Date Archives November 2005

Listing update

The newest property I am marketing in Crozet is about to begin its third week on the market.  This is truly a beautiful home and is a pleasure to show and see.  Please email me if you are interested.This home, close to the 29 North Corridor and Pantops, is still on the market.  It is amazing how much of in impact 300 yards of a pressed gravel road can have.

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Where is the Senior Housing?

Charlottesville has been repeatedly ranked as one of the best places to live, top five college towns and best places to retire in the States.Best places to retire …  that implies that there is both adequate housing stock that is suitable for the (sorry for the broad brush) “Over-55 crowd.”From a Businessweek article – And from Charlottesville, Va., to Hanover, N.H., you can always count on having plenty to do in a college town….  Says retirement expert Mark Fagan, a professor of social work at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala.: ”Retirees and college students are always looking for the same thing: a good time.”Many of the communities that are being designed for the Over-55 demographic are not located in or immediately around Charlottesville….  Seniors typically have less impact on infrastructure and existing services, add to the property tax base and can share their years of knowledge and experience, especially through programs such as the Jefferson Institute for Lifelong Learning – good for the entire community!

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Albemarle BoS race, etc.

A short post this morning on the Albemarle BoS race – Christian Schoenwald lost resoundingly to the formidable incumbent Dennis Rooker in the Jack Jouett District despite running a good race.  David Slutzky defeated a strong opponent in Gary Grant and Dr. Jakubowski in the Rio District.  You may recall that the Charlottesville Association of Realtors (CAAR) endorsed both Schoenwald and Slutzky….  David Slutzky is the most qualified candidate for the job, and I believe that Albemarle will benefit from his years of experience and his vast wealth of knowledge.

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Points on mortgages?

From a WP article – A weekly survey of lenders by the Mortgage Bankers Association on Wednesday reported a 15 percent drop in demand from a year ago for loans to buy homes and mortgage refinancing.  …In some cases, lowering the mortgage rate by paying points can actually help a borrower qualify for a home loan.  That is because much of the lender’s qualification process hinges on determining a borrower’s ability to make the monthly loan payments.Basically, you will be paying the lender to take a risk….  Most likely, in my opinion, is that Sellers will be offering to pay a Purchaser’s points as an incentive to induce them to both visit and make an offer on their homes.Be sure to pay attention to how the points are described/disclosed in the Good Faith Estimate (GFE).

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Selling a house is no fun

Preparing for strangers to wander through your house – hopefully every day – is laborious, time-consuming and generally as far from an enjoyable experience as one could imagine….  Every morning, it is important to (obviously) brush your teeth and then rinse, dry and shine the sink….  Maintaining the devotion and dedication to this constant high level of cleanliness and order can be draining and frustrating, or as David St….  I have lived this alternate reality twice; it’s no fun, but ultimately rewarding in that done well, your goals can usually be met.

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Your ultimate home?

What’s in your “ultimate home”?Someone on MetaFilter’s Q&A site recently posted a question of interest to DIYers: “What features would you design in to your dream home?”

Urinals in the bathroomI have seen homes before in this area with all of these features.  Arcane Technologies is a local company that will address the automatic house aspects …Hat tip to Houseblogs.Everybody has a list of good and bad aspects of their homes.  What are yours?

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