Four Factors I considered when choosing a home, Part 2

An article titled “The Cheapest Generation” stirred up a conversation about what led some of our young professionals to choose their current or future homes. We’re pleased to present this series, Four Factors I Considered When Choosing a Home, to shed light on what homebuyers may be looking for. Feel free to share your own factors or thoughts in the blog comments section!


Name: Mario Wells
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Current: Highland Springs, VA
Education: VCU, BA/BS Political Science and Criminal Justice; MURP with a Certificate in Urban Revitalization
Job Title: Community Outreach Program Support Trainee

Four Factors I Considered When Choosing a Home

Home is where the heart is, but what if you don’t know where it is? It seems everyone wants to live in an area where there’s a low crime rate, great schools, a warm sunny climate, affordable housing and plentiful jobs. However, individuals and families must be able to keep in mind the choices that will allow them to grow within their community.

This September, my fiancée and I will be moving to the Manchester Neighborhood District of Richmond. In recent years, the Manchester section of Richmond has seen an influx of new developments such as Legend Brewery, refurbished industrial building loft condominiums, SunTrust's Riverview Center and the Plant Zero Café. The continued revitalization efforts of this neighborhood have made this an attractive location for people to move to.

Here are our four deciding factors in choosing our new home:

Shorter commute time to work: This was the most important factor that we considered in choosing our new place. On average, we spend a total of one hour and forty minutes a day traveling from Eastern Henrico to downtown Richmond and Chesterfield County. The new location will also help us save monthly expenses on gas and tolls.

Closer proximity to my family: There’s nothing like going over to your parents for great meals and great talks. Having my parents live five minutes away from us will be an added bonus. While some may move as far away from their parents as possible, having mine close by really means a lot to me.

Experience downtown urban living: Since my fiancée is not from the Richmond Metropolitan area, she will experience living in an urban setting for the first time in her life. Although there was some hesitancy with her moving away from a suburban setting, she welcomes the opportunities and challenges of starting our lives as newlyweds living in the big city.

Volunteer with a neighborhood civic association: Volunteering with a neighborhood civic association is something that I have wanted to do since I was a kid. Becoming involved not only supports the work of the community but also can garner awareness and goodwill for community members. If given the opportunity, I plan to serve on the local civic association board.

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