VHDA Homebuyer Education Class

BUYING A HOME
What is the VHDA Homebuyer Education Class?

Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority (HRHA) and Virginia Housing and Development Authority (VHDA) are in partnership to provide a free class that is designed to teach you the steps involved in purchasing a home. Topics include understanding the effect of your credit, the loan process, working with a realtor, home inspection, and budgeting. This class is beneficial to any home buyer but is a requirement to purchase an HRHA home. Call 727-1111, ext. 312 or visit http://www.vhda.com/ for details.

Does HRHA have a program to help first time buyers purchase a home?

The SPARC program provides below market rate loans (interest rate reductions) for first time homebuyers. Interest rates are 1/2% to 1% below VHDA's published First-time Homebuyer Program rates. Income limits apply. Call your lender for details.

Does HRHA provide down payment and closing cost assistance?

Due to funding, HRHA can only offer down payment assistance in limited situations. There is assistance for those that qualify (income limits apply) and are buying a home that HRHA is selling or a home that is located in the Pasture Point or Olde Hampton neighborhoods. You will have to obtain the financing (mortgage) from a lender. In most cases, in order to obtain a loan you will need stable income, good credit and not too many debts.

How much down payment assistance can I get?

Assistance is provided on an as-needed basis and depends on the house you are buying and your specific financial situation.

Where are HRHA homes built?

Our homes are built in various neighborhoods throughout the city of Hampton and can be viewed on our website at http://www.hrha.org/ .

Why do you use income limits?

These limits are determined each year by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure that homeownership funding goes to those who need it most.

What are the income limits?

Visit www.hrha.org/homesforsale.htm for current income limits. Income is based on all household members over 18 years old.

REHAB A HOME
Is there a program that can help with repairs to my home? HRHA has a home rehabilitation program for Hampton city residents that is based on household income and the equity in your home. You must also own and occupy the home as your principal residence. The goal of this program is to correct city code related issues. Call 727-1111, ext. 312 for details.

Does HRHA offer a grant to fix my home? No. Our rehab program only makes loans to cover the cost of rehabilitation. Some loans, do not have payments and, in some cases, are forgiven over a period of time.

What other programs are offered through the Community Development Department? We have a Wheelchair Ramp, Exterior Improvement and Emergency Grant program. Income limits and program guidelines apply. Call 727-1111, ext. 312 for details.

Homeownership Education Program

Need Real Answers About Homeownership?

Here's Your Starting Line.

Are you thinking about buying a home, but not sure where to start - especially in challenging economic times? VHDA's free First Time Homebuyer Class can help.

In one day of training, you'll learn the entire homebuying process from start to finish, and how to stay on track as a responsible homeowner. The class is offered in English or Spanish, in person or online. And it's free, with no obligation.

Personal Finances and Credit Reports

Role of the Lender

Working with your Real Estate Agent

Home Inspections

Closing your Mortgage Loan

Homebuyer Options

• Schedule of Homeownership Classes
• Online Classes
• Clases en español
• Household Spending Plan
• Contact Us

Please Note:
Although online classes are available, some loan programs - such as SPARC (Sponsoring Partnerships and Revitalizing Communities) and NSP (Neighborhood Stabilization Program) - require classroom training. Classroom training offers the added benefits of interactive discussion
with industry experts who can answer any questions and help you create a spending plan.

Be sure to contact the organization offering the loan program you are interested in to determine the specific homeownership education qualification requirements.

Ship's Cabin

We happened upon a good restaurant after the open house at East Beach. I had it in my mind that it would be a good time to finally try the Blue Crab, but it was closed, so as we drove up Ocean View Ave. toward our exit, we kept our eyes peeled and when we saw Ship's Cabin thought it was worth a try. It was! My friend said her NY Sirloin was really good. I ordered the Chesapeake Bay Burger - a very meaty burger topped with claw crabmeat. I ate less than half the burger. My attention was focused on the warm, crusty bread served with a plate of olive oil with a good sized mound of parmesan in the middle. I've never gotten into the idea of dipping bread into olive oil, but with the parmesan - oh my goodness! I truly made a meal off of it. We had to order a second plate of olive oil and parmesan. Carbolicious. But heart healthy. :-> And they have the most incredible homemade blue cheese dressing.

SEAFOOD ON THE BAY
GREAT FOOD MEETS GREAT ATMOSPHERE
The finest Gourmet Italian Cuisine along with the best and freshest seafood in the area. All our dishes are prepared to order and made from scratch. We offer something for everyone. We are a 9 time winner of "Best of Norfolk", and there's a reason why....come and see for yourself.
SHIP'S CABIN
4110 EAST OCEAN VIEW AVE., NORFOLK, VA 23518
757-362-0060 FAX: 757-362-0059

East Beach Holiday Home Tour

This morning, we discussed the East Beach Holiday Tour. East Beach is a planned community in the Ocean View area of Norfolk. Our company has two houses on the market there - one is a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2,200 square foot home on 28th Bay St. listed below $700k, the other a 6 bedroom, 3.5 bath, 5,900 square foot home on 25th Bay St. listed just above a million. Both houses will be open on both days. I will hold one of the houses open on Sunday, December 7th, from noon to 5 p.m.

2008 EAST BEACH HOLIDAY PORCH TOUR
DECEMBER 6TH & 7TH
The 3rd Annual Holiday Home Tour will take place on December 6th and 7th at East Beach, featuring beautifully decorated homes in the mid-Atlantic's most heralded New Urbanist waterfront community. Visitors will enjoy carriage rides, walks on the beach, entertainment, and holiday shopping at our gift gallery.

Interestingly, I picked up a copy of Chesapeake Bay today to see what creek the cover referred to, and found that the article referred to Little Creek, East Beach, and the entire Ocean View area. Here is an excerpt from the article.

Ocean View Renaissance
Little Creek and East Beach are at one end of the long stretch of shore that runs about six miles east to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. The success of East Beach is mirrored by the renaissance of the entire stretch, known as Ocean View.

Anyone who grew up in Hampton Roads remembers Ocean View, or at least the stories their parents used to tell. The “Atlantic City of the South” had luxury hotels, beach cottages, movie theaters, drug stores with soda fountains and, most memorable of all, an amusement park. You could take the trolley to Ocean View Station from downtown Norfolk and spend the day riding the merry-go-round, the Ferris wheel, the “Skyrocket” roller coaster, bumper cars and dozens of other rides. You could bathe in the beautiful Chesapeake, dance at the hotels, listen to concerts or buy an ice cream cone from Dumar’s.
Old Ocean View flourished for half a century, then died as seedy neighborhoods and motels moved in after World War II. But about 15 years ago, the turnaround began. And now memories are being cherished and revived. In March, in the new Pretlow Branch of the Norfolk Public Library (another example of the Ocean View revival) the Ocean View Station Museum opened. The museum (757-531-0445; www.ovsm.org) is decorated with dozens of black-and-white photographs from the town’s heyday and includes, as its centerpiece, a restored roller coaster car.

When I was a little kid, the only thing left of the Ocean View this article talks about was the amusement park. One of my favorite old family pics is of me and my cousin as toddlers riding a merry-go-round at Ocean View while my mom stands off to one side, her arm and her handbag visible in the picture, my cousin looking gleeful on his horse. The park was demolished in 1979 and I think closed way before that. I have no real memories of it; I was so young when we went that the picture is the only way I know I was there. I still like Ocean View, as it is a locals beach just like Buckroe. Last December, I took a walk on the beach and ran into a very friendly little golden retriever and his temporary owner - a man wearing a blue work uniform, who said the puppy was a soon-to-be Christmas gift for his grandson. One afternoon in May, I drove over to Ocean View just b/c I felt like driving across the bridge - it's about 15 minutes from Hampton - and wanted to check out a taqueria I'd read about (we've since gotten some taquerias on the Peninsula). I checked out the new Pretlow library and enjoyed the museum stuff, which I took pics of but never posted. And last month, I went to the Chesapeake Bay Art Association's 46th Annual Outdoor Art Show in OV. The OV "revival" has been happening for awhile; there have been million dollar beach homes interspersed with the seedy motels the article talks about for awhile now. The community of East Beach is farther down towards Little Creek, set off from the street, more of a separate community.

View Larger Map
The East Beach Holiday Porch Tour is sponsored by the Hope House, which also sponsors the Stockley Gardens Art Festival, which I finally went to back in May.

East Beach and Hope House Foundation invite you to capture some holiday spirit during the East Beach Holiday Porch Tour on Dec. 6 and 7. The event is free and open to the public. Hours are Saturday noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The porches along the avenues of East Beach will be lit and decorated for the holidays. Everyone is invited to enjoy a walking tour or a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh ride through the neighborhood along with music, carolers and Santa. Plus, there are plenty of children’s activities in Santa’s workshop. The festivities start at 4487 Pleasant Avenue and wind through the neighborhood to the Bay Front Club, where you can get a head start on holiday shopping at the Holiday Gift Gallery. It will be filled with local artisans and specialty shops selling one-of-a-kind gifts and home décor items. The East Beach Holiday Porch Tour brings people from all over Hampton Roads to enjoy entertainment and southern hospitality. Neighbors will serve hot chocolate and refreshments from the porches and other refreshments will be available from local vendors. East Beach is situated on 100 acres along the Chesapeake Bay in Norfolk. Surrounded by water, the neighborhood is fashioned after classic Southeastern seaboard coastal villages. The master plan for this $400 million development includes 700 residences, neighborhood restaurants, boutique shops, a Bay Front Club and offices. Public space, walking paths and bay front greens enhance the vistas and create open spaces for the beachfront community. Boating, fishing and water sports of all types are steps away from the neighborhood. East Beach is a unique initiative between the developers, East Beach Company LLC, the City of Norfolk and Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority.

427 Smiley Road

Where in the World is Hampton Roads?

The state of VA is shaped roughly like a right angle triangle. At the very tippy top of the state is Leesburg, which, technically, is in the northernmost part of the state. Leesburg is at a crossroads of sorts, near the W. VA line 34 miles south of Harper's Ferry, MD and 38 miles east of Winchester, VA, which is also very near a state border. In spite of its location, Leesburg & Winchester are not what people are talking about when they are talking about Northern VA, or NoVA. The metro DC part of Northern VA stretches from the Dulles area (Sterling, Herndon, & Reston), which is roughly 15 miles south of Leesburg and 30 miles northeast of DC, so still rather far out for the metro area, to Fredericksburg, VA, 58 miles south of Washington, DC. Fredericksburg is really an outlying suburb, as you can see from the map, and the fact that it's 58 miles from DC. On the map, you can see where Arlington & Alexandria, close-in VA suburbs, look quite far away from Fredericksburg and Charlottesville. In fact, though Fredericksburg is considered an outlying part of NoVA, it is only 57 miles north of Richmond, the state's capitol.

Ok, so we've covered the tippy top part of the state down to Richmond, which is in central VA. No mountains, no sea. Richmond lies on the fall line, the place where rivers run over rocks and cities spring up. The fall line is the dividing line between the soft, sandy soil of the Coastal Plain to the east and the mountainous areas to the west. So though Richmond is not technically in the middle of the state, it also represents a crossroads of sorts, a geographical one.

At the very bottom corner of the state lies Hampton Roads. Just as NoVA is neighbors with Maryland, HR is neighbors with mostly rural and coastal parts of North Carolina and the Eastern Shore. The very bottom of Virginia Beach & Chesapeake butts up with North Carolina. From the Peninsula, you can go to small coastal NC cities like Elizabeth City and small inland country-setting towns like Ahoskie in less than 2 hours.

Culinary sidenote: I haven't been to Ahoskie, but I have family members who take jaunts to get the very delicious and unique NC country sausage sold there. For many years I didn't like it, but they finally happened upon a less salty brand that I love. When I was on the New Stories tour, we had dinner at the Piedmont. I had sausage and polenta, and that's when it clicked for me - I could tell the sausage was NC sausage by its texture, but that was the first time I understood how good it could be when done well, with good cuts of meat, herbs, and not oversalted. Good stuff!

Hampton Roads is cut through and surrounded by water, and is as far south and as far east as one can go in the state (except for the Eastern Shore). Richmond is one hour to the west - remember, this is where the land changes from coastal to the fall line and gradually becomes mountainous. The James is a tiny sliver in Richmond, as it flows over rocks and downstream into Newport News and into the Hampton Roads Harbor, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of sitting on huge rocks in Richmond watching the James river swirl around you, you are standing next to the James, or Hampton Roads, or the Chesapeake Bay, or the Atlantic, watching pleasure boaters and huge container ships pass and huge ships standing still at the shipyards.

So Richmond is one hour to the northwest. At this crossroads, you can take 95 north for 2 more hours to DC, or stay on 64 West for another hour into Charlottesville. At this point, you are really getting into mountain territory. You can see mountains in the near distance, and within 30 minutes to another hour, can be on the top of one in Wintergreen. I-81 runs along the western side of the state from the mountainous north, near W.VA & MD, to the mountainous south - Appalachia, near Tennessee.

Since the state is shaped like a triangle, it gets wider as one travels from north to south. So basically, it would take me longer to get from Hampton Roads in the far southeast to the farthest southwestern part of the state than it would to get to NYC. Both trips would take me to an entirely different world. Appalachia is as different from coastal VA as are the huge Gothic structures in Manhattan (love that architecture). I saw a contestant on some reality show from Coeburn, VA. I looked it up and found that it was in the far southwestern part of the state. Slightly farther, almost as far west as you can go is Wheeler, VA, which is 487 mi – about 8 hours 5 mins from Hampton, VA. New York City is 402 mi – about 6 hours 57 mins (up to 8 hours 20 mins in traffic). In other words, the bottom of the triangle is as long as it looks, and the middle is pretty wide too. When I went to the VA Festival of the Book at UVA, a bookstore owner asked me where I was from. I told him, and he said, "Oh, you're from out east," and winked at me.

So if you're looking for mountains, check out Roanoake, Nelson County, Harrisonburg, or any other city along I-81. Or come see us out at the coast!

Sold in 3 Days!

I had three closings in September! Or rather, three of my clients had September closings. I helped two clients purchase homes and one client sell - the home sold in three days. Condos and townhomes tend to sell more quickly than detached homes, and this one was no exception, except that it sold even more quickly than is the norm. And this in a "slow market." Hampton Roads' home market and economy tend to be protected by the military presence - there are always folks buying and selling. Not only do our home values not have the extreme highs and lows seen in other areas, such as NYC or LA, our market does not even reflect the situation in Northern VA. The biggest shift in value happened when many Hampton Roads properties doubled in value between 2003 and 2005, but the much publicized recent national drop in values that has affected some Northern VA properties by as much as a 40% decrease in market value does not correspond to Hampton Roads, where we see many properties holding value and others dropping by say 10% at most. What does this mean? It's still a good time to buy or sell in Hampton Roads. Buyers - you can find a bargain. Sellers - be prepared to price it right, so it will sell, not sit. It's still a buyers' market, meaning that there are plenty of homes for buyers to choose from, so there is always the possibility that buyers will pass your home by for a comparable one with more updates and a more reasonable list price. The above condo is a perfect example - there was one in the same development that had been on the market before it. My listing, however, was furnished, showed well, had laminate flooring, and was priced slightly lower than the other, so my listing sold in 3 days while the other listing continued to sit.

local military bases

Here's a great map of all the local military bases from East Beach's website. They're in the smart folk crowd - fragment the .gif so it can't be lifted - you have to go to the site to see a quality version.

Wilson's Landing

Yesterday I saw a flyer advertising an open house luncheon for realtors at Wilson's Landing, a new condominium community in downtown Hampton. Several of us went over this afternoon.

I posted about Wilson's Landing back in January, while taking a walk downtown. At that time they were still being constructed. This is how they looked then.





And this is how they look now.

If you want a trilevel condo in downtown Hampton, these units might very well be for you. To the left in the photo, there is a walkway. The front doors of four units are facing each other. Going into either of the doors on the right will take you into two of the models we saw. The middle balcony where the "models open" sign is draped is the balcony of models E & C, the largest and smallest units at 2,409 and 1,961 sq feet respectively. I was confused when I went onto the balcony from the larger unit, but when I went onto the same balcony from the smaller unit and asked about it, I was told that the divider has not been constructed yet. Just to the right of where the "models open" sign is is where the 2,409 sq foot unit ends and the 1,961 sq foot unit begins. We also saw the 2,092 & 2,328 sq. ft. units.

All units have a ground floor garage. All have a great room with fireplace, a kitchen, and a half bath on the second floor. Hardwood floors in the kitchen area - we saw a light blond wood in the smallest unit and a gorgeous dark wood in the largest unit. Also on this floor, there is a separate laundry room in the larger two models, while the washer and dryer are combined with the half bath in the two smaller units. All four of these units have double doors leading out to a balcony. Units E & C's balconies face Eaton Street, and while it's not the interstate, there is some traffic. The amount of balcony space on the larger unit and the large overhang make up for it somewhat. The units with balconies facing the courtyard are a bit more serene.

On floor three, all three of the larger units have two masters, while the 1,961 sq. ft. unit has a master and a second bedroom with a hallway bathroom.

The best feature of these units, in my opinion, is the fourth floor loft. Each unit's fourth floor has a loft and a full bath, and though the size of the units differs, when I got to the fourth floor of each, I had the same feeling of space and comfort.

Floorplans & Pricing

I have to be honest though. If you were here and you told me that you wanted a new trilevel condominim or townhome on or near the water on the lower peninsula, I would take you to H2O first. I suppose I'll have to visit both again to come up with concrete reasons and a better and more specific comparison. My main reason is that H20's layout and view of Newmarket Creek appealed to me more, but that may have been influenced by the fact that all of the models were staged, whereas only one unit in Wilson Creek was staged. But while H20 has a water view, Wilson's Landing is located near the Hampton river, in restored and historic downtown Hampton. Over the past 20 or so years, this area has seen a revival. Longstanding seafood & watermen establishments like Graham & Rollins, I Cooper's, and Amory's Seafood Market co-exist with many fairly new restaurants, the VA Air & Space center, Hampton History Museum, and thriving businesses. Downtown Hampton is small, quaint, and thriving.

Wilson's Landing is adjacent to Mill Point (on the water) & Towne Creek (not on the water) townhomes. Towne Creek is visible in the photo above. You can see Mill Point behind the house in this photo. Mill Point very rarely has units for sale - only one went on the market this year, in May. It's pending as of 9/13. Towne Creek had 2 units go on the market this year. One sold in two months above list price, the other in four months at list price. So you can see that real estate in the Hampton Roads area is not quite in dire straits compared to other areas of the country. Most say the main reason this area's economy and real estate prices don't take such huge dives and jumps is due to the stabilizing presence the military has on the local economy. Between Mill Point, Towne Creek, & Syms Eaton Square (the other side of the street), there are 4 condos/townhomes currently on the market in this area: 2 one-bedrooms in Syms Eaton, at 655 sq ft. each, and two larger units in Mill Point. So Wilson's Landing is meeting a need for more/larger townhomes/condos in this area. Wait, there's another established development down Eaton St., Jonathan's Landing. There's a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath townhome in the mid 150's that just went on the market 9/4.

Another part of the area's appeal is the proximity to Mill Creek Park, which is on the Hampton River between Mill Point townhomes and the Booker T. Washington bridge, pictured above (photo courtesy of Jerry Gammon). Events such as wine festivals, the Blackbeard festival, and the Afrikan American Festival are held at this park. For larger events like Bay Days, the entire area is cordoned off for pedestrian traffic and streets are off limits to cars. It's only during festivals like this that you will see in Hampton Roads cities the pedestrian traffic that is native to larger cities. After the festival is over, it's back to suburbia - cars rule. If you like the feel of living in a small downtown with easy access to the rest of the Peninsula, less than five minutes to the HRBT and a quick jaunt to Norfolk, and the opportunity to live in the middle of downtown's block parties, you might like living in Wilson's Landing.

The event was catered by several downtown Hampton restaurants: Marker 20, Goodfellas, La Bodega (formerly The Wine Shop), The Taphouse, Queens Way Soul Cafe, and The Grey Goose.
Marker 20's crab dip was all gone when we got there, and I passed on the Texas Caviar. Goodfella's Hawaiian meatballs were awesome. La Bodega's Greek salad and the Taphouse's Mediterranean Cheese Tortellini with crab and feta were awesome. The best of the day for me. The Soulfood Cafe's fried whiting and collards were decent. The folks were the friendliest, and I've heard they have great drinks. I missed the Grey Goose's dessert.