Continuing my mostly-regularly scheduled Friday Chart series where we look at a snippet of data of the Charlottesville real estate market …
This week we’re looking at price changes in the Charlottesville MSA* – not necessarily price reductions, but price changes. There is no way to search solely by price [...]
Is it time for the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority to accept its (possible) obsolescence? Charlottesville and Albemarle folks should read this story, and ask questions of our elected officials.
Dave Mcnair at The HooK has a great story about the impact the Vanderlinde single-stream recycling facility has had on the [...]
It seems that well enough may not be left alone; Cathy Harding reports in this week’s C-Ville:
Recent discussions between the Albemarle County Planning Department and county wineries raise questions about exactly what comprises normal activity at a winery—and even, to a degree, what constitutes a farm winery, itself. Planners [...]
Transcription
Hey, Jim Duncan with RealCentralVA.com and Nest Realty Group here in Charlottesville, Virginia thinking about the various ways that my buyer clients assess neighborhoods. I provide data on the value of the homes in the neighborhoods what the recent solds and actives are, etc.
We can look at [...]
I am probably the worst Alumni Chapter president in the country.
At the urging of an alumnus from the Class of 49B, I’m attempting to organize/mobilize the Charlottesville chapter of the VMI alumni association. If an alumnus 50 years out is interested [...]
These are but a small sampling of the charts to which I was alluding a few weeks ago. While they are still a work in progress, I thought I’d tease you a little bit. I am still integrating the wonderful feedback and suggestions from the original post, so stay [...]
One of the primary reasons my clients move to the Charlottesville region* is because, relatively, our traffic is insignificant compared to what they are used to. But for how long?
Part One started yesterday in the Daily Progress.
The difficulty in balancing growth pressures and a decline in transportation infrastructure spending [...]
Everything’s been on the table for non-government people for years.
Next year is going to be an interesting budgetary year. Brandon Shulletta writes in today’s Daily Progress:
School division leaders drafting budget requests are also wondering whether next year’s supervisors are more likely to maintain the current real-estate tax rate of [...]
Bear with me … I’m working through something here …
I’m beginning to think that anyone who says that “next year, the (Charlottesville) real estate market is going to be better” is either uninformed, lying or delusional. I could be wrong.
About one in seven [...]
And we couldn’t be happier by their addition.
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content.
Nest Welcomes Two Realtors
Thanks to Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Sean Tubbs:
The fate of a proposed Regional Transit Authority (RTA) could depend on who is selected in January to represent the City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors on two regional transportation bodies. Since a joint meeting in February [...]
Why Use Electronic Signatures?
1 – It’s secure
2 – It’s easy
3 – It saves time and money
4 – It’s environmentally sound – instead of driving 30+ miles to meet clients, I can just email them. Think about it – by using electronic signatures in the past few weeks, I have saved [...]
There’s a whole lot of important stuff on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors’ agenda next week – the bold parts are most interesting to me.
The next Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 starting at 9:00 a.m. in the Lane Auditorium, County [...]
It’s amazing to look at how fast the recycling economy has moved in the past eighteen months. First, Albemarle County had no curbside recycling, while the City offered it as part of property taxes. Then, we had (and still have) at least one curbside recycling option. And now, thanks [...]
I frequently tell my clients that at any given time, UVA has a couple hundred million dollars of construction underway. Turn out, I wasn’t far off.
Charlottesville Tomorrow reports:
Pace Lochte, UVA’s director of economic development, said that a “miniature intelligence community” is developing around NGIC and the North Fork Research [...]
Rather than bore you with a full summary of my time on posterous, here are a few of the stories I noted/wrote there last week -
Postal workers say facility closure would slow mail service | Charlottesville Daily Progress
From the Daily Progress:
A man who was the treasurer of the Mill Creek Homeowners Association for about 10 years has been charged with embezzlement.
Kevin O’Connor was arrested earlier this month, police said.
Neal Grandy, president of the homeowners association, said the organization hasn’t determined exactly how [...]
I grew up in Culpeper, Virginia, just north of Charlottesville … before it became a bedroom community for Northern Virginia. My dad was and is a commercial real estate broker there; I remember when I was a kid Dad would joke with me – and say, “they know who I [...]
Now this is an interesting little widget from the folks at hotelicopter.
Frequently buyers come to Charlottesville on house-hunting trips and need a place to stay. I’d like to pick the specific ones I recommend and display that widget. What say you hotelicopter?
I’m still working on I’ll use this, [...]
Courtesy of the Free Enterprise Forum:
Last Wednesday (11/4), the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors received a briefing titled “Survey of DIA Personnel Moving to Rivanna Station”. The survey, conducted by the Center For Regional Economic Competitiveness, a non-profit research organization affiliated with George Mason University, provides [...]
Wake up a little bit earlier, grab your kids, stop by a coffee shop, and enjoy the morning on Friday!
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content.
Friday is Walk to [...]
And we’re even getting a netbook to prove it.
Nest Realty was awarded with an HP Realtor Technology Award last week at the National Association of Realtors conference in San Diego. HP honored 5 brokerages across the country that used technology in and out of the office to gain a [...]
Once again, it’s time for the Charlottesville Toy Lift. And once again (thanks to my wife being on the Board for the Toy Lift) it’s time to volunteer.
Click through to fill out a volunteer form.
What is the Toy Lift?
The Kids Lift Foundation believes every child is entitled to [...]
I’ve been using electronic signatures for a few weeks now, and they have been tremendously helpful – saving gas, time and energy. Instead of faxing, emailing, printing, scanning … my buyer and seller clients have clicked to sign. From out-of-country to clients to those fifteen minutes away … Simple and [...]
Erika Howsare walks from Laurel Park behind the Hollymead Town Center to the Harris Teeter in said Town Center. From what is supposed to be a “walkable” area, she walks in drainage ditches and discovers sidewalks and stairways to nowhere.
I stepped onto the edge of [...]
Jeff Gunther has a slightly different idea for a slightly different workforce here in Charlottesville. For many local mobile warriors, turning wherever you find yourself into a workspace is the status-quo. However, without access to printers, actual desk space, big screen monitors, and conference rooms, Java Java can’t [...]
The world is flat.
I just got off the phone (although I have Skype, too) with a client overseas who had been questioning whether the railroad near the Belvedere development was abandoned. She answered her own question when she said, “I’m looking at it now, and it appears that [...]
The development is moving forward off of Rio Road (it’s not done yet; it still needs site plan approval) …

Location of Treesdale Park off Rio Rd, between Towne Lane and Stonehenge Road.
Treesdale Park is an 88-unit multi-family community that will be located on East Rio Road. AHIP [...]
And grab a cup of coffee; it’s a long post with lots of analysis, market data and a bit of opinion.
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content.
Charlottesville Bubble Blog [...]
For including me on their list of “Wired Business people in Charlottesville”
From the story:
CBS19’s Bianca Spinosa profiles a list of three local business leaders who are “wired-in.” They use all the high-tech tools to communicate and keep their businesses prospering.
From cyber space to work space, these three local business [...]
I’m sitting on a panel discussing the Future of the MLS at the National Association of Realtors convention in San Diego. After the announcement of RPR last week, the future is bright/cloudy/great/muddled/uncertain.
As with every conference I attend, I go with a couple goals:
1 – What can I learn [...]
You might have seen the occasional Zipcar in Charlottesville – usually they’re from the DC Metropolitan area. But now it seems that Charlottesville has their own Zipcars – 6 of ‘em in fact.
It was good of UVA to have sorted out a deal with Zipcar; [...]
You may remember a story a few months ago in which I discussed recycling options in Charlottesville and Albemarle. It used to be that there were no options, then there was one and now there are a few.
Three years ago I ran a poll questioning the market for [...]
It’s been pretty boring in real estate for a while. Not anymore.
There was an announcement by the National Association of Realtors, in conjunction with Cyberhomes and RPR, LLC in the real estate world last week, and likely very few Realtors, real estate agents and fewer consumers knew, noticed or [...]
Why do I post weekly reviews of my Tweets? Simple. I want that content to ultimately live on my site, and the post also gives me a chance to review what I was discussing the previous week.
First thought on Houselogic.com – It’s trying to be a Mint.com for homeowners. [...]From yesterday’s Daily Progress regarding the worsening Albemarle County budget (bolding mine):
The proposed 77.2-cent tax rate would mean the average homeowner would pay the same real-estate taxes as this year for the next two years, officials say. Assuming real-estate values begin to pick up, there would be a slight [...]
From yesterday’s Daily Progress regarding the worsening Albemarle County budget (bolding mine):
The proposed 77.2-cent tax rate would mean the average homeowner would pay the same real-estate taxes as this year for the next two years, officials say. Assuming real-estate values begin to pick up, there would be a slight [...]
And this is a good thing, I think. Courtesy of Charlottesville Tomorrow:
Southern Development is donating an acre and a half of land to increase the size of Forest Hills Park in Charlottesville. The land, which is appraised at $90,000, is located between Forest Ridge Road and Antoinette Avenue. [...]
From friends at Blue Mountain Brewery:
Today is the release of our tasty Lights Out Holiday Ale. Available on draft & in six-packs here at the brewery. Today is also the [...]
Update 7 November:
And it’s a Law.
.GovTrackEmbed { font-size: 85%; color: black; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; padding: 5px; width: 350px; font-family: Georgia, Free Serif, Nimbus Roman No9 L, Times New Roman; } .GovTrackEmbedTable { font-size: 85%; color: black } .GovTrackEmbedTitle { font-weight: bold; font-size: 110%; color: black; text-align: center; font-family: [...]
Three things:
1 – David Slutzky losing is huge.
2 – If you think your vote doesn’t count, think again.
3 – Local elections matter.
Lots of discussion in the Charlottesville news:
- Daily Progress
- cvillenews
- The HooK
- [...]
If you’re wondering where to vote in Charlottesville or Albemarle (or anywhere in Virginia, really:
Start here if you’re looking for where to vote in Virginia. Charlottesville City polling places Albemarle County Polling places Google’s Virginia Voting information. Me? I’ll be watching the [...]
If you’re wondering where to vote in Charlottesville or Albemarle (or anywhere in Virginia, really:
Start here if you’re looking for where to vote in Virginia. Charlottesville City polling places Albemarle County Polling places Google’s Virginia Voting information. Me? I’ll be watching the [...]There’s never been a better time or reason to grow one.
I’ve never had a mustache before, and really, if I can’t have a little bit of fun with my facial hair and hopefully raise a bit of money to fight men’s cancer, what good is waking up everyday? Life’s [...]
Have a look at Patricia Kluge’s estate in Southern Albemarle County.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Virginia winemaker and philanthropist Patricia Kluge is offering her 300-acre English country estate in Charlottesville, Va., for $100 million, one of the most expensive listings in the U.S.
…
The property includes a pool, pool [...]
Homes placed under Contract in Charlottesville and Albemarle in the month of October:
These numbers do not reflect much new construction or properties that will not proceed to closing for any number of reasons, such as home inspection negotiations not coming to terms, financing issues, etc.
As I [...]
Re-purposing a post from my posterous:
If Google announcing their GPS did this to Garmin’s and Tom Tom’s stocks,
var fileList = [{"thumbHeight":"36","originalHeight":"401","thumb":"http:\/\/posterous.com\/getfile\/files.posterous.com\/jimduncan\/MaWtLeL7Tt8NCR13rsNm2XJqY8FOFxEfLRZbwLwOg4hzI0KZ419dsz55LANK\/Company_Comparison_-_Google_Fi.jpg.thumb.jpg","largeWidth":"933","largeHeight":"401","originalSize":"75","height":"215","main":"http:\/\/posterous.com\/getfile\/files.posterous.com\/jimduncan\/gXN7hjJ9l7AT8tOQ9VJZCbNd1HKszeKC5pnaop1ogGpKR08XSkIB7pDjWU33\/Company_Comparison_-_Google_Fi.jpg.scaled.500.jpg","thumbWidth":"36","large":"http:\/\/posterous.com\/getfile\/files.posterous.com\/jimduncan\/JiNlt2wfwdM8nciBUBL8jzhZYDEyLtcHn3703SvuyWBgyFDlNGKLscHYylTL\/Company_Comparison_-_Google_Fi.jpg","originalWidth":"933","original":"http:\/\/posterous.com\/getfile\/files.posterous.com\/jimduncan\/JiNlt2wfwdM8nciBUBL8jzhZYDEyLtcHn3703SvuyWBgyFDlNGKLscHYylTL\/Company_Comparison_-_Google_Fi.jpg","width":"500"}];
var options = {"showDownload":true};
new PSlideGallery2($('jgmdgpnHII'), fileList, options);
In 2006, I was a few years early in my prediction.
There’s a place for print media, and advertising homes for sale in Charlottesville ain’t it.
Branding a brand – or brokerage – consistently in print gives readers the impression (and illusion as the case may be) that a brokerage [...]
It looks like the homebuyer tax credit will (likely) be extended. Maybe.
Via Calculated Risk and Bloomberg:
- Income eligibility for home buyers increases to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples.
- The tax credit for first-time home buyers (anyone who has not owned in the [...]
There’s more to the Charlottesville real estate market than data – it’s crucial to look beyond the numbers.
Transcription:
Jim Duncan from RealCentralVA.com here. It’s Monday morning and I’m nursing a sore throat.
But I wanted to talk about how the Charlottesville and Albemarle real estate markets are full of anomalies and [...]
Charlottesville architect/developer Bill Atwood in Brandon Shulleeta’s story in today’s Daily Progress:
Atwood said that in the retail world, “the longer you can get people to stay, the better the pay. In other words, if you have somebody who’s actually going to stay and eat at dinner and actually [...]
The Google folks drove through Crozet – likely just before Memorial Day weekend this year.
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content.
Google Street View in Crozet
The tax credit has been useful and a decent stimulus; but … “eventually you run out of other peoples’ money”
I’d love to see a map or data from the IRS showing where the tax credit was used – broken down by zip code so that someone could generate a heat [...]
David Slutzky, from Charlottesville Tomorrow’s story – Albemarle candidates discuss transportation, economic development, and water supply (bolding mine):
Slutzky said he is concerned that VDOT wants to turn U.S. 29 into an “expressway” in order to make it easier for through traffic to travel through Albemarle County. He said there [...]
With the release of the Virginia Association of Realtors’ Third Quarter Homes Sales Report, I thought it would be interesting to see how Charlottesville’s and Albemarle’s home sale data looked over the years.
For total homes sold in Charlottesville and Albemarle:
Single Family Homes Sold in September in Charlottesville [...]
Bryan McKenzie reports in today’s Daily Progress …
Employees of the Defense Intelligence Agency will begin moving in January to the military’s Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facility at Rivanna Station in Albemarle County, carrying more than 800 [...]
Thanks to the Daily Progress for the heads-up:
Has Google incorporated GIS data into its mapping application. [tinyurl.com]
Sweet. Don’t forget about Albemarle’s tremendous GIS application. And Charlottesville’s great Wait, they still don’t have a GIS app for the public.
But …
Some maps aren’t [...]
If you’re curious about and/or familiar with the Charlottesville real estate market – especially if you’re a consumer – buyer, seller, voyeur, critic of – I’d love your help with some market statistics that I am putting together.
Deep, charts, statistics … they’re hip and cool … I just need [...]
Voting takes 15 seconds or less.
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content.
Help Charlottesville 4th Grader be Today Show’s Kid Reporter
A little reminder courtesy of the IRS and Calculated Risk:
Q: When must I pay back the credit for the home I purchased in 2009?
A: Generally, there is no requirement to pay back the credit for a principal residence purchased in 2009. The obligation to repay the credit on [...]
Interesting and useful discussion at Cvillenews about David Slutzky’s proposal to overhaul rural land use policies.
Charlottesville Tomorrow has an update on who’s raised the most (and least) money so far. I just wonder if that $250k could have been used more wisely than running for [...]
We’re seeing more short sales and foreclosures in the Charlottesville real estate market, so I figured I’d share this little educational video with you.
Thanks to my friend Kris Berg for sharing.
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you [...]
I’m deviating from my recent Friday charts that have focused on Charlottesville real estate stats and deferring to the importance of the upcoming Charlottesville and Albemarle elections.
Thanks to the awesome folks at VPAP:
That Dennis Rooker has raised $70k in an uncontested race is … surprising? Offensive that local politics [...]
Part 1 of 2.
The $8,000 Tax Credit has helped a few of my clients this year, but I’d argue that most of them would have been buying anyway – regardless of whether the government was offering free money.
Is it time to let this credit expire? Already I have spoken [...]
I’ve made secret of my desire for the new OpenSpace in Charlottesville. The following is from them, and I think what they offer tracks well with where I see tomorrow’s (and today’s) Realtor …
And dear FTC. I haven’t received sort of comp or compensation for this or [...]
MSA: Charlottesville, VA
Best places ranking: #19 among small metro areas
Population: 194,391
Entrepreneurs with brainy businesses find Charlottesville a great place to launch. The University of Virginia plays a starring role, bringing diversity and tremendous cultural, creative, scientific and historical resources to the city. It also helps foster Charlottesville’s [...]
This report is far more comprehensive than any we have done to date. Read, digest, ask questions, and try not to get lost in the forest whilst looking for trees.
In the next few days and weeks, I will be expanding on some points within this report.
[...] David Slutzky is proposing dramatic changes to land use in Albemarle County.
Courtesy of the Daily Progress:
Under David L. Slutzky’s idea, rural landowners would be given a choice: They could pay real-estate taxes based on the land’s fair market value just like the vast majority of county landowners, or they [...]
Have we reached bottom? I don’t think so, but will say we’ve hit bottom when I have the benefit of 18 months of hindsight.
My prediction: we’re going to continue to see downward trending of prices until the third or fourth quarter 2010, followed by price stability/stagnation [...]
Taylor Davidson succinctly describes what I think many are seeking in this über-connected world.
Why I Love Communities from Taylor Davidson on Vimeo.
We see so many communities in the Charlottesville, Virginia area whose communities are accentuated, facilitated, enlightened and enlivened by “Web 2.0*” that it’s heartening [...]
Production matters.
How many clients do you represent every year?
But it’s just one of the many questions buyers or sellers should ask when they are interviewing their potential representation.
Questions to ask your agent in Charlottesville
Great Questions for Sellers to ask
I’m grateful (and work really hard) to be in [...]
Charlottesville Tomorrow gets noticed by the Nieman Journalism Lab:
In online-nonprofit-news terms, Charlottesville Tomorrow is an old timer. It’s been covering the growth and development around the Virginia city since 2005 — back with “twitter” was still a term confined to ornithological circles.
Born from executive director Brian Wheeler’s interest in [...]
As with most everything when looking the Charlottesville area real estate market, look for the trends, rather than the specific data points. The Nest Report is coming shortly as is the market report I do every quarter.
Top-level numbers are misleading at best and deceptive at worst. I firmly believe [...]
The Charlottesville Bubble Blog reviews a whole slew (is five a “slew”?) of houses.
1712 Mattox Court (with Days on Market here)
1627 Greenleaf Lane – (with Days on Market)
825 Belvedere Blvd – (with Days on Market)
1320 Kenwood Lane – (with Days on Market)
I know he’s done more than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but I can’t help being a little bit excited about this from the Daily Progress:
Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening and Cherry Jones will be among the headliners at this year’s Virginia Film Festival.
David Slutzky versus Duane Snow – this may be the most important race in the area this year. If you’re not paying attention to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors’ race, you really should be. These folks make decisions that can and do directly affect our property taxes, [...]
Just some of the pictures from the Charlottesville Pie Fest:
Search the Charlottesville MLS
Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content.
CvillePieFest Pics
Thanks to our overlords at Google, you can now translate RealCentralVA into any one of 51 languages. I have been working with a fair number of international buyers this year. While everyone so far has spoken English as well as if not better than native speakers of English, I [...]
Thanks to our overlords at Google, you can now translate RealCentralVA into any one of 51 languages. I have been working with a fair number of international buyers this year. While everyone so far has spoken English as well as if not better than native speakers of English, I [...]
You’re cordially invited to the Official Grand Opening open house for the Nest Realty office at the Gleason Building in Downtown Charlottesville.
Join us anytime between 5-8 on Friday, October 2nd for food and drinks at our new office.
As part of the First Friday’s Art Walk, we’ll be [...]
At least we now have Amtrak service from Lynchburg to DC. From the Daily Progress:
The new train was due to arrive at the station at 2:15 p.m., and it pulled in at roughly 2:24 p.m.
Beginning in Lynchburg, the train officially starts its service today and will add 14 [...]
A snarky, ignorant anonymous coward is sending a letter to some sellers in the Charlottesville area, the text of which follows. I have removed the identifiable information. (Grammatical errors are the letter writer’s.)
The part that gets me the most is the anonymity. If you feel so much conviction that you [...]
I’ll believe it when I drive clients on either road. I’ll bet $100, to be donated to the charity of your choice, if either of these roads gets built before 2020. Read the whole story at Charlottesville Tomorrow.
My prediction? At least two more studies before another study is [...]
How appropriate in light of this weekends’ Charlottesville Pie Fest at the Crozet Mudhouse to benefit PACEM.
People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM) is an interfaith collaboration of congregations and community partners in Charlottesville. Our passion is to help the homeless find shelter at night, especially [...]
In the words of a client – an actual buyer in the Charlottesville, Virginia real estate market – ie: I am not making this up. He had visited Charlottesville on his own several months before his wife, who was visiting without him. Because of this, she and I were revisiting [...]
The Third Quarter Charlottesville Area Market Report is around the corner …
I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again – What do you want to know?
- Median price?
- Sales volume?
- Breakdown by property type?
- Forecasts/projections?
- How many foreclosures are there? (nobody has any idea, really)
[...]
You may remember the original, spontaneous Pie Down from earlier this year.
What does this have to do with Charlottesville real estate? Nothing at all, other than to highlight something that I think is really quite cool, and representative of the people and community we have [...]
Charlottesville, Virginia is a great place to live and is often reviewed in top lifestyle, health, and business rankings. The recent issue of the University of Virginia Magazine included a feature called “16 Things to Love about C’ville in the Fall” …
From the leaves changing to hiking [...]
Two lists came out in the past couple days showing the important and/or influential people in the real estate space – on Twitter at least.
The first to come out was produced by Stefan Swanepoel, and the second by Dustin Luther; the former seems to have ruffled some feathers [...]
