This evening's weather forcast is filled with warnings of snow and ice.  The grocery store was packed with shoppers stocking up of bread and milk.  But I am dreaming of daffodils and springtime in Charlottesville, Virginia.                                                                                                                         One of my favorite activities on an especially cold, dreary winter day is to get out the gardening catalogs and plan my summer flower beds.  Now is the time to read up on all the different perenials and flowering trees and shrubs.  I might put on my winter coat and stroll around the yard envisioning what plants to keep and which parts of the yard have room for a new addition. Luckily winter in Central Virginia is not too long lived and has a mix of ... 01/26/2009

Hit the road this Sunday: visit houses for sale in Charlottesville and Albemarle! To plan your tour, here is an interactive Google Map of Charlottesville Open Houses incorporating all public houses listed in the CAAR MLS (as of this blog post) for Sunday, January 18, 2009. and here are more details on these homes. You can search the Charlottesville MLS and conduct your own Charlottesville Open House Search without registering on my Charlottesville Real Estate Website, and find lots of useful resources , topics for homes buyers and information about our community! If you have questions, please feel free to email me any time.   Amy Webb - Your Charlottesville AgentReal Estate IIICharlottesville, Virginiavisit me online at A Home in CharlottesvilleLicensed to sell real estate in Virginia 01/23/2009

Charlottesville, Virginia has just been hit with a blast of arctic air.  As far as I'm concerned its way too cold outside, but if skiing is your sport you are probably rejoicing.  This is the perfect weather for snow making. There are two ski resorts in Central Virginia each about an hours drive from Charlottesville. Wintergreen Resort located in nearby Nelson County  has 129 skiable acres with a vertical drop of 1003'.  Out of a possible 24 trails, 17 trails and 4 lifts were open today.  This weekends weather report promises ideal conditions for constant snwo making throughout the weekend. Massanutton Resort which is in the Shenandoah Valley just outside of Elkton, Virginia has 70 skiable acres and a vertical drop of 1110'.  As of yesterday 10 out of 14 trails and 8 lifts were open.  T... 01/15/2009

 Mortgage rates are at a 37 year LOW!  I am a licensed real estate agent, but I'm ALSO a loan officer with Bright Vision Mortgage.  I can do Streamline FHA refinances in FL, GA & AL, and conventional loans in VA!  Rates for FHA AND Conventional loans are BELOW 5% with NO POINTS!  If you are looking to refinance or wanting to buy a home in any of the above listed states, visit www.brightvisionmortgage.com and click on loan application in the top right.  Select Valorie Ford as the Loan Officer and fill out the application.  I will start work right away and get you the BEST rate hands down!  Let me help you get the lowest house payment possible!  Look Forward to Working with You! 01/15/2009

This market report will cover sales of condos and townhomes in Charlottesville, Virginia during December of 2008. In December 2008, 4 Charlottesville condos and town homes had contingent contracts.  The average list price was $270,925 and the median was $274,900. There were not any Charlottesville condos or townhouses with pending contracts. 10 Charlottesville condos and townhomes had contracts that closed in December 2008.  The average sale price was $250,210, with an average list price of $$275,370 and a median of $193,500.  The homes were on the market for an average of 87 days and sold for an average of 90.86% of the list price. There are currently 113 condos and townhomes actively listed for sale in Charlottesville, Virginia.  The average list price is $289,787 with a median of $24... 01/11/2009

Having been an "evil fricking property manager for over forty fricking years" to paraphrase CHER.....I've been through several recessions, the tax reform act of 1986, the RTC and now this housing /foreclosure/lender crisis.....one thing I have learned - property managers can THRIVE in ALL forms of housing situations. In the "good times" * investors buy for tax benefits and appreciation potential and need good property management services to insure their investment performs as expected. In the "bad times" * reluctant homeowners needing to relocate seek a good property manager to lease and manage their unsold homes AND investors buy good rental properties at reduced prices for tax benefits and even MORE appreciation potential * again requiring management services to insure their investmen... 01/09/2009

Thinking of heading out to see Open Houses in Charlottesville and Albemarle this weekend??  Here is an interactive Google Map of Charlottesville Open Houses incorporating all public houses currently listed in the CAAR MLS ( as of this blog post) for Sunday January 11, 2009. If you have questions, please feel free to email me any time.   You can conduct your own Charlottesville MLS Search without registering ( or with registering to save your searches! ) on my Charlottesville Real Estate Website, as well as find lots of useful information and resources for homes buyers and information about our community!If you use this Open House Guide, I would love to have your feedback and suggestions.  If this feature is popular, it will appear regularly!   Amy Bender WebbReal Estate IIICharlottesvil... 01/08/2009

UVA has won top honors from the Princeton Review for being the best value nationally in Public Universities. If you have a child bound for UVA for an undergraduate or graduate program, are coming to work at UVA as staff or faculty or joining the team at UVA Medical Center and want information about Real Estate in Charlottesville, Virginia, check out  Go Virginia Homes. This great site also includes links to the UVA Homepage, UVA Health Systems, Darden, The Sabre and more....Enjoy!     01/08/2009

Dunlora is a beautiful planned residential community of several hundred private homes located off Rio Road East, just a few miles from Historic Downtown Charlottesville and equally convenient to the Route 29 Shppping district. Dunlora features recently built resale homes, both single-family detached homes and attached homes, some with maintenance packages, ranging in price from approximately $375,000 to over $750,000.  There is a community clubhouse, pool, lighted tennis courts, a soccer field, community garden plots and nature trails connecting to the Rivanna Trail through Pen Park.Homes for Sale in Dunlora and school informationDunlora Community Association Have a look at my new Charlottesville Neighborhood Guide where you can learn about the many diverse neighborhoods and subdivision... 01/05/2009

This report will focus on the sales of single family detached homes in Charlottesville, Virginia. The first area that we will examine is Charlottesville home sales during December of 2008. In December 2008, 10 Charlottesville homes had contingent contracts.  The average list price was $341,160 with a median of $289,450 and an average DOM of 99. 2 Charlottesville homes had contracts pending.  The average list price was $279,000 and the average DOM was 72. In December 2008, 11 homes sold in Charlottesville, Virginia.  The average sale price was $395,674, with an average list price of $440,577 and a median of $290,000.  The homes were on the market for an average of 180 days and sold for an average of 89.81% of the list price. As of today, January 4, 2009 there are 166 homes actively liste... 01/04/2009

With green pastures and a gentle rolling landscape,  prestigious Glenmore incorporates over 500 acres, including dedicated green space,  and offers a host of amenities: a private country club with activities and clubhouse dining, golf, tennis, swimming, community walking paths, and a professional on-site equestrian center.  Just four miles east of Charlottesville in Keswick, home prices in Glenmore range from $500,000 to $1,500,000 and up.Glenmore Community AssociationGlenmore Country Club Please visit me online for information about the schools which serve this community and to search homes for sale in Glenmore!   Have a look at my new Charlottesville Neighborhood Guide where you can learn about the many diverse neighborhoods and subdivisions in the City of Charlottesville and the Coun... 12/21/2008

Prospective home buyers in the Charlottesville area now have a new tool at their disposal: the Charlottesville Albemarle Neighborhood Guide on my website "A Home In Charlottesville".This Blog - Style guide will feature articles or "posts" on the many diverse neighborhoods and subdivisions in our community.  I have launched with just 4 featured subdivisions: Dunlora, Forest Lakes, Glenmore and Old Trail - but there are many more to come shortly.  The beauty of using a blog page for this feature is that tagging the posts enables visitors to narrow their search by the area of the community they are interested in and by public school!  So if you are moving to Charlottesville from elsewhere and have determined you only want to consider neighborhoods in the Monticello High School catchement, ... 12/18/2008

This week Charlottesville will participate in Local Climate Action Week.  This consists of a series of events held across the nation with the mission of persuading the federal government to financialy support local areas' effforts to combat climate change.  The weeks events will include: a panel focusing on what localities can do to fight climate change, a workshop for homeowners on energy conservation, a two day national conference on climate change that will be held at the University of Virginia (the conference is not open to the public, but will be broadcast live), and ending the week with a showing of the HBO documentary "Too Hot Not To Handle". Read more about the week's events as reported in the Daily Progress.   Contact Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES, NHD, REALTOR®, Real Estate III, Charl... 12/07/2008

Piedmont Housing Alliance, Central Virginia's only HUD approved "housing counseling" service, offers homeowners at all income levels information, counseling and assistance in dealing with current and potential problems paying their mortgages and holding onto their homes. PHA is well known in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area and the surrounding community for helping residents achieve their dream of homeownership. In the current crisis, PHA is also there for folks who already own a home, but may have difficulty keeping it in these tough times. PHA will aid you to whatever extent possible regardless of how close to foreclosure you are, but the best time to contact PHA for help is when you have the first inkling that you may not be able to meet your mortgage obligation in the next 6 month... 12/07/2008

There has been a lot of press lately about how the University of Virginia located in Charlottesville is finding ways to go green.  In keeping with this increased eco-awareness they have found a way to reduce energy consumption while still keeping the annual light display on the lawn.  Last night marked the lightning of the lawn and the traditional holiday lights have been replaced with LED lights which use less energy.  The lawn consists of the area behind the Rotunda and it the origional area of the University built by Thomas Jefferson.  The lights will be up throughout the Christmas season. The pictures below show the Lawn.  When you visit Charlottesville this is a must see.           The columns are wrapped with lights for Christmas; the lawn is beautiful any time of year.  Contact P... 12/05/2008

This post will focus on the examination of sales of condos and townhomes in Charlottesville, Virginia during November 2008. 4 Charlottesville condos and townhomes sold during November 2008.  The average list price was $398,650, with a median of $347,400 and an average days on market of 261. 3 condos and townhomes had pending contracts.  The average list price was $253,323 and the median is $347,400.  The homes were on the market for an average of 308 days. In November 2008, 4 Charlottesville townhomes and condos sold.  The average sales price was $329,400, with an average list price of $347,198, and a median of $243,800.  The homes were on the market for an average of 122 days and sold for an average of 94.87% of the list price. As of December 1, 117 condos and townhomes are actively li... 12/04/2008

This is the second in our series of local market reports.  This report will focus on the sales of single family detached homes in Charlottesville, Virginia during November 2008. 9 Charlottesville homes were under contingent contracts in November 2008.  The average list price was $330,250 and the median was $346,000 with an average days on market of 239. One Charlottesville home had a contract pending.  The list price was $214,900 and the home had been on the market for 143 days. In November 2008, 10 Charlottesville homes had contracts that closed.  The average sales price was $331,191 with an average list price of $339,637 and a median of $329,500.  The homes had an average time on market of 43 days and sold for 97.51% of the list price. As of December 1, 2008 there are 185 Charlottesvi... 12/02/2008

Just as real estate is local, economies are local and it is important to support our local economy.  One important way to support the local economy and be part of the "green" solution at the same time is to Buy Fresh Buy Local.  This doesn't just include buying fresh summer veggies at your local farmer's market.  Buying locally is the perfect first stop for your holiday shopping as well.  Local vendors offer great choices for Christmas trees, holiday decorations, gifts, and food for all of your holiday feasts.  Don't forget to plan your menues around local beef, turkeys, eggs, jams, honey, wines and cheeses.  Many fine restaurants plan their menus around fresh, local food; this is something that your family and guests will appreciate at home as well.  In addition, start a family traditi... 11/27/2008

One of the best parts of life in Charlottesville, Virginia is following the University of Virginia athletic teams.  Of the sports my favorite is basketball.  UVA plays on the Atlantic Coast Conference;  the ACC offers some of the most competitive clooege basketball of any conference in the country. Below you will find the current basketball schedule for the Virginia Cavaliers also know as the Wahoos. Sun. Nov. 16  VMI   4:00pm Wed. Nov.19 University of South Florida 7:00pm Fri. Nov. 21  Radford  7:00 pm Tue. Nov. 25  Liberty  7:00 pm Fri. Nov. 28  Syracuse  at Syracuse 7:00 pm Tue. Dec. 02  Minnesota (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)  at Minneapolis, Minn  9:30 pm Wed. Dec. 17  Longwood  7:00 pm Sat. Dec. 20  Auburn  4:00 pm Tue. Dec. 23 Hampton  7:00 pm Sun. Dec. 28  Georgia Tech  at Atlanta, Ga... 11/26/2008

If you read my previous Active Rain post or Brad's post, you probably know that there is a big brawl happening in Virginia. From Active Rain to Utterli, this Virginia blogging event is spreding like wildfire! Talk about creating a real “buzz”. What's the Buzz all about? Be sure read our client's post at his Charlottesville Real Estate Blog or you can checkout the VAR Buzz Blog for the recap. The Twitter Version Here is a Twitter version recap of Round #2. Dakno client and Brian Chase's Charlottesville Real Estate Blog advanced to round #3 as a result of offering to donate $1 for every vote his blog received ($200 Max) in round #2. His blog advanced into round #3! Ok, that was obviously more than 140 characters but hey, I can get away with it here! Dakno Gets in the Giving Spirit! We wer... 11/21/2008