. He's near the Battlefield area. When was the last time you were here to see it? The place has grown tremendously. Still, Chesapeake is one of the nicest places to live in Hampton Roads, in my opinion. But I'm ready to move "home" to Roanoke. I grew up in Collinsville, which is a pretty depressing town now. I claim Roanoke as home!

You mentioned nice gyms in Roanoke... do you happen to know of any good yoga places? I do "hot yoga" now and that is what I'll miss most about this area. I know Roanoke has a couple of yoga places, but I haven't heard of a hot yoga there.

In response to Ryleigh:

Thanks for taking the time to respond! As far as your yoga question, I was going to the Salem YMCA while in town over the holidays, and I saw yoga being worked in one of the aerobics rooms there. There are three YMCAs in the Roanoke area that I know of--Salem, Roanoke City and Franklin County. They have renovated and it's a top-notch place to work out now. The one in Salem has two indoor pools, and outdoor track, a full cardio room, two aerobics rooms (that I saw), babysitting for two hours at a time, a teen's activity room, several different styles of dressing rooms (with age requirements), sauna, etc., etc. They offer tons of classes for good prices--even baby swimming classes and water aerobics for the elderly. I was truly impressed. I live in Germany right now, and am with the Army, so the Y trumped our facilities big time. For instance, on an Army post gym, there are no facilities for children at all! Can you imagine? New moms need to work out the MOST, and can't outside the home because we aren't entitled to post childcare and have no provisions at the gym either... but that's another subject entirely. I can't wait to get back to the luxuries of being a civilian American again.

As far as visiting Chesapeake, I was there for about a week in January. I like it well enough, but I prefer Roanoke's atmosphere and local friendliness. Good luck in your move.

Take care!

Elizabeth

[eby918d]

Originally Posted by Ryleigh

eby918d, My fiance (PaperTrail on this forum) and I are in a similar boat as you. No kids as of yet, but they'll be coming in the next few years. We're also looking for some land, maybe 5-10 acres. There are a couple of Roanoke threads floating around this forum that can give you more info. But in a nutshell, I think a lot of growth is happening in Botetourt County around Blue Ridge and Daleville (somebody back me up here -- those are Botetourt Co. towns, not Roanoke County, right?).

In our searches, we have narrowed down the following areas as our favorites regarding land prices, traffic, zoning for pets and home-based business, and proximity to and ease of getting downtown:
1. Rte. 311 area north of Salem, the Bennett Springs/Masons Cove area
2. Boones Mill, south of Roanoke
3. Bent Mountain area in Roanoke County, but not far up the mountain b/c that can be one wild ride in the winter, I'm sure!

As far as a place to work, I'd say downtown Roanoke is the best bet, but then again, I haven't had the same issues with finding a job as others have had. Maybe somebody else can pipe in there!

edited to add:
I just noticed your other post -- Wanted to say that I live in Virginia Beach and my fiance lives in Chesapeake right now. He's near the Battlefield area. When was the last time you were here to see it? The place has grown tremendously. Still, Chesapeake is one of the nicest places to live in Hampton Roads, in my opinion. But I'm ready to move "home" to Roanoke. I grew up in Collinsville, which is a pretty depressing town now. I claim Roanoke as home!

You mentioned nice gyms in Roanoke... do you happen to know of any good yoga places? I do "hot yoga" now and that is what I'll miss most about this area. I know Roanoke has a couple of yoga places, but I haven't heard of a hot yoga there.

Oh! I meant to add that I recommend going to www.fsboroanoke.com to look at land, especially for sale by owner in the Roanoke areas. I found one man selling 100 acres on the parkway who is willing to divide the land up to sell. The entire lot of acres is $400K, which comes to $4,000 an acre. It's in Franklin County. It's steep, but has great views. That's just one example of what you can find on that website.

Elizabeth

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by eby918d

Oh! I meant to add that I recommend going to www.fsboroanoke.com to look at land, especially for sale by owner in the Roanoke areas. I found one man selling 100 acres on the parkway who is willing to divide the land up to sell. The entire lot of acres is $400K, which comes to $4,000 an acre. It's in Franklin County. It's steep, but has great views. That's just one example of what you can find on that website.

Elizabeth

Hey, thanks for reminding me about fsboroanoke.com. That's a good resource. I looked at it after you mentioned the 100 acres in Franklin County and found something else that piqued my interest. It's a low-impact "green" community on Campbellwood Rd that is being started and lots are now being offered for sale. That's good news, I own 128 acres just north over the bunker hill ridge from that property. It's great to see a community being developed using those methods just next door!

By the way, $4,000/acre is a 1998 price - that's a good deal. There must be some development limitations with the land. If the owner may finance, it must mean they own it outright. Route 221 (Bent Mountain Rd) is a gnarly and squirrely road to drive during a snowstorm. I wouldn't want to try it and I grew up in Vermont

Prices in the 15+ acre chunks in the Boones Mill area of Franklin County are up to $11,000/acre or so. A 110 acre parcel just down from us went for about $800,000 several months ago. I paid $10,500/acre just last month for a 54 acre chunk. Of course, I'm relatively close to downtown Roanoke (< 25 minutes) with more desirable views than up in that part of the Callaway area, so prices are a wee more elevated in these parts.

FWIW, FSBO asking prices I've noticed are usually elevated. People have trouble guessing the market value of their property. They are often too optimistic. The pattern I've seen around here is that when a person markets FSBO, the sign is out for 4-6 months at a certain price, and then *poof* one day the FSBO sign is replaced by a Realtor sign, and the house lists and sells for about 10% less than the original FSBO asking price. I suspect part of that is Realtors recommend and show non-FSBO houses first because of the unpredictability of dealing with an owner directly.

Sean

[pammybear]

Hi! I currently live in Roanoke County and within a few blocks I can easily pass into Roanoke City and Salem City and I don't really look at the boundaries--it's all one place to me! I have three small children and there are tons of things to do here! We actually have to watch it so we don't become too busy and overtired. We are Episcopalian and belong to a small Church that is very friendly and we don't at all feel out of place. We have YMCA and Roanoke Athletic Club and both have childrens activities. There are tons of summer camps here for all interests and ages!

You will feel very welcom here, people love to show off their city/town and tell you all the good places to eat and play etc, you just have to ask!

Pam

[pammybear]

oh, I forgot one thing, there is a large townhouse complex in the county but it's very close to a railroad track. If you don't like the sound of the train in the middle of the night (which we didn't) then just be careful not to move too close to the railroad track! Many real estate companies have rentals also, we are renting a house through Hall Associates. Yes, we broke our lease at the townhouse because of the train.

email me any other questions you may have and I will try to answer!

Pam

[whereto]

Originally Posted by seanpecor

FWIW, FSBO asking prices I've noticed are usually elevated. People have trouble guessing the market value of their property. They are often too optimistic. The pattern I've seen around here is that when a person markets FSBO, the sign is out for 4-6 months at a certain price, and then *poof* one day the FSBO sign is replaced by a Realtor sign, and the house lists and sells for about 10% less than the original FSBO asking price. I suspect part of that is Realtors recommend and show non-FSBO houses first because of the unpredictability of dealing with an owner directly.

Maybe... and then again, maybe not. Most realtors I've known don't bother showing their clients FSBO properties because their commissions are not as high. But 4-6months on the market is the average for a non-hot housing market, or so I thought.