Local real estate market (mostly) tracks national trends

Charlottesville area homes are selling at higher prices on average this year than they were in 2023, but they’re sitting on the market longer, and total sales are down. That roughly matches what’s happening nationwide, but there’s a key difference, according to local realtor Paul McArtor. “Charlottesville is so tied to the university, government, and […]

Local couple makes their eco-dream home—literally

Daniel and Meghan Edwards dreamed of building their own home. As committed environmentalists, they wanted it to be both livable and sustainable. Their budget was minimal, their commitment unwavering, and after almost 10 years, they have settled outside Stanardsville on their own little patch of land—in a home built of earth. “It’s is the first […]

Local homewood firm branches out, stays true to its roots

The HeartPine Company made its name crafting custom products from stuff a lot of people would throw away. It’s that commitment to finding beauty that has allowed the firm to thrive for 25 years. “I think there are two or three things that make it different,” says Debra Kirschnick, who directs the company’s sales and […]

Father and son are reclaiming the craftsmanship of the past

When Peter Hunter was growing up in Cismont, his father would take him out driving along the back roads in the Southwest Mountains, where the young boy felt drawn to the old derelict houses scattered through those woods and fields. Years later, Peter took his son Blake along on his drives through the Blue Ridge […]

A traditional home gets a lighter, brighter kitchen

You’ve bought a 1950s home in the Rugby area. It’s lovely and spacious, but it needs a little re-organizing. One example: It has a small, dark galley kitchen; you have four kids who want to bring their friends over and hang out, which means it’s time to re-do the first-floor layout and design a kitchen […]

A home’s landscape evolves to fit a new family

Homes, in tandem with the lives lived within them, change and evolve. So do their landscapes, as the grounds around one home in the University area demonstrate. The house has gone through its own evolution. Built in the early 20th century, it was designed by noted Charlottesville architect Eugene Bradbury, whose work includes St. Paul’s […]

Building your own home, step by step

Lack of real estate inventory may have you dreaming of building your own abode from the ground up. But what does the home-building process actually involve? We spoke to local realtor Jeff Mattie, partner with Core Real Estate Partners, to get the lay of the land on building your own home. First, Mattie says, you […]