The Value that Solar Panels Bring to House – A Client Story
We can value solar panels. "Is the system owned or leased?" "Are the warranties and Net Metering agreements transferable?" "How old is the roof underneath the panels?" How do you value not being fully dependent on the grid? I was meeting a photographer at a…
How Many Homes Sold in Charlottesville Last Year (an MLS Story)
Bear with me here. The MLS' utility and value are being threatened. You might be familiar with pocket listings; this is worse. Q: How many homes sold in Charlottesville last year? A: That's not that hard of a question to answer, thanks to the MLS.…
Flipping the Parental Switch – Part 2 of 3
What a Multi-Generational Home Actually Looks Like in 2026 (Part 2 of 3) Last week I wrote about the data behind multi-generational living. This week: what does that actually look like inside a house? In 2015, I described the ideal "parent suite" as fewer steps,…
Flipping the Parental Switch – Part 1 of 3
Flipping the Switch — Ten Years Later (Part 1 of 3) Used to be, parents took care of us; now, more and more often, we're taking care of the parents. I call it, "flipping the switch." Multi-generational households are becoming more commonplace; parents following the…
Teamwork to Search (the Internet) for Homes
The US housing market's MLS is the envy of the world — a mostly comprehensive, complete database of homes for sale. Built for cooperation between Realtors, the MLS is how we've searched for homes and analyzed the market for decades. That comprehensiveness is under threat.…
e-bikes are good
"I want to get an e-bike." The mobility just seems incredible." And it is. A friend made that comment recently on one of my Strava e-bike commuting rides. It's possible to ride an e-bike around Charlottesville and the immediate urban ring of Albemarle County. Mostly…