Things to Consider when Relocating (to Charlottesville or Albemarle)

What are some of the things that you consider when evaluating whether to move to Charlottesville, Virginia? What follows are some of the things my buyer clients consider, whether moving from another city within the Commonwealth of Virginia, another state, or another country. This is in no way a comprehensive list, but I think it’s a good foundational start.

A lot has changed since 2010, when I wrote about factors buyers consider when moving to Charlottesville, Albemarle, Central Virginia — and I’d argue that much of what follows would be applicable to many areas around the US & world.

First – how do you define “Charlottesville”?

How you define “Charlottesville” matters. The City of Charlottesville is ~50K people, and the “metro” (very rural in many areas) is about 250K people – many (most) think Charlottesville + Albemarle (~120K people) (the county that surrounds the City = “Charlottesville.” (see: Weldon Cooper Center for population information)

What factors do buyers consider when relocating?

• Do I have a job?
• Can I keep my existing job and work from home?
• Can I afford a house there?
• Is there sufficient internet infrastructure? (how is the up/down speed and reliability?)
• How are the schools? How close are they to my target location?
  • City vs County schools. Dated, but relevant
  • More on schools
  • Look beyond test scores
• How many parks are in close proximity to my new home?
• Local/regional politics – functional?
  • Do some due diligence reading local news and voter information. Virginia Board of Elections & VPAP.
• What are the growth patterns? Where are the growth areas? Is the area growing? How is infrastructure holding up?
  • Infrastructure is more than just roads, bike lanes, public transit. Also ask about the state of public water and sewer capacity, maintenance, and future planning. Underground utilities? Who is the power provider?
  • Charlottesville has decent bus coverage. Albemarle is sort of working on bus services, here and there.
  • Relevant as of the time of this writing — power and data centers, Richmond’s water crisis, California fires
• Who the neighbors are – are they at similar “life-stages” to you?
• Churches if that matters
• Proximity to grocery stores & coffee shops
• Taxes
  • Property taxes – what are they? What do they pay for? How are houses assessed? How often? What are those trends?
    • I advise my clients that they should expect property taxes to go up – mil rates are usually reasonably stable and consistent, and assessments tend to go up over time.
  • Personal property taxes
  • I’ve had clients ask about meals taxes
• School budgets, school test scores (look beyond test scores please).
  • What does “best” school mean to you? — As I tell my clients, “best” school depends on what the kid(s) and family need out of a school. Some it’s community, grades, sports, proximity to home … I also tell my clients to come rent first, and then purchase, if that’s the plan.
• Private school availability
• Walkability
• Safety – look at crime stats, and I’ve found the Reddit often has good information.

Climate

One of the most-commonly-cited reasons I hear from clients relocating to the Charlottesville is climate — thinking about my clients from California, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Oregon among other places.

I have been writing about climate and real estate for years.  I’ll put a few links of things I’ve written at the bottom of this post.

While nowhere is safe, I’d like to think that the Central Virginia region is better protected than other parts of the US and the world. I might be wrong.

ProPublica’s climate migration maps and stories are outstanding (and a bit frightening)

These are just some of the factors that my buyer clients bring up.

What are some other factors that you considered or think should be considered? What did I miss? What’s important to you?

Let me know, please.

A few stories

• Evaluating Climate Risk in 2024 and 2025 in Charlottesville – October 2024
• Inventory & Homeowners Insurance in the 2025 Charlottesville Real Estate Market – January 2025
• Climate Change and Insurance — A Charlottesville Insurance Perspective – September 2023
• Climate Change & Real Estate – October 2018
• Are People Moving to the Charlottesville Area Due to Climate Change? – September 2023
• Moving to Charlottesville/Albemarle/Central Virginia for a Climate Safe Haven? – October 2024 (no longer available)
• Would You Buy a House In (or near) a Flood Plain? – September 2016

This is part of an email I sent recently to someone considering relocating to the Charlottesville area. They ended up choosing another location, but this way I can repurpose some of my work for them. 🙂