Tis the season to list your home

If you need to sell your home and the holidays are approaching, you may be concerned about the inconvenience or a possible lack of buyers that may make it a waste of time. If your home has been on the market and hasn’t sold, you may be tempted to take it off the market during […]

House browsing: internet tools for buyers and sellers

According to the National Association of REALTOR®’s 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report, potential buyers turn to the internet when looking to purchase a home. In fact, the study shows that 45 percent of potential buyers attended open houses and used a mobile app, while 42 percent used mobile search engines to find […]

Spring Creek at Zions Crossroads

A Gated Community Loaded with Amenities Spring Creek is a flourishing new home community at Zion Crossroads in Louisa County, where you can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle with convenience, affordability and 24 hour security along with all of the benefits associated with living in a gated community that is loaded with amenities.  Spring Creek is […]

Hoping for the best; preparing for the worst

A Checklist to Prepare for Winter Good old Mother Nature has announced the coming of winter with several frosty mornings and The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a super-cold winter in our area. Never fear! There’s still plenty of time to prepare for potential problems. Here’s a checklist of reminders to get your home set […]

Orchard hopping: apples and peaches and family fun

At summer’s end comes fall’s bounty. Yes, it’s apple season alright – and also grape, raspberry, peach and pear season, with pumpkins on the way. Add in strawberries, blueberries and cherries, plums, apricots and nectarines, and central Virginia orchards offer something healthy and delicious year ‘round. “Apples have been grown in Albemarle County since Jefferson’s […]

Yard sales: declutter your home and earn extra cash

According to a recent University of California (UCLA) study, U.S. households have more possessions per home than any society in all of global history. Furthermore, the study reveals that clutter attributes to increased levels of stress in many American households. In fact, cleaning up the litter in your home not only provides additional space, but […]

Historic properties

What makes a home historic? Is it the age of the structure, the year it was built? Is it an historically significant architectural style, along with excellent craftsmanship that exemplifies and clarifies that style? Is it that headline-making history “was made here?” History is whatever we choose to value, but however we define it, we’re […]

The floor: your fifth wall

A home’s floor is, in many ways, the fifth wall of any room. Many people know exactly what they want on that “wall.” Case in point: Lorraine Krebs in Nelson County who had a couple non-negotiable house-hunting items. “I wanted hardwood floors,” she declares. “If there were stairs, I wanted hardwood steps. I wanted a […]

The anatomy of a good offer

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” […]

Staging a house to sell

“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 […]