Relocating for VA homestead/farmstead (Harrisonburg, Blacksburg: lease, condo, credit)

[nm9stheham]

Good post, Serious. Brings out the point that 'far from the madding crowd' means less options and conveniences. So the OP's thinking is good.... mail-order foods, find the nearest sources and yep, no 1 hour delivery! You'll need to kiss that option goodbye.

Common in many rural areas to 'go to town' 1-2 hours away every coupla weeks for what is essentially a 6-8 hour shopping trip and stock up big time.

[gemstone1]

Originally Posted by nm9stheham

Good post, Serious. Brings out the point that 'far from the madding crowd' means less options and conveniences. So the OP's thinking is good.... mail-order foods, find the nearest sources and yep, no 1 hour delivery! You'll need to kiss that option goodbye.

Common in many rural areas to 'go to town' 1-2 hours away every coupla weeks for what is essentially a 6-8 hour shopping trip and stock up big time.

Yep, I do it every 2-3 weeks. My local options are dismal, Food Lion or Walmart. I consider my shopping trips a luxury tax for the privilege of living in a small community, less than a mile from a huge, little used lake.
Within 75 miles I have access to Costco, Sprouts, Lidl, Aldi, Wegmans, specialty bakeries, Total Wine, Malls, every health care specialty, the VA Hospital, Duke University Hospital...all while living in a community of 400 people, with no traffic lights. It's a small price to pay.

[Watchful]

FYI EarthFare (mentioned above) has just opened an outlet in Christiansburg VA!

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

You'd need to get anything specialized, especially ethnic ingredients, online.

Not necessarily true, there are a few markets in the tri-cities that have a decent selection of ethnic products, though not as large or varied as those in larger cities. Fresh produce and meat in those stores is not plentiful, but during the summer you can find a bit more of a selection.

[HyndeSyte]

It’s been ~7mo since my last update so I wanted to stop by and offer one for anyone still interested.

[TLDR at bottom]
Since my last post we have kept busy. Research continued, establishing ourselves with buyer’s agents all along the I-81 corridor, and planning a visit the the area(s) we liked.

We ended up taking a two-week road trip to Virginia in April. A relatively complicated trip with 8 different stays. Visited/stayed in the NRV and Shenandoah Valley. Weather was excellent and it was an all-around excellent time away from home with the family. We visited four listings while there (in Goshen, Floyd, Pulaski, Narrows). Nothing leaped out immediately but the entire trip home was spent talking about ‘next steps’ for the move.

When we got home, we got to work establishing ourselves with brokers and finalizing a needs/wants/deal-breakers list we shared with all of our buyer’s agents (~5 relationships ongoing atm) and started sifting through properties/listings. That list has undergone several revisions since then.

That has been the status all summer, and to this day. During that period we got distracted, I’ll say, by a TN property; and discouraged a bit as interest rates climbed and we ran out of existing listings to screen for a match. I think ultimately though that those two hurdles/distractions were a boon in the long-run. We were able to cement our search area further and are no longer considering anything outside of VA; and inside of that, nothing too far East of Blue Ridge mountains. This has also been a gut check on appetite and risk due to the many factors influencing the real estate market right now.

The majority of disqualifications for listings in our price range comes from flood risk, and/or broadband access.

I feel like I live on real estate apps and the agent mls tools, but on the plus side I know almost immediately when something lists in our area with our base requirements. This is a season I’m eager to end but patient for the right thing to come along.

TLDR: Visited in April and loved it, established with brokers since May and hunting still for a homestead/farmette matching our criteria.

[HyndeSyte]

One of the areas we have been looking most recently is the Martinsville, VA and surrounding areas.

Researching online I’m finding a fair bit of caution regarding crime in that area. It looks like mostly property crimes, for whatever that’s worth.

Any feedback on that area?

Specifically we have been hunting in the Collinsville, Fieldale, Stanleytown region.

I searched saw a few threads on city-data from a decade ago, but hoping for more current feedback.

[Countryfreak]

Martinsville is not a hot bed of crime but it is also known for having more than its fair share. Personally I would keep looking which I know this is not what you want to hear. That said. When it comes to violent crime stats it often involves crimes where the bad guy and victims know each other or it could be stranger on stranger but in an environment where the chances of crimes happening can occur more often. There is a prison nearby although it is far enough away where it may present no issues.

[HyndeSyte]

Thanks “Countryfreak”. We are no stranger to ‘keep looking’. It’s been a real pressure-test of our appetite for risk and patience for the right thing.

[Countryfreak]

Originally Posted by HyndeSyte

Thanks “Countryfreak”. We are no stranger to ‘keep looking’. It’s been a real pressure-test of our appetite for risk and patience for the right thing.

That area certainly is not a bad area at all but when I scoped it out I just did not feel it was right for my wife and I. I was recruited quite a few years ago for one of the top positions in a prison not too far from Martinsville but I stayed several days to explore. Martinsville is far enough away that the prison is not a presence so don't let that scare you and I am not expert on Martinsville at all. I just did not fall in love with the area. Have you looked at all towards Dayton? Just south of Harrisonburg. Gorgeous area with beautiful country a strong old order Mennonite community. But the countryside on the west side of Dayton is so gorgeous. Of course you'll find this as well in much of western VA.

[HyndeSyte]

Our agent is visiting the Fieldale home tomorrow, to be sure, but I am feeling similarly. The area doesn't feel quite right for our family at least.

We have not specifically targetted Dayton but the Harrisonburg and surrounding area are definitely in our top areas/counties we are interested in. Broadway caught our eye.

Going much further West, any insight/feedback on Mendota, VA?