A slightly different Friday Chart , as election season is heating up. 
One of the questions I get from buyers moving to the area is, “What are the politics like around here?” … As of yet, political leaning is not yet a protected class, so I start with this analogy – The City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle are sort of like estranged parents who keep it together just enough so that the kids (in this case, residents) survive. … Luckily, we can do that – Find out who is giving how much and to whom at VPAP . … (I wonder how much good could be done with $2.3 million ) Top political donors in Albemarle County .
Date Archives July 2010
Which is More Impactful on House Values – Sexual Offenders or Foreclosures?
Sexual offenders may devalue a house by up to 17% . But … And, thanks to the WSJ : On average, a foreclosure reduces the value of a house by 27%, says a new paper from an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and researchers at Harvard University.
Baby Biscuit Run off Old Lynchburg?
A relatively small subdivision on one-acre lots near a forthcoming state park ? Sounds like a marketable product.
Days On Market Matter in Charlottesville
Slightly longer answer – I’d also wager that of those 47 homes that went under contract in the first 30 days, their selling price is probably closer to the original asking price than those homes that were put on the market 120 days ago.
… Think about it – while you might put your home on the market for $400k and it’s really worth $370k, the buyers know this . You likely won’t sell your home in the timeframe you need or want to; when you reduce your price to $380k in three months, you’ve (probably) been making mortgage payments and delaying the move to the next phase of your life that is dependent on selling your house.
…Schools in the Charlottesville area start around the third week of August (Albemarle – PDF), and we have about three months left before the annual doldrums set in.
Charlottesville Twitter Week in Review
Haven’t made time yet to figure it out. in reply to ProfessionalOne # Looking for things to do near Nationals Stadium during the Dave Matthews concert tonight. … # RT @ bbalm : I really loved that spot for the Albemarle County Fair 🙁 It’s been great being on the Ferris Wheel (cont) http://tl.gd/2mb5nv # You can’t make this stuff up. … # Real estate blogging ain’t rocket science http://bit.ly/dALe79 cc: @ robhahn # Reconciling the difference b/t what one thinks a house is worth & what the market thinks it’s worth is a difficult thing. … # Missing the # cvilletweetup but spending time with my kids. # win # RT @ TBoard : ntflix now has 15 million users. does that mean we need to figure out some way to use our accounts for marketing?
June and July Contracts and Closings in Charlottesville and Albemarle (2010)
We’re still reeling from the effects of the homebuyer tax credit and relaxing in the traditional late-summer lull, but I think we may see a pickup this August and September. I also think we may be in the eye of the hurricane.
… the numbers don’t add up because three of the 192 were “proposed” – meaning new construction. They’re not supposed to count towards the numbers, but such are the vagaries of the MLS.
Where The Kids At?
One of the most common criteria I get from families looking for homes in the Charlottesville area is – We want to live in a neighborhood that has a lot of kids .
…So a broker who says something like, “There are tons of little kids in this building neighborhood “it’s really family friendly” could be accused of specifically steering families to the building and driving people without children away from it.
Really.