THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 22, 1994 TAG: 9410210537
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY KATHLEEN BUTLER, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
They come for a room with a view.
Each summer tens of thousands of visitors flock to Virginia Beach to soak up the sun, the surf and the sand.
And each fall, after the tourists have come and gone, the locals come out to play.
Fall at the beach. It's that magical time when the air becomes crisp, the sand cools your toes and miles of nearly barren beach beckon.
``After Labor Day the beach to a local becomes a more serene place to live,'' says Ramon Jimenez, who lives in the Bay Colony neighborhood - just a stone's throw from the surf. ``At that time of year, after everybody leaves and the leaves start changing it seems like the beach becomes more attractive.''
For the residents of the oceanfront area, the change in seasons means a change in lifestyle - from the frenzied pace of long work hours, snarled traffic and crowded beaches to the slow amble of a jog on the shore or a walk with the dog.
``This is the best time of year. I can go for walks on the beach and the boardwalk,'' says Steve Dietz, a Realtor with Century 21 Coast to Coast Realty located just two blocks from the ocean. ``I think it's probably more peaceful here this time of year than anywhere in the city.''
Dietz, who lives about five blocks from the water, says in the summer residents contend with - and try to avoid - crowded beaches and bumper-to-bumper traffic as they await fall.
``It's faster to walk sometimes, but you live with it for two or three months,'' he says.
But for residents who enjoy the tranquillity of the off-season, autumn is well worth the wait. And Pete Cappiello, a sales associate with Century 21 Coast to Coast Realty, says many people who want to live near the water wouldn't live anywhere else.
``I think it's all psychological,'' Cappiello says. ``I think water has historically a very calming effect.''
How close you get to living ``on the water'' depends in large part on how much you are willing or able to spend. Waterfront property directly on the beach typically runs upward of $200,000, but homes within a few blocks of the beach can be bought for less than $100,000, Dietz says.
``There are many distinctions to living at the beach,'' says Cappiello, who calls himself the ``Condo Man'' because he specializes in condominium sales.
Many out-of-town residents seeking a beach house as a second home are what Cappiello calls ``hard-core oceanfront'' buyers, people who want low-maintenance homes or condos directly on the beach.
People who want to be near the water - within biking distance - can find condos available starting at about $55,000, he says. The Chick's Beach area, along the Chesapeake Bay (also known as Chesapeake Beach), has traditionally been home to a younger, more sports-oriented market, he says.
Water sports are what drew Greg Rocheleau to the area.
``Basically the reason I'm here is to surf and to live,'' Rocheleau says. ``For now it's cheap and I can afford it.''
After spending three summers catching the waves off Virginia Beach, Rocheleau recently made a permanent move to the Norfolk Avenue area, about a half-mile from the beach. At $495 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, he says the price is right. And he says he's enjoying the change in seasons - stronger wind and less crowded beaches.
Jimenez has lived 30 years - most of his life - in Tidewater and has lived the past 18 years near the oceanfront. He says he enjoys living just a few blocks his business, Photo Memories Inc. on Laskin Road.But activities and nightlife are what keep him loyal to Virginia Beach - even in the off-season.
``That's what really keeps me in the area,'' he says. ``There are so many things to do. It's an area that is very activity oriented.''
Although the tourist season can mean parking headaches, Jimenez says he doesn't complain because it also means big business.
``A lot of people make their livelihood at the beach and depend on the tourists and working all summer,'' Jimenez says. ``And then they can appreciate (fall). This is the time of year to kick back and relax.''
Autumn, Jimenez says, is perhaps the best season at the beach. But fall will soon give way to winter. ``When it starts getting cold your activity level is reduced to a trickle,'' he says. ``That's when I look to get out.''
In the summer, Jeff Richardson says he tries to avoid the traffic near his 47th Street home and stays off the beach until early evening. Last weekend he battled gusty winds and blowing sand in order to walk the shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay.
``I think there's a lot of turmoil and stress in summer,'' Richardson says. ``The nice thing about fall and winter is it becomes more peaceful and tranquil.''
Flo Traywick was raised and still lives part of the year in Lynchburg, but she has always summered in Virginia Beach.
``When I was young, there wasn't any beach to come to except Virginia Beach,'' she says. ``I just grew up loving Virginia Beach.
On June 1, Flo Traywick and her husband Bo bought a single-story house less than a block from the water. And though this will be a second home, Flo Traywick says her husband is putting in a fireplace and adding on so they can use the house anytime of the year.
Fall, she says makes Virginia Beach even more inviting.
``It's wonderful,'' Traywick says. ``I can get a grocery cart at the store. I can find a parking space. There's not a whole lot of people on the beach. After summer I can take the dog on the beach anytime.''
Still, Traywick says she's happy near the beach any season of the year.
``I like the ocean anytime,'' she says, her eyes sparkling. ``It's so wild, rolling, all the foam. I think it's very exciting.''
Buster Perry, a Tidewater native who has lived a short walk from the Atlantic for the past seven years, agrees. The sometimes stress of traffic jams is a minor price to pay, he says, for the chance to walk along the beach with his children.
``Where else do you find this?'' he asks, gesturing to the rolling surf. (We live) three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. We didn't have to take a real vacation. This is our vacation.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by Gary C. Knapp, Staff
Ramon Jimenez...
Photos by Gary C. Knapp
Bo and Flo Traywick took the plunge last June and bought a house
less than a block from the ocean in the Virginia Beach resort area.
They often have the sand to themselves.
Ramon Jimenez, who lives in Bay Colony, relaxes with his retriever,
Kodak. In October, the residents can pretend to be tourists without
paying for motel rooms.
by CNB