Considering move - Hampton Roads area

[sassyfragger1]

Originally Posted by danno1991

If you have kids and are thinking about buying you will pay a PREMIUM to be in the decent school districts. My wife and I just moved here in November and were shocked at the prices. The problem is that there really isn't any middle ground in the area for schools. there are really really good schools all in York County or up Willaimsburg. Then there are the "ghettos" of Newport News, Portsmouth and Hampton which have horrible schools. You might be able to get a run down townhome in the bad areas for less than 200K but you can't even touch a condo in the better school districts. Rentals are very plentiful though because people got in over their heads, can't sell and have to rent the homes out.

Same here! We're looking for a house and our max is $330K and we can't find ANYTHING in a good school district that's actually big enough for 3 kids and/or not collapsing on itself. Under $200K plain impossible. I think the most affordable I've found is Smithfield area and the schools I have heard not much on other than "it's rural".

[NEEDMORESPACE2]

Originally Posted by sassyfragger1

Same here! We're looking for a house and our max is $330K and we can't find ANYTHING in a good school district that's actually big enough for 3 kids and/or not collapsing on itself. Under $200K plain impossible. I think the most affordable I've found is Smithfield area and the schools I have heard not much on other than "it's rural".

Wow - I had hoped 200 was doable. Everything I read is pointing otherwise.

I'm glad for internet research. We are doing a lot of research on quite a few places we are interested in before even narrowing down to go and take a look.

Luckily, we are not in a rush, hoping to move next winter.

We are now checking out Roanoke as well as a few other places.

[CosmicWizard]

If you are able to find employment in Roanoke, live there. IMO, it would be a nicer place to live than living in Hampton Roads. I say that mainly because I prefer the mountains to the beach ( If I would have put a penny in a jar for the first 3 years I lived in Virginia Beach, and taken a penny from the jar each time I went to the beach the last 13 years I lived there, the jar would still be almost full ), and I hate the traffic in HR. During my last 13 years in Virginia Beach, I spent more time in the mountains than I did at the beach.

[telemonster]

Originally Posted by sassyfragger1

Same here! We're looking for a house and our max is $330K and we can't find ANYTHING in a good school district that's actually big enough for 3 kids and/or not collapsing on itself. Under $200K plain impossible. I think the most affordable I've found is Smithfield area and the schools I have heard not much on other than "it's rural".

That's the area. Be careful when you get too far out the time and cost of the commute could become problematic.

[NEEDMORESPACE2]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

If you are able to find employment in Roanoke, live there. IMO, it would be a nicer place to live than living in Hampton Roads. I say that mainly because I prefer the mountains to the beach ( If I would have put a penny in a jar for the first 3 years I lived in Virginia Beach, and taken a penny from the jar each time I went to the beach the last 13 years I lived there, the jar would still be almost full ), and I hate the traffic in HR. During my last 13 years in Virginia Beach, I spent more time in the mountains than I did at the beach.

Thanks. Roanoke is sounding nicer and nicer. And those mountains are beauties!