Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Executive Summary
Virginia Beach's housing market shows elevated risk, ranking 15th of 274 metros. The market recently entered Expansion. Current conditions are balanced with stable liquidity. Broad-based growth with healthy fundamentals.
Virginia Beach experienced a market correction from early 2025 through mid-2025. The market has since normalized and entered Expansion.
Inventory is growing at a moderate +9% pace with homes taking -3% longer to sell — within normal ranges.
Rent growth is roughly keeping pace with price appreciation, suggesting valuations are not stretched.
Cycle Phase
Normal growth conditions with balanced fundamentals
Key Dynamics
Risk is primarily driven by migration and employment, while permits per capita provides the most support.
Top Drivers
Market Signals
Inventory is growing at a moderate +9% pace with homes taking -3% longer to sell — within normal ranges.
Liquidity
Valuation
Factor Details
12-month HPI change — higher = overheating
YoY permit change — higher = supply pressure
Permits per 1,000 residents — higher = overbuilding risk
Mortgage payment / income — higher = more burdened
12-month employment change (risk inverted)
Net AGI migration (risk inverted)
National Context
Credit Conditions
Credit Regime
Normal expansion. Credit is available, transactions are healthy — no constraints on current growth momentum.
Supply Pipeline
Supply Regime
Supply pipeline is building up while credit remains available. New units are accumulating in the system — watch for delivery pressure in coming quarters.
Local Signals
Metro Permit Activity
Permit Activity
SurgeRaw signal — not the composite percentile
Relative to 2016–2019 norms for this metro
Permit activity is surging and demand is absorbing it. Both sides of the market are running hot — monitor for overheating if liquidity shifts.
Internal Structure
Virginia Beach's 18 counties show similar risk profiles — the metro-level score is broadly representative.
Virginia Beach, VA-NC shows Low internal divergence — county-level differences are minor and the metro composite is broadly representative. Suffolk city contributes the most structural risk (Elevated, driven by permits per capita), while Norfolk city anchors the lower end (Below Average).
| County | Score ▼ |
|---|---|
York County<5% | 62 |
Suffolk cityRisk Driver | 59 |
Isle of Wight County<5% | 59 |
Surry County<5% | 58 |
Gloucester County<5% | 57 |
Chesapeake city | 56 |
Hampton city | 53 |
Mathews County<5% | 53 |
Poquoson city<5% | 53 |
Camden County<5% | 50 |
Virginia Beach city | 49 |
Newport News city | 47 |
Currituck County<5% | 44 |
Williamsburg city<5% | 42 |
Portsmouth city | 41 |
James City County<5% | 41 |
Norfolk cityStabilizer | 40 |
Gates County<5% | 37 |
Score History
| Month | Score |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 67 |
| 2025-11 | 55 |
| 2025-09 | 56 |
| 2025-08 | 56 |
| 2025-06 | 54 |
| 2025-05 | 54 |
| 2025-03 | 52 |
| 2025-02 | 54 |
| 2025-01 | 50 |
| 2024-11 | 48 |
| 2024-09 | 42 |
| 2024-08 | 44 |
| 2024-06 | 42 |
| 2024-05 | 42 |
| 2024-03 | 43 |
| 2024-02 | 44 |
| 2023-12 | 45 |
| 2023-09 | 42 |
| 2023-07 | 43 |
| 2023-05 | 47 |
| 2023-04 | 46 |
| 2023-03 | 41 |
| 2023-01 | 40 |
| 2022-12 | 46 |
| 2022-11 | 47 |
| 2022-09 | 45 |
| 2022-08 | 45 |
| 2022-06 | 46 |
| 2022-03 | 46 |
| 2022-02 | 47 |
| 2021-12 | 40 |
| 2021-10 | 40 |
| 2021-08 | 38 |
| 2021-05 | 38 |
| 2021-04 | 39 |
| 2021-02 | 38 |
| 2021-01 | 39 |
| 2020-11 | 35 |
| 2020-09 | 36 |
| 2020-07 | 37 |
| 2020-04 | 39 |
| 2020-02 | 39 |
| 2020-01 | 38 |
| 2019-11 | 44 |
| 2019-08 | 48 |
| 2019-06 | 42 |
| 2019-04 | 44 |
| 2019-01 | 40 |