How long do waterfront homes take to sell in Hampton Roads?

John King's waterfront closings took a median of 46 days to go under contract, against 28 days for the rest of his record, and waterfront at $500,000 and above ran a median of 76 days. Even so, 40% closed at or above the asking price.

When is the best time to list a waterfront home in Hampton Roads?

Spring. Homes John King listed in May reached contract in a median of 19 days across his record, against 55 days for October listings. Photograph the water at high tide; the boating season is the showing season.

How much waterfront experience does John King have?

70 waterfront transactions totalling $28,084,148 between 2014 and 2026: 27 in Virginia Beach, 16 in Hampton, 12 in Norfolk, 10 in Chesapeake, 2 in Portsmouth, 2 in Newport News and 1 in Suffolk. 43 detached and 27 condos and townhomes. All are included in the 441-closing transaction study on 757king.com.

John King · REALTOR®

Navy Veteran · Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty · 5.0 ★ · 117 Google reviews

(757) 270-3994

Read the transcript — “Virginia Beach Waterfront Homes: What Buyers Actually Look For”

Waterfront homes in Virginia Beach are very unique, because buyers pay attention to flood zones, elevation, the dock condition, water access, and the bulkhead. Understanding those details helps position the property correctly. I'm John King with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty, and if you're thinking about buying or selling a waterfront home here in Virginia Beach or throughout Hampton Roads, reach out to me anytime: 757-270-3994. I'll see you around town.

John King · KingRealtor757 · 0:27

Watch first · 27 seconds

Waterfront is priced on five things most buyers never check.

Flood zone, elevation, dock condition, water access and the bulkhead. Get those right and the price makes sense; get them wrong and you either overpay or under-list. Everything on this page comes from 70 waterfront closings of my own, not a template.

Read the transcript

Waterfront homes in Virginia Beach are very unique, because buyers pay attention to flood zones, elevation, the dock condition, water access, and the bulkhead. Understanding those details helps position the property correctly. I’m John King with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty, and if you’re thinking about buying or selling a waterfront home here in Virginia Beach or throughout Hampton Roads, reach out to me anytime: (757) 270-3994. I’ll see you around town.

Hampton Roads waterfront · Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake & the Peninsula

Hampton Roads Waterfront Real Estate: what the water actually costs, and what it’s worth

The Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic, the Lynnhaven, the Elizabeth, the Lafayette, the Intracoastal, a hundred tidal creeks and a few freshwater lakes — “waterfront” here means eight or nine different things, priced eight or nine different ways. I’ve closed 70 waterfront properties, $28.1 million, across Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Hampton since 2014: one closing in six of everything I’ve done, and the part of this market people ask about most and understand least. This page is what I’ve learned, with the numbers to back it.

Waterfront closings, 2014–2026

$28.1M

Closed waterfront volume

46 vs 28

Median days to contract, waterfront vs. all my closings

40%

Still closed at or above asking

43 / 27

Detached / condo & townhome

$1.11M

Largest: Leeward Shore Dr, Bay Island

What is my waterfront home worth? Search waterfront listings Call or text (757) 270-3994

In short

Waterfront in Hampton Roads, from 70 waterfront closings in John King's record ($28,084,148 in volume, median $340,000): waterfront takes longer — 46 median days to contract against 28 for the record overall — yet 40% closed at or above asking. The guide covers the Lynnhaven River, Linkhorn Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Elizabeth River and Intracoastal markets, flood zones and elevation certificates, docks and bulkheads, and insurance. Written and kept current by John King — U.S. Navy veteran and REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty, Virginia license 0225211050 — 441 closings across Hampton Roads since 2014, 44.2% of the 428 MLS transactions VA-financed, 5.0 stars on 117 Google reviews. Call or text (757) 270-3994.

Last reviewed October 18, 2026 · Market figures: Redfin, three months ending September 30, 2026 · Closing record: REIN MLS, June 2014 – August 2026

Buying or selling on the water?

Talk waterfront with John

Tell John what you're after: deep water, a dock, bay or oceanfront. He'll call within one business day to talk through flood zones, insurance, bulkheads and what waterfront homes are actually selling for right now.

✓70 waterfront closings in John’s record
✓Flood zone and insurance questions answered up front
✓441 closings across Hampton Roads since 2014

Own on the water now? Get a free home value report → · or call/text (757) 270-3994

Looking at the top of the market? My luxury page lists every one of my 11 closings at $750,000 and up, including Bay Island and Pungo on the water, and what they took to sell.

Luxury homes in Hampton Roads →

Virginia Beach waterfront

The largest and most varied waterfront market in the region, and the one I’ve closed most in: 27 waterfront transactions, $11.9 million, from a $150,000 Bayside condo to $1.11 million on Bay Island. It breaks into three very different markets.

Great Neck, Alanton, Bay Colony & the Linkhorn / Broad Bay system

This is the deep-water, private-dock market: Linkhorn Bay, Broad Bay, Long Creek and the Lynnhaven River behind them, with the Lesner Bridge as the gate to the Chesapeake. Lots run large, homes are custom, and the difference between a lot on a navigable channel and one on a shallow cove can be several hundred thousand dollars for the same square footage. Bay Island, Baycliff, Linkhorn Estates, Broad Bay Point Greens and Alanton are the names that come up most.

$1,112,500

Leeward Shore Dr, Bay Island — my largest waterfront sale

$825K

Alanton median (all sales)

$928K

Bay Colony median (all sales)

GuidesGreat Neck · Alanton · Bay Colony · Lynnhaven / Kings Grant
ReadGreat Neck waterfront homes · Alanton deep-water access buyer guide · Private-dock checklist · Linkhorn Bay waterway guide · Bay Island · Broad Bay Point Greens · Baycliff · Linkhorn Cove · Linkhorn Estates

Shore Drive, Chic’s Beach & the Chesapeake Bay front

Bayfront rather than riverfront: the Shore Drive corridor from the Lesner Bridge to First Landing, Chic’s Beach, Ocean Park, Bayside and the condo towers on the bay. This is where most of my waterfront volume actually is — 16 closings, $6.2 million in the Shore Drive and Lynnhaven corridor, 13 of them condos and townhomes. The bay condo market has its own rules: VA project approval decides who can buy, and cash is far more common than anywhere else in my book.

Closings in 23455 — my densest waterfront ZIP

$750K

Ocean Park unit, Shore Dr — 2025

Units closed in Chesapeake House alone

GuidesShore Drive & the Lesner Bridge hub · Chic’s Beach · Bayside
ReadBuying waterfront in Chic’s Beach · Shore Drive locals’ guide · Shore Drive condo living · Chesapeake House · Harbour Gate · Cape Henry Towers · The Lesner Bridge · Lynnhaven boat ramp · Brighton on the Bay · Chic’s Beach vs. the Oceanfront

Sandbridge, Pungo, Back Bay & the southern lakes

South of the Green Line the water changes character: oceanfront and Back Bay in Sandbridge, farmland creeks and the North Landing River around Pungo, and the man-made lakes of Ocean Lakes, Lagomar and Salem. Prices here span the widest range in my waterfront record — 11 closings from $205,000 to $975,000 — and Pungo acreage on the water is the slowest-moving product I sell, at a median of six months.

$975K

Munden Point Rd, Pungo — 3.4 acres on the water

$650K

Sandbridge Beach townhome

Median days to contract, southern VB waterfront

GuidesOcean Lakes
ReadPungo · The North End · Virginia Beach waterfront luxury buyer guide · Waterfront luxury seller guide

Norfolk waterfront

12 waterfront closings, $3.6 million, concentrated on the bay side of the city: Ocean View, Willoughby, Bayview Beach, then the river neighborhoods — Riverpoint and Suburban Acres on the Lafayette, River Forrest Shores and Sandy Bay Point on the Eastern Branch.

Ocean View, Willoughby & East Beach

Seven of my twelve Norfolk waterfront closings are in 23503 — Ocean View condos, Willoughby Beach and Bayview Beach cottages. It is the most affordable bayfront in Hampton Roads (my median there is $200,000) and, honestly, the slowest: a median of 165 days to contract, driven by older bayfront condo buildings without VA approval. East Beach next door is the new-construction, master-planned version of the same shoreline and behaves like a different market.

GuidesOcean View · East Beach
ReadEast Beach bayfront, bay-view & marina homes · East Beach flood zones & insurance · East Beach vs. Virginia Beach waterfront · Willoughby & West Ocean View · East Ocean View · East Ocean View flood zones

The Lafayette & Elizabeth rivers

Riverfront Norfolk is a different buyer: Larchmont, Edgewater, Lochaven, Colonial Place, West Freemason and the Riverpoint peninsula. Deeper lots, older homes, docks on tidal river rather than open bay, and prices that climb fast with a navigable channel — my $740,000 Riverpoint closing on the Lafayette is the top of my Norfolk waterfront record.

GuidesAll Norfolk
ReadNorfolk luxury waterfront homes · Lochaven on the Lafayette · Larchmont & Edgewater · West Freemason · Lafayette Shores · Colonial Place · Case study: Elizabeth River home, sold in 66 days

Chesapeake waterfront

10 waterfront closings, $4.0 million. Chesapeake’s water is river and canal rather than bay: the Southern and Eastern branches of the Elizabeth, the Intracoastal Waterway through Great Bridge, and the lakes built into Greenbrier, Riverwalk and the newer Hickory subdivisions.

What sells, and how fast

Chesapeake is my fastest waterfront market — a median of 26 days to contract against 46 across all my waterfront closings — because much of it is lakefront in established subdivisions where the water is an amenity rather than a boating asset, and the buyer pool is the same deep pool that buys the rest of Chesapeake. Riverwalk, Vance Level and the Retreat at Greenbrier are in my record; my largest Chesapeake waterfront closing was $710,000 in Vance Level.

The true boating waterfront is different: deep-water on the Elizabeth River branches and Intracoastal frontage around Great Bridge carry bridge-clearance questions (the Great Bridge lock and bridge are on the route) and move more like the Virginia Beach river market.

Where to look

GuidesGreat Bridge · Hickory · Greenbrier · All Chesapeake
ReadChesapeake neighborhood guide · Greenbrier homes for sale

Median days to contract

$355K

Median waterfront sale

50%

Closed at or above asking

Hampton & the Peninsula waterfront

The part of my waterfront record most people don’t expect, and the reason this page says Hampton Roads rather than Virginia Beach: 16 waterfront closings in Hampton, $6.3 million, plus two in Newport News. Only Virginia Beach has more in my book. Almost no Southside agent works this water; I do.

Salt Ponds, Mill Creek Landing, Grandview & the Fox Hill creeks

Hampton’s waterfront runs from the bayfront at Salt Ponds and Grandview, through the Mill Creek and Hampton River frontage near Fort Monroe, out to the tidal creeks off Fox Hill Road — Riverdale, Broadshore Acres, Hunts Cove — where a boat-capable lot costs what a landlocked lot costs in Great Neck. Two of my Salt Ponds closings sat a long time (365 and 809 days — both listed in 2014–2016, a different market), which pulls the 23664 median out; the creekfront lots in 23666 and 23669 moved in a median of about a month.

$616K

Bay Front Pl, Salt Ponds — my largest Hampton waterfront sale

$381,675

Hampton waterfront median

50%

Closed at or above asking

3×

Sold 5 Raymond Dr and 13 Eagle Point Rd three times each

ReadHomes near Joint Base Langley–Eustis · The full waterfront breakdown in the transaction study

Deep-water, tidal, canal, bayfront, lakefront: they are not the same product

The single biggest pricing mistake I see — from buyers and from other agents’ listings — is treating “waterfront” as one thing. Here is the vocabulary, roughly in order of price premium.

Deep-water / navigable

Enough depth at mean low water to keep a sailboat or a cruiser at your own dock and reach the bay without waiting on the tide. Linkhorn and Broad Bay, the Lynnhaven and Elizabeth river channels, parts of the Lafayette and Mill Creek. Carries the largest premium and the largest buyer pool of serious boaters. Always verify depth at low tide, not high.

Bayfront / oceanfront

Open Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic frontage — Shore Drive, Chic’s Beach, Ocean View, Sandbridge, Salt Ponds. The view is the asset; a private dock usually isn’t possible. Highest exposure to wind, wave action and VE flood zones, so insurance and construction standards matter more here than anywhere.

Tidal creek

Shallow, marsh-edged and beautiful: the Fox Hill creeks, the upper Lynnhaven, Back Bay tributaries. Often kayak-and-skiff water, sometimes dock-capable at high tide only. Priced well below deep-water for the same lot size, which is exactly the opportunity if you don’t need to float a 30-foot boat.

Canal / dredged

Man-made channels cut through subdivisions — Bay Island, parts of Baycliff, Riverwalk, Sandbridge. Reliable depth when maintained, fixed bridges and culverts on the way out, and a bulkhead almost by definition. Ask who dredges and who pays.

Lakefront

Ocean Lakes, Lake Smith and Lake Lawson, the Greenbrier and Hickory subdivision lakes, Salem, Lagomar. No boating access to salt water, minimal flood exposure, a modest premium, and the same deep buyer pool as the rest of the neighborhood — which is why it’s my fastest-selling waterfront.

Bridge clearance & boating access

Between your dock and open water there may be a fixed bridge, a lock or a culvert. The Lesner Bridge governs the Lynnhaven system; the Great Bridge lock and bridge sit on the Intracoastal; smaller fixed spans cross most creeks. Mast height and air draft decide whether a lot is “sailboat water” or “center-console water,” and the price knows the difference. Verify the route for the specific boat you own.

Docks, bulkheads, flood zones and insurance

The four things in the video, in the order they cost you money if you skip them.

Docks, piers & bulkheads

Bulkhead condition is the single most expensive line item on a waterfront inspection. Look for leaning, separated cap boards, sinkholes behind the wall and tie-back failure. Replacement runs into six figures on a long frontage.
Permits. Docks, piers, bulkheads and riprap over tidal bottom generally require Virginia Marine Resources Commission and local wetlands board approval, and often a Corps of Engineers permit. Ask for the permit history; an unpermitted structure can be a condition of sale.
Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. In Tidewater Virginia the 100-foot Resource Protection Area buffer along tidal water limits what you can build, clear or pave near the shoreline. It governs additions, pools and even tree removal.
Riparian rights and shared structures. Confirm the dock is actually within the property’s riparian area, and whether it is shared with a neighbor or a community.
Boat lift, electric and water at the dock are value-adds that appraisers rarely credit fully but buyers pay for.

ReadPrivate-dock buyer checklist

Flood zones & insurance

Know the letter. FEMA zone X means minimal mapped risk; AE means a mapped 1%-annual-chance floodplain with a base flood elevation; VE is coastal high-hazard with wave action. Most bayfront and much of the creekfront here is AE or VE.
Insurance is usually required. A federally backed mortgage on a home in an A or V zone requires flood insurance. Under NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 the premium is set by the specific property — elevation, distance to water, construction — not just the zone, so get a quote before you write the offer, not after.
Get the elevation certificate. It is the document that prices the policy and the one sellers most often can’t find. If you own waterfront and plan to sell, locate it now.
Elevation and construction. Living space above base flood elevation, flood vents, pilings and a garage-under design change both premium and resale. Newer East Beach and Sandbridge construction is built this way; a 1950s Ocean View cottage usually isn’t.
VA and FHA appraisers will flag standing water, drainage and moisture. On a waterfront sale with a government-backed buyer, address it before listing.

ReadEast Beach flood zone & insurance guide · East Ocean View flood zones

Free tool · FEMA data

Check any Hampton Roads address for its flood zone

Flood zone decides whether a lender requires flood insurance, and it changes the real monthly payment on waterfront and near-water homes. Type an address and get the FEMA zone, the base flood elevation where one is published, and what it means for your loan. Pulled live from the National Flood Hazard Layer.

Estimates from FEMA's published maps; a lender's flood determination and an elevation certificate are the final word. Nothing is stored.

Result

Enter an address to see its FEMA flood zone. Try a Willoughby Spit, East Beach or Bay Island address to see how different the answers are.

Buying and selling waterfront here: what my own record says

If you’re buying

Waterfront runs less VA than the rest of my book — 21% of my waterfront closings against 44% overall. Two reasons: price, and the fact that nearly 40% of waterfront here is condos, where the building has to be on the VA approved-project list. If you’re using your VA benefit, check the building before you fall for the view.
Cash is common on the bayfront condo side. Eight of my 27 attached waterfront closings were cash. Expect to compete with it.
Buy the water, not the house. You can renovate a kitchen; you cannot deepen a cove, move a fixed bridge or change a flood zone. Price the lot first.
Three inspections, not one: the house, the bulkhead and dock (a marine contractor), and the flood picture (elevation certificate plus a real insurance quote).
Slow is normal. Waterfront listings sit a median of 46 days in my record; the one that has been on the market six weeks is not necessarily a problem property. It may be a negotiation.

Buyer’s guide Waterfront luxury buyer guide →

If you’re selling

Plan for a longer runway. 46 days median to contract against 28 for everything else I sell — and it reverses the usual rule: my waterfront closings at $500,000 and above ran a median of 76 days, while waterfront under $300,000 moved in 38. The buyer pool for a $900,000 dock is small and particular, and it takes time to find.
40% still closed at or above asking. Slow does not mean discounted. The waterfront listing that panics into a price cut at day 30 is usually cutting a price that was never the problem.
Assemble the file before you list: survey with riparian lines, elevation certificate, dock and bulkhead permits, dredging history, flood policy declarations, HOA or civic-league dock rules. Buyers who get answers in the first showing write offers; buyers who wait two weeks for an elevation certificate drift.
Photograph the water at high tide, list in spring. Homes I listed in May reached contract in 19 days across my whole record; October listings took 55. On waterfront, the boating season is the showing season.
Detached waterfront moves faster than condos in my record (38 days vs. 55). If you’re selling a bayfront unit, the building’s VA status and reserves will decide your buyer pool before your price does.

Get your waterfront home’s value Waterfront luxury seller guide →

My waterfront record, by city

Waterfront status as designated in the REIN MLS listing record. All 70 are inside the 428 transactions analyzed in the 13-year transaction study; nothing here is estimated.

John King’s waterfront closings by city · REIN MLS, 2014–2026 · n = 70
City	Closings	Volume	Median price	Median DOM	At/above asking
Virginia Beach	27	$11,883,099	$375,000	48	37%
Hampton	16	$6,267,499	$381,675	34	50%
Norfolk	12	$3,644,050	$244,500	106	33%
Chesapeake	10	$3,991,500	$355,000	26	50%
Portsmouth	2	$1,200,000	$600,000	—	—
Newport News	2	$815,000	$407,500	—	—
Suffolk	1	$283,000	$283,000	—	—

Median days on market omitted for cities with one or two closings. Overall: 70 closings, $28,084,148, median $340,000, average $401,202, median 46 days to contract, 43 detached / 27 attached, 21% VA-financed, 40% closed at or above list. Densest ZIPs: 23455 (10), 23503 (7), 23451 (5), 23664 (5), 23666 (5), 23320 (4).

Questions I get about waterfront in Hampton Roads

How much does a waterfront home cost in Hampton Roads?

Across my 70 waterfront closings the median was $340,000 and the range ran from a $149,900 Willoughby Beach condo to $1,112,500 on Leeward Shore Drive in Bay Island. Bayfront condos on Shore Drive and in Ocean View start in the low $200,000s; deep-water single-family homes in Great Neck, Alanton and Bay Colony run from the high $800,000s well past $2 million; creekfront lots in Hampton sit in between. The type of water matters more than the city.

How long do waterfront homes take to sell?

Longer than most sellers expect. My waterfront closings took a median of 46 days to go under contract, against 28 for everything else I’ve sold — and waterfront at $500,000 and above ran a median of 76 days. Even so, 40% closed at or above the asking price. Slow and discounted are not the same thing.

Can I use a VA loan on a waterfront home?

Yes, and I’ve closed 15 of them. On single-family waterfront the VA process is the same as anywhere, with extra appraiser attention to drainage and moisture. On waterfront condos the building must be on VA’s approved-project list, and many bayfront buildings in Ocean View and along Shore Drive are not, which is the main reason only 21% of my waterfront closings were VA-financed against 44% of my whole record.

What is the difference between deep-water and tidal waterfront?

Deep-water means enough depth at mean low water to keep a sailboat or cruiser at your dock and reach open water on any tide — Linkhorn Bay, Broad Bay, the Lynnhaven and Elizabeth river channels. Tidal creek frontage is shallower and often usable only at high tide, priced well below deep-water for the same lot. Verify depth at low tide, and verify the bridge clearance between the dock and open water for the boat you actually own.

Do I need flood insurance on a waterfront home?

If the home is in a FEMA A or V zone and you have a federally backed mortgage, yes. Most bayfront and much of the creekfront in Hampton Roads is zone AE or VE. Under NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 the premium depends on the specific property — elevation, distance to water, construction — so get the elevation certificate and a real quote before you write the offer.

What should I inspect on a waterfront property beyond the house?

The bulkhead (leaning, separated caps, sinkholes, tie-back failure — replacement is a six-figure item on long frontage), the dock and pilings, the permit history for both, the elevation certificate, and the actual depth at your dock at low tide. I recommend a marine contractor in addition to the home inspector.

Which Hampton Roads city has the most affordable waterfront?

Norfolk’s Ocean View and Willoughby: my median there is $200,000, mostly bayfront condos and 1950s cottages. Hampton’s creekfront neighborhoods off Fox Hill Road are the most affordable single-family waterfront with real boat access in my record.

Can I build a dock or replace a bulkhead after I buy?

Usually, with permits. Structures over tidal bottom in Virginia generally need Virginia Marine Resources Commission and local wetlands board approval, and often a Corps of Engineers permit; the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act’s 100-foot Resource Protection Area buffer also restricts what can be built or cleared near the shoreline. Check the permit history before closing rather than after.

When is the best time to list a waterfront home?

Spring, and photograph it at high tide. Homes I listed in May reached contract in a median of 19 days across my whole record; October listings took 55. On waterfront the boating season is the showing season.

How much waterfront experience do you have?

70 waterfront transactions totalling $28.1 million between 2014 and 2026 — 27 in Virginia Beach, 16 in Hampton, 12 in Norfolk, 10 in Chesapeake and the rest in Portsmouth, Newport News and Suffolk. 43 detached and 27 condos and townhomes. Every one is in the 13-year transaction study on this site, verifiable by any agent with REIN MLS access.

Waterfront reading, by area

Long-form guides I’ve written on specific waterfront neighborhoods, buildings and waterways.

Virginia Beach

Waterfront homes in Alanton

Virginia Beach

Great Neck waterfront homes

Virginia Beach

Buying a waterfront home in Chic’s Beach

Virginia Beach

Linkhorn Bay & Alanton waterway guide

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach waterfront luxury buyer guide

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach waterfront luxury seller guide

Shore Drive

Shore Drive condo living & the Lesner Bridge

Shore Drive

Chesapeake House condo guide

Norfolk

Norfolk luxury waterfront homes

Norfolk

East Beach bayfront, bay-view & marina homes

Norfolk

East Beach flood zone & insurance guide

Norfolk

Lochaven on the Lafayette River

Chesapeake

Chesapeake neighborhood guide

Peninsula

Homes near Joint Base Langley–Eustis

Data

The 70 waterfront homes — transaction study

Waterfront valuation or search

Tell me which water you’re on, or which water you want.

Address if you’re selling, boat and budget if you’re buying. I’ll call you back today — no call center, no assistant screening the message.

Or call or text (757) 270-3994 · instant home valuation · search the MLS

John King · Navy veteran, Machinist Mate · REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty · License #0225211050 · Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Luxury Collection Specialist

Case studies

How it actually went

Waterfront sales, with the numbers. Each one links to its source — the full write-up, the client's own review on Zillow or Google, or John on camera.

Waterfront listing → 153 days with no offers, then sold

Elizabeth River, Norfolk · 442 Leepoint Road

The situation: A second-owner riverfront home on nearly 0.6 acres with a private boat ramp sat 153 days with the previous agent. No activity, no offers.
What John did: Repositioned the listing around the water and the 40 years of original-owner care, professional photo and video, strategic pricing from market data, and targeted digital campaigns.
Result: Multiple offers and a sale in 66 days, near asking.

Source: Full case study

East Beach, summer 2026: 10 days to contract

East Beach, Norfolk · market read, July 2026

The market: 21 homes in play: 9 active, 7 under contract, 5 closed. Closings ran $545K to $1.5M, averaging about $1M.
What John tracked: Days to contract (average 10, median 8), sale-to-list (100%), price per square foot (about $400), and one 28th Bay Street sale at $1.35M that came with an assumable loan.
The number that matters: Correctly priced East Beach homes went under contract in about ten days at full list. That is the benchmark John prices against there.

Source: East Beach market update (video, July 2026) · East Beach neighborhood guide

The wider record: 441 closings across 13 years, analyzed · 117 five-star Google reviews · 81 on Zillow.

Watch

John King on waterfront homes

The costs a generalist won't explain, and why a boat lift on the bay changes how you use the house. Each video has a written transcript below it.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Explains About Waterfront Homes

June 2026 · 0:45 · Watch on YouTube →

Read the transcript

Waterfront homes are a whole different ballgame, and you don't want a generalist learning on your dime. Out here we have everything from the oceanfront, the Chesapeake Bay, and the canals that run through Alanton and Bay Island and many other neighborhoods. You also have deep water access off the Lynnhaven. Each comes with its own buyer, its own flood and insurance picture, and its own pricing rules. A good waterfront agent knows the dock rights, knows the tide and bulkhead questions, and knows how to market that lifestyle to a buyer who will actually pay for it. When you interview, ask the questions that are important to you, your family, and your home. I've sold across these neighborhoods for years. If the water is your view and you're ready to talk about buying or selling real estate, let's talk. I'm John King with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty.

The Difference a Boat Lift Makes

July 2026 · 0:32 · Watch on YouTube →

Read the transcript

Nice boat lift here. Looks like it's probably a 7,500, maybe 10,000-pound boat lift. You can keep boats on here similar to the ones you're seeing. If you're a boater, I like this neighborhood, and a lot of people like this neighborhood. Instead of trailering your boat, keep it right out back and have some of the easiest access out into the Chesapeake Bay that you can get around here, which means more time on the water, because the further you get into the river tributaries, the more tide timing you have to plan. Here you can do pretty much whatever you want whenever you want.

More short videos on Hampton Roads real estate: KingRealtor757 on YouTube.

Keep exploring Hampton Roads with John King