My wife and I have lived there twice in the past six years.

We are in Groton, CT, now and will be relocating to HR in the summer.

Trying to get a picture of the housing situation.

Not sure if we are going to rent or buy.

Thanks for the help!

4/2/2011 7:26:19 PM

Well if you've already been there you know to stay the hell out of norfolk, newport news, p-town, and many parts of va beach. Chesapeake is livable.

Rent was high last I checked, compared to here in Raleigh. I was paying 1280 for a 2 BR apartment, plus util (but it was a nice place in a good neighborhood). That was back in 09 though.

Sorry you have to go back to such an awful area If Jersey is the asshole of the world, Norfolk is the shitstained taint.

4/2/2011 7:34:24 PM

Everything that has been said in this thread is completely accurate, legally speaking.

I will prioritize with the best information I can bring to the table.
1) First and foremost.... Sorry you're in the Navy. HR is a shithole and you know the divorce rate will inevitably follow with the same guarantee that rifraff will jack your car stereo
2) You've got great advice from Donny.
3) expect 3+ hr wait in traffic going anywhere for any reason - don't believe me? follow 511hamptonroads on twitter http://twitter.com/511hamptonroads and you'll see wonderful gems like "Delay: EB On I-64 at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel East in Hampton. 0 lanes closed. Delay 2 mi.8:41PM" - yeah that's right zero lanes closed and traffic is a parkinglot consistently as surely as the divorce rate goes up and your car stereo gets jacked
4) expect to be miserable and overpaying on the rent
5) home values have gone down to their lowest level in decades, but the renters are refusing to go down on the rent
6) expect a housing allowance reduction because BAH has gone down for the first time in many years - you'll find the table to give you a good index of the price of average rent - http://www.navytimes.com/money/pay_charts/
7) try not to kill yourself, but you'll probably want to

4/3/2011 12:33:25 AM

What's your duty station going to be?

4/3/2011 1:33:59 AM

Quote :

"home values have gone down to their lowest level in decades, but the renters are refusing to go down on the rent"

If you buy a house at $500,000, and the value drops to $340,000, you're still paying $500,000. Why would you lower the rent??

4/3/2011 4:27:13 AM

BOISE

4/3/2011 9:15:02 AM

[Edited on April 3, 2011 at 10:48 AM. Reason : ]

4/3/2011 10:19:10 AM

Most areas took big hits on their tax assessments the past few years. I've read guesses that are all over place, and am most inclined to believe the ones saying the marked will decrease another 0-10% this year before stabilizing. With interest rates expected to rise, it's really not a bad time to buy if you're careful. I live on the Peninsula and just signed a contract to build a house in York County. There was plenty of cheaper options out near Ft. Eustis, but it seemed like there was too much cheap stuff for it to be a good buy. Keep in mind that all real estate is local, and that definitely applies in an area that is as much of a cluster fuck as Hampton Roads. BAH keeps area rents high, so there's no harm in looking to buy as long as you're picky about it since there are good deals to be had. Let me know if you need a recommendation for a good realtor in the VB/Chesapeake area.

4/3/2011 8:46:48 PM

My Dad has a house for rent one mile across the state line in Moyock. I can send you contact information if it's something you're interested in. It would be a decent spot if you'll be working south of Norfolk.

4/3/2011 11:49:20 PM

I'll be working in Norfolk.

Sorry.

4/4/2011 4:49:24 PM

Change of plans.

I'll now be going here:



And I'll be a WEPS, not an ENG.

4/11/2011 9:16:07 PM

Quote :

"Well if you've already been there you know to stay the hell out of norfolk, newport news, p-town, and many parts of va beach. Chesapeake is livable. Rent was high last I checked, compared to here in Raleigh. I was paying 1280 for a 2 BR apartment, plus util (but it was a nice place in a good neighborhood). That was back in 09 though. Sorry you have to go back to such an awful area If Jersey is the asshole of the world, Norfolk is the shitstained taint."

Truth.

Don't get me wrong. I had a great time when I lived in Norfolk during grad school. Met some great people. Saw some great shows. Made some awesome connections. Ate some awesome food.

But the place is a shit hole.

4/11/2011 9:22:42 PM

Yeah...I know the places.

I'm looking for the prices. Zillow is only as reliable as the people who post on it.

4/12/2011 6:43:54 PM

congrats on WEPS.

4/12/2011 7:11:53 PM

Thx. Just changed from ENG yesterday. Guy in our class got med dq'd and previous Eng job was staying on boat longer.

4/12/2011 11:05:47 PM

Thinking about purchasing in Newport News.

4/19/2011 7:10:13 PM