Inman News today highlighted the Walk Score site, which is a really cool tool with a simple yet increasingly importantpurpose ... How walkable is your community?  Any ideas? The idea of Walk Score is to determine the distance between an address and other walkable locations - like coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores - and calculates a score for each location.  A score of < 25 and you'll probably have to drive, but as gas prices continue to climb I think this is a pretty cool tool for all of us.  I know I was surprised at some of the results:   I looked up my old house, (15 rating) and then I looked up my new house, (42 rating) and then I looked up a downtown Blacksburg building. (80 rating)   Pretty neat, and awfully useful.  Think home buyers wouldn't use this to compare neigh... 06/25/2008

Kudos to The Roanoke Times Blog for jumping all over this ... I understand they have to go through the due process, but I'm VERY interested to see how the rule on this Special Use Permit given what else they've shot down. If you enjoyed this post, why not leave a comment and subscribe via RSS or email here to be sure you don't miss the next post?   06/24/2008

There are some issues to work out, of course, but Blacksburg has an opportunity to show they're really serious about affordable housing in Town - or what COULD be in Town.  Will Montgomery County and Blacksburg learn to play nice? I hope so, they really need to.  From the Roanoke Times blog Affordable housing in question Can we tweak the line? Is there a connection between climate change and affordable housing? If you enjoyed this post, why not leave a comment and subscribe via RSS or email here to be sure you don't miss the next post? 06/23/2008

More good news for Blacksburg real estate investors. If you have questions about investing in Blacksburg real estate, whether or not investing makes sense in a college town (because it doesn't always), or want advice on property management, email me and we'll run an investment analysis for you.  The numbers don't always work, but we'll take a look with you and help you decide. If you enjoyed this post, why not leave a comment and subscribe via RSS or email here to be sure you don't miss the next post? 06/21/2008

From Blacksburg Alert: University City Blvd. Road Closure Beginning Friday, June 20 until the end of July, the right lane going north, (heading away from Prices Fork Road), on University City Blvd will be closed. This lane closure will be from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. This closure is necessary for sidewalk construction. For more information, call the Engineering and GIS Department at (540) 961-1126. University City Boulevard is so heavily traveled, I predict that local police will be responding to some accidents there. Click here to sign up for Blacksburg Alert and be notified of happenings around Town.  If anyone knows of similar services around the area, email me and let me know. 06/19/2008

There's a frequent topic in the real estate world, and it involves who represents who in the transaction.  There are some real positives to understanding who your agent is working for; sometimes you might be surprised at the answer.  Here's a breakdown of Agency in VA, particularly if you're looking for an agent in the Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford area: Seller's Agent - The Seller's agent works for, and is representing, the seller only.  Most of the time this is the listing agent, but there are times (called subagency), when when it's not just the listing agent.  More on this next. Subagent - with subagency, the agent may be working with a buyer, but they still represent the seller.  When an agreement is not in writing between buyer and agent, subagency exists. Buyer's Agent - buy... 06/17/2008

Have you enjoyed Blacksburg's Farmer's Market, in Downtown Blacksburg?  Did you even know that Blacksburg had a Farmer's Market? From Blacksburg Alert: Farmers Market Public Meeting The Friends of the Farmers Market will be hosting a public meeting to present the preliminary design for new Farmers Market structures and a public park on Wednesday, June 18th from 7 - 9 p.m. in the Police Department Training Room, 200 Clay Street. The Farmers Market has been working for more than a year to develop plans for redeveloping the current market structure and parking lot on the corner of Roanoke Street and Draper Road. The concept includes new market structures for vendors, reorganizing the parking spaces and vehicular access to the property, development of an open public park, and venues for spe... 06/17/2008

    Photo Credit Seems like every year, we work with folks looking to buy their first home in Blacksburg.  They're in various stages - recent graduates, newlyweds, singles either working or studying in the area - and home ownership is often high on the list of priorities.  So I thought I'd take a look at some of the homes for sale in Blacksburg that are excellent buys for first-time buyers.  According to the New River Valley Association of REALTORS, the median sales price in 2007 of homes in Blacksburg was $218600, so we'll use $220000 as our ceiling for the search.  In the future, we'll look at other areas of the Valley, but for now ... Top 10 Blacksburg Homes for First Time Buyers 1781 Liberty Lane, Unit #55 - Part of a newly renovated complex on South Main Street, these units have re... 06/13/2008

That's the question asked by outgoing Blacksburg council member Paul Lancaster after last night's 4-3 vote, turning down the proposed Sonic in the First & Main development.  Wish I had the answer.  I've had two calls from friends this morning asking about the issue, and other than referring them to other posts on the topic, I don't know what to tell them.  I think we're making a mistake, arguing over loudspeakers in a retail center.  If the Sonic was to go where I think it was to go, I am virtually certain that there are louder, more nuisance-creating shops, service stations and the like throughout Town that are closer to residential areas than this would've been. Before you tar and feather me ... I agree with one of the points against Sonic.  First & Main is a pedestrian-oriented facil... 06/11/2008

On Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to see up close and personal a new home community being built in Blacksburg.  The community is called "Mount Tabor Meadows", and it's a project being built out by Green Valley Builders.  I've mentioned it briefly before. So what?  There's a lot of construction going on around Montgomery County, what's so special about this one? Mount Tabor Meadows is building these homes to be Earthcraft-certified, and they're working hard to assure that each home exceeds the Earthcraft standards.  It's one of the first times in recent memory that we've seen a builder locally truly practice the green model with new construction on a large-scale basis, and I'm glad to see it come.A link to the project's "Green Checklist".How is an EarthCraft house cer... 06/04/2008

This is one step towards creating a better campus climate.If you enjoyed this post, why not leave a comment and subscribe via RSS or email here to be sure you don't miss the next post? 05/30/2008

Just announced by Newsweek Magazine:Blacksburg High School is one of the Top 5% of high schools in the country. Let me repeat that.Little 'ole Blacksburg High School has been ranked as one of the top high schools in the country.  From the County's press release: "Montgomery County Public Schools has steadily increased its offering of Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses over the last few years. These offerings have provided students with more opportunities to take challenging courses throughout their secondary education." There's been a steady improvement in the Blacksburg's ranking over the last few years ... in 2006, they were ranked 335th, and last year they improved to 330th.  I'm sure that's due in no small part to the teachers of Blacksburg High School, as well as to Pri... 05/29/2008

Just announced by Newsweek Magazine:Blacksburg High School is one of the Top 5% of high schools in the country. Let me repeat that.Little 'ole Blacksburg High School has been ranked as one of the top high schools in the country.  From the County's press release: "Montgomery County Public Schools has steadily increased its offering of Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses over the last few years. These offerings have provided students with more opportunities to take challenging courses throughout their secondary education." There's been a steady improvement in the Blacksburg's ranking over the last few years ... in 2006, they were ranked 335th, and last year they improved to 330th.  I'm sure that's due in no small part to the teachers of Blacksburg High School, as well as to Pri... 05/29/2008

The tenant mix is beginning to be formalized publicly ...With all the publicity that's come from a project like this (we Blacksburg-ians can sure get worked up, huh?), what's your take on First & Main?  Is this something you're going to utilize, or because of the way the Big Box issue has been handled will you just stay away?  Leave a comment, let us know what you think! 05/28/2008

Anyone looking to move to SW Virginia and especially the New River Valley or NRV as we call it, WELCOME! The New River Valley is made up of several counties, towns & cities. Amoung those in Montgomery County are Christiansburg- the county seat, Radford-home of Radford Univeristy (RU) and Blacksburg-home of Virginia Tech (VT).NRVproperties and the Coldwell Banker offices are located in Blacksburg.  Consistently ranked among the country's best places to live, Blacksburg is known for a reasonable cost of living, moderate climate, Virginia Tech and major technology companies located in the Corporate Research Center (CRC) as well as the Edward Via School of Osteopathic Medicine,.  These all contribute to the Town being recognized as one of the best educated work forces in the country. It is ... 05/08/2008

Don't forget that as of last month, the Blacksburg Town Council did away with the Motor Vehicle Decals for any vehicle that's garaged within Town limits.  In its place - you knew they weren't going to just get rid of it and not put something in it's place, did you? - they've implemented the "Local Vehicle License Tax". So what's it mean?  Instead of decals, the Town will be sending bills on May 15th, with a bill due date of June 15th.  This year's tax will run from June 15, 2008 through December 31, 2009, and for most vehicles will be $37.50 versus the $25.00 decal rate. Don't forget to check your bill to verify its' accuracy, and let the Town know if anything needs to be corrected.  You can pay with MasterCard or VISA, online at www.blacksburg.gov, or the Town Cashier at 300 South Mai... 05/08/2008

  I can't believe it!  My husband showed me today that some scammers are trying to sell tickets to the Virginia Tech Spring Football Game!!!!To set the record straight for those who may not know otherwise.  This Spring Game is FREE to the public!  No tickets are necessary!!!!!The Spring Football Game will be held this Saturday, April 19th at 2pm in Lane Stadium.  If you have never been to a spring game, I highly recommend doing so for these reasons:As I mentioned before, the game is FREEYou can sit ANYWHERE in the stadium you chooseYou can PARK anywhere you chooseYou can TAILGATE anywhere you chooseYou get to see a great preview of the upcoming teamThe "rules" are relaxedSpring in Blacksburg is beautifulThere are usually great deals on Hokie stuff  So, plan to take a trip to beautiful B... 04/12/2008

 Little ole Blacksburg is going green! While we've been making steps toward being green like a successful recycling campaign and the use of biofuel in all town vehicles, this is the first major building renovation heading in the 'green' direction. The old Blacksburg Motor Company (of as some refer to it the Doc Roberts building) was purchased in April 2007 by the town of Blacksburg to be remodeled into the Municipal Services Annex. They're aiming for Platinum LEED certification, the highest LEED certification available. Renovation has already started- they've torn out the inside and are working on the facade. They are currently working on placing this building on the National Register of Historic Buildings which would give them 35% of the renovation cost. Here's a look at the site plans:   03/25/2008

 I'm pretty sure everyone knows me from my mom's blogs, but if not my name is Kat Malone and I am a junior at Virginia Tech in the Residential Property Management program.  These past two days myself and two other students, Mike and Jessica, were chosen to represent the RPM program at the Virginia Apartment Management Association's (VAMA) Passport to Success conference in Richmond. We were invited by Renee Pulliam of S.L. Nusbaum, past president of VAMA. S.L. Nusbaum, who is on the RPM Advisory Board, paid for all of our expenses so we could make it to the conference. It was a great learning experience and a wonderful chance to do some serious networking. Everyone always tells us how small the property management industry is and we got to see that first hand. Many of the companies there... 03/20/2008

This is a good week to introduce you to my oldest daughter Kate. She's a junior at Virginia Tech in the RPM- Residential Property Management program. As you can see, she's a die hard Hokie's fan. When she lived on campus her room was nicknamed  The Trap- you went in but never left!     She's had an account on Activerain for the past year but as a college student, hasn't had the time to take on a blog.  She's active on the tech campus:Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority- External Social Coordinator RPM Club at Virginia Tech VT Students for Concealed Carry on Campus- Media Relations SpokespersonShe goes by the nickname Kat (check out her profile). She's an Alpha Gamma Delta- so if there are any AR sorority sisters out there, give her a shout. She models for one of her fashion major friends and get... 03/18/2008