Posts tagged Albemarle

Jim Duncan's June 2014 Monthly Note

June 2014 Note – 5 Minutes!, the Market, Responsibility and Trust

in Albemarle Charlottesville Monthly Notes on

June’s monthly note begins (really, it begins a day or two after I publish last month’s note and takes shape around now-ish).

The working outline (for now) is coming together.

I have one or two other ideas to include and will likely pull out one or two included in the outline above. Notably, one of the most popular sections/segments/topics is the blog recap, in which I summarize the better of the previous month’s blog posts, both here and for RealCrozetVA. Either way, I’m looking forward to writing this month’s note.

Interested? Two easy clicks here and I’ll send you June’s note when it’s published. Usually the notes are no more than 1500 words. If you do choose to subscribe, you’ll be in great company; my mom usually likes my notes.

Read More

The Proposed Solution for 29 North

in Albemarle Charlottesville General Real Estate on

29 is changing. What’s that mean?

– Lots of money is going to be spent.

– 29 is going to be more challenging for a number of years.

– Hopefully things will be better and more efficient when they’re finished.

– Page 6 of this PDF shows the roads that will touched by the $203 million – Hillsdale, Berkmar, 29 North, Rio, Hydraulic and the Best Buy ramp. Plus funding for Amtrak to DC (which I think is super-cool).

– The segmentation of Charlottesville – Albemarle will continue (more).

K. Burnell Evans reports that: (read the whole thing)

Albemarle County supervisors decided Tuesday to back a $203-million plan to address congestion and mobility on Albemarle County’s main artery.

Two hundred and three million dollars. To fix 29 North.

conceptual-rio-road-1.jpg

If you’re curious to learn more:

– Sean Tubbs at Charlottesville Tomorrow has an excellent recap of yesterday’s meeting and where we are now.

– Charlottesville Tomorrow

– Download the PDF of the final proposed plan.

– Read the thoughts at the Free Enterprise Forum.

– Southern Environmental Law Center

Read More

What is the value of a Greenway?

in Albemarle Charlottesville Transportation on

Bikes on a deck in Charlottesville

What is the value of a green way to a buyer in today’s market?

Had an interesting conversation this morning in the Crozet Mudhouse with someone who was noting that the attitude shift toward greenways has shifted significantly in the past 10 years or so.

It used to be that real estate agents and developers and even buyers placed little to no value in having access to a means of passage that was not centered around an automobile.

Today, that attitude has shifted 180°.

Access to bike paths or suitable walking trails (for strollers) is an enormous asset. through my admittedly myopic view as seen through the eyes of my buyer clients who are seeking such access and proximity, and through the eyes of my seller clients who are advocating for the benefits of such access, I would say that the world has shifted in this respect.

In the Charlottesville Albemarle area my view is that the City of Charlottesville is fairly well poised to design and build more greenways and bike paths (hint: West Main). The County of Albemarle needs more will and more money. And they both need to work together to have the respective systems work together.

Worth noting is that the departments within the respective localities are filled with remarkable people doing remarkable work.

The market wants these things.

Read More

Charlottesville, Albemarle and AirBnB

in Albemarle Charlottesville General Real Estate on

Great story from Laura Ingles at C-Ville about the growing popularity of AirBnB. The question:

So what are local governments doing?

Airbnb isn’t just for big cities anymore, and neither is the controversy around it. Charlottesville and Albemarle County officials say they don’t plan to wipe out homestay arrangements, but they are interested in making sure renters are doing everything above board. 

Take the time to read the whole thing.

And for a preview of how Charlottesville and other localities may react/respond to AirBnB, watch New York City:

Airbnb, which has already taken down 2,000 accommodation listings in New York from “bad actors,” agreed to warn all new and old hosts in the state that they may be breaking hotel laws.

For the next year, new New York hosts will now have to click through a screen informing them of New York short-term rental restrictions, and messages will be emailed to old hosts as well.

It says that apartments in buildings that have multiple dwellings can’t be rented unless a permanent occupant is present, no money is exchanged, or the stay is longer than 30 consecutive days. It lays out tax information, rent-control regulations, zoning codes and business-licensing rules.

“Lost” revenue aside, I would seek to apply my “don’t be a butthead” rule to the neighbor issue. If you let your space via AirBnB, don’t be a butthead and inconvenience your neighbors. Chances are, if their lives aren’t negatively affected by your making some money, they won’t raise a stink.

Read More

(Search for Homes Near) Wegmans in Charlottesville

in Albemarle Charlottesville on

I didn’t intend for this to be a “search for homes near Wegmans” post but as I wrote, I got curious …

Wegmans - via NBC29

Wegmans is seeking to open in Charlottesville next year. This is huge for two reasons:

– Wegmans is coming and those on that side of Charlottesville won’t have to go to Barracks Road or Pantops or 29 North for groceries.

– The connector between Avon Street and 5th Street Extended will be opening to coincide with Wegmans’ opening.

Progress. Although the inevitable segmentation of the Charlottesville-Albemarle area continues. (more on this)

Read More

What Would you Change about the Real Estate Process – Conveying Space

in Albemarle Charlottesville General Real Estate on

“You asked in your monthly note about what’s typically missing from real estate listings that you’d most like to see included.”

“

For me, the answer is easy: practical information about the space. Most real estate photos – even the non-terrible ones – try to show off the space aesthetically. You rarely get photos that show off the space functionally. But on a day to day basis, the functionality of the space matters as much or more than the aesthetics. And that’s especially true if you have any sort of accessibility requirements. How narrow are the hallways? How wide are the doorways? How steep are the stairs going down to the basement? Would there be enough space to add a rail on the wall next to the toilet? Etc. These kind of things really matter to me when I’m looking at houses – they matter a lot more than granite countertops or crown molding – but I can almost *never* get information about them from looking at MLS listings.

“

Read More