by Alexandra Heep

Created on: April 01, 2009   Last Updated: December 18, 2010

Buying a house in the area of Richmond, Virginia is not much different from buying a house elsewhere. If you can manage to get qualified for a mortgage, the ball is in your court and you can go shopping in any county and area.

The lowest taxes are in Chesterfield County, and the best school zones are in Hanover County. If you are looking to live in a historic neighborhood, look for properties in the Museum District or the Fan. Both are located in Richmond City proper, yet are still safe areas. The Fan is also a haven for artists and young urban professionals, yet also caters to families.

If an eclectic neighborhood is to your liking, look around Carytown. If you like hustle and bustle, give the Short Pump area a try. Goochland County a little farther out allows you rural living with the convenience of easy access to shopping and modern conveniences. For more traditional neighborhoods in Richmond City you may like Ginter Park or Church Hill, the latter has some of the most historic buildings in Virginia.  Church Hill is an up-and-coming neighborhood.

Once you have your neighborhood (or at least county) narrowed down, you should find yourself a buyer agent. While you can browse available listings in Richmond on sites such as www.realtor.com or see houses for sale in the Richmond Times Dispatch, these options only give you a limited view. Agents have in-depth access to MLS, which lists every property for sale by listing agents on its website. You can find a reliable agent by asking friends and neighbors for referrals.

A good buyer's agent will ask you for the criteria you are looking for, such as style of home, floor plan, number of bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. While most agents generally have active listings and probably may try to sell you one of those, the ethical ones will not push their listings on you, but set you up on a search instead to find what you want. This is computerized and will send you e-mails with listings in your price range and with your criteria.

Once you are ready to put in an offer on a property you like, it's a good idea to ask for closing costs and allowances for upgrades. The Richmond area housing market has a lot of flexibility which allows for some leeway when asking for these concessions.

When interest rates are low, it's a good idea to not max yourself out on the actual purchase price. For example, if you qualify for a $ 300,000 mortgage, you don't have to spend the whole amount to get a decent place in Richmond. With low interest rates the chances of a refinance down the line are slim, should you find yourself in financial trouble.

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