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It would seem intuitive to live in Harpers Ferry itself, however if there are better options available, I am open to them. We are a family of four; we have multiple pets; we homeschool. Looking for fairly inexpensive, homeschool friendly, convenient location. More details can be supplied if needed.
"Fairly expensive" may not be possible in HF as it is prime property, in my opinion.
You do need to provide more details of what you are looking for so people with more knowledge than I can give you recommendations.
HF is in Jefferson County and, for the most part, property is higher in Jefferson than Berkeley County where you have Martinsburg, Hedgesville, and Inwood.
There are several on this forum (at least used to be) who can give you better guidance than I.
Thank you for replying, bballjunkie. Appreciate it. I'm thinking 4 beds, 2 bath, 2,000 minimum square feet, under $200,000. Ideally I would LOVE a mid-century modern or arts and crafts style, but I've not seen anything like that while perusing realtor, zillow and trulia. I do not want to be able to hear the interstate from my yard, as I can here. Am considering in town but willing to live outside of town as well. Not too keen on a subdivision with covenants as we do have that here. . . unless covenants are fairly non-restrictive.
I hope our Eastern Panhandle folks respond to this for you. I think you will have difficulty getting all that in Jefferson for under $200,000. I hope I am wrong, though.
Yeah, I didn't respond sooner because I was trying to figure out where to find a 4 bedroom, 2000 sq ft house for under $200,000 .... and then beat the OP to buying it! You should be able to stay under $300k, though. There are a couple of nice developments outside of Harpers Ferry along Bakerton Road, and I would guess that there are some places available in Boliver Heights. You would have to evaluate each HOA, as the restrictions do vary. I live outside of Charles Town and our HOA essentially takes care of snow plowing the roads in the winter and cutting common area grass in the summer. Avoiding highway noise shouldn't be too much of an issue ... there is really only Rt 340 running past Harpers Ferry.
Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be new construction, as long as it's sound construction, a safe area and doesn't need any more than cosmetic work done. My husband is NOT one of those husbands!
Have you visited Harpers Ferry yet, or do you live somewhere that makes a house hunting visit not feasible? Harpers Ferry is in Jefferson County, which borders both Virginia and Maryland. We're within daily commuting distance of the DC metro, which unfortunately makes real estate a little pricey here. Add in that Harpers Ferry (and Shepherdstown) is both beautiful and historical, and that bumps those house costs slightly upward even more. You homeschool, so you aren't worried about the school system. And your open to either living intown or outside of town.
I don't spend alot of time in Harpers Ferry (so someone will have to correct me), but I suspect that you'll be driving into Charles Town (about 10 miles?) for groceries, any kind of shopping, gasoline, and/or eating establishments. Depending on where you work in Harpers Ferry, you might consider living closer to Charles Town or Shepherdstown and commuting the distance to work.
Personally, I think that there are some cool, old homes in Charles Town, bordering with Ranson, that could be affordable. But I really don't watch those prices as I'm currently in a home.
I love living in this area, but I'm really not sure what info to offer up to you. If you're moving here for sure, I suggest contacting a real estate agent to help you find something.
I believe that you can definitely find a place that is move-in ready. But it might be slightly more than you expect to pay, or it might be slightly smaller than 2000 sq ft.
We have visited the area in the past for day trips, nothing more. We previously lived in the Germantown/Gaithersburg, Maryland area for 10 years and are somewhat familiar with that area headed north towards Frederick. Luckily, we escaped the area for a while. We are at present in Augusta, GA and looking to leave as we do not like the area. I am currently about 10 - 15 minutes away from any "serious" shopping so that wouldn't be too much of an issue.
Okay, hopefully posting a reply will bring this thread back to life. Husband has finally been able to apply for the job in Harper's Ferry. I'm a long term planner and researcher, so I'm already looking at real estate (again) in the area.
That said, we may be more interested in renting, either for the short term (til we find something we love) or long term (if we find nothing we love). Can anyone recommend good real estate agencies that rent nice homes in the area? Am thinking we might like living in Harper's Ferry proper, but I will be amenable to living in other areas.
To reiterate from my previous post: we homeschool so schools are not a factor in location, would like a walkable area (I walk 5 miles a day and would like to feel safe while doing so), we currently live about 15-20 minutes from "big" shopping so that isn't a problem. In addition, for rental reason, we do have pets. Dogs and cats. A yard would be nice, although we are "walkies" people with our dogs, not "yard" people! They are spoiled creatures.
Try Keller Reality. I used them to purchase a townhome in Ranson in 2008. Alternatively, try zillow.com enter the city you are looking for and it should bring up homes for sale and even rentals. You can also find out the sale history of a particular house.
As for "Big" shopping, not in Jefferson County. There is a big retail void that severely needs to be filled out here. Which I doubt never will. I have been waiting five years and it hasn't been filled yet.
It is true there is a Kohls, Walmart, Martins, Weis, Food Lion, Home Depot, Staples and Petco, but the county needs more. For everthing else you will find yourself shopping in Fredrick Maryland or Martinsburg.
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