Virginia Beach, VA real estate: buy or sell with a local AXEN agent
Virginia Beach is an independent city, so there is no county in the middle of anything. The bigger local fact is Naval Air Station Oceana. Noise zones and accident potential zones around the airfield dictate where homes can be built, what has to be soundproofed, and what the seller has to disclose in writing.
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Buying a home in Virginia Beach: what to know
The rules that apply everywhere in Virginia are on the Virginia page. These are the Virginia Beach details that trip people up.
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The airfield compatibility zones are the defining local rule. The air installation compatible use zone programme classifies land around NAS Oceana by noise and accident potential, and the city regulates land use in those zones under its own zoning ordinance article. Get the property's classification before you offer.
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The Navy owns easements that block homes. To keep development compatible, the Navy acquired easements and outright ownership on land in the noise and accident potential zones. Those easements generally prohibit all residential and people-intensive commercial development. A lot can look buildable and not be.
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65 Ldn is the soundproofing line. New residential construction, including additions, inside a noise zone of 65 Ldn or greater has to meet noise attenuation requirements. Houses, duplexes, townhouses, condominiums and multifamily all count. Below 65 Ldn is exempt.
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Written noise disclosure is required. Anyone selling or leasing residential property in any noise zone or accident potential zone has to give written disclosure to buyers and tenants, and the notice also has to appear in the sales contract or lease itself.
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The Green Line controls the rural south. The city's agricultural reserve programme buys preservation easements only on parcels below the Green Line that are at least 10 acres in qualifying districts. It has enrolled over 11,000 acres and captured hundreds of development rights, which is why the south end stays farmland.
Selling a home in Virginia Beach
Put the airfield disclosure in the contract, not just in a handout.
If the home is in any noise zone or accident potential zone, the city requires written disclosure to the buyer and requires the notice inside the sales contract itself.
Find the elevation certificate.
In a special flood hazard area, the elevation certificate is what an insurance agent uses to price the policy your buyer needs. Planning can also issue a written flood zone determination.
Calculate the stormwater fee due at closing.
Public works publishes a stormwater fee query tool specifically for working out what is owed at closing. Run it before settlement rather than guessing.
Virginia Beach real estate questions
What are the Oceana noise zones, and do they affect me?
They may. Land around NAS Oceana is classified by noise level and accident potential. New residential work in a 65 Ldn or higher noise zone has to meet soundproofing requirements, and the Navy holds easements in these zones that generally prohibit residential development. Ask the zoning administrator for your classification.
Does the seller have to tell me about jet noise?
Yes. Anyone selling or leasing residential property in any Virginia Beach noise zone or accident potential zone has to give written disclosure to the buyer or tenant, and the notice also has to be placed in the sales contract or lease.
What is the Green Line?
It is the line in the city's comprehensive plan separating the developed north from the rural south. Below it, the agricultural reserve programme buys preservation easements on parcels of at least 10 acres. That is why the south end stays farmland rather than turning into subdivisions.
How bad is the flood picture and what does it cost me?
It depends on your flood zone. The City of Virginia Beach floodplain ordinance requires new or improved homes in a special flood hazard area to be elevated above base flood elevation plus freeboard, and freeboard varies by zone and location. Repairs at 50% or more of market value trigger full compliance. Get an elevation certificate.
Can a business near the runway change what it does?
Not freely. In the closest accident potential zone, a use that existed before the 2006 rules and is not compatible may continue, but any change has to be of equal or lesser intensity. You request a written intensity determination from the zoning administrator, who consults the Oceana liaison.
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