I’m Moving to Charlottesville – Should I Rent First?

in Albemarle General Real Estate on

If you’re unfamiliar with the Charlottesville area, or used to live here and are coming back home, my opinion is that – and I tell my clients this – if you have the luxury, you should absolutely rent for at least six months prior to purchasing. … If you’re searching for rentals in Charlottesville, start here , but please, be aware of craigslist rental scams . … This is a tremendous opportunity for someone … military families (of which we have many now) are used to moving to an area and finding a rental or temporary rental quickly.

…Buying a house in a down market can be a very good thing; buying a house in a market that may have more decline yet to come takes confidence and a bit of faith.

Read More

Twitter Week in Review

in Albemarle Charlottesville sideblog Twitter on

http://bit.ly/8Z9U1J # RT @ problogger : Influence vs Fame – the conversation continues – http://bit.ly/coRInk [If you’re asking to be influential, you’re not yet] # Just saw a property come back on the market in which my buyer was $3k away from seller’s “want to sell” price. 3 months ago. … http://bit.ly/a8q36a # Double dammit. http://tweetphoto.com/31191513 # State Trooper on 64 just west of Ivy exit # cville # I know I’m a bit stupid to be playing my soccer game this afternoon, but hey, you only live once. 🙂 # A freaking brilliant goal. … Realizing starkly that most consumers don’t want to pay. in reply to superninjarobot # RT @ FreeRangeKids : Parents sue local hockey league when their 15 y.o.’s don’t make the team: http://bit.ly/dsk9OT [WTF/Speechless] # Yesterday another Realtor’s poor performance highlighted our industry’s inability to evolve. … There’s rarely an excuse [unexplained lateness is disrespectful] # @ joemeade @justincbeck and now I know about the . # knowingishalfthebattle in reply to joemeade # I think if I showed up at this listing appt in anything other than shorts, I would be demonstrating my inability to interpret weather.

Read More

Habitat for Humanity Builders Blitz this Weekend in Charlottesville

in Charlottesville on

If you have some free time this weekend, why not help to build a house for Charlottesville’s Habitat for Humanity Builder’s Blitz ?

On two weekends in July 2010, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville will begin the final set of four homes in the affiliate’s first mixed-income development with an all hands on deck community Blitz Build.

This fun, participatory event will take place on four days – Saturday July 10th, Sunday July 11th, Saturday July 17th and Sunday July 18th at Paton Street in the Fifeville Neighborhood. The event will kick-off at 8 am on Saturday, July 10th with a short groundbreaking ceremony featuring the Habitat Partner Families who will own the homes being built and the home sponsors.

Read More

Updating Charlottesville’s Bicycle Transportation Plan

in Politics Transportation on

Good stuff in the C-Ville this week about the City of Charlottesville’s bicycle plan. … Without a comprehensive plan that brings together the three players – Charlottesville, Albemarle and UVA, we’ll continue to have bike lanes that start, stop, start again … or don’t exist at all. A bike lane to NGIC and DIA would be nice. … Charlottesville did win a bronze designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” in 2008 .

Read More

Mid-Year Charlottesville and Albemarle Market Report – 2010 (Part 1)

in Market statistics on

Looking at the real estate market data for the Charlottesville market – or any market in the US – is skewed by the homebuyer tax credit, which has been demonstrably proven to have pulled demand forward to the first quarter of 2010. … Now for some Second-Quarter context : First, the obvious – when looking at the historical market data for Charlottesville and Albemarle, as single family homes’ prices increased, buyers looked to attached homes and condos. … One way to look at the numbers above is to say that, last year we didn’t have the homebuyer tax credit; without it this year, the number of contracts written in Charlottesville and Albemarle would have been much lower. … Another way to look at it is that the buyers this year were going to buy anyway, and that the homebuyer tax credit was simply a bonus .

Read More

Charlottesville’s LEAP

in Albemarle Charlottesville Green on

Via press release: Charlottesville and Albemarle residents will have the chance to win $10,000 in energy efficiency improvements to their homes in a Home Energy Makeover Contest to be announced this Wednesday, July 7th. The contest is one of several upcoming opportunities for local homeowners to make their homes more safe and comfortable and save money on energy bills – including a major announcement about a suite of incentives and rebates to be made at the press conference. What : Launch of the Charlottesville Home Energy Makeover Contest and announcement of new energy efficiency incentives and rebates for the community. When : Wednesday, July 7th – 1:30 pm Where : Charlottesville Community Design Center, Downtown Mall Who : – Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris and Cynthia Adams, Executive Director of the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) – Local contractors who will perform home retrofits as part of the contest – Local homeowners who have recently been involved in pilot energy efficiency assessments and retrofits Local Energy Alliance Program – Charlottesville (PDF)

Read More