“Perhaps the first and biggest benefit people get from volunteering is the satisfaction of incorporating service into their lives and making a difference in their community and country,”  says the Corporation for National and Community Service. A seldom recognized bonus: In the past twenty years, studies have shown that people who volunteer reap health benefits […]

People who live in the town of Scottsville enjoy a community that is diverse, thriving and very scenic. Home of Albemarle’s first county seat, Scottsville is located on a bend of the James River at the intersection of Routes 20 and 6 where the three counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Buckingham come together.  Though set […]

Forget bonus rooms and basements filled with cast-off furniture and piles of kids’ stuff. Today’s home entertainment spaces are sophisticated and tech-savvy, often including home theaters that look as if they’ve been lifted straight from some Hollywood producer’s mansion. Indeed, at one time, home theaters were the purview only of the wealthy, but the increasing […]

How much is your home worth? How much more would it be worth if you remodeled the kitchen or enlarged the master bedroom? How do you know what price to set when you put it on the market, so it’s neither over nor undervalued? Is that condo you’re thinking of buying worth the $8,000 more […]

When you’re sprucing up your house to sell, some renovations positively increase a home’s marketability and selling price while others never come close to recouping the expense. According to Remodeling Magazine’s “2016 Cost vs. Value Report” figures for the Richmond area—the closest market for comparison—the highest value item is the installation of attic insulation which […]

Why are there so many festivals in Central Virginia every year? Because we have so much to celebrate, of course. From pop music to classical, from fruit to foliage, and from art to antiques, we have an abundance of riches to delight in, this autumn. Here’s a look at how we’ll do it. The Charlottesville […]

Although we still can expect plenty of warm weather in Central Virginia, days are getting shorter, evenings are getting cooler with hints of fall and—well, it’s true—winter is coming. The 2017 Old Farmer’s Almanac—traditionally about 80 percent accurate—predicts this winter will be colder than last year, but with less overall snowfall in our region. It’s […]

The commercial real estate market in our local area continues to improve as it does nationally. The annual report from Deloitte and the National Association of Realtors on the 2016 national commercial real estate market outlook states that expectations for growth reflect “steady job gains and stable leasing demand,” trends the authors believe will support […]

Stroll down Main Street in Madison on Saturday, September 3 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Stop by the booth manned by the volunteer fire department and try one of their famous steak sandwiches. Head over to the bandstand and hear old-time mountain music and 21st century mountain music—they call it “country”—and the marches and […]