Compromising on the Home Purchase – Everyone Does It

Whether that is square footage, yard size, number of bedrooms, kitchen appliances, layout, ceiling height, style, price … determining what that fatal flaw is that you’re not willing to compromise is crucial to working through the home search process. … One of the keys to the “finding a new home” process is determining what the “must-haves” are, what the “I’d like to haves” are, and figuring out which ones really are the things that you absolutely, non-negotiably must have.

…However, 19 percent of buyers reported that they compromised on the price of the home, and 19 percent said they compromised on the size of their home. … Those with children under the age of 18 are more likely than those without children to make comprises when buying a home.

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Your Home’s WalkScore – Edited

One of my biggest complaints is how the data for WalkScore lagged due to the Charlottesville area’s relatively small population/size/scale.

…Now you can add and remove places from the Walk Score map to make sure your neighborhood is accurate and up-to-date.

…A suggestion to homeowners in the City of Charlottesville and other walkable areas of the Charlottesville/Albemarle area: Check out the WalkScore of your home and make sure that the data is accurate and up to date.

… Because I walk the geek line just enough to ask questions: Why can’t WalkScore integrate/pull from/use the APIs of the location leaders – Foursquare Google Places Gowalla Facebook Places ( Looking for walkable homes for sale in Charlottesville and Albemarle?

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Simplifying our (Country’s) Way to Success

It’s not often that I write here about something completely unrelated to real estate, but the following story form yesterday’s Washington Post was brilliant in both its recommendations and simplicity to reform our country.

…There is one common technique that has been used in successful legal overhauls, from Justinian’s recodification in ancient times to the Napoleonic code that is the basis of modern European civil law to the uniform commercial code adopted in the United States in the 1950s.

…But neither party, we now know after the lengthy debate on health-care reform, will take the political risk of challenging these wasteful practices.

Bringing this back to the political environment of the Central Virginia region, think about this statement in context of Charlottesville’s and Albemarle’s inability to build a road or address our water supply. (bolding mine)

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Walkability = Happiness – And why Does this Matter to Charlottesville Real Estate?

The authors found that individuals in more walkable neighborhoods tended to have higher levels of trust and community involvement, whether that was working on a community project, attending a club meeting, volunteering, or simply entertaining friends at home. … Walkability may also enhance social capital by providing the means and locations for individuals to connect, share information, and interact with those that they might not otherwise meet. The links we found between walkability and measures of social capital in this study provide further evidence for the consideration of social capital as a key component of quality of life.” … Because this here is a Charlottesville real estate blog, I might as well include a few links to search for homes with high WalkScores: – Walkable homes in Charlottesville and Albemarle – Most walkable homes for sale in the City of Charlottesville – Walkable homes in Crozet H/T @JessicaChapin

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