Locate Your Perfect Home in the Advantage Valley
If you're looking to buy a home in Charleston, Huntington and the Advantage Valley, you'll find excellent affordability and great variety.
Some might say it’s not such a bad problem to have: More people want to move into the Advantage Valley of West Virginia than are ready to move out. Behind the demand is a variety of motivated people looking to buy a home in Charleston, Huntington and the surrounding communities of the Advantage Valley.
They include work-at-home professionals eager to leave the big city, relocating workers coming for jobs and opportunities, and older adults building retirement or second homes.
“We are seeing more interest in moving to West Virginia now than any previous time in my 24-year career,” says Josh McGrath, a real estate agent with Better Homes and Gardens of Putnam County. “Most people are looking for some land or a yard, or just some green space.”
Recent clients in the market come from literally all over the map, including California, New York, Florida and the Washington D.C.-Virginia area.
“Some have original ties to West Virginia and want to come back for the lower traffic, variety of outdoor activities, and the nice, polite people,” says Christie Goldman of Better Homes and Gardens.
And they like the convenience, she adds. “No matter what part of town you live in, you are just 5 minutes away from school, friends, soccer practice,” Goldman says.
A Fair Price
If you want to buy a home in Charleston, Huntington and the Advantage Valley, you will find excellent prices compared to other areas. The typical home value in Huntington is $115,000 and $156,000 in Charleston while the U.S. average is $349,000 (Zillow, July 2023).
“One of my neighbors who moved from California had an apartment there, but here she could afford a five-bedroom house with a beautiful yard,” Goldman says.
Yet, competition can still be fierce and asking prices are often exceeded when certain properties go up for sale. And the good times may not last forever.
Kelli Sobonya, an agent with CENTURY 21 in Barboursville and a commissioner for Cabell County, is hoping new housing construction will be able to accommodate the additional buyers, including some that are being drawn by economic investments such as Nucor Corp.’s $2.7 billion steel plant now under construction that is expected to create 800 permanent jobs. “As more companies begin to invest here, the need for more housing is increasing,” Sobonya says.
She notes that prices in the Huntington area rose by 8% in 2021-22, while housing stock fell by 15%.
Variety and Value
Yet there’s still plenty of opportunity in the market for buyers who are willing to connect with a local real estate professional and be patient in their search, the agents say.
City types might want to buy a home in Charleston, the state capital, or purchase one in Huntington, home of Marshall University. Both are home to older neighborhoods that stretch out from city centers with restaurants and breweries, business activities and opportunities for a more urban lifestyle.
New Buyer?
First-time homebuyers can catch a break through a West Virginia Housing Development Fund program that offers new buyers a fixed-rate mortgage for up to 100% of purchase price.
Even there, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is only 60 miles south of Charleston, awaiting adventurers for hiking, white water rafting, camping and everything else nature provides. Snowshoe Mountain, a ski resort about three hours east of Charleston, is easily accessible for cold weather, but also is an off-season base for fans of mountain bike, dirt bike and ATV competitions.
“I can put you in a nice loft or rental apartment in downtown Charleston,” McGrath says. “Or go 5 minutes out of downtown and you could be on the historic West Side in a 6,000-square-foot, all-brick mansion. A little further, in South Hills, there are beautiful homes on spacious lawns. And within an hour of town, there are all sorts of options, including houses with 100 or more acres.”
Many smaller towns in the region also offer opportunities to become part of the local community with plenty of personality, such as Barboursville, home to many celebrations, including Fall Fest and Vineyard in the Village; historic St. Albans, where settlements date back to the 1600s; and Marmet, known for its Labor Day parade and excellent hot dogs.
Get to Know the Advantage Valley
Want to learn more about living and working in the Advantage Valley of West Virginia? Check out the latest edition of Livability Advantage Valley.
