These days it is not unusual for lenders to require a down payment of as 20 percent on the purchase price of a home. This makes a lot of sense from the lender’s point of view for several reasons. First, buyers who can save that 20 percent show they handle their finances well. Second, with […]
Nationally the commercial market continues to recover, according to Lawrence Yun, the National Association of REALTORS® Chief Economist. Yun predicts an improving commercial market, with the multi-family sector leading the way based on what he expects will be an expanding GDP, an easing in commercial lending and continued job growth. The Charlottesville Market Hock Hockensmith, […]
Staunton hasn’t heard about “the death of classical music.” The little Shenandoah Valley city with the handsome, historic downtown and the rich reputation for the performing arts celebrates a living tradition each summer with the Staunton Music Festival, drawing larger crowds each year for dynamic and innovative chamber music concerts. The 2014 event, August 15-24, […]
According to a recent Gallup poll, the average American retires at age 61.1 That’s at least five years away from collecting full Social Security retirement benefits, not to mention pensions, which typically begin at age 65, when available. Collectively, these programs can account for a [...]
Each summer we highlight the many outstanding private schools in our seven-county readership area. We are pleased to enable these schools to shine a light on their extraordinary accomplishments, helping readers to get a flavor of the type of private school opportunities available to their [...]
Energy-saving upgrades such as weather stripping compact fluorescent light bulbs, low-flow faucets and showerheads, and lifetime air conditioning filters can save you up to 25 percent annually on your utility bills. Here are some energy-saving tips you can apply to your home. And these don’t [...]
Once upon a time prospective homebuyers asked their agents to search the local MLS and find the listings they thought their clients would like best. Back then only REALTORS® had access to MLS information, and buyers who wanted to be more independent had to rely on print ads, open houses or just [...]
Several years ago Walk Score.com named Charlottesville the Most Walkable City in the Commonwealth of Virginia. What exactly does that mean? “A Walk Score,” explains REALTOR ® Jim Duncan of Nest Realty, “is a ranking algorithm for a home and it depends on pretty much everything people want to [...]
No, we’re not going to quote Robert Frost here, but we are going to talk about fences. For homeowners seeking a little more privacy or to keep children and animals in (or out), we’ll discuss when you can and cannot put up a fence and the best materials to use for your construction. ”There’s [...]
Ask orchestra conductor Larry Alan Smith about the continent to the south of us, and he’ll tell you about rhythm and color. South American music can be “mournful and soulful,” Smith says, but by and large “it’s very perky, very bright, very sunny.” Smith’s frequent conducting stints in Brazil [...]
Negotiating and agreeing on the price for a new home may seem like the final step of a long process. In fact, it’s just the beginning of maneuvering through the long list of closing costs. These costs and payments are typically organized by a settlement company and paid to lenders and other [...]
News about commercial real estate both nationally and locally continues to be positive. The Urban Land Institute’s 2014 annual report entitled Emerging Trends in Real Estate (based on interviews with 1,000 experts in the field) states that respondents “expect growth to be sufficient to [...]
If you love golf and want to live near your favorite course, our area offers a lot of options. Home buyers seeking a golf course community with a country club atmosphere can pick from neighborhoods such as Glenmore or the Estates at Keswick Hall where a newly designed course will open soon. [...]
For those who are environmentally conscious, we want to offer some “green” tips on how to keep your lawn healthy and be a good steward of our environment at the same time. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as much as 80 percent of the water falling on lawns—from rain or [...]
Look up in the trees when you’re having coffee on the Downtown Mall this June. Note the Budgett’s Frog facing off with the Green Tree Python, mouths agape, outside of the Nook. Check out the Indian Rhinoceros, the Golden snub-nosed monkey, the Sulawesi Crested Macaque and the Matchie’s [...]
Drive twelve miles west from Charlottesville and you’ll find Crozet, a quaint village and a popular residential area surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery. One of Albemarle County’s fastest growing areas, Crozet features the walking community of Old Trail and a growing number of other [...]
Every season, more people are becoming fans of farmers markets, counting them as genuine quality-of-life enhancements in their communities. In fact, Virginia has nearly 250 across the commonwealth and quite a few of them are in the seven-county area around Charlottesville. “I’m really proud of [...]
Volunteers are a valued part of our society and our economy. In 2012, the Corporation for National and Community Service reported that 64.5 million Americans volunteered a total of 7.9 billion hours, which had an estimated economic value of $175 billion. In Charlottesville, an online survey [...]
It takes a certain type of person to open up their home to complete strangers. Woolen Mills resident Leora Brown, a social butterfly whose home is constantly bustling with friends and family, said she had no qualms about registering both her primary home and the two-story, playhouse-like [...]
The natural beauty of our area attracts many different individuals and families looking for vacation properties where they can enjoy our region’s many recreational activities or hide away in a quiet place and retreat from the noise and distractions of a busy lifestyle. Some prefer a cabin in [...]
It’s easier than you think to create a healthier yard. Homeowners are realizing the cost of expansive lawns in terms of water usage as well as expensive and environmentally unfriendly chemical fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides. Plus the human time expenditure and fuel for lawn mowers, [...]
What was life like in early 19th century Nelson County? What did it take to cook a meal over an open hearth fire? How were bricks and mortar made? What mourning rituals were observed when someone died? Pharsalia Plantation will celebrate its 200th anniversary the weekend of May 17 and 18 [...]
What the Founding Fathers foundered at, 21st century Virginians are perfecting. Thomas Jefferson tried for 36 years to grow grapes suitable for winemaking. George Washington kept at it for 11. Virginia had the “soil, aspect, and climate of the best wine countries,” Jefferson contended. [...]