Middle aged female in the area? (Richmond, Alexandria: renting, crime, hotels) - Virginia (VA) - City-Data Forum

Flamingo13 · 03-23-2015, 08:04 PM

I really hate to start new threads but I couldn't find any that I'd read months ago that were "kind of" applicable" - Doesn't seem like Richmond area folks are very chatty. I'm researching areas a little further South from me (Southern Va. and NC/SC) - I need a lower cost of living house-wise (looking at a home w/2-3 beds. and 2 baths) for $200,000 or so. I'm spoiled by the access of so many nearby places here: metro, grocery stores, misc. reg. stores, etc.

About me: widowed last year - love the beach (also love lakes, rivers... water is so relaxing to me) - would love access but am afraid of hurricanes (of course) - a basement or garage storage would be great.

I realize I need to actually visit the area (I only pretty much know in passing) - but I don't even know where to start (hotel... I belong to Holiday Inn and Hilton) but don't know the zips to check, etc. Any thoughts on maybe where to go for a few days to check out the areas?

harrisce4 · 03-25-2015, 07:36 AM

Hi Flamingo!

Richmond is one of the less chatty boards here. Hopefully it will pick up.

If you are looking for a lower cost of living, Richmond is great. I just closed on my house last night. It was $150k- 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. With your price range of $200,000, you will DEFINITELY be able to buy more than 3+ bedrooms. There are a lot of grocery stores, shopping centers, etc. but you will definitely need a car.

If you love the beach, you are just a 1 hr 45 min drive to VA Beach

It may not be Florida with clear waters, but it is a beach none the less. There are several different neighborhoods to consider, so before I give you different zip code options I would like to know what you are looking for.

For example, there's the West End/Henrico area where I live now. It's great for shopping near the Short Pump Town Centre, a lot of restaurants. It's your typical suburban homes (some neighborhoods being very cookie cutter). If you are looking for a bit of charm, you may want to consider The Fan area (23220). It's very close to VCU campus and walking distance to RVA exclusive bars and the nightlife scene. The houses almost look like Brownstones you would find in Brooklyn. If you are looking to be further out from your neighbors and have more privacy, you may want to consider Chesterfield/Midlothian area. They are very family-friendly areas but about 35 minutes+ commute to downtown and main nightlife.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I definitely recommend a visit! There's so much to do here- visit some breweries, kayaking on the James River, catch a current movie at the historic Byrd Theater (only $1.99), try some different "foodie" experiences - we have upscale restaurants such as LeMaire in the Jefferson Hotel, to some fun eat spots in Cary Town where you can eat outside on the deck and people watch. Nacho Mama's is a fun place to do that! We have some organic, farm-to-table places that source locally such as 'Pasture' or 'The Daily.' If a fun atmosphere is what you are looking for (rather than the cuisine itself), you can go to some fun spots like 3 Monkeys or Capital Ale House (which has a lengthy list of international and domestic beers)

If you want to head off for a little weekend getaways, b/c let's face it, we all need that sometime, you are very close to Charlottesville which offers great wineries in a pristine setting. Great for girl's weekend, etc. Also, let's not forget you are about 2.5 hours from DC so if you need a big city fix, you can head there.

The only downfall of RVA, at least to me, is that the flights at RIC will always have layovers. Coming from NYC, I miss direct, straight flights to places. You'll usually have to stop in ATL, CLT, or MIA, depending on where you're headed. Other than that, come check it out. Not sure what you plan on doing for work, but as long as there are opportunities in the area for your job I think it's a great time to move here! My friends think I'm crazy for leaving NYC but I think they are crazy for the high price tag and cost of living. It's not worth the lower quality of life. Here, I have time to actually have a life and I think you will too!

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Flamingo13 · 03-25-2015, 09:18 AM

Thanks so much for your help! I would LOVE to find a craftsman style home or at least one w/character, not a cookie cutter. Some of the fun to eat spots sound great - love people watching. I won't be working. Can you tell me which Holiday Inn Express you'd recommend? (Safe of course and ideally I could walk to some places from there to get more of a feel).

If you've ever been to Alexandria, it similar to what I'd like - a walkable area to spend the day checking out shops, restaurants, events, etc.

I too hope more folks will just "talk" - the No.Va. board is pretty active w/back and forths, questions, etc.

Thanks again!

gregir · 04-01-2015, 09:23 AM

Hello,
If you do not have kids there are some real values in the Forest hills, Westover hills area. my wife and I are renting right now while we review the market and neighborhoods. We hope to find a nice 3 BR 2 BTH near the river between 200k and 300k. It is not walkable like Alexandria but we walk to the park and walk the neighborhoods. We do drive less than tem minutes to everything we need/like including the Fan/Carytown/Oregon hill/church hill. Forest hills park has a great farmers market and some events. The river park system is also nice and has trails and water related activities.

Flamingo13 · 04-01-2015, 06:27 PM

Thanks so much!! This thread (Richmond) is so dull - appreciate your thoughts, will check into them. (I don't live in Old Town Alex. but can get there easily w/a bus and then there is the free trolley) - I'm Alex. City though (West End if you know the area). What you've posted sounds like what I'm looking for - can you recommend an affordable hotel that is safe of course where I could check it out? I really am trying to do this move in the current year.

jane_sm1th73 · 04-01-2015, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

Thanks so much for your help! I would LOVE to find a craftsman style home or at least one w/character, not a cookie cutter. Some of the fun to eat spots sound great - love people watching. I won't be working. Can you tell me which Holiday Inn Express you'd recommend? (Safe of course and ideally I could walk to some places from there to get more of a feel).

If you've ever been to Alexandria, it similar to what I'd like - a walkable area to spend the day checking out shops, restaurants, events, etc.

I too hope more folks will just "talk" - the No.Va. board is pretty active w/back and forths, questions, etc.

Thanks again!

Flamingo, the hotels you mention are not the best deals. Try airbnb or hosthomes. Stealth Rabbit advocates Host Homes.

ny_guy · 04-02-2015, 06:56 AM

Best wishes on your search! I just moved here about a month ago and totally love it so far! The city itself is much less dull than the city-data forum :-)

When I was looking for housing, I stayed at an airbnb in the Museum District on Belmont. It was really great and cheaper than the hotels I found (we would have needed two hotel rooms and the whole house was about $200/night) - it was a whole beautiful house right off Cary St. and the host was really great in terms of being responsive and helpful. Don't know whether you need that much space or whether it would be available for your dates, but I had a positive experience. I can share more details if you'd like to PM me.

One other Carytown recommendation if you're looking to stay around there is The One B&B - I don't know about prices or reviews but I walk by it a lot and think it looks nice :-) It's very central and would be close to the bridge to go to the Forest Hills/Westover Hills areas. There are a few other B&Bs in the Fan/Museum District that are in beautiful old houses and are walkable to lots of things too.

Regarding housing generally, although your budget may be a bit tight for what you're trying to find in the Fan/MD, I think you might be able to find something good - the issue is that inventory is really really tight right now, so there just isn't much on the market in any price range. That said, as recently as several months ago I am pretty sure that I saw several 3 bed/2 bath places around here in the high $200s/low $300s, and I've heard that many people wait until the annual garden week in late April to list houses, so hopefully inventory will pick up a bit in short order. The houses in the Fan/MD in your range might be a little small relative to what you'd find in Forest Hills/Westover for the same price and probably wouldn't have much of a yard, but would be very walkable.

You could also consider Oregon Hill and the other areas adjacent to the Fan/Carytown that are south of Cary St. Crime may be a bit of an issue in some of those areas (others with more experience with those areas may have more information) but I think parts are very nice - and those are just as walkable to all the Fan/Carytown businesses as most of the Fan/MD.

gregir · 04-02-2015, 10:43 AM

I would also recommend the airbnb alternative as well. The hotels nearest are in the more downtown area and the ones on Broad and Midlothian are not nice. I think those would be the closest. I remember seeing some really nice deals and cool places on airbnb in the fan and a few in the Westover hills area. We have our home in white hall va. (near cville) listed on airbnb and it works well. If you have to use a hotel would look for a better brand near a business center like glen allen. They tend to be basic but clean and safe.