Rail coming to Charlottesville
Maybe. It's been more two years since I first noted CvilleRail.org's efforts to bring commuter rail to the Charlottesville area, and certainly they've been working on it longer than that. Today brings good news - we could possibly have such a service in two years.…
Recapping the Albemarle BoS Elections
Will Goldsmith does it again in today's C-Ville with his review of last week's pivotal/profound/resounding election results. For those who live in Albemarle, be prepared for a fascinating future - both short- and long- termed. What do the elections mean? David Slutzky says: "I think…
Toy Lift 2007 in Charlottesville
Toy Lift 2007 is in 25 days! Volunteers are needed! The Toy Lift needs your help! For the last 19 years our community has come together to help our area children have a happy holiday. We need volunteers from December 5th through December 9th to…
October Market Report for Charlottesville/Albemarle
In short - - Days on Market are up, year over year - Inventory in Charlottesville/Albemarle is slightly up, year over year. This may be a signal that we're moving in the right direction. - Absorption Rate (the time it takes for the existing inventory…
Charlottesville relocation map
There is an awful lot of information that can be found online. Maps are plenty, but being able to fold one up and take it with you is something that the internet has not yet accomplished. All of the relocation packages I send out have…
Proffers, timing, smart growth and questions
The term "Smart Growth" has been bastardized. At one point it may have meant "to grow in an intelligent manner." Now it seems to mean "no growth" to many. Bacon's Rebellion has an excellent story, with equally insightful comments on the ramifications of Tuesday's elections…
Stability in College Towns
Thanks to an alert reader for sending this story my way - College Towns Escape the Pain As the inner cities, along with much of Florida and the interior of California, face the prospect of a foreclosure meltdown, American college towns appear to be islands…
Best line of the day
"It's hard to believe anything can be too ugly for Pantops." - from today's C-Ville. ... Unfortunately there's more to the story.What a shame that this is one of the reasons that the Montessori School's design was denied: "...How energy efficient a building is isn't…
Albemarle’s Third Quarter Building Permit report
As noted earlier this month, building permits are down in the Albemarle County region. Now, the Third Quarter Building Report has been released. The market needs to work its way through the excess inventory. Not adding to that pile is a good start.Two notable conclusions…
Vacancies, foreclosures and opportunity in Charlottesville
The vacancy rate for the Charlottesville area are fairly consistent over the last 18 months, with a slight uptick recently. The key words are market knowledge, adaptation and patience. For Charlottesville/Albemarle - there are 1395 active properties, with 490 properties being vacant (35%). For the…