Admin

Charlottesville, VA Real Estate News

By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
A favorite summertime destination in Charlottesville, Virginia is the downtown mall.  Almost all of the many restaurants that front on the Charlottesville pedestrian mall have outdoor tables.  There are so many to choose from.  Try the Jananese cuisine from Ten or seafood at the  Blue Light Grill.  Sample Italian wine at Enoteca's outdoor cafe.  If French food is your choice, try Petit Pois or Italian from  Restorante Al Dente.  Bizou serves a selection of bistro fare.  Whatever type of food you are looking for there is a good chance that you will find it on Charlottesville's downtown mall.  Enjoy watching the pedestriansand listening to the street musicians as you sample the good food.                 For more information on Charlottesville and the surrounding area contact: Pam Dent, e...
Comments 2
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
One of the treats of summer is eating fresh vegetables.  Unfortunately not all of us are lucky enough to have the ability to pick fresh vegetables out of our own gardens.  However in the Charlottesville, Virginia area we have a number of local farmers markets selling fresh produce to choose from: Forest Lakes Farmer's Market - Tuesdays 4-7pm,  1650 Ashwood Boulevard, South recreational Facility parking lot in Forest Lakes. Crozet Market - 8am-noon on Saturdays in Crozet. Nelson County Farmers Market - Saturdays, Rt 151, Nellysford Fluvanna Farmer's Market - Tuesdays 3-7pm at Pleasant Grove Scottsville Farmer's Market - Saturdays,  8-11am at Dorrier Park Charlottesville City Market - 7am-noon on Saturdays on Water Street Market at Meade Park - 3-7pm, Wednesdays So head out to one of the...
Comments 5
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Today's buyers when they are looking for a real estate agent are apt to see many combinations of letters after agents names.  Not many people actually know what these various initials mean or how to use them to help pick the agent that can best serve their needs.  If you are over 50, and either buying or selling a home, you should consider choosing an agent who has the SRES designation.  SRES stands for Senior Real Estate Specialist.  In order to attain this designation, the agent has received specialized training in many areas that impact the home buying and selling experience for seniors.  With the aging of the baby boomers the SRES agent will be increasingly in demand.  One of the specific areas that was focused on in the agent's education was finance.  The SRES agent has knowledge o...
Comments 4
By Rob Alley, Invite Us In! We'll Bring Results!
(RE/MAX Realty Specialists)
Charlottesville Real Estate Blog Charlottesville Real Estate Market Report for June 2008 July 14th, 2008 12:09 PM AREA SALES TOTAL $ AVG PRICE % OF LIST AVG DOM HOMES FOR SALE Albemarle 124 $56,083,320 $452,285 90.52% 95 1059 Charlottesville 65 $21,048,180 $323,818 96.57% 104 353 Fluvanna 39 $10,417,267 $267,109 97.66% 113 371 Greene 17 $4,385,900 $257,994 98.31% 124 219 Louisa 14 $3,608,152 $257,725 96.15% 92 285 Orange 5 $937,990 $187,598 94.96% 171 170 Total 264 $96,480,809 $291,088 94% 116.5 2457 The number of sold properties in June rose slightly from May.  There was 253 sold properties in May, compared to 264 in June.  Our inventory remained virtually the same.  These are both steps in a positive direction for our Charlottesville Real Estate Market.  Higher sales and lower invento...
Comments 0
By Rob Alley, Invite Us In! We'll Bring Results!
(RE/MAX Realty Specialists)
Charlottesville Real Estate Market Report May 2008 July 14th, 2008 11:40 AM AREA SALES TOTAL $ AVG PRICE % OF LIST AVG DOM HOMES FOR SALE Albemarle 110 $44,257,405 $402,340 94.81% 99 1059 Charlottesville 70 $19,250,876 $275,013 95.20% 125 352 Fluvanna 34 $9,144,000 $268,941 96.00% 137 371 Greene 16 $4,675,200 $292,200 95.81% 97 219 Louisa 14 $4,040,655 $288,618 96.68% 91 285 Orange 9 $1,690,277 $187,809 94.23% 162 170 Total 253 $83,058,413 $328,294 95% 118.5 2456 The number of sold properties in May rose significantly from April.  There was 190 sold properties in April, compared to 253 in May.  Our inventory also dropped a little bit from 2513 to 2456.  These are both steps in a positive direction for our Charlottesville Real Estate Market.  Higher sales and lowe inventory reduces our m...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Perhaps you have always had your own farm and are used to having your horses at home.  The time has come in your life when all the upkeep of such a large property is getting to be too much.  BUT how will you asjust to having to commute to a boarding barn and not being able to see your horses whenever you want to?  Will you miss feeding them carrots at night check or drinking your morning coffee while listening to them munch hay.  The perfect solution may be to purchase a home in an equestrian community.  In the Charlottesville, Virginia, Albemarle County area the perfect choice is to buy a home in Glenmore with the attached Glenmore Equestrian Center professionally managed by Shadowfax LLC.  This is a full service equestrian facility including boarding, lessons, training and sales.  Yo...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
The Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS has just released the its 2008 mid-year market report.  What has happened so far this year in the area real estate market and what does our "crystal ball" indicate the rest of the year will bring? The over all picture of the market so far this year could be characterized as sluggish.  To put things in perspective we have a fairly normal number of people buying homes, but speculative investors are absent from the marketplace.  It is these investors,  flipping homes in the same year, who drove up statistics and as a result prices.  This resulted in the hot market that we had a couple of years ago.  At this time the market has become more stable with median prices remaining flat in comparison to the past two years.  The backlog of inventory ...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Condo and attached home projects have increased in popularity in the Charlottesville, Virginia area in the last couple of years.  As the prices for detached homes skyrocketed in 200-2005 more people began looking at condos as an affordable alternative.  Also the University of Virginia, and the hospital bringing in students, and residents added another segment of the population who needed housing. For the purpose of this real estate market report I have grouped attached homes and condos together. In June there were 44 contingent contracts ranging in price from $85,000-864,000. 36 homes have pending contracts and are priced from $149,900-579,900. In Charlottesville 15 homes sold with an average price of $291,828 and a median price of $263,275 and an average days on market of 117. There ar...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Below is the June market report for the entire Charlottesville Association of Realtors real estate market.  I will also be breaking the report down into specific areas and neighborhoods in following posts.  Be on the lookout for the section of the market that you are interrested in.  This report includes all kinds of residential properties: detached homes, attached homes, condos, and farms. In June 192 new properties came on the market at an average list price of $474,362 and a median of $339,450. There were 94 contingent contracts at an average list price of $407,357 and a median price of $326,200. 33 contracts were pending with an average list price of $512,966 and median of $298,000. 122 homes sold with an average list price of $500,850 and an average sold price of $453,052 with a me...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
As you know all real estate is local; therefore if you are interested in buying or selling in a particular area it is important to stay informed as to what is happening in the local real estate market.  Listed below is a summary of the real estate activity in the City of Charlottesville for the month of June, 2008. There were 60 homes sold in June ranging in price from $130,000-$925,000.  They were on the market an average of 104 days.This is down from the total of 133 homes sold in May, one of the prime spring sales months. There were 91 contingent homes in the same period ranging from $109,000-$864,000. 76 homes had contracts pending ranging from $95,000-$775,000. Also there were 343 active listings on the market priced from $85,000-$2,895,000. In the entire area there are 1057 active...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Residents of Charlottesville, Virginia and the surrounding area have many choices for celebratiing the Fourth of July: Charlottesville Kiwanis Independence Day 5K - 7:30 am Forest Lakes Subdivision.  The race is to benefit Camp Holiday Trails, a local camp for children with special health needs.  for information go to the Kiwanis website. Annual Charlottesville 4th of July Festival in McIntire Park - 4:00 buses leave K-mart and the County Office Building4:00 food vendors open5:00 kids games begin6:00 music8:00 skydivers9:15 fireworksfor information click here Fluvanna County Freedom Fair - June 26-July 5 at Pleasant Grove Parkbingo nightly from 5:30 July 2-5Carnival nightly June 26-28 and July 2-5Fish Fry July 5Free Concerts:      Southern Crossroads June 28, 7:00pm      Darla Davis Jul...
Comments 0
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Charlottesville, Virginia has been included on many national lists of the best places to live in the United States.  It is also a popular tourist destination.  The area abounds with natural beauty, a rich historic legacy, a multitude of outdoor activities, and many cultural events.  The following are my personal top five things to be sure to include in any trip to Charlottesville: 1.  A visit to Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello has to top the list.  Not only is the historic home beautiful architecturally, but it is full of Jefferson's many inventions.  By the end of the tour you will have a feel for Jefferson the Renaissance man.  Also there are tours of the gardens, grounds, and the slave community.  After touring Monticello, take time for a trip back in time and a southern lunch at ...
Comments 12
The Charlottesville and Albemarle County numbers are in for the month of May and here is the update for the month.  Sales for the month of May 08 vs May 07 show an overall decline for the month of 11%.  Some price ranges did well compared to last year (see below). Secondly, and more importantly, inventory is only up 6.5% compared to last year at this same time.  That too is incredible and has enormous implications to sellers in our area.  Some say that our inventory is way out of balance and that they should basically "give it away".  These numbers suggest otherwise. The following price ranges outsold for the month of May 08 vs 07: 1.  $175 - 200,000 2.  $200 - 250,000 3.  $500- 600,000 4.  $700-$800,000 5.  $900- 1,000,000 6.  $1.5 - 2,000,000 7.  Over $3,000,000
Comments 12
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
As the median home price in Charlottesville, Virginia rose dramatically in the first part of this decade, it became increasingly apparent that the workforce that was necessary to serve the community could no longer afford a home in that same community.  In 2004 the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors' Workforce Housing Fund was started to offer down-payment assistance for ppurchasing a home to home buyers from the following professions: teachers, nurses, firemen, and police.  CAAR has managed so far to raise $400,000 and is well on the way to building the fund to $500,000 this year.  The Piedmont Housing Alliance is the administrator of the program.  So far between 5 and 10 buyers a year have been helped to purchase a home.  If they sell the home, the downpayment will be paid b...
Comments 2
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Buy Fresh Buy Local is a campaign supported by the Piedmont Environmental Council to enable consumers in Charlottesville, Virginia and Albemarle County to find locally produced foods.  This program makes residents aware of the local foods that are available at area farms, farmer's markets, grocery stores and restaurants.  The Buy Fresh Buy Local website has information on how to find the participating farms, merchants and restaurants.  In addition marketing materials have been made available through the program to help publicise businesses and restaurants that are supporting the program.  Purchasing locally grown food has a positive impact on the local ecconomy as well as making the freshest food choices available to area residents. Remember to support your area farmers and the local ec...
Comments 4
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
One of my favorite summertime activities is to enjoy the live music at the Pavillion in Charlottesville, Virginia.  This covered venue is located at the east end of Charlottesville's downtown pedestrian mall.  The pavillion which seats 3,000 opened in 2005 and brings nationally known music acts to the area in the summer.  You may purchase reserved seats under the covered area or sit on the lawn with a general admission ticket. June 23 - Emmylou HarrisJune 29 - Willie NelsonJuly 31 - Crosby, Stills & NashAug. 6 - B.B. King - This event is sponsored by the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors to raise money for workforce housing.Aug. 12 - George Thorogood & the DestroyersAug. 23 - Kenny Rogers With this lineup, I know where I plan to be on many a summer evening. For ticket informa...
Comments 2
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
If you are looking for something to do in Charlottesville, Virginia,  look no farther than exploring the many images featured in Look - Charlottesville Festival of the photograph.  This not for profit event kicked off this weekend, and is designed to showcase both amateur and professional images taken by photographers from around the world.  There are many exhibits at galleries throughout the area around the downtown pedestrian mall which will be open during June. For information on festival events, exhibits and participationg photographers click here. Pam Dent, e-Pro, SRESReal Estate IIICharlottesville, Virginia 434 960-0161 www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.comwww.CharlottesvilleHorseFarmsandCountryHomes.comwww.Charlottesville.virginiablogpage.com  
Comments 0
By Rob Alley, Invite Us In! We'll Bring Results!
(RE/MAX Realty Specialists)
Is now the best time to buy? Are prices going to keep falling in Charlottesville? How does the Charlottesville Real Estate Market compare to the rest of the nation? Well, let's see.We all know by now that home prices are falling nationally. The NY Times reported today that the troubled housing sector reached a new low this summer.Prices of single-family homes in the third quarter fell 4.5 percent nationwide compared to a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller National Home Price Index. It was the largest drop since the index began in 1988. But is that what is truly happening in our local market??? Let's take a look and see.We will take a look at data from 01/01/2006 through 11/27/2006 and compare it to the data from 01/01/2007 through 11/27/2007. We will use three dif...
Comments 2
By Rob Alley, Invite Us In! We'll Bring Results!
(RE/MAX Realty Specialists)
Almost 280,000 Americans lost their homes through foreclosure last year. But that's not the surprising part. This is: Half of them never even talked to their lenders.While the number of homeowners with past-due loans is still low by historical standards at 4.4%, it's expected to rise this year and next because almost 5 million American families will see their adjustable-rate mortgages reset to higher interest rates. Families that are already turning their pockets inside out to pay more than $3 a gallon for gas and higher health care costs may have to make painful choices in order to keep their homes.Now is the time to dig out your mortgage documents and figure out when, by how much, and how often your payments can rise. If you see trouble ahead, now is the time to consider refinancing, ...
Comments 3
By Pam Dent, REALTOR® - Charlottesville Virginia Homes / Horse
(Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.)
Whenever I am talking with someone and they find out that I am a REALTOR the first thing that they ask is "what is going on in the real estate market".  As we all know real estate is local so what they are really asking is "what is going on in our area real estate market"?  The following are the market statistics for the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors for the month of May 2008: Current Active Listings:Number of total listings: 1,115Average Price: $812,420Median Price: $382,900Highest Price: $35,000,000Lowest price: $84,500Average days on market: 157 New ListingsNumber of total new listings: 215Average Price: $482,529Median Price: $324,900Highest Price: $3,250,000 Pending Listings: Total pending listings: 43Average price: $584,807Median Price: $399,900Highest price: $3,975,...
Comments 2