GET REAL Location, location, education Having kids changes everything—including what’s important when you’re buying a house. Suddenly, a walk-in closet matters less than which school the neighborhood kids attend. According to Charlottesville-based Realtor Erin Garcia, of Loring Woodriff Real Estate Associates, school district is in the top five determining factors for families purchasing homes. When […]
Stacey Smith with Maia, age 7 and Hall, age 4. Photo by John Robinson. Upside of a downsize Challenge: Moving to a smaller home and embracing the change The sad state of our economy has forced many to downsize, adjust and rethink how they live. Stacey Smith of Charlottesville recently made the tough decision to take […]
Despite the massive construction site not 50 yards from their Fry’s Spring front porch, Rob and Adrienne Dent maintain a joyfully serene home. Just inside the front door, the family’s shoes are neatly tucked into old wooden post office mailboxes. Their children, Laurel (7) and Alden (6), drag out a painted vintage suitcase and happily […]
The Gallaghers’ in-ground backyard pool shimmers in the summer afternoon light, offering a welcome respite from Charlottesville’s August heat. A child-proof, gated safety fence keeps Caitlin and Sean’s two young children, Amelia (4) and Brendan (2) from venturing into the water alone. Managing a safe environment in and around the family pool has been an […]
Problem: Deciding what stays and what goes Erin and Mike Garcia have lived, with their two children—Elias (4) and Charis (2)—in their 1950s Fry’s Spring home for a little over a year. Their relocation from Crozet was prompted by the desire to be closer to town and their offices (Erin is a local Realtor and […]
Problem: Making room for play, no matter what the weather Becky Scott and Andy Orban’s backyard stretches past several stately oak trees and down to a creek nearly a hundred yards behind their North Downtown home. Their children, Nathaniel and Carrie (3-and-a-half years and 22 months, respectively), are outside nearly every day, now that spring […]
“We’re in a tower right now,” explains Sam Gorman, 15. Sam and his brother Max, 13, are showing me around what their mom, Susan, refers to as their “man cave.” High up in their Nelson County home, the room consists of video game paraphernalia, TV, computer and a funky green velvet couch propped up on […]
Problem: Welcoming a baby into a small apartment From the northeastern window of the Sparling family’s fifth-floor Charlottesville apartment in the 90-year-old Altamont Circle building, you can see rooftops, steeples and the gray-blue edge of the mountains. The approximately 750-square-foot space is home to 7-month-old Arlie Pearl, her parents and two medium-sized dogs. What this […]