I randomly and fortuitously met some potential clients last week. As I was finishing a showing, a couple drove by and asked if we were having an open house. My client assured me that we were finished, she introduced me to them, (as a “great Realtor,” thankyouverymuch) and we had an interesting conversation about their impending move to the area.

One of the best things that came from the discussion was this – they had asked several people in Virginia this question – “if you could live anywhere in Virginia, where would it be?” The repeated answer was, “Charlottesville.” Clearly, broadband is the new infrastructure.

Coming to a new area is daunting, and having a knowledgeable advocate/guide/Realtor is, in my clearly biased opinion, crucial to successfully navigating the market.

Google’s great, but being able to ask someone questions and get answers – in the context of the local market – is mighty helpful.

Search for homes here

A relocation map of Charlottesville/Albemarle I did last year


Market Data/Statistics – start here to get a grasp on the market.

We discussed ways to tap into the Charlottesville area – moving to a new area without an existing support structure can be an isolating experience.
It seems that the Charlottesville area has a club for everything.


Clubs/Networks (just a sampling)

Charlottesville Young Professionals

Charlottesville Sports and Social Club

The next three came from my curiosity – I started typing in “Charlottesville [blank] club” into Google and quickly figured that there’s likely a club for anything and everything (seriously be creative when you try it!) –

Charlottesville Track Club

Charlottesville Hiking Club

Charlottesville Drinking Club

Rentals – For most people relocating blind to the area (having only been here once or twice) I would much rather we take a “rent now, buy later approach” (although this is certainly not “one size fits all” – each person and situation is different). For this task, start here –

My search site (just select “rentals”)

These are the best sites I have found to search for rentals.

– The HooK (one of the two free weekly newspapers)
– C-Ville (one of the two free weekly newspapers) *
– Daily Progress – the daily newspaper
– Blue Ridge Apartment Council
– Charlottesville Craigslist

–Jobs in Charlottesville

Network, network, network.

I’d start with the groups above, and troll the classifieds in the C-Ville (http://www.c-ville) and the HooK – (http://www.readthehook.com)

* Notice the deftly political way of not saying “one of” and then “the other” – thereby keeping both on equal footing in an attempt to alienate neither? 🙂