By Celeste M. Smucker – Buying a home can definitely enhance a family’s long-term financial security. Yet often buyers continue to rent, believing they have to save a large down payment in order to qualify for a mortgage. The good news is there are many sources of down payment assistance for eligible buyers, and a […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Buying a home can definitely enhance a family’s long-term financial security. Yet often buyers continue to rent, believing they have to save a large down payment in order to qualify for a mortgage. The good news is there are many sources of down payment assistance for eligible buyers, and a […]
By Ken Wilson – “Hardest for me is reflecting quietly on the path I’ve taken to where I have yet to go.” #healthyagingnevergetsold When Charlottesville’s 1,800-member Senior Center puts a Twitter hashtag on its front page, it’s a sure sign today’s senior citizens are not yer grandparent’s old folks. Today’s “active seniors” navigate the internet […]
By Marilyn Pribus – We’ve all heard great things come in small packages, but when it comes to rooms, small can be, well, small. Still, there are a number of canny ways to make a limited area seem, if not spacious, at least larger. The most effective tactic is to open up the space. Literally. […]
By Celeste M. Smucker _ One of the most exciting real estate markets in Charlottesville is the area south of downtown near the new 5th Street Station. Until recently, this region’s popularity was hampered by residents’ concerns about the need travel to 29 North or to nearby localities like Waynesboro or Zion Crossroads to shop […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Remember that old song, “Don’t it always seem to go, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” It’s that way with electricity, that invisible, but essential service in today’s home. Hurricanes in summer, ice storms in winter and heavy winds any time can interrupt service. Often lines are repaired […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Buying a first home is an exciting event and something families look forward to, sometimes for years. Today’s first timers, primarily Millennials, are no exception. Most want to be home owners and, according to a 2017 article at Business Insider, over 66 percent of them expect to realize this dream […]
Greater Charlottesville Area 2017 Fourth Quarter & Year-End Highlights: Home sales increased 7.5 percent (863) compared to Q4 2016 (803), while year-end indicated a 4.0 percent gain. Greater Charlottesville median sales price rose to $300,000 (12 percent) compared to Q4 2016 ($267,842), as year-end marked a 7.4 percent improvement. The median days on the market […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – One of 2017’s biggest real estate stories was the emergence of a fast-growing new construction market, which continues to keep builders very busy, in many cases, well into this year. Historically low interest rates and an upward trending stock market motivated buyers to jump into the market, seriously depleting inventories […]
By Marilyn Pribus – It’s an iconic movie moment—Our Heroine sweeping down the dramatic curving staircase toward Our Hero or the Supporting Cast of 1,000. Of course most of us don’t have a grand staircase or even any stairs at all. But if you do, here are some classy, functional, or just plain fun ideas […]
By Ken Wilson – Skiing, snowboarding, skating or tubing: on your feet or on your rear, straight or in circles, down the hill or up and over the obstacles—however you like to slide and however you like your winter sports, Wintergreen Resort in Nelson County’s Rockfish Valley has a hill, a park, a rink, and […]