What is Rio Road Going to Look Like in 5 Years?
It's almost like the County and City leaders don't care about the ramifications of their collective (in)decisions. In five years: - The City of Charlottesville still won't have built their portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway - The County of Albemarle will still be approving developments…
Christmas Trees in and Around Charlottesville
Oh, Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree - Where do you get Christmas trees in (around) Charlottesville? The place where we used to cut ours when I was a kid is now a subdivision. Here are a few Christmas tree farms where you can cut your…
Case Shiller’s Perspective on the Charlottesville Real Estate Market
Case Shiller's Perspective on the Charlottesville real estate market summed up in one phrase: it doesn't exist. Today I'll I touch on: - Case Shiller - Core Logic - Charlottesville MLS/analysis on RealCentralVA - Fiserv/CNN Context matters. Case Shiller doesn't track the Charlottesville real estate…
What is Walking Distance to You? (in Charlottesville)
"Walkable houses in Charlottesville" - one of the more frequent requests I get both from buyer clients and from visitors to this site. But "walkable" means different things to different people. Clarifying and pulling out buyers' true intents is one of the most useful skills…
FHA and Condos in Charlottesville – Are they Eligible?
Guest post from Matt Hodges with Presidential Mortgage*: Condominiums are a challenge to finance through FHA. Condominiums had a brief period when lenders overlooked eligibility and approved every loan, as long as the borrower was qualified – that period ended some four years ago. Today,…
UVA Continuing to Grow – Adding Stability to Charlottesville’s Economy
One of the brightest spots in the Charlottesville area economy is the University of Virginia. Love 'em or hate 'em, they provide stability and opportunity. Charlottesville Tomorrow reports: Noticeable at the Planning and Coordination Council meeting was the contrast between the scale and ambition of…
Sunday Reflection
Sometimes it takes a moment like this to reaffirm why I choose to stay in Charlottesville. Taken while meeting with a potential seller in Free Union.
City-County Revenue Sharing, Albemarle County Redistricting and Property Taxes
Three big stories if you live in (or are considering moving to) Albemarle County: - Your elementary schools need balancing and need to be redistricted. (always check your school district before you buy!) (Update: these are the options for redistricting Hollymead and Baker Butler) -…
Albemarle County Real Estate Update – The first Ten Months of 2011
One big notation: I'm no longer comparing today's real estate market; what happened in 2005 - 2007 and before is interesting, curious, anomalous and ultimately irrelevant to today's real estate market. EVERYTHING is different now - interest rates, economic outlook, international economic events, gas prices,…
The Bubblers and the Brokers, Part 2
The Charlottesville Bubble Blog have posted Part Two of their series. Michael Guthrie invited Greg Slater and me to be on his radio show this Saturday on WINA at 10am; we will be discussing our perspectives on the Charlottesville real estate market, what we're seeing,…