23451 Neighborhoods (Norfolk: low income, oceanfront, rentals)

[TheFrigShow]

My girlfriend and I are going to be moving to VA Beach at the end of April, and currently are in the process of looking for a single family house to rent.

I've searched through the first 5 pages of this forum, all over Google, and Facebook, and haven't been able to find much that his helpful.

I'm trying to get a better understanding of the different neighborhoods within 23451. Ideally we want to be walking/biking distance to the boardwalk.

I've found some houses in Seatack that are in our price range, but some sources I've found say to stay away from this area...while others say there is no problem there.

What areas would you recommend?
What areas should we stay away from?
When does the rental market start to pickup?

Any input is helpful!

[rtandc]

23451 is the zip code for much of the oceanfront so within that zip code you have neighborhoods that consists of multi-million dollar homes all the way down to very low income trailer parks so giving a reply to your question would be difficult to answer.

Now if you are asking about the original Seatact neighborhood which is the area right around Birdneck and Va Bch Blvd I would have to list that local area as one of the top 5 places in VA Bch you don't want to live. It always has been and still is today a very high crime area.

[TheFrigShow]

Thanks rtandc!

What would you say are the top 5 areas to look for then in 23451?

Top 5 areas to stay away from?

Looking to rent a single family home in the $1600-$1800/mo range.

[rtandc]

Honestly, you could not pay me enough money to rent within that zip code. You see much of the rentals are just that, life long rentals and most are what we call seasonal rentals. Seasonal rentals are places that often sit empty during the winter and then are rented during the summer months for outrageous monthly fees. A property that may rent for 1500 anywhere else in Va Bch may get 3000 a month during the high season close to the oceanfront.

Do yourself a favor and forget about trying to live close to the strip, if you want to live near the beach look for a place around Chick's beach as that is where the locals hang. The strip is nothing but a major tourist attraction that caters to the tourist dollar and trust me when I say any locals in that area are treated like second class citizens by both the local politicians and local police.

[Spazkat9696]

Originally Posted by rtandc

Honestly, you could not pay me enough money to rent within that zip code. You see much of the rentals are just that, life long rentals and most are what we call seasonal rentals. Seasonal rentals are places that often sit empty during the winter and then are rented during the summer months for outrageous monthly fees. A property that may rent for 1500 anywhere else in Va Bch may get 3000 a month during the high season close to the oceanfront.

Do yourself a favor and forget about trying to live close to the strip, if you want to live near the beach look for a place around Chick's beach as that is where the locals hang. The strip is nothing but a major tourist attraction that caters to the tourist dollar and trust me when I say any locals in that area are treated like second class citizens by both the local politicians and local police.

I like Sandbridge better.

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by Spazkat9696

I like Sandbridge better.

Me too but the op is looking for an area where they can bike/walk to the beach....Sandbridge Road is not a bike/walkable road that's why I suggest the Chicks beach area.

[Spazkat9696]

Originally Posted by rtandc

Me too but the op is looking for an area where they can bike/walk to the beach....Sandbridge Road is not a bike/walkable road that's why I suggest the Chicks beach area.

If you got tp the left vs the right at the water there are a lot of normal sized single family homes all the way to damn neck.

[Stacey27520]

Check out the Shadowlawn area, on the south side of Norfolk Avenue and east of Rudee Avenue. Also, there are also nice rentals south of 17th Street to Norfolk Ave. and east of Cypress Avenue. While the tourist season is a PIA, it does offer alot of fun in bike riding to the beach for festivals, bar hopping, watching fireworks from your house, people watching, etc. There are nice neighborhood restaurants and bars in those areas too. Good luck!