To Eastern Panhandle Kickin & Screamin (Martinsburg, Keyser: chapel, credit, new home)
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claybakin247 : I would not let it bother you as I believe---as I told you before---you will find what you want and get a good deal.
I have a friend out west that I used work out with who called me about an hour ago to complain that every time he gets ready to make an offer, the place he wants goes pending. But worse than that....not only do they go pending, but the deals don't fall apart--because of the underwriting--- like they did last year and the year before.
The only thing truly working against you at this point -- Is the mania-driven mass mind seems to have re-entered the market in limited scope. Last year and the year before, it was hiding and shivering underneath the bed sheets....
A home I would LOVE went on the market on Mildred St. in Charles Town last week - found it online at 11:00p last night. Short Sale - way under value - BUT its HUGE! Sounds wonderful though...might go see it this weekend, but my honey will be a hard sell on a home that's 4000 sf! With good reason!
Will be away from the internet now 'til I return from my trip up there and will surely have LOTS to say! EP here I come!
Warning! This reads like a rant, which it is......
I've tried very hard to keep a good attitude about the recent unwanted job xfer my husband had to take to the Martinsburg area. But after a few trips up there (from Richmond VA where we have lived for 32 yrs), reading these boards and seeing the types/prices of homes available, I am becoming very concerned. I WILL buckle down and make the best of it - I KNOW there has to be a silver lining somewhere in this! I really want it to be that we'll get to return to our lovely home state (yes, we moved to Richmond from St. Albans in 1980) to live out our golden years in somewhere peaceful and beautiful. NEVER EVER wanted to return though. How bittersweet life is sometimes.
Richmond has been a wonderful place for us to live and raise our 2 children (now adults), but at our age (50's) this move is unsettling to say the least. From what I have read and seen, we'll be dealing with urban sprawl (we are no strangers to that) only without the amenities and infrastructure that living in a large city (in a wealthy state) has provided. (There is only one Panera Bread in the whole of the EP and we have to go to Charles Town for that - seriously?) Ok, so I'm spoiled. I will learn to deal with that.
I am just upset because I had to sell my lovely circa 1937 Cape Cod style home in one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Richmond City, after 3 years of hard labor and major cash, to turn the yard and gardens into a showplace. Oh, I sold my house within 24 hours and for that I am grateful. So now I have a wad of cash to buy a replacement. Oh, but wait, the only place I have to choose from that would even begin to compare is Martinsburg City's North End and Shepherdstown. Well, I guess I'm in for a long wait in our tiny apartment in Winchester for that lovely vintage home in M-burg City. Shepherdstown's definitely out - prices are exorbitant to say the least.
A little farmette would do, only every property like that we've been to see all throughout both counties is in close proximity to trashy run-down homes with junk cars, etc. Why don't they have those inmates in that prison there clean up those lovely country roads? As for Berkeley, I was astounded to learn about the no zoning laws. But folks in Jefferson tell me that for us home-based biz owners (I'm an artist) that zoning is a double-edged sword. I feel like a sitting duck - one false move (literally) and we've made the mistake of a lifetime!
Why don't we just settle in Winchester you ask? Well, I was seriously thinking about it, or Hagerstown - both are more closely matched to Richmond - but with hub's 12 hr work day, taxes and gas prices being what they are up there - it has to be Martinsburg City or close by. And it has to have natural gas, another thing I've had here and am not willing to give up. And no HOA or New Construction - been there/done that/never again - especially not up there. Split level homes - really? That is so '70s! Yes, I'm in for a long wait.
But this has got to be it - where we retire to. Not moving again. This is the 3rd move in 10 years, each time down sizing because of necessary belt-tightening.
There HAS to be lovely property up there SOMEWHERE we can afford (under $225K) with first floor master on a lovely little piece of land - don't need much, don't want much - for my gardening. Oh, wait, I forgot - there's a deer problem, too. I won't be able to have my gardens unless I live in the City. (Or put up a large fence - sheesh!)
Oh, that was a WONDERFUL place to grow up in the '60s and '70s! My husband and I met in high school there. But in '79 when he graduated college (WV Tech - Montgomery) there were no good jobs in his field in that area. That was why we went ahead and got married and moved to Richmond. We thought we'd go back to WV but then never did. I'm not sorry, but only because we've had a great life here and both our kids have had much more opportunity in Richmond - the art, culture, education, etc. Oh, we would have been fine had we stayed in the Kanawha Valley - only I do believe our quality of life has been much, much better these past 32 years in Richmond. Not to mention the fact that my husband landed a dream job within a year of coming here, which lasted 31 years until this past fall when he had to take the xfer to Martinsburg.
Just got back from visiting up there and I still think the M-burg area leaves a lot to be desired, but it has its charm around the park so that's where we'll hang our hats. I saw quite a bit of the county and am still saddened by the ruined vistas - the plastic houses in fields - most especially the kit homes. Example: Ropp Dr. - beautiful historic properties overlooking rolling valleys dotted with these ugly homes. But that's progress I guess, people have to have a place to live and affordable housing.
And so would I - which is one reason we decided it was not the right house for us. Would have been a good investment for resale maybe, but I very much disliked the lot it sits on. The homes there are gorgeous, but very expensive, and I'm not exactly sure CT is the right town for us anyway. I don't really know much about it, but I stopped a lady on the street and she said she'd been there for 4 weeks and wants to get out of there - "nothing here but a Walmart and the casino". Well, I doubt THAT, but still it makes you wonder .........
We spent a few hours in the War Memorial Park area in M-burg city and talked to a delightful young gal who had some wonderful positive comments to impart on living in that area. She talked about there being several active garden clubs and artists in the area and that's all I needed to hear! I'm convinced that's where we need to be - on many different levels. Nothing on the market yet that is quite right but there is one potential fixer upper if a few details on it can be ironed out. Otherwise, we'll wait ... and wait...and wait....and wait
I recieved a card from Coldwell Banker 3 story townhouse Garage in bottom part 3 beds 2.5 Baths price is $75,000!!!! Dang Prices are sure dropping! #63 Cosmos Dr MLS# BE7804335 Anyone interested!
Oh, that was a WONDERFUL place to grow up in the '60s and '70s! My husband and I met in high school there. But in '79 when he graduated college (WV Tech - Montgomery) there were no good jobs in his field in that area. That was why we went ahead and got married and moved to Richmond. We thought we'd go back to WV but then never did. I'm not sorry, but only because we've had a great life here and both our kids have had much more opportunity in Richmond - the art, culture, education, etc. Oh, we would have been fine had we stayed in the Kanawha Valley - only I do believe our quality of life has been much, much better these past 32 years in Richmond. Not to mention the fact that my husband landed a dream job within a year of coming here, which lasted 31 years until this past fall when he had to take the xfer to Martinsburg.
Just got back from visiting up there and I still think the M-burg area leaves a lot to be desired, but it has its charm around the park so that's where we'll hang our hats. I saw quite a bit of the county and am still saddened by the ruined vistas - the plastic houses in fields - most especially the kit homes. Example: Ropp Dr. - beautiful historic properties overlooking rolling valleys dotted with these ugly homes. But that's progress I guess, people have to have a place to live and affordable housing.
Can I ask where your husband is being transferred to as far as the company?
And so would I - which is one reason we decided it was not the right house for us. Would have been a good investment for resale maybe, but I very much disliked the lot it sits on. The homes there are gorgeous, but very expensive, and I'm not exactly sure CT is the right town for us anyway. I don't really know much about it, but I stopped a lady on the street and she said she'd been there for 4 weeks and wants to get out of there - "nothing here but a Walmart and the casino". Well, I doubt THAT, but still it makes you wonder .........
Charles Town is a town of 5000 or so. If she moved there without knowing that essential piece of information it's not an indictment of the town itself. It's centrally located in the EP, and is close to Martinsburg, Shepherdstown, and Harpers Ferry, and becoming a good investment as people move across the river from Loudoun county. Every community is what you make of it as you move in.
As for location, it's a long drive for your husband to work from Charles Town--25-40 minutes depending on weather and traffic--so really not in your target area anyway. We had been househunting for a while before closing and I know there are a lot nice houses in the area.
Oh, that was a WONDERFUL place to grow up in the '60s and '70s! My husband and I met in high school there. But in '79 when he graduated college (WV Tech - Montgomery) there were no good jobs in his field in that area. That was why we went ahead and got married and moved to Richmond. We thought we'd go back to WV but then never did. I'm not sorry, but only because we've had a great life here and both our kids have had much more opportunity in Richmond - the art, culture, education, etc. Oh, we would have been fine had we stayed in the Kanawha Valley - only I do believe our quality of life has been much, much better these past 32 years in Richmond. Not to mention the fact that my husband landed a dream job within a year of coming here, which lasted 31 years until this past fall when he had to take the xfer to Martinsburg.
This sounds familiar. Both my wife and I are from the northern panhandle, and I graduated from Tech in '82. The lack of job opportunities drove me to the Washington, DC area and we've spent the last 30 years here. It's been a good life, and my kids also have had huge opportunities that they probably would not have had if we had stayed in the northern panhandle. I do have to say that my kid's childhood doesn't compare to mine, but I think that is more a factor of the times that I grew up in vice the location.
My wife would probably say that she totally misses living in NOVA because that's where she really feels "at home". I, on the other hand, enjoyed the hussle and bussle of NOVA only for the first few years and then became tired of it all. We're in Charles Town now and although it's a compromise between us .... a house in a development with a HOA ... I do enjoy living here.
Hope that you find the perfect house in Martinsburg.
Can I ask where your husband is being transferred to as far as the company?
Would not be a good idea, I don't think. Suffice it to say its a great job, seemingly secure position with one of the largest employers up there. His company came under their ownership and it was either xfer or lose his job. He was only one of a select few in the Richmond location that was offered the xfer, so we are extremely lucky. But then, he is a great guy and a very hard worker, if I do say so myself! He deserves to stay employed by them!
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St. Albans in 1979 - NO JOBS!
Exactly!
I'm convinced that's where we need to be - on many different levels. Nothing on the market yet that is quite right but there is one potential fixer upper if a few details on it can be ironed out. Otherwise, we'll wait ... and wait...and wait....and wait
Keeping that under ma hat
