Glenn Allen or surrounding areas? (Glen Allen, Williamsburg: fit in, renting, mortgage)

[Momofone221]

Hi everyone, my family & I are relocating this spring to the Virginia area. We just love it there. I was hoping to get some feedback from others who are more knowledgeable of the areas that we should look into. We have 3 children, 1 of which will be attending public school, so good schools are a must. We want to live in an affordable area that is close to activities for the kids, shopping and dining. A safe neighborhood. We would also like to be within a reasonable driving distance to the beach. We are ok with a small town feel as long as we are just outside of an area with a lot to do. We will be purchasing our home. A walkable town would be great, but we know that probably wouldn't fit into our budget which is around 150-180k. Glenn Allen keeps coming up in my research as well as Williamsburg. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am open to hearing about other areas too.

Thanks so much!

[sls76]

Good school assignments at that price point will be very challenging in Henrico County. Low to mid $200s is possible.

[snatale1]

Glen Allen is a great neighborhood. Safe, good schools, close to everything. It's not anywhere near the beach, so that will go back to YOUR definition of reasonable. I drive a truck for a living, so to me, it's not far at all, most people would disagree. It's a quick drive to Short Pump and the city but Glen Allen is adding so much so fast that's not even needed a lot of the time. I bought a house here 3 years ago and very happy here. $150-$180 is a little on the low side, but it can be done, you just gotta do some looking. I would also really re-evaluate your budget. You say you want to max at $180k, but for even $100 more a month, your up to a $216k mortgage! Don't forget how spread out a mortgage is! Many people don't think that out and but a house there not completely happy with or in an area that they regret later.

[Momofone221]

Thank you for all your input. Two hours from the beach isn't a deal breaker for us, especially if we move somewhere with a community pool. Financially, we could go up to 200k, but we are hoping to find a forclosure or good deal. We are planning on renting in the meantime, so we don't have to rush. I've been looking on zillow for home prices and to get an idea of how much taxes will be. Is that an accurate source? This is our first time moving out of state, so any advice would be great.

[burtonrider3889]

Originally Posted by Momofone221

Thank you for all your input. Two hours from the beach isn't a deal breaker for us, especially if we move somewhere with a community pool. Financially, we could go up to 200k, but we are hoping to find a forclosure or good deal. We are planning on renting in the meantime, so we don't have to rush. I've been looking on zillow for home prices and to get an idea of how much taxes will be. Is that an accurate source? This is our first time moving out of state, so any advice would be great.

Zillow should be fine to pull the taxes as long as it's pulling the information from the County website. You can actually click a link on Zillow above the tax info to look up the house on the actual County website to confirm it has the correct assessment in there. Just watch the Zestimates. Those can be way off.

Glen Allen will be tough in your price point for certain schools. One of the best bang for your bucks right now I think is Magnolia Ridge. It just got put into new school districts (Glen Allen and Hungary Creek) which are very desirable, but you can still buy in there in the $200's.