Hi everyone - long-time lurker, first-time poster and I'm hoping you can lend us some wisdom! (If I should move this to Ask a Mustachian let me know.)
My husband and I are considering a move to Richmond, Virginia next year. We currently live in NoVA with a young son. Is there anyone familiar with the area that can lend some recommendations on affordable, enjoyable neighborhoods we should consider?
Reasons we want to move to RVA:
- Lower cost of living compared to NoVA/DC
- Close to some family and friends
- Big city with many attractions and amenities without some of the downsides of NoVA/DC (traffic, expensive housing, etc)
- Less driving for outdoor adventures
A few thoughts:
- This will be our first home purchase.
- Our jobs pay well and are fairly flexible for remote work, we expect both of us could keep our current positions if we were to move, at least in the short term. It does make it tricky planning around a commute if we'll be remote at first.
- My husband is from the area so has some stronger opinions of what are "good" neighborhoods. Yes, there are some more crime-prone areas of Richmond, but I'm trying to challenge us to be open to ideas.
- Without posting a full case study we are well on our way to our FIRE goals (no consumer debt). We don't want a house purchase to derail those goals.
- We are open to city living or suburbia if the price and nearby amenities are good (walking distance to something is important to me - grocery store, park, library, trails, etc).
Questions:
1. What are some good options for young families?
2. Which neighborhoods are bikeable or walkable to schools, grocery stores, library, trails etc?
3. Are there any areas that absolutely should not be on our list?
4. Is $200-$300k a realistic budget? My husband thinks we'll be living in a questionable area if we stick to that budget.
5. Anything unique about the RVA market we should know about?
Thank you for any words of wisdom!