THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506010347
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By KATHLEEN BUTLER
SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
Tucked in the northeastern corner of Suffolk along the Nansemond River is Holiday Point Estates, a well-established neighborhood where residents say they take pride in their properties and take care of each other.
Resident Jan Sequeira says it was love at first sight.
``The first time I saw it, it was empty and I fell in love with the back yard,'' she says of her home. Sprawling trees shade much of the back yard, which sits on a bluff overlooking the river.
Sequeira and her husband, Carl, moved to Holiday Point Estates about six years ago from Chesapeake's Western Branch section. They actually spotted their dream home while visiting her parents a couple of years earlier.
Twice, they watched it go on the market and get sold before they could even take a tour. When the house was for sale a third time, Sequeira says she bid $100 more than the asking price - about $160,000 - to make sure their offer would be accepted.
Today she says she wouldn't live anywhere else.
``It's great to live here,'' she says. ``I never take a day for granted.''
Developed in the mid-1960s, the neighborhood features mostly three- or four-bedroom brick ranches with large yards dwarfed by towering pine trees.
While only a handful of the homes actually overlook the water, access to the river is just a short drive away at Bennetts Creek Park, which has a boat ramp, dock and fishing pier.
Like many neighborhood residents, the Sequeiras have put much energy into landscaping since they bought their home. While Carl Sequeira mows the lawn, Jan prunes the rose bushes that line the side of their yard.
Around the corner, the whirr of an electric weed trimmer fills the air as Robert Coffman trims the grass along the curb at the base of his yard. Coffman and his wife Dawn moved to Holiday Point two years ago from the adjacent neighborhood.
Dawn Coffman, who was raised in Western Branch, says she was attracted by the neighborhood's shady streets and established homes.
``It's neat - well-kept,'' she says. ``Everyone takes care of their homes. The houses are spread far enough apart that you can do something with your yard.''
For the most part, Dawn Coffman says residents take meticulous care of the yards, and each year they work together to landscape the entrance to Holiday Point Estates on Bennetts Pasture Road.
Although Holiday Point Estates residents say they enjoy living in the country, they also boast of their proximity to the rest of Hampton Roads. For the Sequeiras, the neighborhood is ideally situated just a 10-minute drive from Interstate 664 and within a short drive of Carl's job with the Portsmouth police and Jan's job at the veterans hospital in Hampton.
``We knew that (Interstate) 664 was going in (when we moved), and we could see that would become a hub,'' Carl Sequeira says.
Dawn Coffman says here daily commute to Norfolk only takes about 20 minutes on the interstate. The library and a supermarket and post office are around the corner from her house.
``It's just far enough away from Churchland to get to the mall, but you don't have the busy traffic,'' she says.
Susan Hirsch, who moved to Holiday Point Estates about seven months ago with her two children, says the neighborhood's quiet streets and abundance of wildlife make it a terrific place for families. The family's back yard is home to dozens of ducklings, turtles and other critters, Hirsch says.
``The kids love it,'' Hirsch says. ``It's real quiet out here.''
Residents say they feel safe in their homes and don't worry about their children playing outside.
``It's very safe. It's very quiet,'' Carl Sequeira says. ``Everyone looks out for each other.''
One of the reasons neighbors look after each other is that they all know each other. Holiday Point Estates is a stable community where many of the homes still have their original owners, says Charles Hawks, who has lived there for 23 years.
``Homes don't come up for sale often, and when one comes up for sale it goes pretty quick,'' Dawn Coffman says. ``For the most part people live here until they retire.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
JIM WALKER/Staff
View of the river from the back yard of Carl and Jan Sequiera. This
is what attracted the couple to the neighborhood.
The subdivision is noted for its shady streets and established
homes.
AT A GLANCE
HOLIDAY POINT ESTATES
A. Libreros/Staff
Map
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Schools: Driver Elementary School, John Yeats Middle School and
Nansemond River High School.
Shopping areas: The public library, post office, a supermarket and
pharmacy are all within a few minutes by car. The Churchland area -
including Chesapeake Square Mall, restaurants and major chain stores
- is about 15 minutes away. The neighborhood is about 10 minutes
from I-664, which provides easy access to Peninsula and Southside
cities.
Recreation: The quiet streets make the neighborhood an ideal place
to walk, bike or roller skate. Nearby Bennetts Creek Park has a
boat ramp and fishing pier.
Assessments: No listings or recent sales at this time but the city
assessor's office says the median value is about $90,000 to
$120,000. On the river, the price can reach $225,000.
by CNB