Relocate from CT- Current Job Market (Richmond, Chester: real estate market, mortgage, house)

[emmaproctor]

I've been doing alot of research on this website on Richmond and the best place to live for a young family. I have 3 young children and currently live in the North East (CT). We live in a 2500 sq. ft. house and paid over $1million for it. We live in an amazing town with top notch public schools and wonderful amenities but everything is tremendously expensive. Needless to say, we are struggling and "busting at the seams" in terms of space in the house. I was born in Richmond (Chipenham Hospital) and most of my family still lives in and around VA. We are starting to think moving back there may be a good idea as we want an easier life for our kids and want to stop working 24/7 to pay our bills and maybe have some more time with them. We like Chesterfield County (I lived there). My husband (who's from the North) is actually very open to the idea. I'm more nervous that he won't like the slower pace of the south and will people be mean to him because he's a "Yankee"? He doesn't have a NY accent and he is a sweet, kind, friendly gentle man so I can't imagine that he'd have trouble making friends but I do wonder if the whole "Yankee" thing will affect getting a job? We particularly like Highland Park and Chesdin Landing. What is the job market like there? Any salary ranges would be very helpful. We're both in real estate and morgtage industry as well as previous experience in the marketing and public relations industries.
Thanks so much for your advice and help.

[richmondpics]

Richmond's job market is strong. Most people I know can't sniff out a "yankee" without an accent, so I bet your husband will be fine You could get a much larger house in a great area of town for less than $1 million easily in Richmond. T

The marketing and public relations industries are strong in Richmond... there are some solid PR/advertising/marketing firms based in town. If you've seen the Geico Gecko and Cavemen, the UPS whiteboard commercials, and the new Wal-mart "Save money, live better" campaign then you're familiar with some of the work The Martin Agency, based in Richmond, has done. CRT/Tanaka is another large Richmond firm that handles pretty big accounts like Sprint/Nextel, Capital One, and others. There's a plethora of smaller shops in town too and the VCU Adcenter (advertising school) ranks 1st in the country. Richmond has a healthy financial services sector and as it specifically relates to the mortgage industry, LandAmerica is HQ'd in Richmond and Suntrust Mortgage has its HQ and major operations in Richmond. Richmond's real estate market tends to be slow and steady... you won't see the ups and downs of a boom/bust economy here.

Good luck!

[emmaproctor]

Thanks for the info.
I've seen that Western Henrico (Glen Allen & Short Pump?) is also a possible good option. Is this area better than Chesterfield County? I read that the schools are overcrowded. Are Chesdin Landing and The Highlands really far out away from everything? I read about that Magnolia Green Development. That won't be ready any time soon though, corroect? We don't want to spend much more than 500K.
There's also Roseland and another new development in the works. Those won't be built for some time though I assume. Does anyone have a suggestion for some Developments with the most amenities. We liked the Highlands because of the golf course but I believe that there were some others that had more amenities as well. We're going to come down in February for further investigation. We have 3 kids ages infant to 4 years old FYI.

[rklath]

Just some clarification about the area. I am a home owner in Chesdin Landing and I am very happy with the choice. The developer lives in the community and is very active in the community which is definitely a positive. As for being way out it is about 30 minutes to downtown Richmond and upto 40 minutes to the west end and to the east side of the city. My wife commutes 40 minutes daily, but it is generally a pleasant commute. I drive 35 minutes daily but it is a traffic less simple commute. As for schools overcrowding is an issue for all of the suburban areas due to recent growth. We have a 9, 7, 5 year olds in the school and have found the experience positive. As for child care we were able to find excellent care for 75 dollars a week for our youngest son within 3 miles of the development at a local church. As for the golf course it is excellent with the finest greens in the area. Typically you can tee off at any time without difficulties and often tee off at 5pm on weekday and complete 18 holes with a cart in under 2.5 hours. No problems with my boys playing on the course and the associated tournaments (club championship, member guest etc ) are excellent. The homes run from 450 up so this may be an issue. Good luck but would recommend you at least take a look at Chesdin Landing.

[postparade]

We just moved from NJ to Chestefield, VA-The Highlands. We love it there and the community amenities are great. The cost of living for us was a great change and we were able to get so much more house for less! And yes the taxes are less too! Ours on a 1,600 sq ft home in NJ were over $12,000. Plus the house itself was close to $550,000. We got a much better deal here. We are in a newer section, we joined the club with golf/fitness and in the summer we are pool members as well. I think it will be a great opportunity for us to meet people. the social interaction at the golf club is fun and we've met some peopel already. There are a lot of great deals on homes right now down here too. Good luck!

[emmaproctor]

How is the job market now? How is the housing market? Really need some info on this. Has housing & job market been affected as negatively as most other towns?

[richmondpics]

Unemployment rate is under 4% and housing isn't as bad as most areas.

[Phebe]

Hi! Check out Powhatan County for a great school system. Since Rt. 288 opened, you can drive to other areas quickly. In our neighborhood, you can get a huge, beautiful brick estate style, waterfront house, for $575.00. The school bus will probably pick your kids up at the driveway. I have no personal interest in the sale, but if you'd like to know more, send me a note! Good luck on your relocation here. If you can handle the summer weather, you'll love it!