One time. It took me one time of visiting Richmond, Virginia for me to make the ultimate decision of moving here. Growing up in Northern Virginia I never even considered moving to Richmond. I honestly never went that far south of Fredericksburg. It only took one time of visiting and I was sold immediately.
What sold it for me? The architecture,the way you can feel the history of America itself as you walk alongside the James River, the friendly neighbors that you encounter as you walk through all of the different neighborhoods we have to offer. This list could continue for the rest of this article if I really wanted it to, so I will get on with it from here.
If someone tells me that they want to live in the City of Richmond I will typically give them a grand tour of the residential areas that encompass the City. The big neighborhoods that most of our buyers are looking at are The Fan, The Museum District, The Near West End, Church Hill, Northside, Forest Hills and Westover Hills.
These areas have their own distinct vibes and personalities and also have amazing walkability, truly giving it a city feel, even if it is not in the city-center.
Before you ever even visit Richmond, I like to get on a phone call and describe the different types of architecture, price ranges, community features, and other important factors in your home buying process that would be necessary for you to decide which neighborhood fits your needs best!
Sometimes, people don't know the answer to that question and that's okay! Richmond is so easy to get around and explore that we can typically cover all of these areas within a few hours, while also getting a chance to get inside some homes as well!
I will usually pick up my new buyers where they are staying (hotel, AirBnB, VRBO) and we will start the day close to 10 AM. First, I like to drive them through the Fan and Museum Districts, which shows off Richmond's most historic and vibrant architecture styles across the city. Both the Fan and the Museum Districts are absolutely gorgeous, and offer some of the best walkability in town. The homes built here were originally built in the 1890s-early 1900s and have been preciously preserved over the last century.
From there I will drive us through Carytown before heading out to the Near West End. Carytown is full of amazing restaurants, shops, boutiques, and other miscellaneous stores, and it is always great to take people through no matter what time of day it is or what the weather is like outside.
The Near West End always fascinates my buyers from out of town. Beautiful cape cods, ranch style homes, and other variations of elegant new builds as well as major luxury homes closer to the James River, it is always amazing showing these homes to our potential buyers as it makes us Richmonders fall in love with the area all over again as well. The neighborhoods inside of the Near West End include Malvern Gardens, Willow Lawn, and Windsor Farms to name a few. If I have buyers that are looking for homes in the million dollar plus range we will drive further down River Road, where opportunities for the more Brick Colonial style open up all the way from the City of Richmond westward to Goochland County.
If we are looking to stay more in the city, we will head south of the James River via the Huguenot Bridge to explore Westover Hills and Forest Hills.
Westover hills has more of a mid-century modern aesthetic, whereas Forest Hills has more of a historic feel with homes being built in the early 1900s. The ceiling heights are massive and the entryways are amazing with grand stairwells and architectural details etched into the railings. If you are into the outdoors this is definitely one of the areas for you, as the Buttermilk Trail that runs alongside the James River is practically in your backyard, and the T. Pott Bridge (pedestrian bridge) gets you access to downtown Richmond on the other side of the river.
Next is lunch time! This is admittedly one of my favorite times throughout the day because I get to show everyone how amazing the culinary scene is in Richmond, as well as I get a chance to see what areas our buyers are most interested in so far. It gives us a chance to all get to know each other better, and we get to talk about what they have liked and not liked so far! Depending where we are there are a number of places we stop to eat, so check out my Favorite Fridays posts on Instagram @garymartinrva to see some of our recommendations!
After lunch, we head towards Church Hill! Church Hill is always exciting to take people from out of town for multiple reasons. It's the oldest part of the city, and the Greco-Roman and Italianate architecture is reminiscent of the early to late 1800s. The first home I bought was in Church Hill, built in 1883! The historic homes here are absolutely beautiful, and the brick sidewalks and gas lanterns almost give a colonial feel in one of the most historic neighborhoods in America. And what is a trip to Church Hill without taking everyone by Libby Hill, where the view of the river gave way to the name of Richmond itself!
Once we wrap up in Church Hill I take our buyers to Northside, where we they end up falling in love with the beautiful four squares and cape cods in the area. Northside has a very residential feel with great restaurants and parks, as well as easy access to I-95 and downtown Richmond. The homes here have a very unique charm to them, and are a hit for a lot of people not from the area.
Finally our tour is done, we've seen some homes along the way, and our buyers have a better understanding of the City of Richmond, and all the different areas that make it an outstanding place to live. It might sound crazy, but after these tours, a majority of our buyers have seen 5 to 7 homes in this time frame, fell in love with the neighborhoods we toured, and end up putting an offer on a house. A full day of learning the city and getting to know where everything is extremely helpful to making sure you are comfortable with where you are moving to. In my opinion all of these areas in town offer tremendous opportunities to have a great life in Richmond, and it excites me every time I get the privilege to show someone new around!
If you have ever thought about moving to Richmond, please let me know! I would love to show you around!
