Local Info 

Here is some regional-specific information that will help you get to know the area and narrow down your home search parameters.  Find jet noise/crash zone info with this AICUZ link, information on flood areas, and information about rotating local charities that I support annually.

Community Initiative for April 2023:

Hampton Roads Restoration Program

April, the month of Spring Showers, also brings us Earth Day. An organization that encourages and teaches our communities how to improve our environmental conditions is the Hampton Roads Restoration Program. Each month I like to share a charity that I support in case you are interested in exploring volunteer or gift opportunities with them as well. You can learn more about them on the Supporting Community page of my website, but here is more about this program:

The Hampton Roads Restoration Program goal is to work with residents in historically segregated and underserved neighborhoods to improve green space and reduce flooding and polluted runoff. Many of these neighborhoods have too few green spaces where families and friends can enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. Due to less tree canopy and more concrete, these communities can be 10-15% hotter in the summer which has lead to heat stroke and less time spent outdoors and more money on cooling costs.The runoff of storm water into the rivers and streams is polluted. Flooding is more prevalent. The Hampton Roads Restoration Program engages students and neighbors to plant rain gardens and bioswales to decrease flooding and to filter pollution in our Chesapeake Bay tributaries. My experience working at Sherwood Forest Elementary creating a 77' long bioswale and rain garden was to witness volunteers from all walks and all ages giving their time to plant over 1000 native plants in the courtyard of the school that had been experiencing regular ponding.The students helped to design the garden and did the plantings after we prepared the foundation. I am not a yard work person, so I learned quite a bit, including that sod is very dense and doesn't absorb water very well. Cutting up the sod and then removing it was more labor that I'm accustomed to, and I feel certain that the students in the classroom had their share of giggles at my efforts to keep up with the more experienced volunteers. In the end, the students witnessed strangers coming in to work for their benefit. And they will continue to learn that they can make an impact on their neighborhood and on their world through the joy of caring for the land. Collectively we all win.This is the Hampton Roads Restoration Program's second year and your support can make all the difference! Please consider donating through this link  and signing up for volunteer opportunities. I have met the most impressive people when doing volunteer work for the betterment of our environment! BayRaiser: Windy Crutchfield - Chesapeake Bay Foundation (cbf.org)

Jet Noise and Crash Zones:

Home to the largest airbase on the East Coast, Naval Air Station Oceana brings the Virginia Beach community great pride as the fighter planes rip through the blue skies.  Known in the area as the "Sounds of Freedom" the noise zones are identified by contour maps. There are routes that are taken more commonly than others and it is important that prospective buyers get to know the frequency and decibels in the areas they are considering.  Use this link to learn more about these noise and crash zones.  Jet Noise/AICUZ 

Understanding Storm Surge and Flood Zones

I do highly recommend you carry flood insurance when living in Hampton Roads.  Being in a Low-Risk flood zone, I watched as a flash flood caused water to rise to the threshold of my back door.  Another inch and thousands of dollars of damage would have occurred.  If you have investment properties, your tenants would need to be relocated while remediation took place.  Floods are the #1 natural disaster in the United States and most of us are not insured against them!  In addition to understanding your Flood Zone, Storm Surge maps will provide a general idea of what to expect from tidal flooding during various categories of hurricanes. They do not indicate the depth of flooding or take into account flooding caused by waves or rainfall that accompany a hurricane.  Property throughout Hampton Roads are vulnerable to both tidal surges and 100 year flood events. To learn more, see FloodSmart.gov.

Local Economic Factors

When considering buyer and selling, it's important to have knowledge of the market direction.  I review several of the same factors each month to provide my clients with the most up-to-date information to help them make the best decisions.

Local Assistance

Another important factor about a community is the support the local government provides to their residents during financial hardships, especially to keep a roof over their heads, access to clean water, and the availability of heat. I have links to the citys' public utility assistance and real estate tax relief programs here.

Virginia Beach utility relief

Virginia Beach real estate tax relief

www.Norfolk.gov/utilityrelief

Norfolk real estate tax relief

Chesapeake utility assistance

Chesapeake real estate tax relief

Portsmouth real estate tax relief.

Suffolk real estate tax relief

Suffolk Energy Assistance

Share H2O to make sure all in Hampton Roads have access to water.

I trust that this website's community information will help you to choose between the many wonderful areas; each has a lot to offer the home buyer. To further enhance your experience, my clients expressed the pride and love they have for their neighborhood under Featured Communities.

Contact us anytime for more information about local areas!