Where in Virginia Do Real Estate Professionals Advise People to Make Their Home?

While the Old Dominion is a fantastic place to visit any slope time of year, it also makes for a wonderful place to call home (or a second home) thanks to its quaint towns, wealth of historical sites, idyllic vineyards, award-winning wineries, lakes, national parks, and beach resorts. Northern Virginia's closeness to the nation's capital has made it a desirable location for recent college graduates looking for work in the federal government or the private sector.

A reduced cost of living, good institutions, and a thriving hospitality sector have made Richmond one of the state's fastest-growing communities during the last two years. If the hustle and bustle of the state's major cities isn't your thing, there are plenty of smaller towns close to Shenandoah National Park and Great Falls Park where you can enjoy the outdoors at a more relaxed pace. Margaret Wade, a real estate salesperson with Long & Foster, has observed, "Richmond is the perfect sized livable city." "It has the feel of a smaller town, with charming neighborhoods and a welcoming Southern vibe, but it has the bones of a bigger city, with world-class amenities like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a vibrant restaurant and brewery scene."

Richmond, the state capital, is home to both high-paying government and financial sector positions (the unemployment rate was 3.0% in July 2023) and a wide variety of ways to unwind after a long day. There are plenty of things to do in the city, including festivals, historical monuments, outdoor leisure (the James River flows right through it), and museums. However, the low cost of living is a major selling point.

The typical house selling price in July 2023, as reported by Redfin, was $388,000, which is less than the average sale price throughout the country. Wade said that real estate professionals are warning buyers to act quickly because of the high demand in the current market caused by a lack of available homes.

As Jim Dunn, a realtor with Joyner Fine Properties, put it, "Richmond has much to offer every homebuyer at every price point," with the city boasting a wide variety of excellent communities. Historic row houses may be found in The Fan, while Craftsman bungalows are abundant in Bellevue and Ginter Park has a broad variety of colonial, Georgian, and Tudor styles. As for midcentury modern architecture, go no further than Bon Air.