The resurgence of low-down financing seems dangerous on the surface. However, since the 2008 recession, things have drastically changed, including requirements regarding down payments. What’s different this time? According to Karen Dowell of Real Estate Solutions (www.karendowell.com), the primary difference is the underwriting criteria. Although there are still some low credit score types of programs […]
As Executive Vice-President of the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association (BRHBA), Kristin O’Connell Sorokti might be expected to think that Central Virginia is “a very, very good place” for homebuilders and home improvement buffs. But O’Connell doesn’t ask us to take her word for it. O’Connell invites us to see for ourselves. The BRHBA shows it […]
Experienced REALTORS® will tell you it’s critical to price a property appropriately from the get-go. Research shows overpricing a home and then dropping the price several times often leads to a final selling price that’s less than what you originally should have asked. In fact, the longer a property stays on the market, the lower […]
Like George M. Cohan, composer of such patriotic favorites as Grand Old Flag and Yankee Doodle Dandy, Charlottesville’s Hiromi Johnson was born on the Fourth of July. Well, sort of. Cohan’s birthday was actually July 3rd, and Johnson calls Independence Day her second birthday. “That day,” she says with deep feeling, “is my birthday of […]
News about commercial real estate both nationally and locally continues to be positive. The Urban Land Institute’s 2014 annual report entitled Emerging Trends in Real Estate (based on interviews with 1,000 experts in the field) states that respondents “expect growth to be sufficient to generate consistent and growing demand for commercial real estate across all […]
If you love golf and want to live near your favorite course, our area offers a lot of options. Home buyers seeking a golf course community with a country club atmosphere can pick from neighborhoods such as Glenmore or the Estates at Keswick Hall where a newly designed course will open soon. Public courses are […]
MOVOTO.com’s blog—which dubs itself “the lighter side of real estate”—recently named Charlottesville as the #2 Friendly Small City in the nation. What exactly makes a city friendly? “When we decided to tackle this question,” the blog says, “we realized that we’d need to look at it in some unique ways,” They decided some measures such […]
For those who are environmentally conscious, we want to offer some “green” tips on how to keep your lawn healthy and be a good steward of our environment at the same time. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as much as 80 percent of the water falling on lawns—from rain or sprinklers—doesn’t stay there. Instead […]
Look up in the trees when you’re having coffee on the Downtown Mall this June. Note the Budgett’s Frog facing off with the Green Tree Python, mouths agape, outside of the Nook. Check out the Indian Rhinoceros, the Golden snub-nosed monkey, the Sulawesi Crested Macaque and the Matchie’s Kangaroo. The larger-than-life animal images on the […]
Drive twelve miles west from Charlottesville and you’ll find Crozet, a quaint village and a popular residential area surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery. One of Albemarle County’s fastest growing areas, Crozet features the walking community of Old Trail and a growing number of other subdivisions where residents can experience a relaxed country lifestyle and still […]