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Warning! This reads like a rant, which it is......
I've tried very hard to keep a good attitude about the recent unwanted job xfer my husband had to take to the Martinsburg area. But after a few trips up there (from Richmond VA where we have lived for 32 yrs), reading these boards and seeing the types/prices of homes available, I am becoming very concerned. I WILL buckle down and make the best of it - I KNOW there has to be a silver lining somewhere in this! I really want it to be that we'll get to return to our lovely home state (yes, we moved to Richmond from St. Albans in 1980) to live out our golden years in somewhere peaceful and beautiful. NEVER EVER wanted to return though. How bittersweet life is sometimes.
Richmond has been a wonderful place for us to live and raise our 2 children (now adults), but at our age (50's) this move is unsettling to say the least. From what I have read and seen, we'll be dealing with urban sprawl (we are no strangers to that) only without the amenities and infrastructure that living in a large city (in a wealthy state) has provided. (There is only one Panera Bread in the whole of the EP and we have to go to Charles Town for that - seriously?) Ok, so I'm spoiled. I will learn to deal with that.
I am just upset because I had to sell my lovely circa 1937 Cape Cod style home in one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Richmond City, after 3 years of hard labor and major cash, to turn the yard and gardens into a showplace. Oh, I sold my house within 24 hours and for that I am grateful. So now I have a wad of cash to buy a replacement. Oh, but wait, the only place I have to choose from that would even begin to compare is Martinsburg City's North End and Shepherdstown. Well, I guess I'm in for a long wait in our tiny apartment in Winchester for that lovely vintage home in M-burg City. Shepherdstown's definitely out - prices are exorbitant to say the least.
A little farmette would do, only every property like that we've been to see all throughout both counties is in close proximity to trashy run-down homes with junk cars, etc. Why don't they have those inmates in that prison there clean up those lovely country roads? As for Berkeley, I was astounded to learn about the no zoning laws. But folks in Jefferson tell me that for us home-based biz owners (I'm an artist) that zoning is a double-edged sword. I feel like a sitting duck - one false move (literally) and we've made the mistake of a lifetime!
Why don't we just settle in Winchester you ask? Well, I was seriously thinking about it, or Hagerstown - both are more closely matched to Richmond - but with hub's 12 hr work day, taxes and gas prices being what they are up there - it has to be Martinsburg City or close by. And it has to have natural gas, another thing I've had here and am not willing to give up. And no HOA or New Construction - been there/done that/never again - especially not up there. Split level homes - really? That is so '70s! Yes, I'm in for a long wait.
But this has got to be it - where we retire to. Not moving again. This is the 3rd move in 10 years, each time down sizing because of necessary belt-tightening.
There HAS to be lovely property up there SOMEWHERE we can afford (under $225K) with first floor master on a lovely little piece of land - don't need much, don't want much - for my gardening. Oh, wait, I forgot - there's a deer problem, too. I won't be able to have my gardens unless I live in the City. (Or put up a large fence - sheesh!)
My wife's uncle is a retired state road commissioner for Virginia and he and his wife live in, and love Richmond. Personally, I just don't get the allure but to each his own. To me, it is just on the southern end of that DC urban sprawl rather than the western end. It is a larger city than any of the western exburbs to be sure, but there are negatives associated with that too.
Oh, Richmond is no paradise, to be sure. Just a great place for us to raise our children, compared to the Kanawha Valley, on many levels. We have been so so lucky, and I am enormously grateful for all those years of steady paychecks, full health benefits, I could go on and on. I just want to know that I am IMPROVING my living conditions by relocating to the EP, and so far I've not gotten a very warm, fuzzy feeling about it. Patience, patience! Not one of my virtues I am afraid!
(Thanks for "listening" and not taking offense. I promise I will NOT be one those tiresome "transplants". We have enough of those here in Richmond - mostly from "up north".)
Thanks for the link Katie. I've been working with an agent and she is just lovely. I could tell you every home that is on the market - reg sale and foreclosures - in the eastern panhandle that is even remotely what I am looking for - there is only one and its just a wee bit too expensive. I am considering buying down and renovating. Might be fun, that way I get a sort of "custom" home that I can afford.
You need a New agent [No Not Me LOL] There are Tons of homes for less that would fit the description you gave. Come over & Drive around! I not talking slums I talking Nice New Neighborhoods. & Older [if you like] in fantastic neighborhoods!
I just want to add that my daughter and son-in-law live in Martinsburg and work in Hagerstown, so I spend quite a bit of time there. Martinsburg is a small town but it does have character, and it is close enough to Hagerstown that most of the amenities you can't find in Martinsburg are readily available nearby.
Big city living has its own challenges. I lived in the northern NYC suburbs for years. Unless you live right in a major population hub, you still have to travel to get to the amenities. It always seemed like it was 20 minutes to half an hour to get to any place I needed to go... work, doctors visits (2 different doctors in different directions) the super market, hospital, etc. Suburban areas spread out the amenities, but are generally less congested and safer.
Warning! This reads like a rant, which it is......
I've tried very hard to keep a good attitude about the recent unwanted job xfer my husband had to take to the Martinsburg area. But after a few trips up there (from Richmond VA where we have lived for 32 yrs), reading these boards and seeing the types/prices of homes available, I am becoming very concerned. I WILL buckle down and make the best of it - I KNOW there has to be a silver lining somewhere in this! I really want it to be that we'll get to return to our lovely home state (yes, we moved to Richmond from St. Albans in 1980) to live out our golden years in somewhere peaceful and beautiful. NEVER EVER wanted to return though. How bittersweet life is sometimes.
Richmond has been a wonderful place for us to live and raise our 2 children (now adults), but at our age (50's) this move is unsettling to say the least. From what I have read and seen, we'll be dealing with urban sprawl (we are no strangers to that) only without the amenities and infrastructure that living in a large city (in a wealthy state) has provided. (There is only one Panera Bread in the whole of the EP and we have to go to Charles Town for that - seriously?) Ok, so I'm spoiled. I will learn to deal with that.
I am just upset because I had to sell my lovely circa 1937 Cape Cod style home in one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Richmond City, after 3 years of hard labor and major cash, to turn the yard and gardens into a showplace. Oh, I sold my house within 24 hours and for that I am grateful. So now I have a wad of cash to buy a replacement. Oh, but wait, the only place I have to choose from that would even begin to compare is Martinsburg City's North End and Shepherdstown. Well, I guess I'm in for a long wait in our tiny apartment in Winchester for that lovely vintage home in M-burg City. Shepherdstown's definitely out - prices are exorbitant to say the least.
A little farmette would do, only every property like that we've been to see all throughout both counties is in close proximity to trashy run-down homes with junk cars, etc. Why don't they have those inmates in that prison there clean up those lovely country roads? As for Berkeley, I was astounded to learn about the no zoning laws. But folks in Jefferson tell me that for us home-based biz owners (I'm an artist) that zoning is a double-edged sword. I feel like a sitting duck - one false move (literally) and we've made the mistake of a lifetime!
Why don't we just settle in Winchester you ask? Well, I was seriously thinking about it, or Hagerstown - both are more closely matched to Richmond - but with hub's 12 hr work day, taxes and gas prices being what they are up there - it has to be Martinsburg City or close by. And it has to have natural gas, another thing I've had here and am not willing to give up. And no HOA or New Construction - been there/done that/never again - especially not up there. Split level homes - really? That is so '70s! Yes, I'm in for a long wait.
But this has got to be it - where we retire to. Not moving again. This is the 3rd move in 10 years, each time down sizing because of necessary belt-tightening.
There HAS to be lovely property up there SOMEWHERE we can afford (under $225K) with first floor master on a lovely little piece of land - don't need much, don't want much - for my gardening. Oh, wait, I forgot - there's a deer problem, too. I won't be able to have my gardens unless I live in the City. (Or put up a large fence - sheesh!)
waiting....waiting.....waiting.....
OP ---- I would not underestimate Martinsburg's stock of vintage homes for one second. It was either last year or 2010, that '' Old House Magazine '' named Martinsburg as one of its 50 best places to purchase an old house.
I purchased an awesome little Victorian there in fantastic shape last July for under 70k. It's still very hard for me to believe it was that cheap.
As far as the town being run down.....C'mon --- it's not like you're in Detroit. It's not that bad....really. The downtown area has tons of potential that will one day be realized -- I'm sure of it.
And OP --- Not to brag one bit, but I grew up in a hamlet in California that's so wealthy, it makes Loudoun county look like a FEMA trailer court --- And Martinsburg is plenty fine for me. In fact, I really like the place...
OP --- Here is an example of a Dandy of a little house -- For chump change. It's in a fairly nice area too....
It could be that the good folks in the EP are so used-to such a vast selection of vintage homes that they actually take this resource for granted. But where I come from, the yuppies would slice your throat and kidnap your children for a home of this character - for 57k!{Price totally negotiable}
Who says anything about commuting to Tysons Corner every day -- You could work at Wal-Mart as a door greeter for the rest of your life and still afford this place....
I can see the OP's point of view, but needs to look at the bigger picture. This area has so much growth that in a few years I imagine that we will have many more ammenities then we do now. However, I think the area is spread out and that probably won't change. It isn't like Richmond where it is much more dense, but like someone else mentioned you don't have the congestion that you would in a place like richmond so getting to your destination is much easier. They always say if you don't like something to change it. Another thing, I think the OP isn't going to see the area for what it is, it seems like you love Richmond so much that you can't look past the flaws of your city. Every area has pros and cons you just need to exlore the area a little more. Use realtor.com it has just about every house for sale and is what I used when I bought my house.
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