Date Archives November 2010

Less is More + Smarter Conversations

in sideblog on

The world of social media and networking is much too consumed with numbers , and it seems at times, we are making sacrifices of our time and energy wading through piles of noise and indirect relationships in an effort to obtain the rare connections of serendipity that bring us value. … When Facebook launched their new messaging platform two weeks ago, putting an emphasis on the friends in the site having access to your in box, I started to have second thoughts about all these random people I’d blindly said yes to in the last couple years. For every great person who I would meet in the future and learn from, there were others trying to invite me to events and groups that were a waste of time, or whose updates were never catching my eye.

…You don’t do that because your accountant told you to, you do thatbecause that’s who you are.

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Charlottesville is the 3rd Most Walkable City in Virginia

in Charlottesville Transportation on

50% of Charlottesville residents have a Walk Score of 70 or above.

Charlottesville’s most walkable neighborhoods are Downtown, 10th And Page, Main-Starr Hill. Charlottesville’s least walkable neighborhoods are Charlottesville High, North East, Longwood Dr. 77% have a Walk Score of at least 50—and 23% live in Car-Dependent neighborhoods.

Downtown, Charlottesville - Restaurants, Hotels, and Landmarks on Walk Score.jpg Search for the most walkable homes for sale in Charlottesville .

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Holiday Things to do in Charlottesville

in Charlottesville on

From a client:

Was wondering if you could recommend someplace to cut-your-own Christmas tree farm? Also, where would a cute little 4yr old boy find Santa in C’ville? Lastly, any Christmas activites/events that are a must go to??

I’m wondering, too – where is the best “real” Santa in the Charlottesville area?

There are so many options, too many really, so here are a few of my picks –

(( Update 29 October 2012: I’ll be updating this post in about a month with events for 2012 ))

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Insight into the Home Buying and Selling Process

in Buyers on

In my business I have found that, on average, many of my buyer clients search for between 12 and 24 months – they are searching data, market trends, growth patterns, identifying where they want to live and then focusing on the homes themselves. … But a far lesser percentage than I expected. NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers - 2010.pdf (page 47 of 124).jpg Length of search for buyers who used an agent, first-time and repeat buyers: – I presume that the repeat buyers may be those repeat buyer buying within the region they already inhabit; they know where they want to live, so the investigative process is much shorter. LENgTH OF SEARCH FOR BuyERS wHO uSED AN AgENT, FiRST-TiME AND REPEAT BuyERS Information sources used in home search, by first-time and repeat buyers, and buyers of new and previously owned homes: – Same as last year, Internet, Real Estate Agent, Yard Sign are the top three sources. … I’m not completely discounting print’s effectiveness; for branding , print is hard to beat, for selling a house , it’s not even in the conversation. iNFORMATiON SOuRCES uSED iN HOME SEARCH, By FiRST-TiME AND REPEAT BuyERS, AND BuyERS OF NEw AND PREviOuSLy OwNED HOMES A qualifier to the below chart: Good real estate agents are useful. … As I said four years ago, Zillow Cannot Adapt ; until they develop effective Artificial Intelligence , people will be the best options. Good Charlottesville Real Estate Agents Are still the most useful No surprises here – the internet is the most frequently used information source; this is one reason that I coach my buyer clients (and any reader, really) in how to effectively search for homes in the Charlottesville area . NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers - 2010.pdf (page 49 of 124)

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Northtown Bike Trail – From Downtown to 29 North – Looks Great

in Albemarle Charlottesville Politics Transportation on

The Northtown Trail is a smart, functional, bold and audacious plan that would likely help shape non-auto-dependent growth, reduce congestion on 29 and maybe help folks using it get more fit .

…The Northtown Trail is tied to several significant roadway projects in the area, including the Route 250 Interchange at McIntire Road , McIntire Road Extended , the Meadow Creek Parkway and Berkmar Drive Extended . The portions of the trail in Albemarle County correspond directly to planned facilities for the Places29 Master Plan, which aims to improve congestion and land use issues along the US 29 north corridor in Albemarle County. … The City’s portion of the conceptual trail corresponds to planned bike and pedestrian facilities along the future McIntire Road Extended and the Route 250 interchange at McIntire Road.

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