Each one bigger and better than before—that’s how interior designer Moyanne Harding describes each of her four retail shops, the first of which she opened in 1994, just three years after establishing her design business, Interiors by Moyanne. A fifth location, The Downtown Design Center in Lynchburg, opens this month. Harding graduated from Randolph Macon […]
You’d never know that Peter and Angela D.’s house, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, isn’t brand new. Looking sharp in its ipe siding and modern lines, it appears to be a newly minted creation of Charlottesville design-build firm STOA, which just finished revamping it last December. What’s perhaps even more surprising is that it […]
The more dramatic the house, the more challenging it is to create an appropriate landscape surrounding it. When Jim and Cynthia Stultz built their Western Albemarle house in 2000, architects Daggett & Grigg drew them a plan for an imposing Palladian-style home, including an ambitious hardscape that featured a high semicircular stone wall along the […]
“I didn’t know what my future would hold, but I wanted to spend my time in college drawing and making things.” That’s Dan Zimmerman on his visit to Virginia Tech, the school from where he’d later graduate with a degree in architecture. A constant sketcher growing up, Zimmerman was interested in art but wasn’t sure how […]
At the heart of every real estate transaction is the contract, the agreement between two parties for the purchase of a home. The contract reflects hours of work on the part of the buyers, sellers and their agents to craft an agreement that works for both parties. Whether or not it is a “good offer” […]
“It can be hard for homeowners to really see their own dwelling,” declares Liz Blankenship, co-owner of Charlottesville’s Stage to Sell. “They are emotionally and financially invested in their home, so it’s hard to view it as a ‘product’ competing with other houses for sale.” While staging may not increase the ultimate selling price of […]
What do you want with a big old house in the woods? This listing, a 4,000- square-foot home outside Madison, seems to invite far-flung ideas. Sure, it could be a family home, as it has been since it was built in 1986. But something about it suggests that it’s ripe for repurposing. We’ll muse on […]
Nationally there is good news for commercial real estate, and local agents express similar optimism about our local market. A commercial market report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) based on national survey data indicated “an upbeat pace of sales during the second quarter.” They also reported a “6.4 percent quarterly increase, following a 3.8 […]
The primary purpose of a Homeowners Association (HOA) is to preserve a subdivision’s property values so owners can enjoy a consistent quality of neighborhood and lifestyle. One way they do this is by enforcing standards for the external appearance of homes and yards as defined in the neighborhood’s restrictions and covenants. Another is by maintaining […]
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than 35 million Americans move each year. And, although most movers are reputable companies, the number of complaints is on the rise. Moving into a new home is an exciting event, but the reality is that it’s often stressful for the entire family. That is why […]