Searching for small town in VA to retire (Winchester, Cana: living in, restaurants)

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by ersatz

We all tend to answer these type of questions considering what we would personally prefer. We don't know exactly what the OP is looking for as far as "how small a town" and "what kind of house".

If you look at Purcellville realty data from this past year, there were lots of single family homes selling for 400K and under. I ran a quick search on Realtor.com for this past year and found 29 of them (remember that Purcellville is a small town when compared to places like Leesburg.)

If your particular little slice of heaven is a recent developer tract 3000 sq ft McMansion overseen by an HOA, then, yeah, those tend to be pricier. I am unfamiliar with the Kingsbridge neighborhood, but here's what (a competitor site to CD) said about it:

Homes in Kingsbridge Manor are on the market for an average of 72 days and are typically purchased at close to asking price. Property taxes hover around $4,431 per year, and homeowners' association fees are approximately $11. On average, homes here are $164 per square foot and typically list for around $390,000.

Now, I personally would be more interested in something like this, and throw the money saved into upgrades to tailor the property more to my personal taste, assuming that the property did not need extensive repairs.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-96281#photo15

I lived in the area years and am a proud grad of Loudoun Valley High School cough years ago. Snows back then were rough, but after the Snowmageddon of 2009-2010 were really not bad for Northern Virginia. Worse than snows in Charleston SC, hardly noticeable if you are used to Rochester NY.



I like those areas but they are hardly what I would call close to a major airport. Sure there are municipal airports in in these areas, but if you want to fly internationally or cross-country, you will need to travel to a bigger city airport. Landsdowne and Leesburg are not small towns, and they are within greater WashDC suburbia. Leesburg can be considered "quaint and historic" as requested, but I would hardly put Landsdowne in that category. It seems to me that the OP is looking for something smaller and a bit more rural. If I were looking in the Shenandoah Valley then I would be most likely to pick the small college towns of either Staunton or Blacksburg. They both hit the sweet spot in terms of charm, history, proximity to natural areas offering hunting, fishing, hiking, and cultural opportunities such as restaurants, small shops, and cultural events connected with the colleges. They are more affordable than closer in to a metro area. Both would require several hours to get to the airport in Richmond or the major airport Dulles.

Xpress4 - I see that you are casting a wide net on CD asking the same question in multiple state forums. You will get much specifically-useful-to-you replies if you provide followup details to the questions various posters have asked you in the different forums. City-Data has a lot more to offer than just the forums. If you want to research information such as snowfall, economy, medical care, etc. dig around in the main City-Data.com website. That will let you research statistics specific to city, town, village and sometimes neighborhoods. The info might be a little dated but will more or less let you compare locations on a near equitable basis if you do the research. Good luck to you and your hubby and I hope you will enjoy moving back East.

As I said, we were in Kingsbridge for about 17 years. Kingsbridge encompassed three different sections with different builders. There was a section quite a bit smaller, which may have skewed those results. But if you can find a home in Kingsbridge for $390k, grab it really fast. Are you filtering out the townhouses?

This is one in the smallest section of sfh currently listed. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...2_M53417-23592

OP will have to clarify house style, square footage etc.

But, housing aside . . . There’s very little to do in Purcellville if you’re retired. You’ll have to drive everywhere. Purcellville is a lovely little town that’s great for families and raising children.

[LynchburgLover]

I was also very curious about what/where the houses in Purcellville (20132 is a very large zip code) under $400,000 were located.

These are the current listings of “maximum $400,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...rice-na-400000


Notice 17 of those 29 properties are just bare land. There’s no house. The remaining . . . Well, none of them look appealing to me.

[ersatz]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

I was also very curious about what/where the houses in Purcellville (20132 is a very large zip code) under $400,000 were located.

These are the current listings of “maximum $400,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...rice-na-400000

Notice 17 of those 29 properties are just bare land. There’s no house. The remaining . . . Well, none of them look appealing to me.

LL - As I stated, I ran the search on SOLD rather than FOR SALE. The OP did state that they would be looking around in the coming year, not buying right now. This is the winter doldrum season after all, and most of the current listings are offered by what the realtors refer to as "motivated sellers." Available pickings tend to be unattractive this time of year.

I ran another search this morning using Trulia instead instead of Realtor.com. I wanted to paste the hyperlink but since it was about six lines long, I am not sure if that will redirect properly so here's how I ran the query

www.trulia.com
Select SOLD as the tab
Select Purcellville as the location
Make sure you have the Map display, and use the +/- option to narrow the map down to Purcellville proper, otherwise this will give you SOLD results for half of Loudoun County
Select filters for House and Maximum Price $400,000


For some reason, a lot of agents will input townhomes, condos and land under the "House" category and a lot of the listings are actually in Hillsboro, but you can still open these one by one to check on specifics.

$400K is a bit downmarket for Purcellville, but I thought this recent sale wasn't bad

https://www.trulia.com/p/va/purcellv...32--1131012927

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by ersatz

LL - As I stated, I ran the search on SOLD rather than FOR SALE. The OP did state that they would be looking around in the coming year, not buying right now. This is the winter doldrum season after all, and most of the current listings are offered by what the realtors refer to as "motivated sellers." Available pickings tend to be unattractive this time of year.

I ran another search this morning using Trulia instead instead of Realtor.com. I wanted to paste the hyperlink but since it was about six lines long, I am not sure if that will redirect properly so here's how I ran the query

www.trulia.com
Select SOLD as the tab
Select Purcellville as the location
Make sure you have the Map display, and use the +/- option to narrow the map down to Purcellville proper, otherwise this will give you SOLD results for half of Loudoun County
Select filters for House and Maximum Price $400,000


For some reason, a lot of agents will input townhomes, condos and land under the "House" category and a lot of the listings are actually in Hillsboro, but you can still open these one by one to check on specifics.

$400K is a bit downmarket for Purcellville, but I thought this recent sale wasn't bad

https://www.trulia.com/p/va/purcellv...32--1131012927

Well, you win. But it still remains under $400k is definitely “downmarket” and limits your options. More importantly, there’s very little to do in Purcellville as retired adults. We stagnated there for too many years, bored to death, and traveling east or west for everything from major retailers to movie theaters to restaurant variety. Magnolia’s at the Mill was excellent but the remaining options are pretty dismal. IJ Canns and the Wine Kitchen didn’t last very long.

But, I’m out, much happier where I am and hope the OP finds their happy place, too.

[ersatz]

I'm glad you found your happy place in SC. I considered it, real estate prices and COL are so much better there than here, but I hate heat and humidity. We get that here in VA, but not so much as down there.

Diff'rnt stokes for diff'rnt folks. I can understand why someone out in the country really wants more dining/shopping/entertainment opportunities, and why someone in an urban area wants to be more out in the country. I am happiest with peace and quiet, long walks, assorted pets, beautiful scenery and a good garden. Some chickens and an old-fashioned spring fed root cellar would be nice. The only thing preventing me from moving further out is quick access to good medical facilities and potential lack of good internet. I don't have med issues now, but you never know ...

It's not that I am trying to get the last word or anything but when I expanded the sold criteria to include nearby Hillsboro listings - WOW

https://www.estately.com/listings/in...untain-road--1

1738 stone cottage used by George Washington. Sweeping mountain views with 6 acres. And the inside is just GORGEOUS. This rings my bells in every way. It sold for under $350K this summer and I MISSED it. I would have totally bought this myself (contingent on inspection and a qualified reno estimate) if I had only known.

So, this kind of stuff is still out there for those who are willing to look hard.

[LynchburgLover]

That is cute as a button and would be really fun for a weekend getaway from the city, especially with proximity to all the vineyards.

But I was keying in on “retirement” where priorities are different. Convenience (especially with driving as we age) to medical facilities, groceries, neighbors and things to do besides sit and watch tv, etc.

And, you’re right . . . Everyone has their different wants and needs.

[xpress4]

Hi All,

Just a note to thank everyone for the amazing feedback! I'm sorry for the delay. We had a death in the family and it derailed us a bit but back in the saddle again From reading the great comments, I feel like the snowfall and price might be a little bit of a factor for us. This real estate market is crazy, so a normal price range is certainly hard to gauge for sure. I'm so drawn to the beauty and history of that area but we might have to venture further south.

Again, many thanks for your time and posts. Take good care!

B

[SchoolHouseRock]

Consider long and hard before moving to Virginia. The state has taken a hard left since the 2019 elections and will continue in that direction. We are rapidly turning into Maryland or New Jersey. Expect crime rates to increase.

[emmmcubed]

Originally Posted by SchoolHouseRock

Consider long and hard before moving to Virginia. The state has taken a hard left since the 2019 elections and will continue in that direction. We are rapidly turning into Maryland or New Jersey. Expect crime rates to increase.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by xpress4

My husband are I are considering retirement in Virginia. We are in our mid 50's. We'd like to make a trip next year to explore some options and hoping you might suggest some options. We're looking for:

Smaller, quaint/historic town with good economy.
Close to fishing, hunting, and golf.
Not a huge drive to a major airport and good medical facilities.
No snow, or very little snow.
Not coastal.
Safe.
We would be looking for a home $400k or less.


Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Abingdon would meet these requirements except for an airport. The nearest major airport is in Charlotte. Snow is minimal that far south in VA