Is Virginia Beach the right area for us? (Norfolk, Chesapeake: real estate, to rent)

[untuchableface]

Hi there, my fiance and I are in our mid 20's and are currently living in Chicago. We are tired of commuting to work, the over population and the TONS of traffic even outside of rush hour. We're currently renting but are hoping that in our next move we will buy some real estate.

I would love to live near the water and have been scouting out areas that are nearby the ocean. We're looking to spend 200k-275k on a house and don't have children yet but we will in the next few years.

We're looking for a place that has a night life but is not over run by college kids... a place that has culture... I love the ballet and going to museums.

I'm in the marketing industry and the soon to be hubby is in IT. How is the job market for these types of industries?

Am I looking in the right place or should I be looking somewhere completely different, like in the New England areas?

I appreciate all of your feedback!

[Alanboy395]

I think Richmond or North Carolina would be better choices. 200k to 275k won't get you a decent house in VA Beach townhomes and condos would be much more likely. Ballet and museums is more Norfolk (next to VA beach) or York County (45 min from VA Beach). VA beach doesn't have a booming job market in Marketing but IT ain't bad with all the govt folks down there. Richmond has a stellar job market, in fact i think it's the sixth best job market in the country. As for the beach, VA Beach defintely next to the beach but from Richmond count on a 1 1/2 hour drive to the beaches. You are looking in the right area of the country espically for housing prices but even though i love my native Hampton Roads overall Va Beach may not be best for you Richmond more likely fits your criteria.

[stacylee926]

One of the great things about this area is the cultural activities - mostly in Norfolk and the historical areas. You could probably find a fixer upper in your price range - in Portsmouth or Chesapeake. You would not be right on the beach, but we are all 30 minutes away.

Nightlife.... with kids in the near future, your nightlife fun will be limited
Va Beach waterfront is college kid central at night, but there are places everywhere that have clubs. The neighborhoods here are so diverse - good and bad that it would be best to rent and explore the area before you bought something. Traffic in the tunnels can be a mess and your home should be as close to work as possible.

Our winters here are milder than New England! Last year we had a dusting of snow for about 20 minutes. The one good thing about Hampton Roads, is it a decent size area with jobs, a decent cost of living ratio and it is on the water. Not too many areas like that.

[shellytc]

You can purchase a home for that amount of money in Va. Beach. I wouldn't worry about that. And in some decent neighborhoods. You may have some trouble picking up a marketing job. It can happen but is a little tougher. If you are entry level or mid level, it is a little easier.. senior level is very difficult. I know, my husband owned an ad agency in Richmond before we closed it and moved to the beach. there are a couple of agencies here if you want that side of marketing. If you want the client side, there are a couple of companies here that you can check into.

If you look at richmond, they are a much better marketing town. But you aren't as close to the beach.. so there are tradeoffs. It just depends on what kind of marketing and the level.

Let me know if you need have any other questions.

Shelly

[CosmicWizard]

For more info, read my post about Virginia Beach at the bottom of page 4 of this thread:

Thinking of moving to VA Beach area ( 1 2 3 4)

regards...Franco