[Dave W]

We tried to move to the Rocky Mount/Bedford/Smith Mountain Lake Virginia area about 6-8 years ago. One home that we really liked had an HOA. After talking to the 'hypocrite association president, still live in Upstate NY. The cost and restrictions made us pull our offer. When you can't park your RV on a 5 acre plot, 2 acres of which were unuseable but still in the fee structure, there is something wrong with their plan. And worse when you see a large box trailer parked in front of his house and had and was there months before and after our visit. Another home, on 3 acres was also in an HOA. Because of that homes siting, again no RV parking though the home down the same street allowed it since any RV could be parked virtually out of site in the back yard.


The medical center Lynwood described above is the only one in the Roanoke area and at that time, only a single health plan supplier was available.


VA has generally low property taxes but other taxes may nickle and dime you.


I still wish we could have found a home there but the restrictive HOAs killed 2 of the 3 homes we liked with the third killed due to the coal trains running 24/7 less then a hundred yards away.


We are looking to downsize still. Our home is on about an acre and at 2 stories, and over 4000 sq ft finished, too much for just 2 two of us along with 2 small dogs - kids and GCs all live hundreds of miles away and seldom make the trip back home.


Good luck. It takes lots of planning to uproot and move somewhere else. We still haven't made the move after a bunch of years - and may not.