A builder shortage?
We are hearing from economic developers and employers reporting that they have more jobs than people. The availability of affordable housing to attract manufacturing workers is starting to become an issue. The housing that is being built is too expensive for the market, but these communities can not attract developers to build what is needed.
Where’s the problem? The demand for home builders far exceeds the supply. (Emphasis added.) Contractors can not recruit and hire enough skilled tradespeople to do the carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and other construction work that is involved in building houses. Because of building needs in the storm-damaged gulf region and in burgeoning China, construction materials are in short supply. Source.
Eminent Domain’s threat to small business (archived: 2014).
Gas prices to rise in 2006 (no longer available)? Thanks to an unlikely source – environmentalists.
Interested in Learning More?
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…