Date Archives August 2008

No Roaming – What a Shame

One of the significant consequences is that kids don’t have relationships with nature : Experts blamed the widening gulf between children and nature on over-protective parents and the hostility to children among some conservationists, who fear that they will damage the environment.

…And from the Guardian – A major study by Play England , part of the National Children’s Bureau , found that half of all children have been stopped from climbing trees, 21 per cent have been banned from playing conkers and 17 per cent have been told they cannot take part in games of tag or chase.

Read More

New Construction, Median Sales Prices and Sales Volume for Central Virginia

Albemarle County realeased ( sic ) numbers for the first part of 2008. 266 building permits for new residential housing units were issued in the first six months of 2008. … One of my goals for next month’s third quarter market report is to pull condos out of the equation so that we can better compare apples to apples. 2008 Sold Data for Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson for 2008 2007 Sold Data for Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson for 2007 2006 Sold Data for Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson for 2006 2005 Sold Data for Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson for 2005 2004 Sold Data for Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson for 2004 For an example of the condo component of the market (again, more detailed analysis coming in early September): Condo volume in 2008 in Albemarle County is down nearly 40% and condo volume is down in the City of Charlottesville is down about 35%. 2006: Sold Condos in 2006 2007: Sold Condos 2007 2008: Sold condos 2008 * this post is a good segue way into my post recapping my week so far in Austin, Texas .

Read More

Charlottesville Has a Ton of Great Blogs

I found this blog, titled Discovering Urbanism , last week with this genesis, which shares a lot of my interests which focus on Charlottesville’s real estate and real estate market (location, location, location and “how do I get around?)… I discovered what should have been obvious all along: issues like transportation and zoning are pretty boring unless they are about the particular roads and lands that real people use.

Read More

A Sign of the Times – Short Sale in Old Trail

This post breaks my unwritten rule guideline to not blog about listings , but it’s noteworthy for a couple of reasons – 1 – It’s a short sale in Albemarle, something of which we haven’t seen much so far in this market shift. … 2 – It’s in Old Trail , which is, in my opinion, just ahead of the curve and is poised for great success in the medium to long-term. (more on why in a later post) 3 – It is owned by local builder Church Hill Homes .

Read More

Posts with Enduring Interest – Take Two – Just for Buyers

Choosing the Right Buyer’s Agent Proof that Gas Prices are affecting buyers in Charlottesville area A Cautionary Tale – Yet another Due Diligence Question for Buyers, Sellers and Realtors You’re Buying Your Monday Mornings Online Buyers’ Habits Changing Why take a Buyer’s Agent to New Construction? … Questions to ask your agent in Charlottesville – hiring representation should not be taken lightly Default Position – one of many posts written on the perils of Dual Agency – for the frequently unsuspecting Buyers but for the Realtor profession as well.

Read More