The key to finding the right home in Stafford County or any real estate market is to know what you’re looking for, what you need and what you can get. In short, you need to do your research, and you should find yourself a real estate agent who is both knowledgeable and experienced.
One of the primary reasons people are interested in Stafford County real estate is that the county is situated roughly equidistant from both Washington and Richmond. This makes it an ideal location for professionals working in either city to set up their homes without having to live in the city with all that entails.
It’s about fifty miles from Stafford to either city, depending on where in the county you decide to live. There is easy access to highways, rail and bus, so the commute into either city is a fairly easy one, even if you decide you don’t want to deal with beltway driving.
Real estate in Stafford County gives you the advantage of living near enough to major metro areas to enjoy the benefits of culture and high paying jobs, but far enough away that you don’t have to have to about the down sides of city living.
Like price, for instance. The average home in Stafford County costs about fifteen percent less than a similar house would in King George County, and fully fifty percent less than if you were buying a similar piece of real estate in Fairfax County.
This is not the result of economic decline, which can often result in rock bottom home prices. In fact, the unemployment rate in Stafford is actually only one third the national average, and the number of jobs in the county has been growing at an average of five percent per year, so the local economy is healthy and robust.
This kind of prosperity has also had other beneficial side effects for the county. Stafford has crime rates that are way, way below the national average. This makes the county one of the safest places to live in Virginia and the country in general.
It also means that the school system is excellent. The county’s average in state tests and overall educational quality helps it rank among the tops in the state, and it also has a full range of Catholic, private and charter schools, so there are lots of options available to you to get exactly the education you want for your child.
You need to take of all these into account when you’re looking at Stafford County real estate, which is where a real estate agent will come in handy. Make sure you find one who knows the area like the back of their hand and you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect home you and your family.
Ed De Christopher has been intimately involved with homes and multi-unit homes in Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania for over 25 years. In this time, he has become one of the authority experts of real estate and real estate investing. You can find out more about Ed by visiting his site about Stafford Homes For Sale
