Date Archives September 2012

Extending the Western Bypass?

in Albemarle Charlottesville Politics Transportation on

Not to be flippant, but if talking about extending the Western Bypass already isn’t an clue that the current project is flawed, I don’t know what is. Much of this discussion sounds like a game – “If we had infinite funds, what would we build”? With less-than-creative answers.

For some real creativity unbiased by politics, I wonder what 12 year olds would answer.

Update – Charlottesville Tomorrow has more information on some of the long-term hopes for transportation improvements. Not to pick on one sentence, but this seems short-sighted … why not build bike lanes from the start?

“It will look similar to some of our newer secondary roads here in Albemarle County,” said Stephen Williams said. “It would have 12-foot lanes and it would have some shoulder that could also be used as a bike lane.”

Read More

When evaluating where you want to live in Charlottesville

in Albemarle Charlottesville on

This poll at Seattle Bubble raised my curiosity as I’m interested in what folks in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area think. So many factors go into the “where do I want to live” algorithm; one of the ways I assist relocating buyers is by listening to their needs and wants and helping them ascertain the best areas for them to live. “Where I want to live” doesn’t have a “one-size-fits-all” answer, but these are some of the more common criteria discussed by my clients.

I’d love to have included “is public transit accessibility important” but as we don’t really have it in the Charlottesville region, I left it out.

What questions am I missing?

Also – it would be enormously helpful if you’d comment as what “other” you mean …

I’ll post the results on Friday.

Read More

Walkable Neighborhoods Have Happier Residents

in Charlottesville General Real Estate Transportation on

Yeah, the info graphic below is for/from California, but the data points are universal.

Walkability = happiness.

And, because images aren’t searchable, the three points:

– Lose Weight! The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs 6 to 10 pounds less than someone who lives in a car-dependent neighborhood .

– Save Money! Transportation is the second largest expense for American households, costing more than food, clothing, and health care.

– Connect! Studies show that for every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10%

Read More

Top of the Hops Charlottesville 2012

in Charlottesville on

The 3rd Annual Top of the Hops Beer Fest is September 22 2012. Get tickets if you like beer. And fun. Taste the beers there, then plan a trip down the Brew Ridge Trail.

The folks from the Fest asked me if I’d write about the Top of the Hops … I thought I’d take the opportunity to ask them a few questions – (note to those in sales: cold calling works sometimes. 🙂 )

How has the Top of the Hops grown since its inception?

The attendance continues to grow each year and we have now expanded the footprint of the site slightly so we can include several additional elements: a cider garden, an import garden and a cask garden. We have also added a corn hole tournament to this year’s Top of the Hops!

Read More

What is the Story You’re Trying to Tell? (a very short one)

in General Real Estate on

“What is the story you’re trying to tell?”

I was posed this question this week by someone from outside the real estate space – a technology provider who is seeking an entry into the real estate world. His question was a pointed and salient one, and my answer was this:

Answer: It depends a bit on if I’m representing the buyer or the seller, but for this example …

I’m trying to tell the story of how buyers of this property are going to be happy living here. They’re going to enjoy coming home, being with each other, their kids if they have them, and living in the house and on the property.

The story I’d like to tell is below – a bigger story than the one allowed by the MLS, the primary venue for marketing real estate listings to both real estate agents and the public. I want to tell about why my client loves living there; what the positives are, what the context of the property is, weave a story with links to surrounding participants in the story.

But.

The Charlottesville MLS limits public remarks to 500 characters. Seriously.

Read More