Browsing Category Albemarle

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Many Years of Blogging

in Albemarle Blogging Charlottesville on

January 4, 2005 I posted my first not-so-great-post here on RealCentralVA. So very much has changed since then that I can’t begin to list the significant, insignificant and surprisingly significant shifts in the real estate writing space (I was one of the first and some days feels like I may be one of the last), changes in the (real estate) technology space (iPhone to name one) or my personal or professional life (another daughter, new company). But this remains the same today as it did in 2005:

One aspect of real estate that has not and never will change is that this business is about people.

People make the decisions about where to move. People decide in which school district they will reside, and people choose with whom they will work. My job, each and every day, is to meet people and earn their business and their trust.

Thank You:

– To those who have read me for years.

– To those who have worked with me because you found me here. To those who haven’t.

– To those who have found value here in the home buying or home selling process (even if you didn’t work with me 🙂 )

– To those who comment, email, connect or lurk.

Neither the goal nor the focus of what I do here really hasn’t changed – to provide honest, transparent, real analysis of the Charlottesville – Albemarle and surrounding areas’ real estate market, growth, politics, lifestyle and anything else that piques my interest.

Thanks for reading; here’s to another year.

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Redfields Buying Open Space

in Albemarle Growth on

Years ago when I wrote “If you Don’t Own it, It’s Going to Change” – referencing homeowners’ and buyers’ expectations regarding adjacent properties, I was using the Mosby Mountain neighborhood as my reference point.

The Redfields neighborhood experienced this last year when the developers tried to build on “their” “open space.”

Fast forward to the end of 2012 and the best solution seems to be coming to fruition – the Redfields homeowners’ association will be buying the open space to keep it as that – protected open space rather than more homes. Good for them and good for the developers.

That area of Charlottesville is poised to grow – significantly – and I think that having secured this open space will be good for Redfields’ residents (their property values and their ability to enjoy their homes)

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November’s (Charlottesvile MSA) Real Estate Market Wasn’t So Bad

in Albemarle Charlottesville Market statistics on

Charlottesville Nest Report - November 2012

Inventory is down (everywhere), contracts are up (broadly), sales are up (generally),

But.

– Quality inventory is still low.
– The fiscal cliff generated by the irrepressible idiots in Washington is creating uncertainty – something we don’t need.
– One month isn’t a trend, particularly as the numbers are so broadly skewed in some cases.
– As I noted yesterday, more foreclosures are needed in order to find a definable, sustainable recovery.
– Your market – whatever that is – is part of this report, but for a true understanding of whether you can sell or should buy you need to seek out and find specific advice and insight to your situation.

The data’s not bad. Not bad at all.

Download the two-page report here or click through to see the embedded report.

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Redistricting Albemarle’s Schools, APFs and Proffers – Take 2

in Albemarle Charlottesville Education on

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Redistricting, by its very nature tears families and communities apart. And that sucks. But it is what it is.

There’s quite a conversation happening in Albemarle County right now as many school districts are undergoing redistricting discussions – evaluating current, past and projected enrollment numbers. I’ve been writing about the proposed redistricting a lot in part because schools matter. Better schools = better housing prices. (and better educated kids, too, presumably)

As I’ve told my clients for years:

1 – The only way to be assured that your kid is going to go to that school is if that school is private.

2 – Always. Always. Always. Check your school district – yourself – before you buy a home.

Albemarle is going to grow. There will be more people here. In Albemarle: 115k in 2020, 134k in 2030, 155k in 2040. (see: Weldon Cooper Center) Schools will need to grow. (so will roads, bike lanes, taxes).

We need to accept and deal with the growth, no matter our internal struggles with the ramifications of growth.

Now (really, 10 years ago) is the time to plan for such things.

A few ideas:

– Adequate Public Facilities legislation. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, so the localities can’t do anything without the General Assembly’s blessing. Learn who your legislators are. Find out who funds them. Get organized. Understand that getting such legislation is likely going to take longer to enact than your kids are going to be in elementary (and probably middle, maybe high) school.

– Proffers. Each new family costs money. Each student (new or old) costs money. I’m somewhat making this number up, but if a student costs $10k to educate at a public school (really, why no vouchers to allow choice?), and the home brings in between $1500 per year for a $200k home to $4500 for a $600k home … these homes are not paying for themselves. The bulk of school funding comes from property taxes.

– Special Tax District. I know other areas of the country have school taxes (and fire taxes, etc) – would you consider paying a school tax if you could be assured that the money would be spent wisely and only for schools (not increased bureaucracy or unnecessary administrators)?

– Limit population : Now that you’re here, would you want a cap on how many people are permitted to live in Albemarle County? (see: ASAP)

– Make no mistake; there are social and economic demographic idiosyncrasies in each of these schools that distinguish each school.

Neighborhoods may be split; the biggest target is Old Trail, but other neighborhoods are likely to face splits … does it have to be this way?

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Instagramming More than a Flyover

in Albemarle Charlottesville Technology on

I’m working with some folks now who are contemplating from afar a move to Charlottesville. Years ago, I would go out and take pictures of their As part of their process, they’re doing “flyovers” in Google and Bing to get a better sense of the area (as many buyers are wont to do). But … these respective Street Views don’t offer the flavor of an area … But Instagram does.

Check out “The Beat, a new project from the Rutgers Social Media Information Lab” … better yet, see if you can get a sense of Charlottesville from The Beat.

As the commenter at The Atlantic says, if the geolocation of the Instagram photos gets more accurate, this would be truly, truly useful.

Update 6 December 2012: This post is already outdated, as I suspect that Instagram will be less useful now that Instagram (Facebook) have decided to “prevent its images from showing properly on Twitter’s website and clients” – as I said on G+, The silo-ing of social media is distressing. and leads me to invest less and less in these channels. I so wish Flickr hadn’t failed on mobile so miserably.

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