Myself and my group (the Avery Group) have been working short sales for a while now. We have successfully closed 5 short sales this year, have two more under contract, and have three more being listed. Most of them have been in Albemarle County. Despite what people think, or because they can only find 8 or 9 of them in the MLS, foreclosures and short sales are becoming more and more prevalent in our area. Even the Daily Progress has had a couple of articles about them in the newspaper. A short sale is a method of preventing foreclosure. With the exception of loan modification, it is usually the best option. 95% of the time you see a short sale, there is a foreclosure looming. Don't be fooled by terminology. Also, look for key terms in the MLS. For example, "subject to bank approval" is ... 09/10/2008

If you are a recent arrival in Cville, or are thinking of moving here, or you have lived here for ages and are taking our wonderful city for granted!......courtesy of CAAR and the Real Estate Weekly, here is a blog link on the Top 50 Things to Enjoy About Charlottesville! 50 reasons why Charlottesville, Virginia is a great place to live!   Amy Bender WebbReal Estate IIICharlottesville, Virginiavisit me online at A Home in CharlottesvilleLicensed to sell real estate in Virginia 09/09/2008

#1 4th of July Fireworks in McIntire Park   There are two places in the country that must always celebrate the 4th of July - Philadelphia and Charlottesville. In the shadow of Thomas Jefferson's home, Charlottesville hosts a fantastic 4th of July Festival at McIntire Park. The show is put on by the all-volunteer Save the Fireworks Foundation and up to 25,000 people enjoy the spectacular fireworks display each year. #2 Albemarle County Fair   Thomas Jefferson was a big fan of agriculture and the Albemarle County Fair is a great celebration of his emphasis on placing your hands in the earth. The Albemarle Fair is similar to other fairs around the country, but Albemarle has a great story to tell. Throw in a funnel cake, some cotton candy, and carnival rides and you have a great time for th... 09/09/2008

UVA is the crown jewel of Charlottesville and here is a round up of events at the University of Virginia coming up this weekend: Thursday 9.11.085:00 p.m.      HooFEST at McCormick QuadFriday 9.12.0811:00 a.m.  Miller Center Forum: Face-to-Face with Osama bin Laden4:30 p.m.      Volleyball vs. Virginia Commonwealth at Memorial Gym7:00 p.m.      Women's Soccer vs. William & Mary at Klockner Stadium   You can find a comprehensive UVA Calendar linked through my website Go Virginia Homes, a real estate resource for UVA Professors, Staff, Graduate Students, Doctors, medical Residents, Fans, Alumni and more... 09/09/2008

Join us, Friday, Sept 12, 7 pm at Charlottesville's Paramount Theater in supporting the efforts of Ireland-based Concern Worldwide, a foremost relief organization, praised for its work in Darfur, providing immediate aid in the form of life saving food, water, shelter and health care and long term assistance through development efforts.Experience Ireland’s Lúnasa and Mali’s Vieux Farka Toure:  Here is a description from the promotional material for this unique event: Concert-goers will also reap a rich reward as they are transported to musical other-worlds by Ireland’s Lúnasa and Mali’s Vieux Farka Toure. Folk Roots called Lúnasa an "Irish music dream team". The layered tapestry that underpins their sound is marked by driving, occasionally jazz-inflected rhythms, impeccable individual mu... 09/09/2008

The City of Charlottesville joins with many other communities to promote peace and understanding with a free concert on the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.  Part of the September Concert program, this is an enormous world wide event. The Charlottesville concert, on the downtown mall from 5 - 8pm, will feature John Wyant Band, Laurence Elder and a special contribution by the Music Resources Center.   Community Spirit!  Another reason why Charlottesville, Virginia is a great place to live!   09/08/2008

For those who have been trying to wade through the flood of information about the mortgage crisis and the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, here is a great New York Times article which breaks it all down in layman's terms: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/08consumer.html?ex=1378612800&en=1140cdecb05592d6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink 09/07/2008

I am pleased to announce the launch of Go Virginia Homes , a new comprehensive real estate website for the University of Virginia community.  Designed to answer the needs of those relocating to the Charlottesville area because of a UVA affiliation, Go Virginia Homes features: an extensive Charlottesville Community Guide, UVA Links to help visitors navigate their way through the wealth of information available on the internet about the University of Virginia an MLS home search for CAAR ( the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors ) a schools guide lots of great advice about the home buying process, credits, closing costs and much much more.. I love to live in Charlottesville - and a big part of the reason is the proximity of UVA and all it offers our community!    I look forward to... 09/03/2008

We are spending the first posts of this month observing what has been going on in the Charlottesville, Virginia real estate market.  An impotant segment to look at is the sales of Charlottesville, Virginia townhomes and condominiums. In August of 2008, 11 Charlottesville townhomes and condos had contingent contracts.  The average list price was $175,841 and the median is $179,900, with an average time on market of 204 days. 2 condos and townhomes had pending contracts with an average list price of $280.923.  They have been on the market for an average of 110 days. In August 2008, 17 townhomes and condos sold in Charlottesville, Virginia.  The average sales price was $189,265 and the average list price was $203,032.  The median price was $169,500, and the average days on market was 69.  ... 09/03/2008

It is the beginning of the month and the perfect time to take a look at what has been happening in the Charlottesville Virginia real estate market.  We will be looking at activity in the sales of all types of Charlottesville homes: attached, single family detached and condominiums. In August of 2008, 32 Charlottesville homes had contingent contracts at an average list price of $234,152, a median price of $232,000 and were on the market an average of 120 days. 8 homes had pending contracts with an average list price of $327,143 and a median price of $305,928.  They averaged 86 days on market. In August 2008, 38 Charlottesville, Virginia homes sold.  They sold for an average price of $274,618 and had been listed for an average price of $288,950 with a median price of $234,050.  They were ... 09/02/2008

The 31st Running of the Foxfield Races, Charlottesville's premier equestrian event is on Sunday, September 28, 2008. 10:30    Gates Open10:30    Pony Rides provided by The Other Place Stables11:00    Racecourse Walk (please meet at the tower)12:00    Jack Russell Terrier Races sponsored by Sammy Snacks12:30    Albemarle Sherrif's Pipe and Drum Corp.12:45    Farmington Beagle's Parade of Beagles1:00      National Anthem in conjunction with Aerial Adventures Precision Skydivers 10:30 - 3:00   FoxDen - Children's Activities Tent featuring: The Little Gym, The Virginia Film Festival, Live Arts Theater, Bright Beginnings Preschool, Wilson School of Dance, Kid Pan Alley, Airbrush Gypsy Tattoos, and many more. Foxfield Races: another reason why Charlottesville is a great place to live!   Amy B... 09/01/2008

Join us on Saturday, Sept 27, from 11am to 4pm in historic downtown Charlottesville at Lee Park for the 12th Annual Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival. This fun family event features: wonderful food pet adoption fun for kids information on the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle and cooking cruelty free products a silent auction and more!!   My girls and I adopted our dog, Mr. Bingley during the Vegetarian Festival last year and we could not be more grateful that he is part of our family!   Here is Mr. Bingley playing dress-up!   The Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival: another reason why Charlottesville is a great place to live!     Amy Bender WebbReal Estate IIICharlottesville, Virginiavisit me online at A Home in CharlottesvilleLicensed to sell real estate in Virginia     09/01/2008

It is almost September and that means the start of the football season at the University of Virginia.  Many of the residents of Charlottesville, Virginia are avid followers of UVA athletics and football most of all.  The University of Virginia football team is not nationally randed in the preseason this year.  It looks like this will be a building year, but in sports you never know.  Anything could happen.  Go Wahoos Go! August 30        USC September 6    Richmond September 13  at Connecticut September 27  at Duke October 4        Maryland October 11      East Carolina October 18      North Carolina October 25      at Georgia Tech November 1    Miami November 8    at Wake Forest November 22  Clemson November 29  at Virginia Tech While you are in Charlottesville for the game if you woul... 08/31/2008

If you are looking for an Albemarle County home in a convenient location and a great neighborhood, you should consider Forest Lakes.  Forest Lakes is a planned community of 1,400 homes located just north of Charlottesville, close to shopping and minutes from town, NGIC and the airport.  The Forest Lakes community is split into two sections - North and South - and these are divided further into several smaller neighborhoods.  Most of the homes are located on wooded lots arranged on cul-de-sacs.  Home choices include town homes, duplexes and single family detached homes. The Forest Lakes community offers a wide range of amenities: 6 Lakes and wooded lots 9 miles of paved walking trails 3 miles of nature trails 2 large swimming pools basketball courts a volleyball court 10 tennis courts 2 ... 08/31/2008

NGIC - the National Ground Intelligence Center - is growing and the first wave of families is in the process of deciding whether or not Charlottesville, Virginia is the community for them! Here is some valuable information to help you find a home near NGIC Albemarle County Homes within 5 miles of NGIC between 200K and 300K Albemarle County Homes within 5 miles of NGIC between 300K and 400K I know for many of you, this is just a starting point, so if you want to search in other price ranges, or other parts of Albemarle and Charlottesville, or in Greene or Fluvanna counties, visit my NGIC Homes website, designed just for you! If you have questions about Charlottesville Real Estate or want help planning your relocation to Albemarle County, feel free to visit me online or contact me any ti... 08/29/2008

Are we seeing a demographic shift back to the cities?  Today I read an article from the postwritersgroup that raises the question as to whether we are now seeing a shift from the suburbs back to the cities.  For years the trend in real estate has been a movement from the urban areas to the outlying suburban developments; is this changing? According to the article, we are not going to see a mass exodus ftom the suburbs back to urban cores, but we are seeing an increase in new construction in close in suburbs.  Alan Ehrenhalt, the executive editor of Governing magazine states that "we are living at a moment in which the massive outward migration of the affluent that characterized the second half of the 20th century is coming to an end." "What makes these shifts special," notes Ehrenhalt "... 08/27/2008

I'm a Realtor. I'm a Realtor who lives in Virginia. I'm a Realtor who lives in Virginia but (still) owns his ex-homestead in another state. I'm a Realtor who had to hire a Realtor to sell my ex-homestead in another state. I'm a very un-happy Virginia Realtor because I hired the worst Realtor this side of the Mississippi to sell my ex-homestead in another state. I'm a very un-happy Virginia Realtor because I hired the wrong person to sell my ex-homestead far away in another state.  That was my fault.  I was a dummy. I know that because my wife reminded me of it daily. BUT, I'm now a wiser Virginia Realtor because I (re) learned several key things when hiring a Realtor. And I am relaying them to you so that you'll likewise be much the wiser and your wife won't call you a dummy. First, I l... 08/26/2008

One of the many pieces of information to consider when looking for a new home is the tax rate.  In Charlottesville, Virginia, Albemarle County, and the surrounding area there is a large variation in the tax rates.  For some people this may be a determing factor as to which Central Virginia Country they would like to live in. The following are the tax rate for Charlottesville, Virginia and the surrounding counties. Charlottesville, Virginia - $.95/$100 of assessed value Albemarle County - $.71/$100 of assessed value Louisa County - $.62/$100 of assessed value Fluvanna County - $.48/$100 of assessed value Greene County - $.72/$100 of assessed value Orange County - $.47/$100 of assessed value Goochland County - $.53/$100 of assed value Information obtained from the various county assessor'... 08/26/2008

Located in Northern Albemarle County, Virginia, is NGIC: the National Ground Intelligence Center, a major employer in Albemarle County and a growing organization.  I am pleased to announce the launch of NGIC Homes, a real estate website devoted entirely to meeting the needs of the NGIC families who will be relocating to Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna and Greene counties in the coming years!It is an honor to have NGIC in our community and I look forward to introducing these families to the Charlottesville Community and helping them find that dream home!If you are a relocating NGIC employee, please visit my NGIC Relocation Website for Quicklinks to find homes near NGICMLS Home Search Community GuideEducation/Schools Info Mortgage CalculatorHome Buying Tips and much moreCall or email... 08/24/2008

Green building practices and energy conservation are becoming increasingly more popular to consumers.  Each person on the planet adds to the emission of greenhouse gases.  Through the choices we make in how we live our lives we have the ability to lessen the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that we create.  The Nature Conservancy has a carbon footprint calculator that we can use to measure the amount of greenhouse gases that we are creating as a result of our lifestyle.  We can use this calculator to see the areas where we need to make different choices in order to reduce our negative impact on the planet. Click here to use the calculator. We are seeing an increase in the construcion of "green" homes in the Charlottesville, Virginia real estate market.  If you would l... 08/22/2008