The answer to virtually everything in my world: it depends. Chiara Canzi at C-Ville wrote an informative article last week in which yours truly was quoted ; it is worth a read if you’re curious about real estate assessments’ impacts on market value.
Browsing Category Charlottesville
5 Steps to Searching for Price Reductions on Homes in the Charlottesville
One of my favorite searches is the one I set up that sends me results via RSS for homes with at least a 10% price reduction over the past 30 days . Step One : Visit my Detailed Charlottesville Home Search Page Step 2 : Search by School District (which remains the best way to search for homes in Charlottesville with a geographical limiter) – Check your school district before you buy – School Values and Housing Prices Step 3 : Set your price drop criteria 
Step 4: View the search results 
Step 5 : Save the Search. … • Unrestricted access to all properties • Receive property updates for your searches via Email • Save your favorite properties • Add your own notes to listings • Create and save your personal searches • Keep track of properties you’ve viewed • Receive updates through a RSS reader
…Now, Check out the Listing Price History on your results 
As always, if you have questions, please contact me anytime .
Riding a Bike (Safely) in Charlottesville
I’d love to think that we are close to being able to easily bike everywhere around Charlottesville and Albemarle’s urban ring, but these two paragraphs from Chiara Canzi’s article say a lot:
“This commuter trail will extend from Lewis and Clark Drive in Northern Albemarle County into the City of Charlottesville’s Downtown,†running parallel to Route 29 North, according to the project’s report.
… “This facility will provide a viable alternative travel mode for communities along the Route 29 North corridor, particularly Downtown and the Hollymead commercial area,†it reads. Yet, upon a closer look at the plan, Northtown Trail is connected to and contingent upon the completion of some major, and controversial, transportation projects.
Will $1 Million Help Charlottesville-Albemarle-UVA Cooperate?
I’m thinking that they’ll get along just fine in the planning stages; actual implementation is where the system falls apart .
How do People Commute in Charlottesville and Albemarle?
Mostly by car .
The American Community Survey, conducted from 2005 to 2009, shows that 59 percent of Charlottesville residents drive by themselves to work, as well as 77 percent of Albemarle workers.
On a related note, I’ve been looking for updated Journey to Work data for a couple years now, but haven’t been able to locate it anywhere . The most recent datasets are from 2000 , and I have a feeling that human settlement and commuting patterns have shifted since then.
View from the Top of the Gleason Building in Downtown Charlottesville
I just wish it had been a less gray morning when I was on the roof of the Gleason for a home inspection. Either way, it’s a nice view .
Charlottesville is a Leader in Biotech
The greater Charlottesville region is home to more than 17 percent of the state’s biotech companies, based on information from the Virginia Bioscience Directory. It contains more than 20 percent of the state’s bioscience equipment companies, nearly 18 percent of its medical device companies and nearly 17 percent of its bioenergy companies. … Too often, our people — UVa post-docs, for instance — cannot remain in the commonwealth because the jobs aren’t here, and the jobs often aren’t here because the venture capital for exciting new startup companies comes from out of state. ( hat tip to the Virginia Bioscience Blog for pointing out the story ) The last snip is a challenge that the Charlottesville region faces, across industries. There is relatively little potential for growth, whether laterally or vertically. * no word on how they are defining “Charlottesville” – whether as ‘Charlottesville’ or ‘Charlottesville-Albemarle’ or ‘Charlottesville MSA’.