Sweet . Come on, Albemarle County et al . Get on the stick!
Date Archives November 2010
ACCT Urges Alternative Transportation
Rails, Trails, Bikes and Feet. “We’re trying to access a community of homeowners who have to drive to work,†Eissler said. Awesome.
Barry Merchant’s Presentation on the Charlottesville Real Estate Market – 11 November 2010
It was an excellent presentation throughout, perhaps the best one I’ve seen him do. Presentation by Barry Merchant, VHDA Economist, to the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors Presentation by Barry Merchant, VHDA Economist, to the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors
Come to Siips Tonight for the Workforce Housing Fundraiser and Broker Bartender Night
Come to Siips Wine and Champagne Bar and Bistro on Thursday, November 11, 2010 from 5:30 – 8:00 PM for a charity bartender event benefiting the Workforce Housing Fund of Charlottesville.
…The CAAR Work Force Housing Fund (WFHF) was created in 2004 to address the need for affordable housing in local communities. The WFHF aids teachers, nurses, police officers, and fire fighters by providing financial assistance with the purchase of their homes. Siips is located at 212 East Main Street in Charlottesville, VA on the Historic Downtown Mall, directly across from the Paramount Theater.
Charlottesville and Albemarle’s Places 29 – Same Old, Same Old
I stand by what I said in June of this year : Places 29 , Albemarle County’s plan for the 29 North Corridor is in its fifth year (at least) and public outreach meetings continue. Candidly, i suspect that this plan will continue to be yet another exercise is the County and county business leaders publicly demonstrating that their best interests are served by continuing the planning process while those citizens to actually drive 29 continue to lament the interminable planning and delays of the aforementioned “leaders.â€
…What I mean by this is that some parts of the city and county are becoming relatively ignorant of each other, as the residents don’t need to leave their respective worlds. As each neighborhood develops continues to evolve and develop and re-develop its own identity, residents may become more involved hyper-locally but less-so in the greater Charlottesville area.
What’s Next in Real Estate Technology?
This stuff fascinates me because it make for a better search experience for consumers and will eventually trickle its way to the Charlottesville market. (and Nest released a new version of our search , and my Charlottesville home search just got faster) – Lifestyle search – I want to find and live in a neighborhood with other people around my life stage – with kids, near a park, 20 minutes to one spouse’s work, walk to a coffee shop and a library, ride a bike to the other spouse’s work, close to a Trader Joe’s or a Whole Foods, with utilities that are below average in a well-built house, priced lower than the assessed value that is oriented to allow for solar panels, with high speed access, close to the Downtown Mall on a cul-de-sac. – More content creation for and by real estate people – across the spectrum – Geo.
…I want to know what’s happening in the real estate market – what people are searching for, what they’re buying, how many foreclosures are out there, how many people are buying houses with ceramic tile, how many with gray-water systems, how many off-the-grid and more.
…For example: if I put a video up of a property I’m marketing and use my primary youtube account (the easiest way to upload and share video) I can be and will be flagged for “branding” because the consumer can find me via youtube. – MLS – other websites can resize photos. … There is no excuse. – Part One – Real Estate Technology I wanted Five Years Ago is Finally Here – Interactive Floorplans – Part Two – Real Estate Technology I wanted Five Years Ago is Finally Here – Real Estate Video – Part Three – Real Estate Technology I wanted Five Years Ago is Finally Here – Paperless Transactions . – Prologue – What’s Next?
Charlottesville Real Estate Market Update – October 2010
October 2010 marked the 4th straight month that our sales in the Charlottesville MSA were  down.  The 9 straight months of month-over-month sales increases is in danger of being completely wiped out.  And sales in Oct 10 weren’t a little off as compared to Oct 09, they were WAY off.  … After 2 straight months of being just a few sales short, October proved to be the second worst month in the last year (July sales were off a whopping 36%).