Why Do We Work So Hard on Our Lawns?:
The answer is a combination of habit, snobbery, capitalism and government intervention.
I live in a relatively new construction development (as there is so much in the Charlottesville area) and could not agree more with this –
Only with the birth of the suburb could Americans finally realize the ideal of carpeting a buffer zone between themselves and the rest of the world. The lawn was essentially decorative fringe: Its value arose partly from its impracticality. Thorsten Veblen noted in his 1899 book, “The Theory of the Leisure Class,” that grazing animals had been banished from yards because they gave “the vulgar suggestion of thrift.”
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I have been been representing buyers and sellers in Charlottesville, Albemarle, and Central Virginia since 2001. Get local insight born of experience.
Dig Deeper
Always Read Covenants and Restrictions
You never know what you're going to find when you dig into Covenants and Restrictions. "1. No shop, store, trailer, temporary living structure, factory, hospital, asylum, institution, tourist home or business house of any kind, and no apartment house shall be erected or maintained on…
Revisiting the “0 to 5 Buyer is Gone” Post – 15 years later
Revisiting the “0-5 Buyer Is Gone” Theory We’re in a different market now. Some of the people who bought between 2021 and 2024 are trying to sell — and the ones who bought new construction, now competing against new construction, are having a hard time.…
A Charlottesville e-bike Success Story
I have an e-bike. I love my e-bike. I ride it to meetings all over the City of Charlottesville instead of driving my car. e-bikes are great. A friend got an e-bike. He loves his e-bike. He has a different perspective, and I asked him…
Flipping the Switch, Part 3: ADUs, Zoning, and the Practical Guide
Flipping the Switch, Part 3: ADUs, Zoning, and the Practical Guide Part 1 covered the data. Part 2 covered the design. This week: the regulatory landscape, the ADU reality check, and the practical checklist. The ADU Conversation Has Changed When I wrote about this in…