Smithfield, Williamsburg, & Surry County

In April of 2008, my best friend Jesse was here to present at a conference at the College of William & Mary. After the conference, we headed over to Food for Thought, a Williamsburg restaurant I had "discovered" fairly recently.

After perusing the menu, I ended up ordering the exact same thing I'd ordered the first time. And it was *just as good.* The only issue was that the squash casserole was a bit salty. The jerk chicken breast with mango salsa and the sweet potato fries were just as delectable.

Jesse ordered a creme brulee that he is *still* talking about. In fact, weekend before last, we were at Richmond's Strawberry Street cafe, and he ordered creme brulee, trying to get that Food For Thought experience. Umm, umm, umm.

We hung around on campus a bit, Michael and I taking pictures.

We headed over to the Jamestown ferry, which neither of the fellas had been on. I had been on it once, in 2006. I went one weekend with some buddies to the Williamsburg winery. Later, I reflected that I'd heard my aunt and uncle talk for years about riding that ferry, and I thought it was high time that I took a ferry ride, since I'd *never* taken one, though I've lived surrounded by water for much of my life. I went back the next weekend and took it. That 2006 ride was lovely. Here we are waiting in line to board the Pocahontas.

We watched some W&M students pose for pics in front of us.

We got off on the Surry County side of the James River, where you may recall, in 2006, I encountered the "redneck hot tub" and turned back around to return to the more populated side of the river. Hampton Roads is a hodge-podge of medium to large cities, including the largest city in VA (VA Beach) as well as small towns like Poquoson, Smithfield/Surry, and Gloucester. As I spend 95% of my time in the more populated cities of Hampton, Newport News, & Norfolk, I will admit to holding some of the same preconceptions about the less populated areas than many "city folk." This visit to Surry, my first really, and the several jaunts across the James to Smithfield that I've taken since then, have changed that perception. I actually quite like it "over there."

This time, when we got to the long winding 2-lane road, my buddies and I kept going.

The redneck hot tub had been sold or withdrawn from the market - it was nowhere in sight. We arrived at the Surrey House in no time. This restaurant is the main tourist draw for traveling across the ferry. No nouvelle southern/international cuisine like Food for Thought, they serve down home non-pretentious food; that I expected. But I wasn't prepared for how good it would be or how friendly the people would be. I have written before about how "up south" hospitality is not quite the same as Deep South hospitality. I have heard complaints from Deep South, Northern, and International transplants who came to VA expecting small town deep south hospitality and got a rude (pun intended) awakening. It's normal to me, but I never notice or think about it until I go to a place like the Surrey House.

Between the 3 of us, we ordered "from the barnyard," "from the waters surrounding Virginia," homemade soup, and from the gardens of Virginia.

Smithfield & Surry are the peanut and ham capital of the area. This is the only area that serves peanut soup, which I had never tasted. I heard that it was an acquired taste, and after tasting my sample, would agree. Totally didn't work for me. My meal, however, did.

I ordered chicken with mushrooms and onions, and tried the stewed tomatoes and apple fritter, the latter on the menu as both a side and a dessert. Oh. My. God. They were so sick of me going on about those tomatoes and that fritter. And the bread...

Oh this bread. Something between a roll and a biscuit, delectably light and flaky. The pictures don't do it justice.

Jesse ordered steak and Michael, ham. They enjoyed theirs as well.

Though I enjoyed Surry last spring, I had only been to Smithfield once since returning to Hampton Roads in 2002. Surry & Smithfield are on the same piece of land, Surry farther north up the James, across from Jamestown, Smithfield farther south, across the bridge from Hampton/Newport News.

I kept seeing Bloom grocery stores in VA Beach and Williamsburg, and was curious to see if this could be a substitute for Whole Foods. After reading online that there was a Bloom in Carrollton, 11 miles away from home, I drove over the James River Bridge (JRB) to check it out. Substitute for Whole Foods? Not. Farm Fresh is still tops locally. This trip did not make me comfortable with "that side" of the James. Driving across, the land looks much like the settlers must have seen it, like the land looks as you approach the Eastern Shore from Virginia Beach. Untrammeled. Unsettled. This was a little spooky for me in the evening, so I wasn't inspired to go back.

But in September, I headed over to show some land in Isle of Wight County. The first plot was not in close in Carrollton, nor was it a little farther out in Smithfield proper. It was out in Zuni. Took me a good 40, 45 minutes from the office.


As you can see, there is a lot of land out here.
*crickets*

I showed some more land closer in toward Smithfield proper, then headed down Smiths Neck Rd toward the intersection of Rescue Rd, where the small town of Rescue is located. You can see the James behind this house.

Here is the Rescue post office.

Rounding another corner, I crossed a sliver of water, and saw a restaurant on a marina in the near distance.

It was around the next bend where I received the shock of my life. To my left, zebras, mules, and ostriches, Oh My!

To my right, a field of cotton!

The only place I had ever seen cotton in Hampton Roads is a field deep in southern Virginia Beach, far from where the tourists go, going towards Pungo, which still holds much of the rural, agricultural flavor of what was Va Beach before development. Kind of ironic that the most populated local city was the only one I knew of with a cotton field. We also pass cotton fields on the Eastern Shore, which is kinda sort of part of Hampton Roads, but not really, as the toll to cross the CBBT is $12 each way, which does not encourage many folks to commute. All other Hampton Roads crossings are free, though there used to be a toll for the HRBT back in the day.

As you can see, I stopped and *picked some cotton*!

My grandmother, on every trip to her hometown in southern GA, used to bring home a cotton boll, a reminder of her agricultural heritage. We'd watch it wither in the house as the days passed. On trips to the nearby Eastern Shore and to 12 hours away Southern GA, we'd pass fields of crops. On one memorable trip to GA, all of us got out of our cars and walked down the rows of a huge field with my grandmother and great-aunt. They told us that those were the types of fields they used to work, as the children of sharecroppers. We touched living, edible food, and listened to Gramma and Irene reminisce. Driving across the Eastern Shore, Gramma would eye the fields of corn and lament, "They didn't get it all! There's still some left on the stalk!" Mom would point out the huge crop machines and the fact that since many crops are no longer picked by hand, there is much waste, as a machine cannot pick like a human hand. The wasted crops bothered my grandmother. Hands do not make this kind of waste.

Traveling down Battery Park Road and onto Church Road, I again crossed the Pagan River (yes, that's its name), where I passed Smithfield Station. While I stopped to take a picture, I was approached by a police officer. My heart began to thump and I steeled myself for a confrontation. The ruddy faced officer approached. "Are you alright?" He asked. "You know where you're going?" I assured him that I did; he smiled and went back to his car and I went on my way, pleased to be in Smithfield.

Church street takes you right onto Main Street & downtown Smithfield, where you can buy lunch and/or ice cream at this shop. I had a scoop of some delicious, german chocolate I think, ice cream. I know I had a sugar headache for hours and it was well worth it.

I passed the Schoolhouse Museum, which I'd only read about.

And St. Luke's church, which I'd also read about. (I've done a lot of reading and quite a bit of blogging about local history on my personal blog).


On the way home, I spotted folks fishing alongside the JRB. Couldn't tell you how I got such a level shot while driving.

The only time I had been to Smithfield other than these visits was back in the day when I'd ride over in pitch black darkness with my friend to pick her future husband up from his night shift at the pork processing plant.

I enjoyed myself so much, I went back the next day with a friend. We drove over to Smithfield, then up to Surry, where we ate at the Surrey House. On the way, we passed the plant, which brought back memories, as well as the Smithfield Little Theatre. I ordered the same side dishes as my first visit, and they were just as good. After dinner we took the ferry to Williamsburg and drove back down I-64 to Hampton.



View Larger Map
It's cool to now feel like I know Smithfield/Carrollton/Surry/Isle of Wight in the daytime, and it's a friendly place. Since September, I've been back three times: once for a meeting at the planned community of Eagle Harbor in Carrollton, on a weekend to check out the nature trail at Nike/Carrollton park, after which I stopped at a local store and purchased a lamp made from Himalayan salt crystals, and another time to show a house, after which I went back to Main Street, and this time visited the Peanut Shop/Smithfield Ham Shoppe, where I bought some delicious jalapeno flavored Hot Southern Nuts and some Wasabi Nuts. Really good stuff. The number of flavors was mind boggling. I really don't think they're all here on this site. I never thought I'd say it, but Smithfield has started to feel like home.

Want to buy or sell a home or land in the Smithfield/Carrollton/Surry/Isle of Wight area? Email me at athreatt@greggarrettrealty.com or call me at 757-879-5830.

Southall Landing - Hampton

Southall Landing is a community of waterfront townhomes in East Hampton, VA. These photos are of a 4-level townhome in Southall that I previewed back in July of 2008. The clubhouse and marina are located on the Chesapeake bay with deep water access and boat docks. There are 4 decks in this property, including a top floor crows nest, providing totally unobstructed views of the Salt Ponds & Southall Marina. Attached garage. A boater's paradise. Though this unit is sold, there are twelve 1-4 bedroom units available today, listed between 190,000 and 458,000.

My photos are mainly of the view. The master is on the third floor, and there's a crow's nest on the fourth. This 3 bedroom, 2 and a half bath, 2,323 square foot unit sold for $360,000.

View from the jetted tub in the third floor master.


View from the master bedroom deck.


View from the crow's nest, which has a wet bar.


Here you can see the houses at Buckroe Beach (on the Chesapeake Bay) on the other side of the marsh from the crow's nest.

Entire Set
For more information about homes in Hampton, VA, email me at athreatt@greggarrettrealty.com or call me at 757-879-5830.

East Beach to Southall Landing.

View Larger Map

Ready to buy in as market bottoms out

Ready to buy in as market bottoms out

By Veronica Chufo
247-4741

March 9, 2009

NEWPORT NEWS — At a time when most people are holding back from big purchases, Marqi Blount is looking to buy a home.

"It seems like a good time to buy," said Blount, who works in computer-aided design for Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard. "If home prices are eventually expected to increase — getting in on the bottom of the market, I could get some equity."

The U.S. economy is grinding to a halt, in what's expected to be the longest recession since World War II and the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Nationally, consumer confidence in February dropped to the lowest since the Conference Board started tracking it in 1967, after about 598,000 people lost jobs in January and 651,000 in February. Consumers are pocketing, rather than spending, their money.

This region has been spared the worst of the downturn, but many potential homebuyers are sitting on the fence. They're afraid to commit to a big purchase if they might lose their job in coming months as the economy tries to right itself, some local real estate agents have said. That's what's keeping one of Tim Jasper's clients from buying a house right now, said Jasper, an agent with Teagle Realty in Newport News.

But for Blount, it's different.

"I feel secure in my ability to keep my job," the 29-year-old said. "I don't really have any concerns."

Low interest rates and a selection of lower-priced homes seem to be drawing first-time homebuyers like Blount to the market, said Jasper, Blount's agent. About 43 percent of the homes sold on the Peninsula so far this year went for between $100,000 and $200,000, Jasper said.

Military families, too, are buying homes, and they don't have to come up with a down payment and can finance their funding fee if they get a Veterans Affairs loan, he said. They might not even have to pay closing costs — often paid by sellers in this market, Jasper said.

Corporate employees transferring into the area are also looking to buy, said Tim Churchwell, a real estate agent with Prudential Towne Realty in Smithfield.

It seems as if the homebuying freeze is beginning to thaw, he said. "There have been a lot of buyers out there.

"Housing prices are stabilizing. They're realizing, hey, you're never going to time the bottom of a bad market. They can find nice homes that they've been waiting on for quite a while."

Blount, who grew up in Newport News, is spending $740 a month for an apartment in Portsmouth. He's looking for a house in Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk or Portsmouth for up to $200,000. A mortgage will likely cost him about $1,250 a month, he said. But unlike rent — which can go up — a mortgage payment would stay about the same, he said.

Blount considered buying before, in 2006, as the real estate market was leveling off from its furious climb. He wasn't paid as well then and didn't have a strong credit score, so he suspended his search.

Now he thinks that he might get a better deal than he would have in 2006. The median price of homes that sold in January in Newport News was $169,950, down 10.6 percent from January 2007's median of $190,000, according to statistics from the Real Estate Information Network. The median is where half of homes sell for more and half for less.

But Blount will have to front some money for a down payment. No-money-down loans were easy to come by in the mid-2000s housing rush, but that's not so anymore, Jasper said. And credit scores are being more closely scrutinized than they were a few years ago, he said. He's working with three other clients to straighten out their credit so they can buy, he said.

On a recent afternoon, Blount looked at four houses. First was a two-story 1,382-square-foot house in Newport News with an asking price of $192,500 — about $30,000 above its city-assessed value.

"It's OK," Blount said.

Jasper said, "I picked up from Marqi when he says, 'OK,' it means 'No.'"

Scratch that one from the list.

Next was a two-story down the street with 2,117 square feet and an asking price of $189,900. Better, Blount said.

Option three was 1,500-square-foot trilevel in Hampton for $189,900. It came with wood floors, a built-in stove and a screened back porch. "Yeah, I like this one," Blount said.

The last stop was another trilevel in Hampton. It covered 1,560 square feet and was listed for $192,000.

"Give me the thumbs-up or the thumbs-down," Jasper said.

"Thumbs down."

It's the 14th house that Blount has visited since he started looking in January. The third one he saw that afternoon was promising, he said. He'll think about it.

The last time that he liked a place, he thought about it too long, though. It had languished on the market for months, and then someone else put an offer on it before Blount did.

"I didn't pull the trigger fast enough," he said.

"I think things are heating up a little bit," Jasper said, "because that stuff hasn't happened in months."

Ready to buy a home?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Web site offers tips for potential homebuyers at www.hud.gov/buying/

$15,000 Tax Credit Amendment Approved by U.S. Senate

The $7,500 Tax Credit for First-Time Home Buyers, which is really a no-interest loan, as it must be repaid, is being replaced by a $15,000 tax credit which does not have to be repaid, added as an amendment to the pending economic stimulus bill. In addition, the tax credit no longer applies only to first-time home buyers, but to anyone buying a primary residence during a one-year period.

2/5/2009 - Tax Credit Amendment Approved by the U.S. Senate (from NAR)

Last evening, the United States Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan amendment, offered by REALTOR® Champions, Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) to the Economic Stimulus Bill creating a $15,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase a home in the next year.

Specifically, the Isakson-Lieberman amendment to the pending economic stimulus bill would provide a direct tax credit to any homebuyer who purchases any home. The amount of the tax credit would be $15,000 or 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less. Purchases must be made within one year of the legislation’s enactment, and the tax credit would not have to be repaid.

The amendment would allow taxpayers to claim the credit on their 2008 income tax return. It also seeks to prevent misuse by only allowing purchases of a principle residence and by recapturing the credit if the home is sold within two years of purchase.

Read more>

Comparison chart: current law/H.R. 1/senate amendment> (PDF: 218K)

Senate Adds $15,000 Home-Buying Tax Credit to Stimulus Bill (from U.S. News & World Report)

February 05, 2009 11:26 AM ET Luke Mullins Permanent Link Print

The Senate on Wednesday approved an amendment to the economic stimulus package that would provide a tax credit of as much as $15,000 to anyone buying a primary residence during a one-year period. The measure, introduced by Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia, would reportedly add $19 billion to the already-massive stimulus package.
Here's the release from Isakson's office:

The U.S. Senate today unanimously approved an amendment by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to stimulate the nation’s declining housing market by offering a $15,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase a home in the next year.

“It is time to fix America’s problem, not throw money at the symptoms. It is time to fix housing first. It is rare that we have a road map to success in times of difficulty, but this country has once before realized a housing crisis every bit as bad as the one we have today and economic troubles every bit as dangerous,” Isakson said. “We have a pervasive housing problem, and we have a historical precedent that works. I am proud this Senate has joined together, learned from history and repeated a method that worked by adopting this amendment.”

Specifically, Isakson’s amendment to the pending economic stimulus bill would provide a direct tax credit to any homebuyer who purchases any home. The amount of the tax credit would be $15,000 or 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less. Purchases must be made within one year of the legislation’s enactment, and the tax credit would not have to be repaid.
The amendment would allow taxpayers to claim the credit on their 2008 income tax return. It also seeks to prevent misuse by only allowing purchases of a principal residence and by recapturing the credit if the home is sold within two years of purchase. The amendment would sunset the current $7,500 housing tax credit on the date of enactment.

Isakson has pushed hard for a non-repayable tax credit for homebuyers because he knows that it will work. In the mid-1970s, America faced a similar housing crisis when a period of easy credit and loose underwriting flooded the market with new construction. Interest rates rose, the economy slowed and America was left with a three-year supply of vacant homes. Congress responded by passing a $2,000 tax credit for anyone purchasing a new home for their principal residence. Isakson believes the results were clear and swift as home values stabilized, housing inventory dropped and the market recovered.

Last year, Isakson introduced legislation to specifically target those homes that were causing the unprecedented increase in housing inventory by offering tax credits to individuals purchasing a foreclosed home or a home where foreclosure is pending. In April 2008, the Senate passed legislation to stimulate the nation’s declining housing market that included Isakson’s proposal. However, the final version of the legislation that was signed into law included only a $7,500 tax credit for first-time homebuyers that must be repaid over a 15-year period. Isakson’s amendment that passed today would sunset that $7,500 tax credit.

Isakson spent more than three decades in the real estate business, beginning his business career in 1967 when he opened the first Cobb County, Ga., office of a small, family-owned real estate business, Northside Realty. Isakson later served as president of Northside for 20 years, presiding over the company’s growth into the largest independent residential real estate brokerage company in the Southeast and one of the largest in America.

Isakson has not made a decision regarding his vote on the overall economic stimulus legislation.

The $15,000 Home Buying Tax Credit: 6 Things to Know
February 06, 2009 03:15 PM ET Luke Mullins Permanent Link Print

A number of readers have written in asking for details about the home buyer tax credit amendment that was recently added to the Senate version of the economic stimulus package. The provision, introduced by Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia, would provide a tax credit of as much as $15,000--or 10 percent of the home's price tag, whichever is less--to anyone buying a primary residence during a one-year period beginning on the date of enactment. After reading through your questions, here's a list of six things to know about the amendment.

1. I recently bought a home and qualified for the $7,500 new home buyer tax credit. Should this provision become law, would I qualify for it well? The short answer is no, says Rob Dietz, an economist for the National Association of Home Builders. "The effective date of the…amendment is the date of enactment," Dietz says. "So if you've already completed a purchase, you would not be qualified for the new program."

2. Isakson's press release reads: "The amendment would sunset the current $7,500 housing tax credit on the date of enactment." What does the term "sunset" mean there? In this context, the term "sunset" means that the $7,500 new home buyer tax credit would be supplanted by the proposed $15,000 credit, which applies to all home purchases--not just new homes. "If you are operating under the $7,500 [credit], that's the one you [have]," says Joan Kirchner, Sen. Isakson's Deputy Chief of Staff. "Then, from the date of enactment forward, the new one takes over and nobody else gets the old $7,500 [credit]."

3. What are the odds of this provision becoming law? The $15,000 home-buying provision is a component of the massive--and increasingly controversial--economic stimulus package. The House of Representatives has already passed its version of the stimulus bill, and the White House is putting pressure on the Senate to do the same. However, the size of the package--which now totals more than $900 billion--has prompted some Republic Senators to try and slash provisions to lower the tab. Still, Kirchner argues that the $15,000 tax credit enjoys strong support from the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders, and will remain in the stimulus bill that is signed into law. "Because of the way that it was adopted--unanimously, they didn't call a roll call vote because both sides agreed to accept it--this provision is in," Kirchner says. Scott Talbott, senior vice president of government affairs at the Financial Services Roundtable, also predicted that the amendment would make it into the final package. "It’s a targeted solution that will address housing as well as taxpayers--both of which need help," he said.

4. Does this tax credit need to be paid back? Nope. That's a key distinction from the $7,500 first-time home buyer credit, which was "actually a 17-year repayment, which translates into a no-interest loan," Dietz says.

5. Is there an income limit or any other restrictions on participation? The tax credit would be limited to primary residences and does not come with an income restriction, Kirchner says. "You must occupy [the property] for at least two years as your primary residence," she says. It applies to "any home, meaning a condo, a house, foreclosed, new, [or] previously owned."

6. Can I take the credit during tax year 2008? Yes, says Chris Cook, a legislative assistant to Sen. Isakson. Even if you buy a home in 2009, the provision would enable you "to file your taxes as if you purchased your home on December 31 of 2008," he says.

From a blog:

$7,500 Tax Credit for First-Time Home Buyers

I’ve been hearing a lot about this new $7,500 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which is part of the newly passed 2008 American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Act. Is it as great as it sounds?

A new website has been put up with more information about this tax credit. Curiously, the fact that this “credit” has to be paid back over the next 15 years (or when you sell) is conveniently left out of the “At A Glance” section, and you have to scroll down to question #15 in their Frequently Asked Questions to learn about the repayment terms. Did I mention the site was created by the National Association of Home Builders? No way would they want to mislead potential home buyers, right?

To qualify, you must close on your new house between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009. A good summary of this tax credit interest-free loan is in this Fortune article:

The “first-time home buyer credit” is a temporary refundable, repayable tax credit equal to 10% of the purchase price of a home, up to $7,500 for singles and married couples filing jointly. (Singles who buy a house together get only $3,750 each, as do married couples filing their tax returns separately.) [...]

But the way the credit works, it’s actually more like an interest-free loan. Two years after you claim this credit, you have to start paying it back. The payback comes over 15 years in 15 equal installments–meaning you owe an extra $500 on your tax return each year. Sell your house, and you have to pay the rest back that year from your profits. (No profits, no pay back. Also, if you die, your heirs are off the hook.)

The allowed credit starts being reduced once a single has $75,000 of modified adjusted gross income, or once a couple has $150,000 of income. The credit goes away entirely at $95,000 for singles and $170,000 for couples.

The justification behind a $7,500 interest-free loan is that it is supposed to ease the “pain” of having to come up with closing costs and a downpayment. But wait… Wasn’t the housing bubble caused in part by people being tempted into buying houses they couldn’t really afford because they didn’t need to first save up for closing costs or a downpayment? I find it ironic that our choice of “buyer assistance” is even more easy lending.

Now, of course I would still grab this tax “credit” if I was going to buy a house anyway. I’d happily take a 0% interest loan on $7,500 for any period. But why not just give us something simple and straightforward, like a check for $1,000? My guess is that the phrase “$7,500 tax credit” works better to pacify angry citizens.