Crozet Mudhouse – Will it Increase Property Values?

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Jim Duncan

Crozet Mudhouse - Walkable

I’m wondering … will the opening of the Mudhouse in Crozet increase surrounding property values? My bet is yes.

I have long believed and argued that being "close to stuff" is valuable for buyers, sellers – people – both from a quality of life and from a property value point of view. With the opening of the Mudhouse, Crozet inches closer to having a real urban core – and that is valuable – economically and sociologically.

One question that I ask all of my clients who are interested in walking or biking to "stuff" is, "what does that mean to you?" Walking for some is 1.5 miles, and 1.5 blocks for others. Just as biking distance may be 3 miles or .5 miles.

From the Cyberhomes blog:

Americans are looking to drive less and walk more these days. Because so many people are interested in using eco-friendly forms of transportation  (than hopping into a gas-guzzling car) that means how "green" your neighborhood is may play into your home’s desirability with potential homebuyers.

One measure of this is how walkable your community is whether homeowners can walk to schools, shops, restaurants, schools and places of worship. If your community is a walkable one, it’s likely that it’ll have appeal to a broader segment of homebuyers than neighborhoods that are not.

I know this – the owners get community, and I look forward to spending a lot of time there. They have a lot of outlets, good coffee and are about a mile – a quick bike ride – from my house.

(Maybe the folks at Walkscore can get the Mudhouse in Crozet added to Google more quickly … :) )


These are some homes for sale in Crozet that are near the Crozet Mudhouse:

Granted, Crozet does not yet have the infrastructure – sidewalks or bike lanes – that we so desperately need, but they’re coming (hopefully).

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About Jim Duncan

A Charlottesville Realtor who tries to stay on the bleeding/cutting/functional edge of technology and real estate trends. I have been selling real estate for the past 10 years, lived in C'Ville for twenty+ and am married to one of few Charlottesville natives left.
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  • http://www.geekestateblog.com Drew Meyers

    Love the use of that Diverse Solutions widget inside your post — I haven’t seen that widget before; must be new?

  • http://www.realcentralva.com Jim Duncan

    Drew – Thanks … I don’t know if it’s new, but I’ve used it for a few months now. There are certainly some things I’d like to add to it to improve it, but it works for now. :)

  • Zhu Shingdao

    Hello Jim,
    I’m not sure I’d take that bet. I certainly agree that the opening of Mudhouse is a small and much needed step in that direction (thanks to the courage of the Lawrences’) but the so called “Destination Downtown” has a long way to go before we begin to see this reflected in increasing property values. A new storm water drainage at Three Notch’d Road & Crozet Ave and recent pedestrian enhancements will also help, but there is a long way to go…new sidewalks and bike lanes, the planned removal of overhead utility lines and the construction of a new library will do much more.
    In the meantime, I will enjoy my Breve!

  • http://www.realcentralva.com Jim Duncan

    Zhu –

    Agreed, but … this is a step, a really good and potentially big step that hopefully will create some momentum for downtown Crozet.

    As someone said in the comments on RealCrozetVA recently, that we don’t have bike lanes and walking paths in Crozet is shameful. While I don’t necessarily agree that it’s “shameful” it is very disappointing.

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