Every forecast is seemingly different. I had the opportunity to attend the Blue Ridge Homebuilders’ annual Economic Forecast breakfast this morning, in which David Crowe from the National Association of Homebuilders gave his outlook for…
Browsing Category Charlottesville
6 Reasons to Buy a Home in Charlottesville in 2015
I can’t recall ever telling buyer clients that “now is the best time for you to buy a home!” But I have often counseled clients through the evaluative process of whether now could be the…
The John Warner Parkway is Open. Finally
After nearly 50 years many years, John Warner Parkway, née the Meadowcreek Parkway, finally opened, overpass and all. And it’s sweet.
Match Day 2015 – Will UVA Medical Residents Buy Homes This Year?
Match Day! I have written about Match Day at UVA every year since 20015. After the (ahem) correction of 2006-2012, I wrote in 2013 wondering if that would be the year that UVA Medical Residents bought homes again;…
Charlottesville and Albemarle Real Estate Assessments are Out – 2015 Edition
Charlottesville and Albemarle have released the 2015 real estate assessments. In short, the trend is one of increasing property assessments. – Albemarle County’s real estate assessments are up 2.64%. – The City of Charlottesville’s real estate assessments increased…
Top 3 Mistakes Home Buyers Make
I’ve seen a lot of mistakes. I’ve made a lot, and I’ve guided a lot of my clients away from making mistakes.
A few common mistakes A few common mistakes made by homebuyers (there are a lot more than 3!)
- Not knowing what your comfortable price range is. Sometimes it’s lower, sometimes it’s higher than you expect, but knowing your comfortable price range is critical.
- Not knowing the context of the house you’re considering. There’s way more to a house than the four corners of the property. (what are your triangles?) The house matters, but so does the neighborhood. And the road leading to the neighborhood. And the development that’s possibly coming down the road that will affect the roads leading to your neighborhood and home.
- Not reading Charlottesville Tomorrow. See 2.
- Not considering resale value. See 2 as well.
- Trying to negotiate directly with unrepresented sellers*. Buffers matter. I’ve represented buyers buying homes from unrepresented sellers, and I’ve made the mistake myself of buying a home from an unrepresented seller. Emotions are powerful things, and they cloud judgement.
- Not factoring in costs of utilities and committing. (I’m seeing this mistake far less often than I did five years ago)
- Working with the wrong agent – not all agents practice equally, and not all agents and buyers are good fits.
- Not asking questions. There are a lot of questions that buyers should be asking; I try to help my buyers ask better questions.
Have a question? I’m here. 434-242-7140 or jim@realcentralva.com
Albemarle and Charlottesville are Growing
Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that Albemarle and Charlottesville are growing.
The center estimated Charlottesville had a populationat 47,783 as of July 1, 2014, up from 43,475 in 2010.
Albemarle is estimated to have increased by 4.8 percent with a population of 103,707 as of July 1, 2014.
“Estimates are produced using demographic indicators, such as births, deaths, home construction or fiscally responsible school data, to estimate the current population,” Lombard said.
Anecdotally, anyone paying attention knew this, but it’s useful (and interesting) to see the data.
Let’s hope politicians and the People are paying attention.